Lark Camp is a truly incredible experience. Having attended each year from age 4 to the present, I can testify there is nothing else like it in the world that I know of - a non stop week-long musical journey incorporating traditional styles from all over the world, taught by the best instructors around and attended by some of the nicest and people I've ever met. It's a camp, but it's also a community that I'm proud to be a part of. People of every level of musical skill can have the time of their life at Lark. read more

Lark Camp - Performing Arts Near Me

Lark camp has been a hugely positive experience in my life and I'm happy to say this will be my third year attending. The setting in the middle of a redwood forest is just gorgeous. The experience of being able to wander around any time of the day and into the evening to experience people playing, dancing to, and singing music from so many cultures is just a magical experience. So far, I've taken Irish flute lesson, Irish/Galatian/Balkan/Swing dance lessons. I've had a chance to play with Hurdy Gurdy, Galatatian tamborine - and this is just so far. The opportunity to learn from any one 80 instructors teaching 139 workshops is such an amazing opportunity. Every evening there are performances and amazing dances to live music with hundreds of other enthusiasts. The question is not what am I going to do today, it is what do I have to skip this year ; ) read more

Lark Camp is absolutely magical. Have you ever heard bagpipes in the woods, or learned how to play ukelele, or danced in the forest? The first time I went to Lark Camp, many people asked me what instrument I play. My response was, "my feet!" There are dance, song, and music workshops all day long, as well as groups playing Irish, Old Time, Middle Eastern, French and Spanish music - just to name a few. My favorite workshops that year were flamenco dance and the Lark Camp Polytechnic Chorus. That was 20 years ago, and I've returned every year since. Many workshops are offered every year, and there seems to be a variety of unique opportunities as well. Over the years, I've taken multiple dancing and song classes, an old-time banjo workshop and a beginning fiddle class. There are lots of evening dances, campfire music sessions, and performances, too. I got to sing on stage with others - something I'm very nervous about! (Check out the Swing Vocals workshop.) There is also a wonderful kid's play on the last evening that we never miss. I brought my husband to Lark Camp when we began courting, seventeen years ago. He already played fiddle, and the fiddle workshops have been fantastic. Then a couple of years ago he picked up a mandolin and now he takes both fiddle and mandolin workshops. Note, this camp provides food and beverages, all prepared fresh on-site. This is NOT your hot-dog and potato-chip camp. There are also opportunities to purchase treats freshly baked onsite. This brings me to the community aspect - the food is made by a devoted group of crew who put their heart into every bite of each meal, and every drop of coffee and tea. There is no espresso machine out in the woods, so try the Turkish coffee, which will have you playing music into the night. The crew are musicians, too. I've watched kids grow up and return each year and warmly greeted friends old and new. read more

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I registered and paid for Lark Camp in advance, but was later told my payment was missing. Even after I provided proof of payment via a cancelled check, the staff denied receiving it, acted dismissively, hung up mid-call, and ignored subsequent phone calls.Because my proof of payment was ignored and communication was cut off, I had to escalate the issue through multiple channels and mention legal options before receiving a response. Management initially offered only a partial refund. After further stressful negotiations, the director finally issued a full refund but explicitly banned me from future attendance. The director has since acknowledged in writing that the customer service I received was inadequate and stated that this situation forced them to change a refund policy held since the 1980s. While the billing error was eventually corrected, the conflict resolution process was unprofessional, misleading, and required radical escalation just to get an answer. Be aware of how this organization handles billing disputes before you pay them in advance. read more

Wonderful experience -music and dancing classes, great food, coffee, and entertainment. Almost glamping (with flush toilets, hot showers, 3 meals a day, and several coffee houses). All in a redwood forest. Best holiday ever! read more

The best week of my life every year! I've been going for over 20 years I think and have formed many lasting friendships with people I have met there... friendships which continue for the other 51 weeks of the year. There is plenty to learn at do at camp - so many options! I try to mix up which workshops I take each year - always new things to try. Be aware though that this isn't luxury accommodation - it is a historic woodland with historic cabins and critters to boot! So if you don't like camping, this might not be best for you. read more

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This was the best 7 days of my life! I had heard great things about Lark. But I never expected 1) 20 classes per HOUR on the activity board... Each day from 9 a to 5 pm ... 2) World class instructors offering instruction in string instrument wind instruments percussion ... singing, dancing and performance 3) And music traditions from the British Isles, French and Cajun, the Balkans, the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East, South and Central America, Appalachia and more. And every year they integrate new teachers and new experiences. Most campers feel the nights are even more fun than the days... often with FIVE dance parties per night ... featuring incredible live music played by teachers, students and professional musicians! Whether you are like me and typically go to bed at 10... or you like to dance hard into the night... the variety of music, the caliber of the musicians, and the sheer energy create night after night of unique experiences. The best part is the Mendocino Woodlands themselves. Whether you are taking a walk in the woods alone under the redwoods, or you sipping your morning cappucino while listening to a student practice their harp by the morning campfire...The week is filled with non-stop memorable moments. If you are a musican, singer, dancer... OR just a "dabbler" (like me) ... OR simply part of a family or couple who enjoys traditional music, you would definitely want to experience this magical place. read more

