Getting Ready for Camp – Summersongs 2015
& WFDU-FM’s Traditions Playlist for July 12, 2015
Confession time. I never went to summer camp as a kid. My close friends in the neighborhood never attended either. While we had a great time making up our own activities on our own schedules each summer, I always felt that I missed out on something. I would hear stories from other kids in school who spent their summers at camp who enjoyed a variety of experiences and learned new skills in a pleasurable environment.
Ron Olesko blows out the candle to celebrate his 58th birthday
This past Sunday, I celebrated the 40th anniversary of my 18th birthday (I turned 58 for those of you without calculators), and now I want to go to camp. Songwriting camp.
My guests on this week’s show are all part of the SummerSongs songwriters camp. Joing me in the the studio were SummerSongs East Coast president Chris Kunstadter; singer-songwriter Sharon Goldman; and SummerSongs instuctor and singer-songwriter Glen Roethel. They also brought along a new CD to share – Barn’s Burnt Dow (Now I Can See the Moon), an album of songs from the late Tom Ryan who was a special friend of SummerSongs.
SummerSongs East will be held August 1 through 7 at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York – not far from Woodstock, New York. Campers can spend the entire week or come for the weekend. There is also a special “Dinner and a Show” on August 1 where attendees enjoy a dinner with the campers and instructors and hear a concert given by the teachers. Afterwards there will be song circles and jams – a great way to get a taste for the SummerSongs experience.
Chris Kunstadter, Sharon Goldman and Glen Roethel with Ron Olesko in the studios of WFDU-FM
As I learned from my guests during their visit to my show, SummerSongs is a camp for all levels of songwriters, from complete beginners to professionals. Campers are shown the path to writing songs and how to harness their creative skills in a non-critical, non-judgmental atmosphere. The goal isn’t to turn everyone into a professional touring songwriter, the hope is to develop the craft of songwriting as a means of self-expression. SummerSongs offers inspiration and encouragement. SummerSongs aims to empower individuals with an understanding of their personal ability to write songs about their experiences and then share those songs with their community. Songwriting, and folk music in particular, is a reflection of our culture and experiences. There are many different points of view, and the philosophy of SummerSongs is to bring out the art to express that in song. For those who want to take it further, the camp helps songwriters develop opportunities for performing and promoting their songs. Their mission statement notes that SummerSongs exists to “encourage, support and promote the creation of songs and the work of the songwriters, and to facilitate the inclusion of original songs in the life of communities.”
The first SummerSongs was held in 1999, created by acclaimed singer-songwriter Penny Nichols. Penny started her career in the 1960s as a folk singer in coffeehouses around Orange County, California. It was there that she forged friendships and went on to an illustrious career where she shared the stage with the likes of Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Mary McCaslin and so many others. She spent the “Summer of Love” in San Francisco and played the Big Sur Folk Festival. Her first album was released that year, selling over 50,000 copies. Since those days, her career since has led to recording and touring with a diverse list of artists including a stint with Jimmy Buffett and Coral Reefers, and she also went back to school where she earned degrees in music and psychology, including a doctorate in Education.
As an educator, she has taught at many music camps around the country and written a book and CD called 8 Voyages of Nep that features songs of grieving and healing through cancer treatment. She is also well known for her work as a vocal instructor, and the formation of Summersongs grew out of her wide-ranging background with music.
In 1994, Penny moved to New York’s Hudson Valley and spent time away from the music industry. She started to miss the connection with songs and the musical community, and then she began working with Jay Ungar and Molly Mason who were running a music camp called Fiddle and Dance at the Ashokan Center. While working as a coordinator of a business program at a local college, she was given an opportunity to put together a songwriting class. She decided to hold it at Ashokan, and in 1999 the first SummerSongs was held with 27 students.