Topic: Workshop and Teenagers

[NevadaPic]

Folks,

I have secured accommodations and I am just about to register but before I do does anyone else bring their kids/teenagers with them to the workshop?  More than likely my 15 year old son will be accompanying me and I am wondering how he might occupy his time while I am otherwise engaged in workshop sessions.  I spoke with Peter McCracken about this awhile ago and he indicated that there were other young folks that would be around for him to maybe hang out with during the sessions.  He's a good kid and I am not worried about him finding trouble (that's what they all say I know) but I don't want him bumming out on my account.  Does anyone have any experience with this at that workshop?  Frankly I hope that he will see some value in pursuing his own guitar playing a bit more seriously as a result of being up there.

Thanks!

Pic 

[bmore]

There are always a number of teenage attendants at P/T. Usually they are enrolled, and taking advantage of the classes along with everyone else. I am always humbled by the quality of the playing and knowledge of the young.
There is plenty to do for any music lover or nature lover at Fort Warden. I would not be surprised if it didn't become a annual event, as it has for so many others.

Brian

[uncle bud]

Hi Pic,

As Brian says, there are quite a few teens in attendance, some of them pretty good players, others very novice. It's a welcoming scene for all. The teens, in my rather limited perception of them, tend to gravitate towards each other and hang out all week. You can often see them jamming together in "studios" (i.e. small rooms) in Building 204, the big main building for evening jams. If he plays guitar, then register him for the workshop like anyone else and he'll find his way, perhaps tagging along with some of the other kids to the sessions they go to.

Cheers,
Andrew

edited to add: and if he does register, you and he should feel free to ask veterans and Weenies for tips on which class to go to, what might be best suited for his level/interest etc.

[Johnm]

Hi Nevada Pic,
Just to add to what has already been said, I don't know if your son has any kind of background on piano (not blues piano, just piano), but there is a long-standing tradition of young people participating in the piano classes at Port Townsend.  If your son has ever taken piano lessons, even if he has never played Blues piano, he might really have a leg up in terms of getting a good start on that, if you and he think it would be something he might enjoy.  There are good introductory classes on guitar and harmonica, too.
All best,
Johnm

[NevadaPic]

Hey ya'll,

Thanks for the info!  He's not much of a guitar player yet unfortunately.  How introductory are the introductory classes?  On a scale of 1 to 10 he's about a .5 so far...  Kids these days want instant gratification and I'm not sure that he wants to put forth the effort.  It's a tough nut to crack.  I guess I'm kind of beating around the bush here about not wanting to register him lest the money be wasted (as terrible as that might sound). 

On the other hand, I would consider registering him for classes if they were basic enough for his current limited ability.  Don't get me wrong, as far as I am concerned learning to play is not so much a matter of perceived ability but of desire.  He doesn't yet have that burning desire to learn as I did when I was near his age...  Anyways I hope that this clarifies my position. 

Pic

PS.  Johnm, zero piano experience.  Thanks for the suggestion though.     

[waxwing]

As a yardstick, how many basic chords can he play with some facility? Could he cover Keys of C, D, E, G or A, even if he still kinda has to work a bit from one chord to the next in a few keys? That's usually the basic skill required. Specific classes are for those with no finger picking experience.

Since you already have accommodations, you are in no hurry to register him as that can take place virtually the first day of camp. Perhaps giving him a goal of getting enough familiarity with the chords between now and then would be a good test. Do I sound like a non-parent? Sorry.-G-

I'm sure he'll enjoy himself whether he participates in the musico r not.

All for now.
John C.

[lindy]

Purchasing 3-4 harmonicas in the major blues keys is a smaller investment than a guitar, and every year there's been a harmonica class that starts at the very beginning with basic technique--blow, draw, bend.

Then tell him that most of the 15-year-old girls are in the piano, harmonica, and singing classes. Let nature take its course . . .

Lindy

[Rivers]

Maybe the first year just bring him along to check it out and decide for himself what's cool. I guarantee associations and motivations will kick in from there. The kids at Port T are the best.

[NevadaPic]

Ya'll are the greatest on this forum.  Thanks for putting my worries to bed.  Being an old fart, I had forgotten what it was like being 15 years old.  lindy

Purchasing 3-4 harmonicas in the major blues keys is a smaller investment than a guitar, and every year there's been a harmonica class that starts at the very beginning with basic technique--blow, draw, bend.

Then tell him that most of the 15-year-old girls are in the piano, harmonica, and singing classes. Let nature take its course . . .

and Rivers

Maybe the first year just bring him along to check it out and decide for himself what's cool. I guarantee associations and motivations will kick in from there. The kids at Port T are the best.

have got him pegged. 

Waxwing, good advice.  Yeah I can get him to the level you suggest by then (I think).  I did not realize I had so much flexibility in registration time besides...

Johnm, Andrew and Brian thanks for the support.  He is a nature lover like his old man and I guess he'll be alright in any case.

Ya'll have a good one!  I appreciate very much your responses.

Pic