Rock Camps and Student Jam and Recital -- oh my! It's shaping up to be a summer of student performances, and I can't wait.
Girls Rock Camp starts tomorrow. I spent yesterday hauling drum kits, testing guitar amps and sorting keyboard parts, setting the stage for the kids to start learning their instruments and practicing with their peers. I'll be co-teaching the keyboard class with Barbara Chusid, a fantastic musician and teacher I've known since we sang in Womonsong back in the '80s! I'll be co-coaching a band with Rin Q. Ribble, a talented violinist and composer who shares my love of improvisation. I'm very excited to work with both of them. I'm also excited to meet the campers, particularly the students I'll be working with. If I can catch a moment at lunch, I'll let you know how the band bonding, songwriting and keyboard classes are going. By Sunday, the campers will perform their newly written songs at The Loft. (See my calendar for details.)
Then, on July 20th, Madison Music Foundry students take over the Monona Farmers Market for the morning. This is the cooler, summer version of a recital. You can hear my students playing parent-child duets, Cuban dance music, and a suite of original songs -- along with a wide variety of other instruments and styles by my colleagues and their students.
Later that afternoon, head over to The Loft for the Girls Rock Camp Session II Showcase. I'll update you with more details about that performance once the week starts.
And finally, July 27 is MMF's Student Jam and Rock Workshop Showcase. We announce the songs a few weeks ahead of time and work with students to learn their parts. Then they jump up on stage with each other for the first time and play together. The jam songs are interspersed with sets by the Rock Workshop bands. This summer's student jam contains some great classic rock tunes with a sprinkling of indie and jazz.