Rock n’ Roll Camp for Tweens & Teens

When I moved to Nashville over 30 years ago, pretty much kicking and screaming, I was not too keen on the city.  It felt too provincial, too small and too Southern. (Yes, I’m from Memphis, but I’d just spent five years in Denver, which is a way-cool city, clean, big and a great place if you love to spend time outside.)  It didn’t help that my first Nashville office was a two room dump with bad shag carpet and a broken barcalounger in an old building on Music Row.  For me, Nashville had potential, but that was about it.

But Nashville did have a cool factor: the music business. Nashville was the 3^rd coast.   A lot of creative people here were writing songs.  All the waiters were musicians.  I admit I wasn’t a big George Jones fan – at least back then – but I was all about John Hiatt.  I soon realized how interesting Nashville really was.  When it comes to a little culture, give me Tootsies Orchid Lounge any day.

Living in Music City rocks on many levels.  Country music is definitely king, but my life long rock-’n-roll lovin’ self lives around the corner from Kid Rock, Jelly Roll Johnson and Marshall Chapman… so I’m good.

So when I heard about the Southern Rock and Roll Camp for Girls, my first thought was, “Now we’re talking.”  Buried in the mountain of applications for summer camps – from soccer to chess – was this pearl: a music-themed camp for girls, geared to build self esteem and have some fun.  And, based on demand, they’ve expanded the concept and added another gem to include both genders: the Tennessee Teen Rock and Roll Camp.

The Southern Rock and Roll Camp for Girls (SRRCG) is held July 26 – July 31 at MTSU.  SRRCG is a day camp open to girls 10 – 17, which began in 2003, with over 70 campers attending the first year.  The camp is less about the technical aspects of music – e.g. you aren’t required to bring an instrument or even have a music background – and more about the big picture.  Campers learn all aspects of music from songwriting to production, and there is strong support for the camp from the Nashville music community.

This June, the Tennessee Teen Rock Camp is opening its doors girls and boys between the ages of 10 – 17 at University School of Nashville.  Requests for scholarship assistance ends May 1  and registration ends June 1 with the session beginning June 21 – June 27.

The not-for-profit organization behind these camps is Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities, or YEAH.  One of the guiding principals of YEAH is to say “yes” to any camper who wants to attend, even if they cannot afford the tuition.  To help kids who wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise, YEAH has come up with a brilliant strategy – a Battle of the Bands – only this battle is between bands of supporters.  You can get friends and family to send in $25, $50 or more to support a student’s tuition.  Just 10 friends with a contribution of $25 each, can send a kid to camp.  Over 50 % of  all campers in the Tennessee Teen Rock and Roll Camp are receiving assistance from the Nashville community.

Get your kids off the couch and out of your basements and garages: send them to rock n roll camp!  To register for both camps, go to www.yeahintheboro.org.

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