Driftless Days
Come spend some time at White Oak Savanna in the beautiful driftless region of Wisconsin. Driftless Days is a chance to take a break from screens and experience the benefits of nature. Our grounds will be open for hiking and camping so you can take the weekend to slow down and greet Spring. Several driftless-inspired programs (Music, Art, Astronomy, Natural Science and Wine) will run throughout the weekend so you can learn a little and deepen your enjoyment.
$40 for the weekend
$20 Kids
$20 Camping Fee
Program Schedule
May 2nd
6 :30-8pm Live music
8:30 – 10pm Stargazing with Dr. Leisman
(in case of inclement weather there will be an Astronomy talk in the barn.)
May 3rd
1pm Guided walking tour of the restored savanna prairie with Zach Pacana
4-6pm American Wine Project wine tasting and art viewing with Pam Sloan
6-7 Astronomy talk from Dr. Luke Leisman
7-9 Live Music
9pm Stargazing with Dr. Leisman
Creativity Retreat with Sons of the Never Wrong & Jonas Friddle
The Sons of the Never Wrong Weekend Retreat returns! This time they are joined by Honorary Son, Jonas Friddle. Come spend a weekend with the Midwest’s beloved folk and friends. Indulge in workshops ranging from songwriting and harmony to recording and creativity inspiration, all in the natural beauty of the White Oak Savanna. There will be performance opportunities, concerts and a chance to scratch your artistic itches in a supportive and restorative environment. Open to both seasoned musicians, newbies and even non musicians who simply want to explore and demystify the creative process. Camp on-sight or find a local B&B or hotel. Dinner will be provided on Friday night, lunch and dinner on Saturday and a Sunday brunch.
Price: $375
-
Please note this is subject to change.
MEALS;
Friday Dinner - Spaghetti Dinner with Side SaladSaturday Continental Breakfast
Saturday Lunch - Soup and Salad with Grilled Cheese
Saturday Dinner - Grilled Chicken/Tofu, Kimchi Collard Greens, Bread, Rice and Peas
Sunday Continental Breakfast
Sunday Brunch - Bacon, Eggs, Fruit, Pancakes, Breakfast Potatoes
(This is our working schedule, there may be a few edits before the retreat starts).
FRIDAY MAY 30
4- 6pm Dinner meet ‘n greet
Get to know your new songwriting tribe.
6-7:30pm Star Talk
Dr. Luke Leisman helps us starts the weekend with inspiration from the stars. Bring your notebooks to gather ideas for the work ahead.
7:45-9:30pm Starting Songs with Art & Science w/Deb & Sue
Work with Deb to create a artwork inspired by Luke’s talk. These pieces will then be tied to Sue’s writing prompts from her class “LIGHTNESS” using science writings & Luke’s talk, to create a 4 line verse for a new song.
9:30-11pm Feedback Open Mic
Sons start off the night with 1 song, then Jonas shares a song, then Sons invite you to play the main stage: sign up, tune up, bring a song to stage for loving feedback.
SATURDAY May 31
7am - Continental Breakfast
7:30am-9am (Early Bird Session) Improvisation for Singer Songwriters with Sue.
Free up your lyric, melody, performing options, & writing with simple in-class exercises. Using Sue’s wildly popular 11 point improv checklist, you dive into vocalise, jump writing, and expansive performing in this interactive class.
9-11am Intro to Banjo for Guitar Players
Add a new instrument to your arsenal! Jonas will take you through the basics of transferring your guitar skills to the banjo. 4, 30 min sessions will be offered during this time. Each session will accommodate 4 students. Sign up for a time slot by the coffee station.
10 – 11:30am Idea Book Making with Deb
Deb will guide folks through the process of building their own mini song-zine from a single sheet of paper. Participants can personalize and decorate their “books” with beautiful cover papers and upcycled collage materials that can then inspire written ideas, poems and songs. All materials will be provided, but feel free to bring along your own special photos or other flat, glue-able imagery to include.
11:30 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 1:45 Songwriting Through the Backdoor
A Sons songwriting workshop, and an intriguing peek into 3 different songwriting constructs. Starting out the class with a mini-live performance of 3 songs, each writer steps to the fore to offer up specifics, insight, and notes for their own craft. Stories are shared, song outlines are revealed. A mini in-class writing prompt to close.
2:00 - 3:15pm Three Notebooks
Jonas Friddle breaks down his method for generating consistent content from any source. In addition to breaking down the Three Notebooks method, we will apply it to lessons learned from Friday night’s astronomy lesson.
