I attended my first Bass/Nature Camp way back in 2002. Over the next few years I attended 3 alumni camps. Then, back in 2019, I joined Victor as a guest instructor for both his Spirit of Music and Teaching About Teaching camps.
I'm clearly biased, having attended a student over 20 years ago and then returned so many years later as a teacher. But I'll still share my thoughts and you can factor my bias into your own decisions.
Victor's camps can be whatever you want them to be. If you go in wanting to learn some technical tricks you will be surrounded by the greatest players in the world (not just the instructors, but the other students will range from total beginners to incredibly experienced professionals.) If you want to learn theory, or reading, or how Vic played Sinister Minister, you can get that.
But the camps can be so much more. It can be a truly life changing experience, something that you will literally carry with you for the rest of your life. You are surrounded by wise, knowledgeable, kind people who are there to share, guide, and teach whatever you are after, not just the notes on your bass. In fact, for some people, the stuff they do on their bass ends up being secondary to the other lessons and ideas they take away from camp.
For me, that place out in the woods was where I found my voice and my confidence, both on and off the bass. Bass camp directly lead to me starting my own business, becoming a professional speaker, and even giving a TED Talk! It gave me a context for music, business, and life, that I have never found anywhere else. It showed me how truly successful and brilliant people operate, interact with others, and what drives them. There is no book or video or class in the world that has the same impact as sitting down face to face with a guy like Chuck Rainey and listening to him tell you about his journey.
As for the cost, I don't know what the current rate is, but as mentioned above, it's lower than most other big-name camps. For your tuition cost you are getting world-class meals, a magical environment, and direct access to learn from some of the most brilliant people you will ever meet. (And if it's about teaching, also me!)
If I were weighting the value I'd ask myself a few questions:
Are the things I want to learn available elsewhere? If it's bass stuff like theory, technique, etc. could I pursue another option to acquire those same skills at a lesser cost?
If I'm looking for something bigger, or different, than that bass stuff, what is it? What are the questions I want to find answers to?
Am I open to finding those answers through unorthodox ways? Vic teaches in unusual ways (read his books if you haven't, to get a sense of how he approaches music. Full disclosure: I'm in both of them as a character and a voice on the audio book.)
If I did commit to go, what questions do I want to ask? - Vic told us once, way back in 2002, "If you have questions, right them down, bring them with you, and don't hesitate. You may never have this opportunity again, so take full advantage of it. You don't want to go home and regret not asking something, or forgetting something you wanted to ask."
Feel free to ask if you have more questions, I've never met a fellow BNC alumni who was anything less than thrilled to talk about their own experiences.
