By Jamie Burke
Move over friendship bracelets, its time to write a song and rock it out live on stage! While it may not be what you think of when it comes to summer camps, Girls Rock! Rhode Island (GRR!) is transforming our perception of what camp CAN be for today’s girls. 
GRR! was formed in 2009 by a group of women involved in the local music scene and local non-profits to help local women and girls to empower themselves and foster self esteem and self confidence through the development of musical skills.
There have been two Ladies Camps to raise funds for the weeklong Girls Rock Camp. As a graduate of the Ladies Rock Camp, I can attest to the amazing experience rock camp can be. Where else can you form a band, learn an instrument, write a song, and perform on stage surrounded by the most supportive and encouraging women in a matter of days? All the instruction was led by female musicians and the entire experience was life-changing.
Girls Rock Camps have popped up all over the US and all follow a similar model – empowerment through rock!  Now your daughter, or other young girl in your life, can have this opportunity too. From July 12 – 16, girls ages 11-18 will converge at JamStage in Pawtucket for the first ever Girls Rock Camp in Rhode Island.
Participants choose one instrument to focus on for the week. The choices are drums, bass, guitar, or vocals. Like the Ladies Camp, all instruction is led by experienced and enthusiastic women musicians, and happens in small group lessons. All levels of experience are welcome, from “never played music before” to “I’ve been playing for a few years” to “I play guitar in my band but I’ve always wanted to play drums”. NO MUSICAL EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY!!
Throughout the week, workshops are held on a variety of topics, from Screenprinting/Making Band Art to Songwriting (it’s not as hard as you might think!). Every camp day is interspersed with fun stuff, from warm-up games to making buttons with your band name.
If you know of a young girl who could benefit from the power of rock, definitely check out http://girlsrockri.org for more information about this amazing camp experience.
Details:
Camp Dates: July 12th – 16th, 2010
For girls, age 11-18. NO MUSICAL EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.
Where: JamStage – 25 Esten Ave. in Pawtucket, RI,
Application deadline is May 14th.
Full and partial scholarships are available.
Website:Â http://girlsrockri.org
Photo Credit: Nicole (left) and Jamie (left).
Yay! Grr! and yay Jamie and Nicole…great article. Be sure to post in LoveBugs!