Where passion meets purpose
Rooted in the arts and regenerative agriculture, Farm School is the jewel of our efforts in 2026 and it was wildly impactful and successful.
A summer day camp led by a staff of passionate, professional teaching artists and educators featuring:
- Recording studio and Beat Lab
- Instrument Petting Zoo
- Singing and Songwriting
- Drawing and Illustration
- Nature Journaling and Botany Walk
- Poetry and Creative Writing
- Cooking and Nutrition
- Gardening and Foraging
Lake City farm connects with community through agriculture and music
Located between Lake City and Moorestown in Missaukee County, the 181-acre farm has been the place he calls home for his entire life.
The family has done just about everything you can imagine on their farm, from raising animals and growing crops to making maple syrup and beekeeping.
We invite you to donate to Earthwork Farm, so we can do more programs like this in the future.
What our staff had to say
”Seeing the artists try new things and their willingness to do things that were maybe stuff they haven’t seen before, whether it’s working with the animals or working with electronic music—it just show how creative young people are in this generation and how they can express themselves through art, music, and collaboration.”
—Andy ‘The Lasso’ Catlin
“The mural projects was especially rewarding—the artists worked collaboratively to develop a concept and imagery for the mural, with drawings in their sketchbooks, then took turns throughout the week plugging in and working on their parts. It was fun to watch the project develop in both methodical and unpredictable ways!“
—Susan Fawcett, PhD
What the parents have to say!
What was offered to the students?
Beat Lab and Recording Studio
Lead by Andy “The Lasso” Catlin, the Beat Lab was a fan favorite for all ages. Students created their own beats and The Lasso produced them at the school for the variety shows. Here are the recordings:
High School students
Middle-school students
Elementary students
Cooking and Nutrition
Lots of cooking went down. Fresh food created by everyone including some pickling led by Timothy Young and pizza making by Ben Cohen.
There was always music going during lunch. For High School students we asked them about their music taste on Day 1, then we played all their band’s songs throughout the week.
We noticed all age groups were really tired after lunch, so on Day 2 we introduced an ambient sound bath, a.k.a. “Concert of Dreams.” More and more students conked-out everyday as they got more comfortable.
Gardening and Foraging
Ashley Murray led students on a journey modeled indigenous traditions of reciprocity, showing students the three sisters (where you grow corn, beans up the corn as a trellis, then squash as a ground cover) and planting potatoes from scraps to demonstrate regenerative agriculture.
Students also went foraging, as Ashley taught students how to identify edible and medicinal plants—like using broadleaf plantain for mosquito bites—and guided them in harvesting items like sumac and mint to create lemonade, tea, and ice cream in the kitchen later that day.
There was also a good deal of pickling going on that was done with Timothy Young using foraged goodies.
Instrument Petting Zoo
This is a hands-on learning experience where participants get close to instruments they might not see every day. They learn how to hold them and make the sounds!
Students are guided by musicians, demonstrating how each piece works and help beginners play while also introducing instrument families—featuring a mix of strings (violins, cellos), woodwinds (flutes, clarinets), brass (trumpets, trombones), and percussion (drums, xylophones). This low-stress fun sparks curiosity and excitement for music in a friendly, relaxed setting without any pressure to perform.
Nature Journaling and Botany Walk
Every morning started with a farm walk with Dr. Susan Fawcett, checking out all the wild, cultivated, and weedy plants.
The young students were very enthusiastic to learn about edible weeds like Chenopodium album (lamb’s quarters) and Portulaca oleracea (purslane) which are highly nutritious and were incorporated into the kitchen activities like pickling and pizza toppings.
Singing and Songwriting
We taught songwriting basic to all our students where they learned how to structure catchy choruses and meaningful verses.
We worked on vocal techniques like breath control, pitch, and stage presence so they could sing with confidence at the variety show.
Finally, we taught techniques to overcome stage fright with simple strategies to manage nerves and connect with the audience.
What was the Schedule Like?
This summer, the farm launched its Earthwork Farm School, and invited students from Lake City Area Schools to attend. Below is the programming offered which included one week each for high school, middle school and elementary students.
- 9am: Welcome circle
- 9:30am: Farm walk and orientation
- 10:30am: Notebooks
- 11am: Instrument petting zoo
- 11:30am: Grandpa Bob talk
- 12pm: Lunch
- 12:45pm: Feed the animals
- 1pm: Afternoon Circle
- 1:30pm: Choose your own adventure
- 2:30pm: Closing circle
- 9am: Welcome Circle
- 9:15am: Farm walk
- 10am: Morning projects
- 11:30am: Grandpa Bob
- 12pm: Lunch
- 12:45pm: Feed the animals
- 1pm: Afternoon projects
- 2:45pm: Closing circle
- 9am: Welcome Circle
- 9:15am: Farm walk
- 10am: Morning projects
- 11:30am: Special Guest
- 12pm: Lunch
- 12:45pm: Feed the animals
- 1pm: Afternoon Circle
- 1:15pm: Afternoon projects
- 2:45pm: Closing circle
- 9am: Welcome Circle
- 9:15am: Farm Walk – Campers Lead!
- 10am: Finish Projects
- 11am: Rehearsal
- 12pm: Lunch
- 1pm: Performance and Presentation – Earthwork Farm School Variety Show
- 2pm: Final Circle
