If you’ve got a mini Drake, Adele or Justin Timberlake under your roof, then you’ve got to check out the MSU Community Music School summer classes and camps, scheduled to run throughout the summer in Detroit.

Kids can get their music groove on at one of six different summer camps this June, July and August. Camps and classes for all ages are offered by the MSU Community Music School-Detroit (CMS-D) and the Detroit Institute of Music Education (DIME).

Each music camp costs $200 or less, and tuition assistance is available for families in need by application to CMS-D located at 3408 Woodward Avenue in Midtown. Students can register now by calling (313) 578-9716 or visiting www.cms.msu.edu/detroit.

“All children should have the opportunity to unleash their creativity at an arts or music camp in the summertime,” says Jill Woodward, Director of CMS-D. “We have camps planned for youth with lots of musical expertise or none at all, ranging from bucket drumming to concert band, to Funk Camp to high-level jazz including a performance at the Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing.”

The camp schedule includes:

• Spartan Youth Jazz Boot Camp for ages 14 to 19 led by Detroit jazz artist Sean Dobbins (June 19-25);
• AMP Camp (the Aspiring Musicians Program) for youth ages 9 to 17 who have one or more years’ instrumental experience or Groove-in-a-Week for kids with no prior musical knowledge (June 26-30);
• Jazz artist Scott Gwinnell’s 9th Annual Metro Detroit Summer Jazz Week Workshop for instrumentalists and vocalists of all ages July 10-14);
• two weeks of FREE songwriting/music technology camps for youth ages 10 to 16 titled Verses: Exploring Literacy through Lyrics and Song (July 24-28 and Aug. 14-18);
• The S.O.N.G. Project (Save Our Next Generation) an arts camp for ages 8 to 17 encompassing keyboard, drumline, vocal music, drama and dance (July 31-Aug. 11); and
• Funk Camp in collaboration with DIME for ages 12 to 21 who sing, play guitar, bass, drum set, saxophone, trumpet, trombone or keyboard (Aug. 7-11).

Led by acclaimed jazz drummer and band director Sean Dobbins, Spartan Youth Jazz Boot Camp is open to students ages 14 to 19 who play saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, bass 2 and drums (other instruments are welcome). Youth will participate in sectionals, technique classes, improvisation and ensemble playing as well as explore team-building and leadership skills, June 19 through 23 from 5:45 to 8:45 p.m. This camp is designed for advanced student players who are preparing for a career as a collegiate or professional musician. Camp includes a field trip to the Solstice Festival in East Lansing on June 24, and a concert at the Music Hall for Performing Arts on June 25. Interested students should send a video audition to cmsd@msu.edu.

AMP Camp is for students ages 9 and up who play any band or string instrument, percussion, piano or guitar. AMP Camp takes place 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Campers receive instruction in instrumental technique, ensembles, theory and music history. “Groove in a Week” is for campers with no prior music experience and provides an introduction to guitar, vocals and percussion in the form of bucket drumming. AMP and Groove kids will enjoy a field trip destination with a musical theme, ride the new QLINE and give a Finale Concert on June 26 at 3 p.m. Tuition is $200 and includes lunch.

CMS-D will present the 9th annual Metro Detroit Summer Jazz Week Workshop led by local jazz artist/educator Scott Gwinnell, July 10 to 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. This workshop welcomes musicians and vocalists of all ages and experience levels. Classes and clinics include jazz theory, composition, improvisation and jazz combos. Concerts take place Cliff Bell’s historic jazz club. Register for this workshop online at www.helpwithjazz.com.

Youth ages 10 to 16 will learn the art of songwriting, composing, performing, mixing and recording at Verses Camp, July 24-28 or August 14-18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. This program includes instrumental instruction, Open Mic and creative writing. Student bands will write and record a song, and participate in a final Listening Party to unveil their music. This camp is FREE by application. Youth should send a sample of their words or music to cmsd@msu.edu.

CMS-D and DIME will present Funk Camp, August 7 through 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The camp is for ages 12 to 21 and takes place at DIME located at 1265 Griswold in Capitol Park. Students who can sing or play guitar, bass, drum set, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and keyboard will form bands based on age and level of experience. Music reading is not necessary, but beneficial. Bands will learn both songwriting and some of today’s most popular hits. Instrument sectionals, band rehearsals, daily jam sessions and guest artists will be part of this jammin’ camp’s lineup. A final concert will take place at DIME on Friday, August 11 at 3 p.m. Tuition is $199 and includes lunch.

Since opening in 2009, the MSU Community Music School-Detroit has become one of Detroit’s largest providers of sequential music education outside the regular school day for Detroit youth. Classes and camps are offered for people of all ages, abilities and incomes. For more information call (313) 578-9716, email cmsd@msu.edu, or visit www.cms.msu.edu.

Photos courtesy of MSU Community Music School-Detroit

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