Summer Rock Camp

Our summer camp is for kids ages 8 - 18!

Age is less important than attention span. We'll take breaks, and the kids will have a blast—but we'll cover a lot of musical ground in just one week. If kids are unable to focus or are disruptive to practice, they may be given smaller parts, or in extreme cases, be asked to sit out on a song.

If you know the basics of how to play your instrument, and you're ready to give it your best effort, you're ready to play! We'll hand out sheet music with tab and chord charts so your teacher can help you practice in private lessons that week too, and we can always simplify parts if something's too advanced.

If you have no experience with sheet music (for piano), or tab/chord charts (for guitar/bass), we recommend working on that in your lessons now! Understanding the basics of sheet music will make a huge difference in how quickly you're able to learn the music that's given to you.

It's okay if you can't read or play all your parts right away!

Our band directors are ready to help each band member succeed, and we won't give anyone more than they're capable of doing. (That doesn't mean all parts will be easy—it just means we'll be responsive to the abilities of each student.)

The daily practices will be held in the same place as our regular weekly Rock Band rehearsals—which is a separate location about eight minutes from our Leander school, near New Hope and Lakeline Blvd (near the Good Lot).

Read more about the location and see a photo here.

The performance will be held at our recital on Sunday, August 4th, just before our headlining band, at Kick Butt Coffee in Austin, TX.

The short answer is 7-9, but that depends on what instruments sign up. This camp may sell out quickly!

Our current headlining band has seven members, so that's the sweet spot, but we could extend it to nine if we have multiple vocalists capable of adding cool harmonies. One of our band directors is a vocal teacher, so there will be heavy emphasis placed on vocal parts.

As the band fills out, we'll adjust how much space we have based on who's signed up, and what parts they're capable of playing.

Actual practice time will go from 9:30am - 2:30pm.

Students can arrive as early as 9:00am, and must be picked up by 3:00pm.

For an additional fee, students may be dropped off earlier or picked up later, on a case-by-case basis. NOTE: This must be arranged/communicated ahead of time!

Yes! Students will get as much individual attention as they need while they're first learning their parts, but the only way to get better at playing music is to practice it.

Once everyone understands their parts and knows what they're supposed to play, they'll need to learn those parts quickly, which means going over it at home! The sooner everyone's able to play their own parts without help, the more time we have to get the group sounding great together as a band.

Bring your music (and a pencil) every time! You'll learn MUCH faster if you pay attention to your music and take notes to use at home. Also bring a reusable water bottle with a lid so you can drink in the music room without risking our carpet and equipment.

If you're on guitar, bass, or violin, you'll need your own instrument, along with your tuner, capos, picks, etc. (Be sure to get a protective case and never leave stringed instruments sitting in a hot car!)

Practice can get a little loud, so earplugs (designed for live music situations) are recommended.

We have cables, amps, drums, piano keyboards, music stands, mic stands, and microphones, so you don't need to bring those.

Campers MUST bring their own lunch! They are welcome to bring their own snacks as well, but we'll have some here too. We won't provide anything with peanuts or dairy, but if your child has any allergy or dietary restrictions, be sure to let us know. Students will be asked NOT to share their snacks with other students.

Students should bring a CLOSED water bottle (anything reusable with a lid) so they can drink water throughout the day without spilling on carpet or equipment.

If we have multiple players on the same instrument, you may not play your primary instrument throughout all of both songs, but everyone will play at least something on both tunes!* We create our own song arrangements, so we can make room for everyone.

*One exception: If a student misses enough rehearsal time to not be able to play their part, they may be asked to sit out for that song. But as long as they're present and putting in the effort, everyone will play on both songs!

We'll cover a lot of material each day, and band members rely on each other, so it's really important to attend all five days, AND the performance on Sunday!

If you need to miss a rehearsal, notify us ASAP via text or email so we can arrange to cover your part that day. There are no makeups for missed rehearsals, but we'll send out a summary of what we worked on and any particular parts you'll need to practice to be ready for the next day. If a member misses enough rehearsal time to affect their ability to perform, their parts may be given to other members.

Oops! You've found our ulterior motive... we think the band will love playing together SO much that they'll want to keep going —and if that happens, we're ready to incorporate a second band into our weekly band rotation. 🙂

Our school rock band program isn't a six-week or ten-week thing with a predefined end date. Our current band has been playing together for two years, and the improvement over time has been incredible (both individually and as a group). Campers who want to continue with the program after summer will be encouraged to sign up for the ongoing band program—and we'll go from there based on how many we have ready to form a new band!

Songs will be chosen closer to camp time based on the instruments and abilities of the students signed up for the camp. We'll likely use songs from our current band's repertoire, in case campers need help from current band members.

Our current sets include songs like:

• Say It Ain't So - Weezer

• Zombie - Cranberries

• Black Sheep - Metric

• Love Song - The Cure

• Gold on the Ceiling - The Black Keys

• Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden

• Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

• All The Small Things - Blink 182

• Jenny Says - Cowboy Mouth

• Twilight - Boa

The $50 deposit is non-refundable, but the rest may be refunded if cancelled in writing no later than July 15th.

(Note: That July 15th cancellation date is firm, since our song arrangements and instrument placements will be determined based on who's signed up for the band, and we need to know this as early as possible!)