[011] Southern girl rock-and-rollers amp up the camp at MTSU

MURFREESBORO — Girls who want to ‘rock the house’ can be loud and proud at the 11^th annual Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp at MTSU.

The musical day camp for girls ages 10-17 will take place mostly in various rooms of the Wright Music Building from July 22-26.

Campers will receive daily instruction in guitar, bass, vocals, drums and keyboards. In addition, area and touring professional bands will perform in concert, answer the campers’ questions and provide more than two hours of daily ensemble instruction.

Workshops covering other aspects of the music business include songwriting, recording technology, photography, screen-printing and music history.

The grand finale will be the showcase concert at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at Central Middle School, 701 E. Main St. in Murfreesboro. Admission is $10 for ages 18 and up, $5 for ages 10-17 and free for children under 10.

All bands formed by the girls will show off their skills and their ability to collaborate as part of a group. Audience members may participate in a raffle for prizes offered by the Nashville Symphony, Climb Nashville, the Belcourt Theatre, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and other donors.

The camp is presented by Youth Empowerment through Arts & Humanities, also known as YEAH!, a nonprofit organization. YEAH! strives to foster a positive culture where girls can enhance their self-esteem as well as their musical talents.

“With students coming from all across the Southeast states, (Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp) has become a destination camp for young women to come to the campus of MTSU and pursue their dreams,” said Josh Hildebrandt, YEAH! administrative director.

This year, girls will be attending the day camp from as far away as Florida, Georgia, Missouri and North Dakota. Some families are planning their entire summer vacations around their daughter’s participation in the camp.

“A lot of girls are coming from communities that don’t have anything like this,” Hildebrandt said.

Tuition is $300, which covers all fees for the week and a camp T-shirt. To attend, fill out an application at www.sgrrc.com. For more information, contact YEAH! at 615-849-8140 or artsempoweryouth@gmail.com.