There are plenty of middle and high school students who would have been perfectly content to spend their summers lounging by the pool or in front of the TV – then there were those who wanted to jam.
Those students found themselves right at home at the Rock & Roll Camp and Jazz Camp offered at Valencia Community College’s East Campus this summer.
Led by professional musicians and educators, both camps gave students a musical outlet where they could jam with each other, hone their talent and gain performance practice.
Jazz Camp Director, Jarritt Sheel, started the camp in 2008 as a way to reach out to students who were interested in jazz but needed more exposure to it.
“It’s an area that a lot of kids are interested in but they don’t hear that, they don’t see that at home because it’s not on TV – it’s not on MTV, it’s not on VH1,” said Sheel.
At the camp, students learn about jazz improvisation, history, theory and performance techniques through jazz clinics, jam sessions and faculty and student performances. The five-day camp costs $250.
The Rock and Roll Camp began in 1997 as an outreach to students who were taking guitar, bass, drum, keyboard or voice lessons already but wanted to collaborate with others to form bands and perform together.
The camp gives students a taste of the entire music process, from creating and rehearsing to performing. Activities include instrumental classes, band rehearsals, clinics, and guest performers. At the end of camp, all students perform together in a final concert. The camp is offered in two sessions through the summer and costs $320 per week.
“You get to form bands and get to do what you really want to do, you know, what you’ve always dreamed of doing – you get to play up on stage, gigging and everything – it’s just totally awesome,” said Zack, a student at the Rock and Roll Camp.
Both Rock and Roll Camp and Jazz Camp have concluded this summer, but will be offered again next year. For more information, please visit www.valenciacc.edu/artsandentertainment/Camps.
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Valencia Jazz Camp
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YioyklJOcOw
Valencia Rock and Roll Camp