The second Bay Area Girls Rock Camp (BAGRC) is four days into the first session of 2009. At this point the 65 or so campers have formed bands, picked a band name and learned the basics of an instrument. These young women are now in the proccess of writing the lyrics of an original song and figuring out the song's melody, hamony and structure. Campers learn to be part of a creative team while also learning at the same time to express and respect themselves.
This Saturday, the 27th of June at 2pm each band will perform these orginal songs at the Oakland Metro Operahouse. The tunes will most likely range from punk to something sounding Zappa-esque. You might not believe that before Monday, most of these girls had never picked up these instruments before. Judging from last years songs, the afternoon promises to be an entertaining one, even if you don't know any of the girls on stage. I'm still singing some of the songs I heard there.
*If you can't make it this Saturday, session 2's showcase will be on July 11th at 2pm at the Oakland Metro Operahouse.*
The BAGRC is a nonprofit organization which aims to empower girls through music education, promoting an environment that fosters self-confidence, creativity and teamwork. The BAGRC strives to challenge gender stereotypes, encourage collaboration and tolerance among peers, and provide a comfortable space for people of all backgrounds to express themselves. Through music lessons, workshops, group activities and performance, girls acquire skills that will help guide them throughout their lives.
Please check out my alwaysmoretohear blog post about vounteering last year and my support of women in music and BAGRC.
See the trailer for the Girls Rock documentary based on a summer session in Portland, Oregon.
To celebrate the first session of BAGRC, share with us who your favorite female performer is: any genre, any time period.
Comments
Love the younger girls throwing up their hands, yelling and using the microphones. Kids are amazed how they sound. Takes a lot to get used to hearing themselves blasting their voices. Good for them.
By the way, the video of Bessie Smith in St. Louis Blues was amazing. A lot of gospel in it. Now I want to try to get more of it.
Thanks for doing your articles and helping the girls. REally proud of what you do.
Love,
Your mom
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