3:30 – 4:15pm Home Recording & Sound Q&A with Bruce
Have a fun discussion with Bruce about home vs. studio recording. Bring questions about your work and how to proceed with a new album. Talk tech, equipment, editing and performance techniques
3:30 – 4:15pm One on One Spots
Sign up with any staff member for a 15 minute one-on-one consultation. Bruce, Deb, Sue, or Jonas will sit with you and address your personal, creative queries.
4:15 – 5:30pm Everything is Music
Sue’s new listening, creating, workshop turning Cage’s 4’3” into a mini, performance-art experience.
6-7 Dinner time
7-8:15pm Harmony Through the Backdoor
Known for their soaring, original harmonies, Sons offer this unique harmony workshop. They start out by sharing a song, breaking it down, and teaching the class their tips & tricks. Sons demystify the harmony building process and invite students to try the ideas on for size. Some principles discussed in-class will be song-building, breaking tradition, common-notes, and arranging. Q & A to follow.
8:30-10pm Feedback Open Mic
Sons start with 1 song, then Jonas does 1 song and & then ALL are invites to play the main stage where you will; sign up, tune up, bring a song to stage for loving feedback.
10 -11pm Night Sky Walk and Talk with Luke
Wrap the day looking at the stars.
SUNDAY JUNE 1
7 am Continental Breakfast
7:30-8:30am (Early Bird Session) Dynamics for your Singing & Writing Voice w/Sue
Schooled in jazz & mentored by Corky Siegel, Sue will share ideas & expand your dynamic choices as a performer & a writer through a series of in class prompts using your own work or covers! Each attendee will perform anew using one of the dynamic principles to close the class.
8:30-10am The Art of the Jam
Jonas leads an example jam to demonstrate the core elements that make any social music gathering a success.
10 - 10:45am One on One Spots
Sign up with any staff member for a 15min one on one consultation
10 – 11:00 Guitar Maintenance
Bruce shows us how to care for our instrument.
11:30 – 1pm Lunch & Feedback Open Mic
Time to share what you wrote for feedback. We all eat lunch while listening & performing at open mic.
1:30 – 2:45pm Staff Concert - gather in the barn and enjoy a concert from Jonas & Sons.
White Oak Roots Weekend
Come spread your roots! Grow on your core instrument while also exploring the many influences of American Roots Music.
Price: $150
Dates & Times: 4pm July 18 — 1pm July 20
-
The rich tapestry of styles now called “American Roots Music” reflects the remarkable diversity of people who have contributed to our music. From integrated string bands in Appalachia, to border-blurring dance styles in the Southwest, and indigenous honky-tonk in the western plains, music has long provided spaces for poor and working class people to connect across racial and cultural barriers. This weekend of workshops and performances celebrates that legacy by providing a deeply inclusive place for making music in a beautiful rural setting.
Participants can expect workshops from expert instructors in the following areas. Banjo, African Drumming, Fiddle, Guitar, Kora, African Dance and Steel Pan. We are also proud to offer the unique opportunity to participate in both gourd planting and the building of gourd instruments! This is a chance for attendees to grow on their core instrument while also trying something new. Experimenting with other Roots Music influences will only serve to strengthen your core instrument and broaden your appreciation for the genre as a whole!
As part of The Savanna Sanctuary commitment to conservation awareness and nature immersion at White Oak Savanna, this is a camping event. Attendees will have access to campsites on the beautifully restored savanna prairie, with easy access to bathroom, shower and kitchen facilities. For those who prefer not to camp, there are many hotel options within a short distance from the grounds.
Food service from the White Oak kitchen is included in the price. Attendees with special dietary needs will have available kitchen space to store groceries.
Because of our commitment to youth education, college age students may attend at half price. Attendees under 18 are also half price when attending with a registered adult.
-
July 18th
4:00- 5:30pm Grounds open for campsite load-in
5:30 - 6:45pm Dinner with Instructor introductions and short performances
7:00 - 8:00pm Full Group Intro to African Drum and Dance
8:30 - 10:30pm Late Night Jams
July 19th
7:30 - 9:00am Continental Breakfast and Jam Stations Open
9:00 - 10:15 Workshop session 1 (choose one)
Taylor Ackley: Improvising and Melodic Ornamentation for String Instruments
Anna Jacobson: Fiddle - Irish Repertoire and Technique
Jonas Friddle: Guitar - Early Blues Repertoire and Technique
Evan Jacobson: Intro to Steel Pan
10:30 - 11:30 Full Group Gourd Planting Session
11:45 - 12:45 Lunch
1:00 - 2:00 Workshop Session 2 (Full Group)
Kabillo Music: Kora: The Storytelling Harp. Exploring the history, playing techniques, and role of the kora in griot tradition.
