For kids ages 7 through 15

Refund Policy:

If your plans change, you can receive a full camp refund until April 30, 2026. Changes made after April 30 and up to one week prior to the camp start date, 50% of your camp fee will be refunded. Refunds are not available if changes are made in the 7-day time period prior to the camp start date. To request changes, please email hello@queenbeemusicassociation.org.

Camp Times & Location:

Kids Bluegrass Camp in Santa Fe, NM will take place Monday through Friday, July 6-10, 2026, from 9am-4pm at Queen Bee Music Association, 1596 Pacheco Street, Santa Fe. When you arrive, follow the signs for Queen Bee’s Check-in Table.

Drop Off:

Camp is a closed campus camp. We require that you sign your child in & out at the check-in table everyday with a staff member. Drop off is rolling, anytime between 9am and 10am. So if your camper needs a little extra sleep one day, they won’t miss crucial activities.

Students may be picked up from camp starting at 3pm and as late as 4pm. During the 3-4pm timeframe students will have the option to participate in outdoor games, specialty workshops, individual practice time, group jams and art activities.

Lunch & Snack:

Please pack two snacks for your student each day. Snack time occurs twice each day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

All campers should pack a bag lunch every day of camp, and will eat lunch at 12:00 pm. Keep in mind campers won’t have access to a microwave, so pack ready to eat foods and utensils if needed. There is no refrigeration available.

Other Items to Bring:

Afternoon temperature in Santa Fe may reach into the 90s with temperatures and weather changing very quickly. Campers will be outside for parts of the day (weather permitting). The sun’s rays are very powerful at our high elevation. Please apply sunscreen in the morning for your campers and pack extra for them to apply as needed.

Also, a light jacket or raincoat and water bottle will be useful.

Instruments & Music:

Each camper will be supplied with the following at Check-in:

● Music Folder with Camp Music

● Guitar/Mandolin Pick or Rosin for fiddlers

● T-Shirt

If your camper is bringing their own instrument, consider bringing extra supplies such as a tuner. If your camper is renting an instrument, these supplies will be provided for you.

Final Performance:

The final performance will take place on Friday, July 10 at 3pm, and will last about an hour. Final pick-up and instrument rental return will happen immediately following the concert. The performance location is TBD.

9:00-10:00AM - Rolling Camp Check In/Activity

10:00-11:00AM - Instrument Session 1/Snack

11:00-12:00PM -Songwriting Session

12:00-1:00PM - Lunch/Outdoor Play

1:00-2:00PM -Instrument Session 2/Intermediate Jam/Specialty Workshops

2:00-3:00PM - Bluegrass Band Session/Snack

3:00-4:00PM - Rolling Pick Up/Games/All Camp Jam

Fiddles, guitars, mandolins, and banjos are available to rent on a first-come, first-serve basis for $25/week. At this time, upright bass is not available for rent, and can be rented from local music shops in Albuquerque. To guarantee an instrument rental, select the instrument rental option when registering your camper. Changes to instrument rentals may be made by contacting Lindsay Taylor, lindsay@queenbeemusicassociation.org by June 15, 2024.

Karina Wilson (fiddle) grew up in Glorieta, New Mexico, where she was surrounded from an early age with traditional music and dance. In addition to professionally performing and teaching classical violin and viola, her passion for traditional music and the roles it plays in cultural context has taken her to 23 countries/territories to work with musicians from Alaska to the Ukraine and Iceland to Guinea. She is in high demand across the US and at home teaches and performs honky-tonk, bluegrass, old-time, classical, international folk, and regional Mexican and New Mexican traditions.

Eric Carlson (banjo, guitar) plays and teaches banjo, fiddle, guitar, and marimba! He has 14 years of experience leading teenage stringbands, marimba ensembles, and an electronic music class at the Academy for Technology and the Classics (ATC), a public charter school in Santa Fe. Eric has a Masters Degree in Music Education from Boston University. From 2009-2011he served as President of the Southwest Pickers, presenters of the Santa Fe Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival. He has also served on the board of the Santa Fe Traditional Music Festival. Eric has written for Flatpick Guitar magazine, and was instrumental in the successful campaign to legalize busking, or street performance, in Santa Fe. He performs with his two sons, Sam and Jonah, in The Turquoise Tuners and is proud to be a part of the team at Queen Bee.

Brian Nelson (guitar, bass) is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied a variety of instruments and musical styles. He has played music for more than 25 years and taught music for fifteen. From West African drum and dance to ukulele sing alongs to guitar lessons for all ages, Nelson brings his passion for music and life into the classroom. Brian is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Queen Bee Music Association.

Lindsay Taylor (mandolin) has worked with thousands of students, teaching theatre, Spanish, folk dance and music. Whether in public schools or summer camps, she loves watching kids explore their own talents and possibilities. Lindsay is the co-founder and Executive Director of Queen Bee Music Association, and makes music as Glorieta Pines with Brian Nelson and Karina Wilson.

Nora Abshire (guitar) has been a part of Kids Bluegrass Camp since 2013, first as a camper, then camp counselor and elevated to be our guitar teacher in 2024. In addition to being an accomplished guitar player, she is a vocal jazz major at Ithaca College's School of Music, graduating in May 2026 and performs in Ithaca with her friends.