Camp Kiya lets you be part of the band
| Wednesday, Jul 22 2009 05:07 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jul 22 2009 05:07 PM
Camp Kiya
What: Summer music camp
When: 2 p.m. Sunday to 1 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Tehachapi Mountain Park
Admission: $100, children age 4 or younger, free
Information: 823-9994
Have you ever had a yen to see what it's like to slide a bow across a fiddle? How about plucking the strings of a mandolin, a guitar, or a ukulele? Or maybe puckering up on a penny whistle. Is a set of bagpipes more your style?
You can do all of these things and have a whole lot of fun doing them in the wide-open spaces of Tehachapi Mountain Park where a family-oriented music camp starts on Sunday.
"We call it a musical petting zoo," said Deborah Hand, one of the camp's organizers. "You can put your hands on a cello, a fiddle, a guitar, any instrument you want. Kids can do it too."
Beginners as well as more advanced players are welcome to attend. The gathering's official name is Camp Kiya, which, said Hand, means fun and laughter in Kawaiisu, the language spoken by the American Indians who first inhabited the area.
She and her husband, Peter Cutler, who's also a musician, are personally acquainted with the guest instructors, all of whom are nationally known performers. They include Joe Craven, a fiddler, who's also adept on the mandolin, banjo and all sorts of percussion instruments.
"Joe Craven, for instance, is such a good educator," she said. "With him it's just mainly having fun with music. He'll be giving a demo of different styles of fiddle playing, probably jazz and blues, on Sunday afternoon."
Campers can choose to stay in cabins, their own tents or vehicles, or they can commute daily to Tehachapi. Overnight campers under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Meals are provided.
Many of the instructors are professional performers who are familiar figures at folk music festivals around the country, Hand said, and all are gifted teachers.
The group includes fiddler Jamie Laval, piper Zac Leger, Irish dancer Aria Curzon and Jan Tappan, director of the Los Angeles Scottish Fiddlers.
Cost for the three days is $100 but anyone who cannot stay the entire time may attend Craven's Sunday session only for $25 per person.
Camp Kiya is sponsored by the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Parks District and the Arts Council of Kern, which is offering a few scholarships.
For information call the Arts Council at 324-9000.
-- Camille Gavin