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An amazing, magical camp that takes place in the Mendocino Woodlands. They are keeping the hippie spirit alive and also offering amazing, eclectic lessons from talented, caring instructors! read more

TLDR: Payed over 700 dollars for camp I didn't attend. Treated pretty badly by staff. My girlfriend wanted to attend Lark as a couple after going last year by herself. She forwarded me her email and I skimmed it, clicked the link and signed up to request a "working position" wherein the sign up fee is lessened if you labor at the camp. After I signed up, I received a call, while at I was at work, from a woman named Amy. Amy explained I clicked the wrong link and it screwed something up on her end. She was really upset. When I commented "It sounds like you are having an infrastructure issue with the way your google forms work. There are ways to limit who has access to certain links." Amy responded "It sounds like you are having a issues with how your relationship works." I stayed quiet at the ridiculous jab and apologized for making the mistake as I didn't want to mess anything up from my girlfriend with the camp. 2 months go by I had signed up fully and paid. My girlfriend can no longer attend and my work has been pressuring me about the time off. I send an email to Mickie, who is the proprietor from what I understand, to request a partial refund, explaining that I understand clerical dues and hold fees, but 700 dollars for literally nothing is hard to stomach. He called me back and said there are zero refunds. I followed up in an email asking if the ticket was transferable to another person so at least the money could go to someone learning about music that could attend. He responded by email AFTER the camp completed saying he "hoped I could come to camp next year." I am sure there are a huge number of people that have had a great experience with the camp. It looks fantastic. I, unfortunately, wasn't able to be one of them. The way things were handled from a business perspective was upsetting and rather unprofessional. read more

sorry to hear about your experience. My ex-wife, daughter and I have been going to this camp for about 10yrs now. While I recognize some folks after all that time, and some of them recognize me... I am not social enough nor a good enough musician to attract a lot of attention from the regulars there. But... I still enjoy the camp for the social atmosphere as well as the relaxed pace for the week. There definitely is a 'family' feeling there and I have seen many kids grow up there over the last 10 yrs., our daughter included. As far as learning... yes, there are some instructors who are better at teaching than others, but there is plenty to be learned. I've never sought out music history at camp there, I just went to play and learn how to play. This has worked well when I learned to limit the number and the kinds of classes I tried to participate in. Learning to schedule one's day really makes a difference in what a person gets out of camp. Although some classes can help rank beginners, I do believe it is better if you know a little bit about the instrument you wish to play at camp, before you get there. The camp can be attended as a week-long camp, or you can break it up into two parts... 1st half and 2nd half. Going to half camp means you will probably miss out on either the beginning of the classes or the end of them. But some classes do take into consideration the newcomers at mid-week, and help them get up to speed. I'm not sure when JenW went to camp, but the camp operators - Mickey and Elizabeth, sold the music stores a few years ago. Yes, many of the instruments are very cheap imports, but there were instruments that would suffice for someone just starting out and wondering if they might stay with it. It's personal choice... you pay really cheap prices to get a cheap instrument, or you pay the average going rate to get a better instrument. Lark Store is what it is. I wouldn't go to a music camp/event thinking I was going to get bargain instruments there, just like I wouldn't go to a gunshow and expect to get a bargain firearm there, nor go to a ballpark and expect I could eat a quality meal for a decent price.... $15 hotdogs??? LoL. Anyway, Lark Camp is a place where you get to experience music from around the world and in some cases performed by people from countries outside of North America. You get the opportunity to live for a week among really friendly and talented people at a relaxed pace (if you so choose), in a nice climate and woodland setting, play music AND learn music without worrying about someone stealing your instrument if you leave it out all night. The accommodations are rustic to primitive, but the bathrooms have running water, showers, and flush toilets. The meals (if you choose to pay for the meals there instead of bringing your own food) are somewhat exotic, yet very tasty IMHO, and we've never gone hungry. It's a week of walking, riding your bike, or riding the shuttle buses and living with the fact that the only 'noise' is that of instruments, voices, and nature. I highly recommend you visit their website to see pictures and read the descriptions. Another plus is that I have not had to lose sleep because people were 'jamming' right next to my tent all night long.. sometimes in a drunken or other sort of stupor. The jamming is pretty much contained at the dance halls and firepits. I've never seen anyone get 'out of hand' either sober or 'under the influence', and children roam about the whole week without being molested in any fashion I could see or have heard about. I just wish the rest of my life could be more like this. read more

Much merriment, frolicking, dancing, relaxing, eating, fun in one of the most beautiful settings ever...the Mendocino Woodlands forest. Every end of July-early August....musicians and dancers converge for a week to the Old World Music and Dance Camp. It's equal is Camp David (formerly "Shangrila"). Imagine sitting under a tree in the forest, by a "brooklet"...and hearing lutes, harps or brass bands in the distance!.....eating fresh baked goodies (from the bakery in the Woodlands)...drinking Turkish coffee made in copper pots..dancing to French Country music-Cajun-English Country music-Contra. Take as many worshops as your heart desires (inclusive in the tuition). This camp is as if time stood still from the 1930's....it has been kept original (all cabins and structures included) and for the same purpose as it was built for at that time...for enjoying the outdoors experiences. This is such a unique experience...Larkers return year after year,,,as I. read more