The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (54 page)

WEEKEND WARRIORS

If a less expensive “mental vacation” fits your needs, various high-end music shops around the country sponsor Boomer-oriented Weekend Warrior programs that bring musicians and would-be rockers together. These programs typically last a few hours per weekend on subsequent weeks or over a period of a month—providing a break from the grind of a workday week, and a jump start on putting together your own band.

Now a nationwide program, Weekend Warriors got its start in the 1990s when Skip Maggiora of Sacramento, California, a former rocker turned music store owner, saw contemporaries and former band members disappear—and then turn up in his store,
Skip’s Music
(2740 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95821, 916-484-7575,
www.skipsmusic.com
). “I figured out if I made it easy for them,” he says. “If it didn’t take up much of their time, and they didn’t have to worry about not having a place to play or friends to play with—it would give them a way to get music back in their lives.”

At Skip’s, rehearsals take place for four consecutive weeks, two hours at a time; the fifth week the band plays a concert for family and friends, who then get hooked. “The first year I had a band that had a rice farmer and a lawyer in it. The next time, I had a band called A Rice Farm and Four Lawyers.” At Skip’s the four-week program costs $100.

Weekend Warriors has now spread across the country, thanks to the
National Association of Music Merchants
(760-438-8001,
www.namm.org
). Other stores offering the program include Iowa-based
West Music
(800-373-2000,
www.westmusic.com
), Wisconsin-based
White House of Music
(262-798-9700,
www.whitehouseofmusic.com
), and
Mom’s Music
(502-897-3304,
www.momsmusic.com
) in Louisville, Kentucky.

Aspiring musicians can range from beginner to intermediate guitar and bass players, and from drummers to singers, says program organizer Grant Ferguson. The musical weekend kicks off Friday night with an open jam session; participants are then evaluated and grouped into bands based on experience. (Adults are often grouped together.) Each band then chooses a name and a song to perform at the end-of-camp final concert; the rest of the weekend is filled with rehearsals, individual instruction, and informative seminars on the music industry, audio recording, and touring. A digital arts track runs simultaneous for people who do not want to play music but are interested in learning to build a band image through posters, social networking media, and video. At the end of the rock-and-roll weekend experience, both groups come together for the final concert.

Kevin Melmud of Phoenix—a drummer who, like Kirkland, rejoined a band in his early 40s—signed up with his teenage son, Max. “It was mostly for him and me just to do something where we have the common interest,” Melmud says. And though most of the other campers were teens at that camp, Melmud wasn’t the only adult. “It’s very intense. The kids have a blast, and they develop good relationships.”

Mom Perri Worthey had a similar experience. Her teen son Sterling likes the camp so much he’s attended five times. “He has stepped out of his shell so much,” she says. “I never thought I’d see him get up on stage. It’s really helped his sense of timing to play with other musicians.”

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Rock Boot Camps,
866-448-3007,
www.rockbootcamps.com
.

pen your memoir

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA

If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.

—
TONI MORRISON (B. 1931), 20TH-CENTURY AMERICAN AUTHOR

68 |
Writing is a solitary pursuit. Ultimately, it’s just you and a blank screen or sheet of paper.

But that doesn’t mean writers have to struggle on their own. Conferences and workshops are a proven and popular way to jump-start your writing and develop new techniques. Just as important, it offers a chance to learn from other scribes. You’ll discover even best-selling novelists have bouts of frustration and self-doubt—just like you. The experience is educational and ultimately inspirational. You’ll leave a writers conference recharged and eager to jump into your manuscript.

The challenge is that the most popular writer workshops can be expensive and selective. Some limit attendance to established and published writers, which shuts the beginner out. Others last two weeks or longer, a hefty commitment for someone just starting out or with a day job. But a few gatherings are particularly well suited for novices.

One of the best, the Pennwriters Conference, purposely keeps its doors open to everyone. For one intense, packed long weekend in May, writers and writer wannabees are thrown together with editors, instructors, book agents, and published authors. “Everybody there is to be supportive of one another,” said Lisa Kastner, who attended her first Pennwriters Conference in 2003, and became the group’s president within just a few years. “At my first conference, I was amazed how welcoming the people were. I could walk up to anyone and they would help me.”

KEEP A TRAVEL JOURNAL

A journal is one of the most precious souvenirs you can bring back from a trip. Here are a few tips for creating one you’ll treasure for years:

 A journal should be more than just a list of your day’s activities. Write about people you meet, memorable moments, or striking scenes.

 Use all your senses. Write about the smells, tastes, and sounds as well as the sights.

 Bring a glue stick to keep tickets, brochures, postcards. Or get a journal with pockets or transparent display pages.

 Have colored pencils to capture a scene. Or invite a child to draw one for you.

 Write down the wording on signs, ads, or graffiti that captures your attention.

 Go digital: Blog your thoughts and pictures. If you don’t have a blog, you can get a free one at Internet sites like
www.travelpod.com
.

The group started as an organization limited to Pennsylvania writers. Although it still holds its annual conference in the Keystone State, attendees now come from as far away as England, Puerto Rico, and Alaska. The meetings alternate every year between Pittsburgh and Lancaster. The organizers note that each location offers enough nearby attractions that some attendees bring their families, who spend the time exploring while one family member remains at the conference. Then they can meet up at the end of the day back at the hotel.