JB, I just attended Balfa Camp for the first time, last month. I enrolled as accordion being my primary or "intensive" area of instruction. I too was uncertain about whether I should enroll in the beginner or intermediate level. What I quickly learned during the general camp orientation was that things would be pretty loose (I think "fluid" was the word used) if we discovered we wanted to change our initial class choice. At least, that was the case this year -- I hope others will comment whether or not this is typical of previous years. Not only was the general attitude this year, "if your class level doesn't seem right for you then feel free to move to a different level", in fact it was even suggested some might want to attend different classes (even different instruments or non-instrumental classes) on different days as the spirit moved us -- all of which was okay with the Staff. I found there were so many interesting sessions in addition to the great accordion classes that I attended each morning (learning Cajun vocals, band labs, cooking demos, dance instructions, afternoon performances and/or talks given by various Staff members and guests, etc.) and we were encouraged to attend any sessions that piqued our interest from each day's schedule. There was so much flexibility in how we chose to schedule our time from among what was offered each day -- the general attitude seemed to be "it's all good, so find what seems right for you."

Hope this helps alleviate some of your concern about the instructional level you indicate on the enrollment form, which seems to be more for the Staff's general planning.

Dale

Many Thanks, Dale,
That was exactly the kind of response I was hoping to get. The "freedom to move around" idea was what I hoped would be available, and apparently that is the case. Will you be attending in '08?
JB

JB, I agree with Dale as there is a lot of flexibility at Balfa camp. I took the beginner accordion class this year and also had the chance to sit face-to-face with a number of instructors and experienced campers. I picked up a lot of tips during the week. The camp offers a very supportive environment for learning and that's why I keep going back for more. I've been playing guitar for years and decided to try accordion. The instructors are all very approachable and they will take the time to talk with you to make sure you get the right fit with a class. So many of the people who come to camp are talented players and they offer another excellent source of tips and ideas. So many of these people can just flat-out play...it's a pretty amazing aggregation of talent. If I can make it, I'll be back next year for more.

Rob K.

JB, I attended the camp for the first time in '06. I'm planning on returning next year ('08).
As Rob mentioned above, it is pretty flexible there if you feel you're in the wrong pigeon hole.
Having said that, you should try to enrol in the most relevant level for you between Beginner and Intermediate/Advanced. I guess my rule of thumb would be the following: If you've never played, or if you are still in the process of learning the basic techniques thought in Dirk Powell's two videos, stick to "beginner" (B). If you can play a few tunes, and master the basic techniques on Powell's video, you can consider the "Intermediate/Advanced" (IA).

As the IA includes several seasoned and experienced players, having some beginner participants who are not at a certain level of proficiency would only frustrate the majority.

Where are you in your learning process?
Maz

Rob is, by the way, one of those people who "can just flat-out play" on the guitar. I was lucky enough to be in the same band lab group "Bayou Sauvage" with this cat, and he kept our groove cookin'!

Steve Blais

It was great meeting everyone at my first Balfa Camp. My advice is to pack as many instruments as you can to maximize the "fluid" experience. I had the luxury of driving and I was glad I did.

I advanced beyond the level I had signed up for, so I jumped to the overcrowded intermediate level the first day. When that proved unsatisfying I spent the second day in an extremely small beginning fiddle class honing a few notes before gravitating to the creole accordion class.

Hauling the guitar along just helped put the icing on the cake.

Janet

Wow, you were literally wingingit Janet!
Didn't you wish you could have cloned yourself?
Next time, I will certainly bring my fiddle too. I supposed I could also bring my travel guitar, but that'd be too much on the plane!