Youth Folk Camp 2025
Join us for Youth Folk Camp – our only Alabama Folk School workshop series designed for rising 5th-12th graders. YFC is a unique combination of summer overnight camp and folk school instruction in music, farming, craft skills, and more! Campers choose one major and minor class for the workshop, all taught by experienced farmers, musicians, and artists. Some experience with violin, guitar, or banjo is recommended for music majors. Campers who choose farming for their major should select a different subject for their minor.
Ages: rising 5th - 12th graders
Cost: $425 (need based scholarships are available)
Registration closes July 7th, 2025 at 5:00 pm
Farming Major
Campers who major in farming are able to make connections about the foods we eat and how it comes to our plates. Sustainable agriculture, team-work, and hands-on caring for our gardens and farm animals are some of the experiences students take with them. Whether it be milking a goat or harvesting a carrot, students create connections and a deeper understanding of their involvement in food systems. This is an eye-opening experience that will impact the campers for their entire lives. McDowell Farm School Staff work with teachers and students from around Alabama each school year bringing enthusiasm and a deep wealth of knowledge to Youth Folk Camp. Farming majors should select another practice for their minor. This allows campers to have a break from the heat and hard work of an Alabama summer.
Mixed Media Art Major
Come have fun making art ! We'll be working with various mediums including collage, clay, sewing textiles, printmaking, painting, and more. Our approach to creativity is low pressure and lots of fun. We hope that you’ll leave with some lovely works of art, some new tools in your creative toolbox, and the confidence and inspiration to keep creating art on your own.
This year's art instructors are:
- Jamie Alvey
- Jill Marlar
Jamie Alvey lives in Birmingham with her husband and two children. She is a clinical social worker and has a private psychotherapy practice. She is also an artist and enjoys many forms of creating, especially fiber arts, quilting, painting, and playing music (mostly fiddle!). Both personally and professionally, Jamie loves helping people access the power of their creativity in any of its forms as a way to improve wellbeing, strengthen self expression and confidence, build community, and have fun.
Jill Marlar works in several mediums including painting, printmaking, and sewing. She has been participating in arts shows since 2000 and was the President of Alabama Designer Craftsmen, now known as The Alabama Craft Guild from 2011 - 2017. Her Birmingham Landmark etching and handmade pillow series was featured as part of the West Elm Local Series in 2015 -2016. Jill recently launched MuseAlabama - non profit based in Greenville Alabama with a purpose to connect communities through creative arts.
Music Major
Banjo, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin majors will work with their separate instructors as well as spending time making music together. Our instructors are professional musicians and educators from around the Southeast. Music majors will have fun listening to and learning old tunes and styles from before recorded music. This class will give students the tools to go home and continue their musical adventures after the workshop is over.
This year's music instructors are:
- Jenna Mobley
- Aerin deRussy
- Bailey Hill
- Ben Ayers
Jenna Shea Mobley is a touring and studio musician based out of Atlanta. She plays mostly fiddle and upright bass these days, though her first instruments were banjo, guitar, and piano. She has been a teacher of each of these instruments to students of all ages over the past 15 years, in both individual lessons and group classes and workshops. While she was trained classically from middle school through college, she now plays more old time and folk styles and teaches primarily ear training, improvisation, and folk/popular repertoire. Her degree in Early Childhood Education and her career as an elementary school teacher strongly influence her pedagogical approach and her deep love for building a community of learners and creatives. Her goal is for her students to be life-long musicians with the skills to learn songs they love and connect with others through music.
Aerin deRussy: I started playing Suzuki violin when I was four years old and learned my first fiddle tunes when I was six. Ever since then, I've juggled being a classically trained violinist and a self-taught fiddler. I've won Texas-style fiddle contests throughout the Southeast such as Georgia's Official State Fiddler's Convention and the Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree. While obtaining my Biology degree at Georgia Tech, I paid my rent gigging with multiple Atlanta and North Georgia Bluegrass bands, busking at Farmers Markets, and playing weddings with a classical string quartet. Now based in Birmingham, I'm a data scientist during the day but spend my evenings and weekends delving into old-time fiddling, playing violin/fiddle at various churches, viola with various orchestras, and gigging locally with a variety of artists from Trans-Siberian Orchestra to The Yellow Dandies.
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.
My name is Ben and I'm a professional musician and school music teacher, based out of southern Middle Tennessee where I grew up. I knew I wanted to pursue music as a career 19 years ago after my first guitar lesson, but it took getting a mandolin at the age of 18 for me to realize that folk music (old-time, bluegrass, Irish trad, blues, swing, etc) was the stylistic world I wanted to dedicate my life to. Since then I've played mandolin in bluegrass, old-time, celtic, and even classical groups over the years (in addition to guitar and upright bass work). I taught my first mandolin student within a year of starting the instrument, and I'm excited to help a new group of future-Monroes get their chops together.
PROGRAM STAFF
Youth Folk Camp is an Alabama Folk School (AFS) workshop series supported by Summer Camps at Bethany Village. Meet the faces who make the magic happen behind the scenes:
Alabama Folk School Director
Caitlin Lollar began her role as AFS Director in January 2020. For Youth Folk Camp, she coordinates the major and minor workshops including recruiting instructors and ensuring the content is fun and engaging! Caitlin is a painter and former small business owner who brings her experience as an artist to AFS. She has over 15 years of experience in event planning, volunteer management, and program design - including 7 years serving the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama as a youth director.
McDowell Summer Camp & Retreats Director
Catherine "CPO" Arthur (she/her) is the Summer Camp Director at Camp McDowell where she began as a camper and summer staffer. At Youth Folk Camp CPO provides support and guidance for the summer staff ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all our campers. A Birmingham native, CPO is deeply rooted in the Episcopal Church and earned her Bachelor's Degree is Sociology and Human Development from Auburn University. Before joining Camp McDowell full-time, she served as Director of Youth Ministries at St. Stephen's in Birmingham from 2015-2022.
BETHANY CAMPS COORDINATOR
Jeneva Salter has been the Summer Camps at Bethany Village Coordinator since 2023. For Youth Folk Camp, she coordinates the summer camp portions of our schedule including recruiting cabin counselors, support staff, and directing the fun outside of workshop time. She also leads Special Session and Bethany's kids. Jen is an artist who enjoys painting, jewelry making, and more. You can find her work in the Camp store!
YFC REGISTRAR
Jordan Hughes began her role as AFS Registrar in June 2023. She coordinates all aspects of the student registration process for AFS. Jordan is responsible for meeting student needs before and during workshops and running registration on opening day! She is a stationery designer and small business owner with a background in Library Science and Photojournalism whose strong organizational and communication skills are a vital part of the AFS experience.