General FAQs

                                   What do you mean by youth? I’m in my 30s or 40s — do I count?
                                   I'm pretty sure I'm not a youth. Can I still come?
                                   If I’m under 18, can I come?
                                   Can I bring kids along? Will there be childcare available?

What are "community-based, participatory, traditional genres and singing styles"?

These are traditional genres that encourage people to sing together. They are usually learned by ear and harmonized to without rehearsal, and sound very satisfying when sung in a group, although they also include solo songs. Lots of genres share these qualities, including (but not limited to!): work songs, blues, gospel, old-time, Appalachian, sea songs and chanteys, ballads, railroad songs, prison songs, lullabies, forebitters, broadsides, hymns, vaudeville, camp songs, farming, mining and factory songs, country, bluegrass, spirituals, cowboy songs, American, English, Irish, Scottish, Canadian, Caribbean and Australian songs, labor and union songs, drinking & pub songs, children’s songs, field hollers, and love songs. They can include contemporary songs in traditional genres, as well as songs that have stood the test of time.

How do we define traditional singing styles?  This is the subject of much debate and that's ok with us!  Styles vary, tradition is defined by ever changing interpretations of history and culture. Perhaps we really mean to emphasize the value of listening to singers around you, to recordings or singers in the past, and to your own unique vocal expression.  

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How can I participate at YTS?

You can lead songs, join in on songs in the way the song leader indicates, listen appreciatively and attentively, harmonize, ask and answer questions about songs, play an instrument, introduce yourself to folks you’re seeing for the first time, sign up to lead a workshop, start your own informal song swap or jam, attend workshops and group meals, prepare something for the open mic (maybe with someone you’ve met during the first part of the weekend!) or just smile at the people around you.

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Where can I learn songs to lead at YTS?

You probably already know some songs without realizing it. Songs you learned at school, camp songs or songs your parents taught you could all work. For some more ideas, check out some of the resources at cdss.org/resources/resource-portal/?_sft_category=song. Or, if you know someone who sings a really great song, ask them to teach it to you!

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How do I sign up to lead a workshop?

A key part of YTS is participants leading workshops on whatever parts of singing they’re most interested in! We’ll have plenty of blocks of time and rooms available for you to lead your own workshops, song sessions or discussions. If you have an idea for a workshop you’d like to lead, you’ll be able to let us know during registration; that way, we can figure out any supplies you might need and let people know about it in advance. Otherwise, you’ll be able to sign up to lead workshops at the event itself. You don’t have to have professional expertise to lead a workshop, just a lot of enthusiasm and a topic other singers will enjoy.  For ideas, check our past schedules and our lead a workshop page.

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I really like music from non-English speaking traditions (Balkan, Georgian, Corsican, etc.) and I like music for which the harmony parts are prescribed (shape note, rounds, etc). Can I do that at your weekend?

Yes, we hope that weekend participants will sing in any and all traditional styles that interest them. However, our programming led by staff members focuses on songs in English that have components that can be learned quickly by ear and sung without rehearsal. We feel that this choice will make the weekend distinct from other youth-focused events and will provide a venue for a different style of song sharing.

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Will there be dancing at the weekend?

We want to give everyone a chance to get moving on the dance floor, while still keeping the focus of the weekend on singing. (Of course, there are lots of connections between traditional dance and song, too.) Generally the dancing at YTS is organized by participants, and we’ll make sure there’s a dance location available at certain times over the weekend so you can grab some musicians and make an afternoon contra or midnight blues set happen. 

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Can I sell my CDs at YTS?

The YTS merchandise table is reserved for YTS staff members and YTS merchandise only. If you would like to bring and sell your own personal CDs, or CDs of other traditional musicians, you may do so. There will be a small community resource table available where attendees may display promotional resources and sell CDs. The YTS organizing committee will not be responsible for the handling, theft or payment of your merchandise.

YTS is a weekend focused on community singing. We recognize that we have many talented performers at the weekend, but we would like all our participants to attend primarily as community singers. Singing with seasoned, talented performers can be intimidating to newcomers, and we are striving to make our weekend accessible and friendly to shy singers. 

