Amanda was so right. She even showed up for a fire pit jam this year while in Nashville for other business.
The instruction, setting, food, players from around the world , the original Bluegrass Boys, world class luthiers and more. Don’t miss out next year. I’ll be there! – Alec Hurt, September 14, 2015

Amazing and well-organized learning experience. Will definitely attend again. Highly recommended.

For me one of the highlights was seeing how welcoming, friendly, and accommodating everyone was to a beginning picker like myself. When I got there Thursday evening, I was blown away by how good everyone was. It was definitely intimidating. I honestly didn’t want to take my mandolin out of its case. Another attendee, while taking a break from jamming, walked over and introduced himself. He encouraged me to just get in there and try because all those amazing pickers were in the same boat at one point in their lives too. I did and it was a blast!

I felt like another thing I took away from this experience was knowing where to go next with learning how to pick. Watching and hearing other pickers in person is so different than watching videos online. I thought that was probably the case going in, but I didn’t realize the extent to which it would hold true. I’m definitely planning on getting out more often to pick with other people.

Lastly, Paul Duff did an amazing job installing a new bridge on my mandolin. The difference in its playability and sound is remarkable. Can’t thank him and Will Kimble enough for being there and working on all of our instruments.

This camp is such a great community. I feel fortunate to have discovered it. Will definitely be attending again. – Geoff Alday, September 9, 2014

Monroe Mandolin Camp 2014 was the best music camp I have ever attended and one of the best weekends of my life.
The camp was run with a lot of thoughtful detail. Holding the instructor concert at Carter Vintage Guitars, for example, was a really nice touch. Heidi and Mike clearly expended a lot of effort to make the experience special.
For me the highlight of camp was getting to spend time with this amazing community of instructors and students. I can’t imagine ever getting enough of these folks!
I recorded most of the classes I attended, and I’ve just started going over the recordings. There is enough material here to keep me busy for a very long time. And the recordings capture some great moments: for example, David Davis encouraging a younger player to move in and play for the class. Pretty moving, really.
So, a bucket of thanks to Heidi and Mike! Can’t wait for the next time around. – Amanda Gregg, Sept 11, 2014

MonMan Camp is the best place to learn from and be inspired by some of the very best Monroe Style mandolin pickers out there! Well organized and crammed full of workshops, presentations and jams all set in a beautiful campground forty minutes outside of Nashville, TN. The attendees are enthusiastic mando-heads from all over the world, the food and beer is spectacular, you can have your mandolin worked on by some of the best luthiers in the business (Paul Duff, Will Kimble and Steve Gilchrist were there this year) and come away with enough material and concepts to work on for a lifetime! – Lukas Simpson, September 19, 2015

2015 was the first time that I had attended he camp since the move to Nashville. I’m glad that I made it. The teaching was over the top fantastic and the presentations were terrific, highlighted, for me by the Bluegrass Boys getting together to play and tell Monroe stories. A special thanks too, to the tireless efforts of Heidi for making sure of all or creature comforts and keeping things so well organized. I’m looking forward to renewing acquaintances this year. Onward to September! – Mike Bunting, March 3, 2016

Great expreience!! This will be my 3rd camp,as a beginner I felt welcomed and encouraged, Figured I’m learning what to learn, Getting to the roots of this music with guys who were taught and played with Bill, caint get any closer to the source theese days. Mike and Heidi work tirelessly to put this together for the love of this American art form. Incredible memories,This is on my calendar permanantly!!Yall come!! – John Boyd, August 18, 2016

Monroe mandolin camp was a great learning experience! Best Teachers and Staff. Many new and old friends from all around the world. – Fay Kirkland, September 22, 2017

Learned from the best and jammed with the best. Plus, the food was outfreakingstanding! —Jordan Riehm, September 24, 2017

My name is Raynae Redman and this is the second time I have attended Monroe Mandolin Camp.
In 2016, the camp was expanded to include banjo, and in 2017, a fiddle track was also added. Each year there’ll be another instrument track added until each of the 5 bluegrass instruments in Monroe’s band will be offered. It’s going to be exciting as each year the next instrument added will make it a full Monroe Bluegrass experience.

I was intrigued and stoked to attend because I wanted to take the banjo track. it was taught by the famous Alan O’Bryant of the Nashville Bluegrass Band fame-Very exciting. All techniques and songs taught were Monroe songs and styles even on the banjo, keeping with the theme of this being a Monroe camp.

A very nice spiral bound book was given to us with tabs and tips from each instructor for what they were teaching, and even though I took the banjo track, our book contained all the mandolin instructions and tabs too, which was a bonus. The book was nicely done and is about 3/4″ thick with a lot of useful information.

The camp is well run and a lot of fun to attend. They offer fun evening activities as an added interest to the camp too.

The food package offered was unbelievably good. i almost decided to not pay for the food package thinking I’d walk to eat elsewhere, but I decided to add it on to my camp tuition. i can tell you right now that that was a great decision! The food is so good and all you can eat; full meals that offer you anything you’d possibly want plus it’s very convenient and more fun eating right there with your fellow campers. I’m sure I gained ten pounds and it was definitely a good value.

My classes were fun and a challenge but I found that recording the lessons on my iPad was the greatest help of all, so if your considering attending, it’s very helpful to bring a recording device (after getting the ok from my instructor that recording was ok!) I was able to come home where I had plenty of time to decipher what was taught in the comfort of my home, and spend as much time as I needed to improve each tune. There were five tunes that were harder tunes that I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be playing, and I’m proud to say I’ve learned several of them already! TIt was easy to match my videos to the tabs where I was having trouble, and then to figure the parts out.

If you’re interested in traditional bluegrass and in particular Monroe’s style which defined early bluegrass, I would highly recommend this camp.

You’ll make lifelong friends and be able to network with them afterwards for even more help. Everyone attending this camp shares our same passion and they’re just good ole bluegrass folks from around the world making it a really fun experience.

Evenings that I didn’t feel like jamming were spent at The Station Inn or other interesting Nashville sites.

I highly recommend this camp! —Raynae Redman, September 16, 2017

Traveling from Australia, I’ve attended many Monroe Mandolin Camps and at every camp I’ve learnt a lot. Each time following the camp, I’ve had many hours of practice developing my skills as a mandolin player.

Tuition has been excellent featuring a diverse team of professional Mandolin players. Mike Compton, David Davis, Roland White, Skip Gorman, Richie Brown and many more, offering unique inside into the great Bill Monroe’s fundamental mandolin style. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about Bill Monroe and his history, talent, passion, contribution, motivation. After all, he was the founder of bluegrass music and “Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys.”

Luthiers attend the camp and are invaluable twerking, repairing, and attending to minor adjustments, along with gibing advice into setting up and any major repairs that your mandolin may need.

Some highlights at the Monroe Mandolin Camps have been:
Previous Bluegrass Boys musicians who played with Bill Monroe
Playing in the Country Music Hall of Fame Rotunda, representing women of Bluegrass and the Monroe Mandolin Camp (and as one of their international attendees!)

The Monroe Mandolin Camp has developed and become more inclusive of other bluegrass instruments, which is exciting, as well as incorporating other influences such as the blues, old-time mandolin, banjo and fiddle.
At every camp the food has been scrumptious and plentiful!

I love playing mandolin and through my mandolin I found Bill Monroe and a style of music which was developed by him. I would highly recommend the Monroe Mandolin Camp for enthusiastic mandolin or other bluegrass instrument players! —Diane Cross, September 17, 2017