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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2019)
4 Wednesday, September 11, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Song Academy touches souls By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent Walking up the path to the main lodge at Camp Caldera at Blue Lake, the sound of a banjo twangs through the trees and the strumming of a guitar and a ripple of laughter waft in the breeze. A palpable sense of peace is present. The Americana Song Academy, in its 17th year in association with the Sisters Folk Festival, provided 85 attendees with a rare mix of place, creativity, community, and, of course, music, music, music from September 3-6. More than 20 of the art- ists slated to perform at the Sisters Folk Festival joined the <students= for four days of workshops, mentoring, open mic time, fellowship and jam sessions as a means to hone skills, learn new techniques, and bask in the love of song- writing and performance. In a workshop Thursday morning by <Stand and Sway= artists Beth Wood and Ara Lee James, the session began with the circle of 25 holding hands and perform- ing a group hum, which soon grew into spontaneous har- monies and melodies. This simple exercise seemed to symbolize what took place in the camp all week: creat- ing a space of safety, camara- derie, open-heartedness, and learning. Artist Dave McGraw of the duo Sway Wild said, <As far as camps and festivals go, this is sort of the center of the universe for me.= Other campers and art- ists echoed that sentiment throughout the day. For Greg Troll of Portland, a retired doctor who has been to the Academy <nine or 10 times,= being stretched to perform in front of a live audience has meant the most to him. <I think one element of song camp that gets Clippity Doo underrated is the importance of doing performances. When we do performances it ups all of our games and it9s really helpful to break into perform- ing in front of a truly empa- thetic audience,= he said. Sisters resident Jack Nagel has volunteered as a kitchen helper for more than a decade just to be able to take in some of the magic of the camp. <I do a little bit of percus- sion, so I sometimes join the jam sessions in the evening, and there are times when I just stop playing and mar- vel at the talent and energy around me,= he said. Brad Tisdel, creative director of Sisters Folk Festival, sees the camp as a somewhat hidden, but inte- gral, part of the organization9s outreach and impact. <People may not under- stand the depth and breadth of the festival, but when you think about it, the song acad- emy alone covers a lot of ground,= he said. <The artists come and give of themselves to adult and teenage students. Those artists become friends of the Sisters community and there is a synergy that is cre- ated which actually contin- ues year to year. There are many levels for people to be engaged.= Emma Horner, a senior at Sisters High School and committed member of the Americana Project, got a few minutes of a guitar finger technique session with mem- bers of the trio The Brother Brothers and said, <It9s amaz- ing how much you can learn in such a short time with expert musicians like these guys,= she said. Horner was one of three current SHS students to attend the camp along with fellow seniors Sierra Henneous and Chloe Gold. After lunch on Thursday, fifteen campers got the oppor- tunity to perform during an open mic session and many alluded to how important, and scary, getting on stage for the first time can actually be. One performer, who intro- duced himself as Greg, took the stage and said that his would be a protest song and went on to tickle the crowd with a clever tune depict- ing his inner battle with the expectation of <having= to write a song, but not want- ing to do it. His creation, titled, <I9m not going to write a song= ended to a standing ovation. Dennis McGregor of Sisters is deeply rooted to the Folk Festival as a graphic art- ist, mentor, and performer. He says that the very first Song Academy truly impacted his life 4 and it almost never happened. As McGregor recalls it, he read about the Song Academy in The Nugget and dismissed it as not applying to him. <I had been writing songs since I was a teenager and had played music profession- ally for over a decade, so I thought it was something you just do.= Then he ran into Brad Tisdel, who urged him to take part in the camp, but McGregor was unswayed. Tisdel remained persistent. <Brad told me that only 11 people had signed up and that if they didn9t get 12 the camp wasn9t going to happen, so I finally agreed,= McGregor recalled. Camp Caldera did not exist at the time of the first Song Academy. <The hearth building wasn9t built yet, so it was just a crude little tipi village. It was very intimate and I was very affected by it, which surprised me. It wasn9t Hair Caché Ha Jeff, Theresa, Ann, Jamie, Shiela, Terri 152 E. Main Ave. / 541-549-8771 instructor. <It9s something I really enjoy,= he said. <It9s bring- ing people together with a common interest and you celebrate the things you love. It9s a loving place, you know. Everywhere you go people are encouraging, non-critical and caring,= he said. <It9s sort of a model for the world 4 if only the world could be this way.= Tinker Hatfield, a designer from Portland, comes to the camp as an added layer to his creative life and summed up the unique atmosphere of the camp this way: <The song camp is all about peace, love, and light; and it just happens to be music that delivers that mes- sage,= he said. FREE Gardening Workshop Friday, September 20 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. with Dr. Phi Phil Newell, D DMin, ACC From 6-7:30 P.M., FIRESIDE ROOM AT The that I learned that much about songwriting, but that I was inspired,= he said. It was the fact that other campers, as well as the instructors, had made the effort to come a long way to be part of the camp that intrigued McGregor. <I thought that if they cared that much to make that sort of effort, I should care more myself,= he said. <By the time the camp ended I was sort of lit up, and once I got home I really started writ- ing songs.= The results of his inspi- ration included winning the Sisters Folk Festival song- writing contest the following year. He has been an annual attendee at the camp where he serves as a mentor and INTRO TO COACHING Sundays, September 15-October 20 Dah PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG Dennis McGregor with a camper from the Americana Song Academy at Caldera. McGregor attended the very first song academy, and it was a transformative experience. SISTERS COMMUNITY CHURCH 1300 W. McKenzie Highway, Sisters Develop skills to enhance relationships and personal growth. Learn how to engage in active listening and ask powerful questions to help people move from where they are to where they want to be. 6 sessions for $30 or $5 per session. For more information or to register call 541-549-1201 Adult Cornhole Tournament September 21 at Three Creeks Brewing Landing Zone Tournament begins at 11 a.m. View SPRD activities & classes classes, and d regi register i stt e r online at www.SistersRecreation.com 1750 W. Mckinney Butte Rd. | 541-549-2091 SNO CAP MINI STORAGE Sisters Industrial Park 157 Sisters Park Dr. • 541-549-3575 www.SistersStorage.com • State-of-the-art Security Technology • Sizes from 5x5 to 12x40 • Individual Gate Codes • Long-term Discounts • On-site Manager