The Fur Peace Ranch http://www.furpeaceranch.com is not a fantasy camp, but a guitar players oasis within an award winning music community with instruction in various guitar styles, bass guitar, songwriting, mandolin, vocals and more.

 
Hosted by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jorma Kaukonen and his wife Vanessa, the Ranch is nestled in the tranquil setting of the rolling foothills of southeast Ohio.  Jorma needs no introduction, having played with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.   His long tenure on stage and his love for teaching have earned him a lofty position among his contemporaries. In addition to teaching guitar classes, Jorma has been a beacon for attracting an impressive roster of master musicians and teachers, as well as students, who come to the Ranch throughout the year to immerse themselves in what has become a truly unique and magical environment.

The workshop class size is limited to about 10 per class, which allows for a personal, up-close teaching experience.  Direct instruction, gourmet food, campfire jams, live concerts and camaraderie come together to make your stay an experience you will remember for a lifetime! Whether you are a seasoned professional or novice, the Ranch has a spot for you on their 119 acres of natural beauty cradled in warmth of superb hospitality. So get online right here  http://www.furpeaceranch.com/2009workshop_calendar.html, get your guitar, and make your plans to  join me  June 12 to 15.

And now for a testimonial sent to Spencer following a previous weekend at the Ranch ~

Your patience, generosity, teaching ability, and sensitivity to everyone’s ability made this class a truly great learning experience.  I am leaving with many new techniques in my toolkit and a reinvigorated passion to practice what you taught me.  Can’t thank you enough.   ~ Mark in Atlanta

Tucked away in southern Ohio, close to that mighty river, The Fur Peace Ranch sits back from well-traveled state highway 33.  It helps to know where you are going when you get this fur from everything.  Cell phones search desperately for a connection and end up roaming.  Your car is perpetually dusty from traversing the roads.  But you also hear frogs and crickets at night, the stars look close enough to touch, and the air is crisp and clear in the morning, when Debbie blows the conch shell to announce breakfast.  Ranches are generally associated with horses, cattle, and roundups, but the Fur Peace Ranch has other purposes.  Now in its tenth year, The Fur Peace is a music camp for folks wanting to concentrate on their guitar playing with professional musicians as their instructors.  

Spencer was one such teacher this last weekend.  He shepherded ten gentlemen in the fine art of playing guitar and singing.  I listened over the few days we were there as the men grew in confidence and the comaraderie developed.  Sessions were punctuated by communal meals of students and teachers, which included owner Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Cassady, and Warren Haynes Saturday night featured a concert by Warren, backed by the other teachers.  Sunday afternoon was the student performance, followed by an evening concert of Down the Dirt Road Blues by Spencer. But there was more . . . this particular weekend was dedicated to motorcycle rides through the beautiful hills of southern Ohio.  

I observed the dynamics of this insular group, and I realized that The Fur Peace Ranch is, yes, teaching music to people who want to know more about it.  But it is also creating community among people.  From this little retreat, the waves of community reach out to the nearby town of Pomeroy, from which some of the employees come as well as services like banking and groceries. The deeper community, though, is the one that develops among the students coming there.  Many return time after time, with friends, brothers, sons and daughters, or wives on the couples weekend.  We know several alumni who continue their relationships when they get home, supporting each other’s concert series and attending musical events together.  It occurs to me most of all, though, that I don’t know many places where men go for a retreat.  Women do it. Teachers do it.  Yoga students do it.  Why not men?  The Fur Peace Ranch is filling an important need.  The results are higher self-confidence, personal support, a network of new friends.  In other words, community.  And in doing so, it supports peace in a way that is fresh and honest.  Congratulations to them!