From Scratch 2026
From Scratch weekend is a workshop designed for true beginners. If you’re interested in learning a new instrument or craft, this is the weekend for you! With more than 1,140 acres of forest consisting of breathtaking canyons, waterfalls, miles of hiking trails, and glistening streams, there’s plenty of exploring to do during your free time.
Workshop Prices range from $225.00 for music workshops up to $275.00 for craft workshops. This includes materials fees which are described with each workshop description.
Lodging Prices Range From:
- Lodge Room & Meals for 2: $395.00
- Lodge Room & Meals for 1: $320.00
- Cabin Bunk Bed & Meals for 1: $165.00
- Commuter Fee & Meals for 1: $75.00
- From Scratch is made possible in part by grants from Alabama State Council on the Arts.
Beginner Mandolin with Jason Bailey
Are you looking to get better at the mandolin? Perhaps you have never played any musical instrument before and thought the mandolin would be nice? Maybe you already play some but need help with chord voicings, music theory or you just wanna learn a few fiddle tunes? Regardless of your aspirations, Jason can help!
Mandolinist Jason Bailey has been performing and teaching professionally for 25 years. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Jason relocated to Nashville shortly after completing his third solo album release, Mandolbug in 2010. This record, produced by mandolinist extraordinaire Matt Flinner, expresses Bailey’s talents in new grass, jazz and celtic inspired genres. Bailey currently has five album releases. Jason is a long-time instructor and friend of the Alabama Folk School.
Beginner Banjo with Bailey Hill
Most folks don't realize that the hidden key to human happiness is simply playing the banjo. This may seem counterproductive, as the banjo is heavy, and you're probably used to hearing family members complain about how darn loud they are. In Beginner Banjo, you will learn to be one of the loud ones! We will dive into the basics of clawhammer technique, some beginning fingerstyle work, and by the end, you'll have the skills you need to have a grand old time on the 5 string.
Things you need for the class: A 5 string banjo that can stay in tune and a recording device.
Bailey Hill is a multi-instrumentalist and experienced songwriter based out of Fultondale, Alabama. He got his start learning mandolin at The Alabama Folk School at Camp McDowell, and soon expanded his horizons to banjo and guitar. Bailey specializes in American Old Time and Bluegrass music but has a firm grasp on contemporary acoustic styles as well. His experience in the world of teaching includes directing the Alabama Folk School at Camp McDowell, Banjo instructor at The Alabama Folk School’s Youth Camp, Ukulele Instructor for the Magnolia Nature Preschool, Youth Songwriting Workshop instructor for The Alabama Folk School, and Private lesson teacher since 2016.
Bailey is also an experienced performer. He has performed at The Acoustic Cafe, Artwalk Birmingham, The Birmingham Museum of Art, Samford University’s Children Week, FOOTMAD of Birmingham’s Monthly Contra Dances, Bluegrass on the Rim, and many more. Bailey’s passion for teaching and performing comes from a fundamental drive of wanting more music in the world. Bailey views music as not just a great hobby or job, but an excellent way to build community and fellowship.
Beginner Fiddle with Gretchen May
Gretchen Priest was born in Indiana and has lived in Nashville since 1995. She played and recorded with contra dance band, “Carnival Knowledge, recorded and toured with Celtic rock band, “Ceili Rain” and progressive bluegrass band, “Crucial Smith”, and performed on the Grand Ole Opry with Mike Snider. She's also performed with various artists including Kathy Mattea, Joy Lynn White, Manhattan Transfer, Lyle Lovett, Moody Blues, and Charlie McCoy. She even once played for the Pope! Gretchen has taught at many camps over the years including Acoustic Alaska Camp, Texas Acoustic Music Camp, Nashcamp, CO Roots Camp, Steve Kaufman’s Camp, Alabama Folk School, and Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp. She is the founder, Director, and one of many Music Educators at the Musical Heritage Center (AKA the Fiddle & Pick) since 2008. The instructors there are Nashville professionals with different areas of expertise who teach a variety of styles. MHC hosts traditional roots music events including performances and workshops by guest instructors. Gretchen teaches private lessons and leads inclusive multi-level jams, sessions and classes. Gretchen’s long-time band and brand, “PLAIDGRASS” highlights her fiddle skills in Bluegrass, Old-Time fiddle & Irish fiddling. Her most recent recording release, “Roadside Distraction”, with mandolinist Emily Wilson features Old-time, Irish, and modern wacky tunes! She plays with The Nashville Irish Trio with Piper Eamonn Dillon from Ireland and Guitarist Robert Johnson from Memphis. In March of 2024, Gretchen received the Old-Time Music Heritage Award presented by the Nashville Old-time String Band Association (NOTSBA) for her many contributions in preserving and sharing Old-Time music.
Beginner Mountain Dulcimer with Laurie Alsobrook
Whether new to the mountain dulcimer or getting started again, Dulcimers From Scratch is the weekend for you! During our weekend, you will experience the joy of making music on a mountain dulcimer while learning the basic skills to set you on the right path. Playing the mountain dulcimer is easier than you think...and more fun than you could imagine! Loaner dulcimers will be provided or bring your own!
After a full career in elementary education, Laurie Alsobrook has found a perfect blending of her two passions, teaching learners and playing the dulcimer. Laurie has participated in a variety of festivals, online and in-person. Festival credits include QDF, Black Mountain, Nonsuch, Dulcimer U, NGFDA, Dutchland, and Dulcimer Daze. She also served as co-host/organizer of the Stephen Foster Dulcimer Retreats, digital and in-person events.
