Music In Communities School of Rock is back with our affordable, accessible half-day music jams! This year we have an all-new Country Music Camp along with Rock, Girls & Non-Binary, and Music Production weeks. Camps take place at the Kentville Recreation Centre from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday. The kids will perform their songs for parents and friends on Friday at 3:30 pm. These camps are adaptive and low-pressure, with a focus on fun and creativity. Our leaders will work with your child’s interests and adapt each week to make sure the participants have lots of fun making music.
Week 1: Girls+ Rock Camp: July 27 - 31 for girls and non-binary youth. Two groups, for ages 11-13 and 14-17, with flexibility based on peers and ability. This program is specifically designed to help build confidence for girls and LGBTQ+ youth with workshops in songwriting, musicianship, collaboration, and creativity, plus opportunities to try a new instrument or learn more techniques on a familiar one. Youth will have a chance to try drum kit, electric bass, electric guitar, keyboard, ukuleles and acoustic guitar. We will have instruments on hand but you are welcome to bring your own. No previous experience required! Learn your favourite songs or write them yourself. Local musicians and (wo)mentors Freya Milliken and Amy Black will be there to help you every step of the way and realize your creative potential, and there may be some exciting musical guests dropping in, too.
Registration is open now, at https://kentville.ca/programs
$150 / week - Scholarships available. Contact us at info@musicincommunities.com
Week 1 July 27 - 31 : Girls & Non-Binary Camp Week 2 Aug. 4 - 7 : Music Production Camp Week 3 Aug. 10 - 14 : Rock Camp Week 4 Aug. 17 - 21 : Country Camp
MORE INFO:
Girls+ Rock Camp: July 27 - 31 for girls and non-binary youth. Two groups, for ages 11-13 and 14-17, with flexibility based on peers and ability. This program is specifically designed to help build confidence for girls and LGBTQ+ youth with workshops in songwriting, musicianship, collaboration, and creativity, plus opportunities to try a new instrument or learn more techniques on a familiar one. Youth will have a chance to try drum kit, electric bass, electric guitar, keyboard, ukuleles and acoustic guitar. We will have instruments on hand but you are welcome to bring your own. No previous experience required! Learn your favourite songs or write them yourself. Local musicians and (wo)mentors Freya Milliken and Amy Black will be there to help you every step of the way and realize your creative potential!
Music Production Camp: Aug. 4 - 7. Two groups, for ages 11-13 and 14-17, with flexibility based on peers and ability. In this four-day camp, participants will have opportunities to use recording equipment and learn recording techniques in the process of recording and producing a song from start to finish. Gain hands-on experience recording your own music and music for others with the technology you already have, learn how a recording studio is set up, and collaborate with others in a studio environment. We will have instruments on hand such as the electric bass, electric guitar, drum kit, keyboard, ukulele and acoustic guitar, but you are welcome to bring your own. Please bring your own laptop or tablet for recording if possible. No previous experience required!
Rock Camp: Aug. 10 - 14. Two groups, for ages 11-13 and 14-17, with flexibility based on peers and ability. With workshops in songwriting, musicianship, and collaboration, youth will make music with like minded peers and have a chance to try a new instrument or learn more techniques on a familiar one. We will have instruments on hand such as the electric bass, electric guitar, drum kit, keyboard, ukulele and acoustic guitar, but you are welcome to bring your own. No previous experience required! Learn your favourite songs or write them yourself. Our facilitators will be there to help you every step of the way and realize your creative potential!
Country Music Camp: Aug. 17 - 21. New this year, for the country music loving kids in our community! Two groups, for ages 11-13 and 14-17, with flexibility based on peers and ability. For the kids who are interested in acoustic roots and country songs, this jam is for you. Fiddles, banjos and mandolins welcome! We will have instruments on hand such as the electric bass, electric guitar, drum kit, keyboard, ukulele and acoustic guitar, but you are welcome to bring your own. No previous experience required! Our lead instructor, Tyler McDonald, plays in the rising country band Sweet Bean, and other members of the band, along with bluegrass guitar-whiz Mike Reese, will drop by during the week, to share tunes and skills. Learn your favourite songs or write them yourself. Our facilitators will be there to help you every step of the way and turn up the twang!
Get to Know Your Facilitators
Tyler McDonald is a percussionist and music educator from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia who received Bachelor Degrees in both Music and Education at Acadia University. Having an interest in many different styles, Tyler actively plays drums with many different groups throughout the province, including: Freya Milliken, Sweet Bean, Avalon and the Pyramids, and Alkali Collective. Amidst various freelance projects keeping Tyler busy as a drummer, he also continues to work as a percussionist, working on traditional and contemporary works. Often at Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, Tyler works with composers and musicians, most recently at Barbara Hannigan’s EQ seminar. Tyler has been featured on various recordings, often completing these in his home studio in Windsor, NS. You can hear his work on recordings with Freya Milliken, Avalon and The Pyramids, and Sarah McInnis’s new album, Threads.
Amy Black is a music grad from Acadia University, with over 8 years of private teaching experience. She has been playing music in one way or another for most of her life and finds so much joy in the creation process. She studies piano as her principal instrument, but has extensive experience with bass guitar, acoustic guitar and songwriting. Her songs have won awards in festivals like Kiwanis, and competitions in Nashville, and she has spent lots of time playing in different kinds of ensembles. Her approach combines technical expertise with creativity, encouraging her students to explore their musical potential and express themselves through their instruments.
Freya Milliken is an award winning singer-songwriter whose music resonates with warmth, authenticity and introspection. She has a Bachelor of Music Degree from Acadia University and released her debut EP Wholeheartedly shortly after graduation. With raw honesty, the EP captures the beauty and challenges of loving and being loved through a queer lens. She has performed on stages across Canada as well as a European tour with the Acadia University Singers for the Singing in Flanders Field Project. Beyond her performing career, Freya is a passionate advocate for music education, all ages music spaces, and accessible community engagement.
Reuben Gilbert is a producer, audio engineer, and multi-instrumentalist from the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. Currently based in Halifax, he has engineered, produced and mixed music for a variety of artists from across Nova Scotia and beyond that has gained nominations and awards from Music Nova Scotia, Music NB, the ECMAs, and the Canadian Folk Music Awards. With his band The Gilberts, he has played at festivals and on stages across Canada and in Europe.
Ewan MacLean has just completed his Bachelor of Music degree at Acadia and has been helping with Music In Communities after-school programs for the past year. He can play guitar, ukulele, drums, and more, and he makes learning lots of fun. The kids love him!
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mike moved to Boston for university and graduated from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelors degree in Guitar Performance. He continued to achieve success in the music industry as a performer, audio engineer, producer, instrument salesman, and instructor since graduating in 2012. Discovering the beauty in the Annapolis Valley made it an easy decision to move here with his wife, Maggie MacKay, their mini Australian Shepherd, Sam, and now baby girl, June.