2:15 - 3:15pm Full Group Gourd Percussion Instrument Building
4:00- 5:20 Workshop Session 3 (choose one)
Kabillo Music: West African Drumming. Introduction to traditional rhythms, technique, and cultural significance.
Taylor, Anna, Jonas Old-Time Repertoire and Technique For Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo and Mandolin
5:30 - 6:30 Dinner Break
6:45 - 7:45pm Instructor Led Jam Sessions
8:00 - 9:15pm Short Lecture on the History of the Banjo and Instructor Performances
9:30 - 11pm Late Night Campfire and S’more Jams Sessions
July 20th
7:30 - 9:00am Continental Breakfast and Jam Stations Open
9:30 -10:30am Workshop Session 3
Getting it together: In this final full group workshop we explore ways to bring our various styles together.
11:00am -12:30pm Campsite Breakdown and Lunch
INSTRUCTOR BIOS:
Taylor Ackley
Taylor Ackley is first and foremost a folk musician. Born into a working class family with a remarkable heritage of traditional American music, his work grows directly out of the rich musical expression cultivated across the generations of pickers, singers, song writers and fiddlers that populate his family tree. His academic training began at Adelphi University. He continued his studies at Stony Brook University, where he earned a Master’s Degree and a PhD in Composition as well as a Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology.
Taylor is the founder and director of the Deep Roots Ensemble. A group which merges classical chamber music instrumentation and techniques with traditional American music performance practice into a refined and cohesive style. They have performed around the United States and have released two albums of Taylor’s music, Songs from the Bitterroot (2018) and Hard Tellin’ (2020) both through the 4Tay Records label.
Kabillo Music
Kabillo Music is a dynamic ensemble led by brothers Mamadu and Abdu, dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich musical heritage of West Africa, Senegal. As a master drummer and griot storyteller, Mamadu brings the heartbeat of Africa to life through powerful rhythms and interactive performances. Abdu, a skilled kora player, weaves enchanting melodies that transport listeners to the heart of Senegal’s griot traditions.
Jonas Friddle
Jonas Friddle is a singer, songwriter and Old-Time banjo player whose songs have received The John Lennon Songwriting Award, First Place in the Great American Song Contest and a nomination for Album of the Year in the Independent Music Awards. Friddle was raised in the mountains of North Carolina and learned to play guitar on a yard sale Harmony six string. He continued his love of music all the way to Berea College, where he found the deep well of the folk tradition. After serving his time in higher education, he spent a year traveling around the world playing music in pubs and living rooms. In 2007 Jonas landed in Chicago, started the Barehand Jugband, the Sleepy Lou Old-Time duo and joined the faculty at the Old Town School of Folk Music.
Anna Jacobson
Anna is a highly sought-after multi-instrumentalist in the Chicago music scene, playing everything from French Horn to Fiddle. Anna has recorded on five studio albums with Jonas Friddle and teaches at the widely respected Old Town School of Folk Music. Their live show combines traditional American music with original songs. Also a dedicated chamber musician, she is a founding member of V3NTO Brass Trio and also plays with the Alloy Horn Quartet. On horn, Anna has played with the Chicago Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, South Bend Symphony, Illinois Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, and many others across the Midwest.
Evan Jacobson
Evan Jacobson is a multi-instrumentalist performer and educator in the Chicago area. He holds a bachelor's degree in trombone performance and music education from Lawrence University, and a masters degree in steel pan performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University. Evan is the music teacher and steel band director at William Hatch Elementary School in Oak Park, Illinois, where he founded the Hatch Steel Band. Evan has directed student performances at professional sporting events such as the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Wolves hockey games, and he has led live TV performances on WGN and WCIU. The Hatch Steel Band has recorded four albums and released several viral videos on youtube. In 2024, the Hatch Steel Band was honored by “Music For All” as one of the nation’s best elementary school music programs. In addition to his work as an educator, Evan performs regularly with several different groups in the Chicagoland area on trombone, sousaphone, steel pan, drums, and keyboards.
White Oak Festival 2025
The White Oak Festival is a celebration of the beautiful driftless landscape and a year of great programs at White Oak Savanna. Our vision is to grow into a diverse and self-sustaining festival that reflects the very land on which we gather. Festival attendees will be treated to amazing music, beautiful views and great company. In addition to a full lineup of performances, there will be guided jams session, workshops, parades, yoga, a fun run, an art showing, an open mic, guided stargazing and s’mores! Join us won’t you?
Fall Fun Day 2024!
Join us for Fall Fun Day 2024!
Celebrate autumn with pumpkin carving, an apple cider making demonstration, wagon rides, line dancing and yard games. Drinks available for purchase.
$10 at the door.
12 and under free.