Music Camp Report
- Jan 17
- 3 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
"We ticked all the boxes: 10 out of 10"
By Irene Laing
We fostered connections between members and between our established groups
We built skills and confidence in playing and performance
We spread the joy of music
We all had a bucket load of fun
Our 2026 Music Camp kicked off with the blackboard spotters in front of the roaring log fire. There were lots of opportunities for us all to participate and that’s what we did with gusto. The Tues Blues lot and others then fired up and continued well into the night.
By Saturday breakfast we were all raring to go to. Off we went to our chosen workshops or sessions. Lots on offer including Swing with Michael, Old Timey with Bruce, Songwriting with Greg, Singing Sea Shanties with Leon, Guitar Inversions with Adrian and warm muffins to sustain us between sessions. The joy of music was spreading - flash mob groups sprung up, the piano got played and everyone was talking to everyone and the sun shone. Bliss.
The magic continued. After lunch It was warm enough for wannabe painters to sit outside in the sun and paint while Danny’s beginners jammed away to their hearts content. Thank you Marie for your enthusiasm, your contribution and expanding the Club’s artistic horizons.
Thank you to Katrina, Greg and Jean who drove up and down from Melbourne especially to lead the Slow and Steady Celtic players. Pure joy and indulgence and another aim of the camp ticked off with aplomb!! Some of us spotted platypus on the lake while ordering our pre-dinner drinks, others saw them from their canoe - what a treat.
Bush dances are always good fun and our camp one was no exception. We wondered at one stage whether there would be more musicians than dancers - chaos became order and it’s a toss up as to whether the dancers or the bush orchestra made the most noise and had the most fun. Thank you for joining in dancing or playing or staying seated and watching people have lots of fun. Michael Stewart reckoned everyone was tired so we stopped dancing and a big circle formed around the fire and a succession of members played an eclectic selection of tunes while others joined in or just enjoyed listening. I heard one of my room mates turning up well into the wee hours of the morning. Fabulous.
The sun shone again on Sunday morning and some happy campers went out on the lake in canoes and spotted platypus’s (not sure what the official plural of platypus is)? Simon’s Celtic session got the fingers moving real fast - something for us all to aspire to. Great to see so many new people willing to have a go at the fast stuff and good to see and play with Lionel and Hannah from Ararat.
David Isom lead the bush tunes session. It was the first time we’d had the chance to play since Greg O’Leary’s death last week. Our playing was interspersed with spontaneous tales about Greg - a time to laugh together, to talk about his quirky ways, his grumpiness but most of all the impact he had had on everyone who’d had the privilege of knowing and playing with him.
I couldn’t attend all the sessions but I definitely heard lots of positive feedback about Adrian’s Guitar Inversions and Music Theory Basic workshop. There seemed to be lots of happy ukulele players after Alison’s sessions and Jackie’s Song Sharing Session and her whimsical blackboard spot.
A huge thank you to David and Michael for making the weekend so special for us all. Thank you to the staff at Cave Hill for making us so welcome with the log fires, the yummy food, the hot scones for morning tea and the usual discussion about whether the cream or the jam go on first?
Thank you to all our session leaders, your enthusiasm, your insights and giving up your time - you are very special people. Thank you to Jackie for her behind the scenes important admin stuff like lists and labels and Gavin for setting up the PA system and venturing out with the canoes for surprise platypus spotting. Thank you Kerrie for capturing the weekend with your iPhone.
Thank you to everyone of you for coming, for joining in and spreading the joy of music and art.
Photos
Updated document - Guitar Chord Inversions workshop.
If you went to Adrian Newington's workshop - here's an updated version of the documentation
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