Camp Jam
Camp Jam is a one-week long music camp (with both day and overnight sessions) for aspiring rock musicians who wants to develop and expand their music performance, songwriting and other skills. Camp Jam sessions are held on college campuses across the country and attract teens who are drawn more to the rock band experience than the traditional music camp environment. That said, Camp Jam features music, songwriting and performance instruction as well as experiences with concert performance and music video production. It’s a place to jam, but also a place to learn.
Want more information? Check out their website.
How do I expand this narrative arc? If both music and history are in your narrative arc, consider building on this interest with one of the following:
Take an amazing summer course at U.C. Berkely entitled Music in American Cultures
If your school offers the ability to do an independent study or a National History Day project, consider doing a research project on famous musicians influences on culture or conflicts, or even one of these historical figures, using some material from in the letters you transcribe. Note: these letters are Primary Sources for historical research purposes which makes any such research project even more impressive!
Consider doing a community impact project that involves music or folk music, like doing a nostalgia playlist for seniors in a home. Music from your youth has proved to be of huge therapeutic benefit to seniors and a project like this could have a real impact. See our PDF for Executing a Community Impact Project, which has step by step instructions on how to execute a project like this.
If you are potentially interested in a career in music, consider spending your summer at NYU Tisch at the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music.
HOT TIP: The Camp Jam programs are appealing for a number of reasons, including that there are numerous shorter sessions offered. This could be a great options for someone who wants to explore a summer arts program without committing to a full summer course. Choosing a summer arts program can also be a great way to demonstrate serious interest in music and the arts. Even if you don’t plan to attend college for music, it could be a great way to deepen or expand part of your narrative arc. Also keep in mind that many colleges without cornerstone drama and music programs love to have serious artists and musicians in their student bodies.