SMA Rocked it!
SMA ROCKED IT OUT AT SUMMER MUSIC CAMP
Well, folks. We did it! We completed our very first successful Summer Music Camp. From June 11-14, over 20 students came down to the McDowell Mountain Community Church to do what they do best – ROCK IT OUT!
On Day 1 the nerves were flying high as a young group of complete strangers learned very quickly to become best band friends forever. After giving them a quick rundown of what they would expect during camp and laying down some house rules, we broke out into separate groups (aka Killer Rock Bands) based on how well the instructors thought each student would jive with the other.
We let each group pick the rock hits they would learn to play during camp, choose their band name, and begin hashing out the chords of each song. We also figured out who was going to play what. For example, deciding who was going to sing was a big deal. We had some groups that didn’t have any singers. There ended up being a lot of brave people who stepped up to the microphone to find out they had the guts to sing (and sing REALLY WELL).
After that, we were in full on rehearsal mode. Students would show up around 9:30 a.m. each morning, and we would rehearse for a few hours. In between rehearsing, we had some fun activities like a light – stage – sound workshop and then one of the biggest highlights of the camp: David Ellefson!
This incredible bass player (who used to play in the band F5 with our very own John Davis and now plays with Megadeth came out to talk to our happy campers about all things awesome with music. We were so stoked and thankful that he was able to join us. This guy had just come back from touring Europe the day before his visit, and he STILL found the time to hang out with us. So cool!
But the best part of the entire camp was when the students played a concert at the end of the week for all of their parents. Each group really took center stage and made the show spectacular. We had amazing solos. We had screaming fans. We had kids being rock stars on and off the stage. To say the least, it was awesome.
Because we had such a great time rockin’ out with our campers, we’ve got a couple more camps in the works for 2013. Definitely keep an eye on our website and Facebook Page so you can get first dibs on a spot at our next camp. We’d love to have you back, and if you missed us this time around, we are always excited to welcome new rock-and-rollers to our posse.
Last but not least, we want to thank everybody involved in making our summer camp an amazing success. Thank you to our teachers– Joe Costello (drums), Kirwan Brown (bass), John Davis (guitar), and Jenn Durkin (vocals). We also want to thank one of John’s former students, Jack Shipka, who came in and assisted to keep the camp running in tiptop shape. Finally, thank you to every parent and student who came and gave it their all to make the most of our camp. Music just wouldn’t be the same without you.
Keep on rockin’, friends! We’ll see you at the next SMA music camp.