By: ReadyPlay Music
DAVIS, California, January 21, 2026—Families and community members gathered Monday at The Nexus Station for a final performance marking the close of a weekend Bluegrass Jam Camp hosted by PlayReady Music, a local Davis music studio.
Participants, many of whom had never played music with others before, performed traditional bluegrass tunes together after just two days of instruction. The event concluded with a group rendition of “Bury Me Beneath the Willow,” with audience members singing along.
“Really, what this camp is about is getting together and building community,” said instructor David Abramson of PlayReady Music. “For a lot of people, this was their first experience making music with others or their first time playing bluegrass music.”
Attendees traveled from Davis, Sacramento, Berkeley, Napa, and as far as Fort Bragg to take part in the camp. Several participants reported being surprised by how quickly they were able to play as a group.
“It was pure ecstasy,” said Davis resident and multi-instrumentalist Keli Rutan-Jorgenson.
The camp was sponsored by the Wernick Method, an international bluegrass education program founded in 2010 by Pete Wernick of Hot Rize, a Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductee. Since its founding, the Wernick Method has offered more than 1,600 classes in 47 states and 14 countries, teaching over 18,000 students how to play music together.
PlayReady Music plans to host additional community-focused music programs in Davis later this
year, including jam programs for adults, teens, and families, and will be hosting another
Bluegrass Jam Camp on the weekend of April 24, 2026.
Learn more at READYPLAYMUSIC.com.