Beginner Guitar with Mac Spencer
This course will cover the fundamentals of guitar and the practical application of music theory. Students should expect to learn chord progressions, scales, and exercises to practice and blend these skills in a jam group setting. If you are learning your first chords, or are beginning to dive into improv, this course if for you!
Mac Spencer is a guitarist of 14 years, and an instructor for the past 5. Having a childhood filled with folk and bluegrass, he spent his high school and college years in Birmingham studying classical guitar while performing in punk rock circles for a well-rounded skillset to accommodate students from all walks of life. Mac’s passion for teaching extends from spreading the love of music and helping students develop the skillsets to flourish.
Indigo Dyeing with Aaron Sanders Head
In this workshop, participants will dive deep into indigo, learning to set up and maintain an indigo vat, then learning to make a wide array of surface designs using the plant-based dye. We’ll cover manual resist shibori techniques as well as clay paste resist for hand-drawn patterns. Participants will leave with a treasure trove of dyed fabrics, and the ability to continue their indigo journey at home. This workshop is ideal for anyone with an open mind and any experience level.
Aaron Sanders Head is a Southern, Alabama-based textile artist. Aaron was raised in rural Grady, AL and Hope Hull, AL, as the youngest of three children from an artist mother and an agricultural worker father. His grandparents were both rural mail carriers, and the times Aaron spent accompanying them on those trips cemented early on a fondness for rural areas and the importance of connection however it can be found. That learned sense of observation combined with inherited family traditions of textile and agriculture inform the unique visual language Aaron works in today, that exists in the worlds of quiltmaking, handwork and natural dyes. Aaron creates quilts and hand-stitched, naturally dyed textiles that explore the lived experiences of rural Alabamians.
Blacksmithing - Forge Your Own Tools with Quinn McKay
One of the best parts of blacksmithing is having the ability to make your own tools, perfectly tailored to each situation. In this class students will learn how to make a pair of tongs, by hand, without a pair of tongs! We will start off making a punch, practicing hammer control and tapering. Then, we will use that punch to make a pair of tongs.
Quinn McKay’s creative energies are rooted in a love of Architecture from an early age, blended with a deep connection to nature. Elements of his designs are inspired by the natural forms around and apart of us, as well as the clean lines which we surround ourselves with. To Quinn, art is about connection with the material and process, and the people and land we are in relation with. This philosophy follows through into his teaching. The goal of each workshop is to connect people with their innate abilities through connections with the material and each other. Quinn graduated from the American College of the Building Arts in 2023 with a great appreciation for traditional forging. Currently, he is putting that appreciation to work at Iron Horse Metalworks in Birmingham, AL.
Sacred Harp with Bridge Hill Kennedy
In this interactive class, we will cover the rudiments of Sacred Harp music: Solfege (scales), time signature, keeping time, accent, leading--and most importantly, singing together. All class members will be encouraged to learn the tenor line and then branch out into parts. We will learn class/plain tunes as well as fugues.
Dr. Bridge Hill Kennedy attended his first Sacred Harp singing in June of 2002. This life changing event came about when he was invited to accompany his sister-in-law to a singing for a commissioned painting (“All Day Singing and Dinner on the Grounds” by Bethanne Hill). Since then, Bridge has been honored to serve as an instructor, for 5 consecutive years, at both Adult and Youth sessions of Camp Fasola, at Camp Fasola, Europe, and several Sacred Harp singing schools—including: Cork, Ireland; Ontario, Canada; LaGuardia High School, NY, NY, and Portland, OR. Additionally, Bridge has been awarded several artist residencies, across the United States—including Centrum Voiceworks and Northwoods Music Collaborative. As a social scientist, Bridge enjoys teaching on the sociocultural aspects and benefits of Sacred Harp and the importance of the Memorial Lesson. However, he is most frequently sought after for his Sacred Harp leading workshops. Currently, Dr. Kennedy serves as an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Online Undergraduate Degree Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a secondary appointment in the School of Public Health.
Sgraffito with Laura Cooley of Rabbit Fish Studio
Decorate pre-handmade ceramics with the sgraffito method, a surface design technique in which you scratch or carve through colored underglaze to reveal the white clay underneath. You will be given one mug, two tea cups, and numerous tiles to work on over the weekend. You will develop and draw your own designs on the ceramics, then use the sgraffito method to create unique eye catching designs. Although we do not have enough time to fire the ceramics on site, students can take their work home with them to be fired (we will also fire at least one cup per student in our home studio if a shipping fee is pre-paid).
Laura Cooley is part of Rabbit Fish Studio, a small-batch ceramics, printing and painting operation that embraces imperfection, oddness, and flights of imagination. Laura and Brian Cooley are the owners of Rabbit Fish Studio. They believe everyday objects should be fun and interesting, and that having a personal connection to unique items helps us value and care for the things we have. A couple effort, Brian throws most of our forms on a wheel, and Laura adds design details through the hand carving sgraffito method. Laura has been drawing and painting all her life, and has displayed her work in Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama. She works in ceramics, oils, and printmaking. When not making art, she works at Auburn University's Water Resources Center on improving water stewardship across the state. Laura and Brian met in Ithaca New York during graduate school and decided soon after that it might just be worth moving across the country to be together. Now married with two young kids, they currently live and work in the Auburn, Alabama region. RabbitFish Studio was started in 2019 in response to people asking, “Can I buy that cup?” and has been growing ever since. As a small batch operation, each piece is unique and hand made, and no two are alike. The imaginary Rabbit-Fish logo is a pleasantly off-kilter, mischievous symbol of good luck; it’s something they aim to live up to and hope you will too.