Girls Rock Philly (GRP), a non-profit organization presenting Philadelphia’s only rock camp for girls, is now accepting camper and volunteer applications for its fourth summer of teaching junior rockers, ages 9 to 17, how to rock out. Last year’s camp served 50 girls from the Greater Philadelphia region, with fifty percent of campers receiving scholarships or financial aid to attend camp week.  The 2010 camp week, to be held from August 9 – 13, will expand, for the first time in GRP’s history, to serve 80 girls.

GRP’s week-long summer day camp is held on the campus of Girard College (at Girard Ave. & Corinthian Ave.) in Philadelphia. The program culminates in an end-of-camp showcase, open to the public, this year to be held on Saturday, August 14 (location TBD), followed by a professional recording studio experience to create a compilation CD.  For more information and to submit an application, visit www.girlsrockphilly.org or call (215) 789-4879. Applications are honored on a first-come, first-served basis.

GRP also announces new dates for Philadelphia’s very first weekend-long Ladies Rock Camp, a rock camp experience for women ages 19 and up.  The camp will be held from May 29 – 31, 2010 on the campus of Freire Charter School (2027 Chestnut Street) in Center City Philadelphia.  Ladies Rock Camp will provide an opportunity for twenty-five women, ages 19 and up, to learn an instrument or hone their existing skills, form bands, write songs, attend workshops, perform in the end-of-weekend showcase, and network with other women musicians in their area. The end-of-weekend showcase will be held on Memorial Day, May 31 (location TBD). No previous musical experience is needed to apply. Each $400 tuition fee for the weekend-long camp will fund one girl’s scholarship to attend the Girls Rock Philly Summer Day Camp.  Applications are currently being accepted online or via mail.

More about Girls Rock Philly Camp Week

The Girls Rock Philly camp week provides girls with a chance to unleash their inner rock stars and to learn guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, DJ’ing and vocals. No musical experience is necessary and all needed equipment and instruments are provided. Campers form bands and write their own songs over the course of a week, allowing the aspiring young musicians a space in which to figure out what and how they want to play, while working in a team setting.

The female-only environment, a rarity in the music world, provides both campers and volunteers with a comfortable atmosphere, emphasizing artistic independence and creative ownership, as well as copyright to their own songs.  The camp also features guided band practice, special guest performers, and diverse workshops including the history of women in music, non-traditional instruments, sound and recording, and band art where participants have the opportunity to create original band t-shirts and buttons. The program culminates in an end-of-camp showcase performance for fellow campers, friends, family and the general public, and a professional recording studio experience to create a compilation CD.

Past camp participants have come from all parts of the Greater Philadelphia area, including South Philly, Mount Airy, Roxborough, Center City, Delaware County, Montgomery County, the Main Line, and from New Jersey and Delaware. Last year, forty percent of campers returned from previous years, and the girls were supported by a diverse groups of 30 onsite adult female volunteers, including local teachers, musicians and nurses. 

About Girls Rock Philly: Girls Rock Philly is a music and mentoring 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls and women from the greater Philadelphia region through music education and activities that foster self-respect, leadership skills, creativity, self-expression, critical thinking, and collaboration. GRP is a founding member of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance.  There are currently over 25 Girls Rock Camps across the U.S.

For the latest updates and information, visit: www.girlsrockphilly.org and connect with the organization on Facebook and Twitter.  

About Girard College: Girard College is a private boarding school for academically capable students, grades 1 through 12, from families with limited financial resources, each headed by a single parent or guardian.  All Girard students receive full scholarships to take part in the school’s strong academic program and to live safely on its enclosed 43-acre campus in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.  Girard is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.  It holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, The Association of Boarding Schools, the Coalition for Residential Education, and the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools.  For information, visit www.girardcollege.com.

Girls Rock Philly is supported by individual and corporate donations as well as foundation grants from the Sara Weaver Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation and Women’s Way’s Community Women’s Fund.

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