[Harp-L] April Jam Camp

["Dan Kuhle" <ladiesluvamanwithwheels@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Howdy Harpers,

	I have just returned from Jon Gindicks? Jam Camp in St. Louis.  Well, okay, 
actually I?m typing this on the car ride home.  I just couldn?t wait to 
start expressing my appreciation to Jon and all of the other coaches there 
for the phenomenal weekend that I was able to be part of.  The coaches of 
the camp were Jon Gindick, Dennis Gruenling, John Costa, and Adam Gussow.  
And of course the ever lovely Mark Wilson graced us with his coordinating 
abilities.
	There are many things that I could say about this weekend, but the first 
and foremost is that it was one of the greatest weekends of my life.  Going 
into the weekend I kind of thought that the $450 that it cost was a bit 
much, but in all honesty, I would have paid twice that.  The opportunity to 
meet and listen to some of the greatest harpers in the world was invaluable, 
on top of meeting other people in the same proverbial boat as I am in skill 
wise.  The teaching skills of Jon ands Adam literally blew me away (or was 
that the wattage coming from the Biscuit?s amps?)  Either way, simply 
incredible.  I didn?t have a chance to work with John or Dennis, however I 
did talk to Dennis individually for about three minutes, and in that time he 
managed to teach me more about musical theory then I have been able to pick 
up in my entire life.  I also talked to John for a few minutes, and even 
though I never had the opportunity to work with him, he gave me his email 
address and told me he would love to hear from me. These people?s dedication 
to the harmonica and spreading the skill and joy of harping is simply 
incredible.
	Today?s (Sunday?s) all out jam was just icing on the cake.  Hearing my 
fellow harper?s blow (oops, I mean exhale) their hearts and souls into their 
harps was just awesome.  To be honest, I was nervous as heck going up there. 
 There were so many good players!  But with Mark?s gentle shoves (which he 
probably won?t admit to giving) and hearing some other people closer to my 
skill level play in front of everyone gave me the confidence to get up there 
myself.  In the end, I couldn?t believe how good I sounded.  And I can?t 
even draw the 2 on a C harp yet!  Thank god for D harps. ;-)
	So what?s the moral of my long winded story?  Go to Jam Camp!  You 
definitely won?t regret it, no matter what skill level you?re at.  I know I 
for one will be going to another one in the future.

Happy harping,
Dan Kuhle
Dubuque, Iowa