Camp Amped

Nuçi's Space Aims Its Music Summer Camp At Athens Kids

originally published June 20, 2007

Surely it can’t just be us "old" folks who found School of Rock an inspiring movie; after all, while many of us may be over 30, that doesn’t mean we remember when every one of the featured songs originally came out. So, clearly, there must be something in the music itself that pokes the soul in all the right places and makes one want to start a band. Kids also carry that DNA. So the movie was inspired by reality, but it’s also moved in a circle to inspire others to start schools of rock. Athens’ own Nuçi’s Space, already a shining star in the community for its contributions to the well-being of local musicians who are mostly way past high school (and, therefore, no longer on their parents’ health insurance), is getting in on the act, too.

This summer is the first incarnation of Camp Amped at Nuçi’s Space, a two-week day camp from July 16 to 28 focused on developing and honing the musical skills of 11- to 18-year-olds. The camp has been in the works for years, according to Executive Director Bob Sleppy. This year just happened to be the first where the Nuçi's folks felt they had the resources to bring the idea to fruition. “We feel Camp Amped is a natural extension of the Nuçi's Space mission and purpose,” says Sleppy. “We want to help nurture musical talent in young people and help them find their ‘voice.’”

What To Expect?

As one would imagine, guitar is the most popular of the instruments for which campers can sign up, but there are lots of openings for drums (annoy your parents with loud pounding noises!), bass (stand stoically and gain respect by being terse), vocals and more. Mornings will be devoted to the chosen instrument, beginning at 9 a.m. with group instruction by an instructor specializing in that instrument; following that, students will be divided into ensembles based on skill level and work with an instructor to learn and perform new music as a group.

Imagine if those Art Brut lyrics went “Look at us! We [were helped by someone older and wiser to form] a band!” Who are those older and wiser people? A preliminary list of instructors includes local musicians Dan Nettles, Marlon Patton, Joel Byron, Aryeh Kobrinsky, Lemuel LaRoche, Ishues, Zac Taylor, Evan McGown and Carl Lindberg, as well as folks from the UGA Music Business Program.

After morning instruction and lunch (on-site and included in the cost of camp) come specialized classes such as scratching and spinning (records, not yourself), songwriting, music business, building beats, basic music theory, studio recording and intermediate instrument lessons. The day concludes with guest speakers, instrument master classes or group classes and winds up at 5 p.m.. However, the camp is considerate of working parents, so campers can be picked up until 6 p.m. Practice rooms and individual instruction will be available during that hour.

And There's More

The camp includes two special events. A field trip to Macon to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, which is also a sponsor of the camp, will take place July 21, and an evening concert planned, promoted and performed by the students will follow the last day of camp on July 28.

Other sponsors include Ken and Anna Zankel, who heard about Nuçi’s Space through the Drive-By Truckers; Sigma Alpha Iota, the UGA music fraternity; the Nuçi’s Space Student Organization, which spent this past spring raising funds for the camp; the UGA Music Business Program; and the Recording Academy, AKA those folks who give out the Grammys, who will supply several speakers and career counseling.

More sponsors are in the works, and if you don’t have kids or aren’t a kid but want to support the program, your dollars would not be turned away. After all, starting them young might not be a guarantee of quality, but it certainly aids in the process. If you like music and want to hear more that’s good, your contributions could be considered an investment in the local scene. As Sleppy says, “Simply put, we want to help create more musicians [and] more music.”

The money also helps with scholarships, which are limited but are available, both full and partial. Applications and more information can be found on the Nuçi’s Space website (www.nuci.org). Full-cost tuition will run you $250 before June 25 and $300 after, but there are special rates for those who sign up at the Nuçi's table during AthFest weekend. The cost of the camp includes lunch, the field trip to Macon, a Camp Amped T-shirt and four tickets to the final performance, as well as the obvious mental stimulation and creative direction.

Now isn’t all that better than some lanyards and learning not to stand up in a canoe?

Hillary Brown