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What is the weather cancellation policy?

YMCA Camp Jewell has its own crew ready to plow, shovel, and sand, meaning that we’ll be fine in the event of normal snows. If there’s a serious storm and the camp cancels, we will refund your fee for the weekend. If YTS is still on but you can’t attend because of the weather, we may be able to give you at least a partial refund, depending on circumstances; we’ll work with you and the camp to make this happen to the best of our ability, but cannot guarantee a refund.

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Age grouping; what is it and why do we do it?

We’re excited to build a multigenerational community where we can all teach and learn from each other and encourage younger singers to build their skills and leadership. After giving a great deal of thought to age cohorts we have decided to offer 80% of our tickets to attendees under the age of 50, and 20% of our registration spots to folks over the age of 50. If tickets are still available from one of the ticket groups when registration closes on December 15 and there is a waitlist for the other, we will offer the remaining spaces to folks on the waitlist.
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What do you mean by "youth"?  I'm in my 30s or 40s — do I count?

We think “youth” in the traditional singing community is a pretty broad concept. Do you feel young? Are you thought of as young in your community? Are you excited to come to something billed as Youth Traditional Song Weekend? If any of those fit, you’re it!  (And those under 50 will be categorized as "youth" for this event)

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I'm pretty sure I'm not a youth. Can I still come?

Yes! We’re excited to build a multigenerational community where we can all teach and learn from each other and encourage younger singers to build their skills and leadership. However, be aware that we may need to reserve a number of spots for younger attendees, in order to give them an opportunity to benefit from the weekend and ensure a good balance of ages.

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If I'm under 18, can I come?

Yes! Kids and teens can come to YTS. You'll need to have a parent, guardian, or other chaperone come to the weekend with you, and your parent/guardian will need to fill out some permission and medical release forms. Just like adults, kids and teens are welcome to participate in the weekend as much as you want, as long as you’re not disruptive. Just keep in mind that we don't have any kid-specific programming. 

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Can I bring kids along? Is there childcare or family housing?

Please bring your kids! We're committed to supporting families in attending the weekend. Our housing team will contact you to make sure we can provide a dorm space that will meet your needs — for families with young children, we are typically able to offer private rooms. 

In 2023 we organized childcare during the day for children.  We're still figuring out our plans for 2024, so stay tuned.

If you have questions about bringing kids to YTS, or if you want to volunteer to help with childcare, e-mail us at [email protected].

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I want to bring my baby but that sounds hard.  Have people done this, and how?

People have definitely come to YTS with babies before!  Some advice from past parents when thinking about this:
  • Most parents use travel cribs for night sleep and naps.  Families with babies will be prioritized for smaller-occupancy rooms, although those rooms may still contain more people than just a single family.
  • If you have devices like sound machines or monitors that need to be plugged in, bring a power strip.
  • Camp Jewell has thin curtains on the windows, so you may want to bring lightproofing supplies or a slumberpod if your kid is used to a dark room for naps.
  • If you want to leave your baby in your room and go singing, keep in mind that many baby monitors won’t reach between all rooms and the singing locations.  You might consider getting voice activated walkie talkies instead.  A wifi based monitor might work, but wifi quality may not support it.
  • If you are using a stroller to get around, keep in mind that there’s no elevator in the main building and the outdoor walkway from the lower to upper levels is steep and gravely.  A jogging stroller or baby carrier is helpful.
  • Parents have both nursed and bottle fed at YTS.  If you are bottle feeding, bring all your own supplies for cleaning and drying bottles.  
  • The dining hall is loud, which makes meals overstimulating (especially for a baby, but maybe also for you).  Be prepared to find a quieter place to eat and for your baby to eat.
  • The Camp Jewell dining hall has benches.  These may not accommodate a travel high chair facing the table, so if that’s important to you make sure you have something in a style that will work.

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Do you have other questions? 
Get in touch with us at [email protected].
We'd love to hear from you.