Bennett Teaching Guitar from Music Camp in 2023

Spring Time 2025
Brookline, Massachusetts
Hi folks,
Bennett and I try to model common sense behavior for all you kids out there. Okay, we lack experience at that sort of thing, but we did slow down a bit through the winter knowing that in the upcoming spring and summer we had lots of great music time with lots of great folks booked. Somehow we managed not to take a nosedive on all that glistening ice, and to maintain our geezer-hood intact. Come learn and laugh and play with us!!
Music Camps North
Prindle Pond Conference Center, Charlton, MA (near Sturbridge)
There is still space at both sessions. Check online and register Lorraine will teach beginning/refresher mandolin track. We have an increasing number of students who have some online class experience only and this is a great place to ease in to learning, playing with and getting to know real people in real time who love the mandolin too. The class photo is from 2023 camp.
Bennett’s guitar playing and teaching style really lends itself to easygoing sessions where his pointers offer breakthrough moments that will open possibilities students had thought were far beyond them.
Lorraine and Bennett Hammond
Spring Time 2025 Gig Updates

Mandolin Camp North

April 25– 27, 2025
Charlton, MA https://musiccampsnorth.com/

Brookline, Massachusetts

Prindle Pond Conference Center, Charlton, MA (near Sturbridge)

Lorraine singing

Lorraine teaches the beginning/refresher track Old Time Five String Banjo this time. Come for a solid grounding in the traditional fretting style and, if there is time and interest, some 2-finger old-time picking. As at Mandolin Camp, these classes offer great support for folks who have primarily worked in online isolation.

Bennett teaching banjo to a studentBennett has a homemade and distinctive “Rock-a-Folky” banjo style, and camp offers a great setting for his encouraging and supportive teaching.

More Summer Events!

This summer we celebrate the 30th anniversary of WUMB/UMass Boston’s

SUMMER ACOUSTIC MUSIC WEEK (SAMW)  https://samw.wumb.org/camps/

Geneva Point Center, Center Harbor, New Hampshire

SAMW Week 1, July 13 – 19, 2025

SAMW Week 2, August 17 – 23, 2025

The July week has only a few open spaces remaining.  August week is fully booked accepting names for the waiting lists.

Collegium Dates June 29-July 5, 20

 

Lorraine and Bennett Hammond

Bennett and Lorraine’s Amazing Amtrak Adventure

We traveled round trip from Boston to San Francisco (Emeryville, CA). Yowza! Sleeper cars are snug, but we loved seeing the country. In California we played for friends and had a great time at their wedding in Sonoma (well we missed the first day of wedding fun since the train was four hours late arriving at Emeryville, but we made up for it when we finally arrived!). Here is the link to a little video that our new friend Oscar and his father Paul made of the westbound California Zephyr that was part of our shared journey:

Our new friend Oscar

Here we are with Oscar, a very fine human being, and a fine singer too!

Oscar Explains Trains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUz9CbkB49U

When the Zephyr came to a halt on the single track in the Colorado Rockies, with the Colorado River on one side and sheer cliff on the other, the conductor said the delay might be for many, many hours as we waited for a damaged freight train to be removed from the tracks ahead. Then he asked if anyone on board had a guitar! Bennett’s Facebook posts on his homepage make great reading about our trek.

Here we are with Oscar, a very fine human being, and a fine singer too!

Some Sonoma sunshine

Some Sonoma sunshine

Grandson Arthur and his folks

Grandson Arthur and his folks

Lorraine in Berkeley!

Lorraine in Berkeley

Bennett in Berkeley!

Bennett in Berkeley

#SongsofComfort Music helps, and we continue to find real comfort in playing together at home, and will continue to share that music with you. This set includes

  1. “Bunch of Rushes”, traditional
  2. My song honoring the late Rev. Walter Donald Kring: “Celadon Song”, © 1997, Lorraine Lee Hammond, Snowy Egret Music, BMI
  3. The Turlough O’Carolan tune, “Planxty Fanny Poer”

Bunch of Rushes Set, Lorraine and Bennett Hammond #Songsofcomfort

Lorraine and Bennett play in perfect complement; they blend their instruments and create a beautiful new voice for songs and tunes that range in style from classical music through Celtic, blues and contemporary. They sing both traditional and original songs, reflecting a variety of influences from American and European traditions. Their interpretation of traditional music attests to their ability to hear fresh sounds in old songs.
Lorraine Hammond is an exceptional Appalachian dulcimer player, who after decades of concerts, workshops, teaching and recording can take much of the credit for the instrument’s current popularity. In addition, she plays folk harp, mandolin and five-string banjo.
Bennett Hammond is a superb finger-style guitarist who claims inspiration from the three B’s: Bach, Buddy Holly and Bo Diddley. He, along with Lorraine, produce some of the finest acoustic music around. Together, they are simply magical.