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Blue Bear Summer Camps
Truly Cool Music School!
SF Camps :: Marin Camps :: Suggested Guidelines :: Sign-ups :: Teacher Bios
This summer Blue Bear offers week-long music day camps in both San Francisco and Marin. These exciting adventures in rock, songwriting and more are under the direction of Blue Bear Summer Camps Director and acclaimed music educator Bonnie Hayes. Bonnie knows rock 'n' roll and she knows education. She has written songs for Bonnie Raitt, Cher, Bette Midler, David Crosby and Robert Cray, among others, and has many years of professional stage and touring experience. She's also been a teacher for more than 30 years. Bonnie has put together a team of dynamic and experienced rock practitioners and educators to lead the Blue Bear Summer Camps, which are further distinguished by unmatched student-teacher ratios.
Except for Rock Play, camps run from 10am-3pm Monday through Friday, and include a concert on Friday which typically starts between 4pm and 5pm. Other activities are planned after 3pm on Friday, so Summer Campers remain on site until the end of the concert.
Expect a week of intense learning and serious fun!
Tuition: Tuition for Fort Mason camps is $75 - $525 (except for Rock Play, which is $50 - $325), and tuition for Marin Camps is $100 - $550. Payment in advance by VISA, MasterCard or personal check is required for enrollment. Click here for sliding scale information.
Auditions: Drummers and bass players will need to audition for Rock U 2, Rock U 3 and Songwriters camps. Guitarists also need to audition for Rock U 3. For more info, see the camp descriptions and suggested guidelines below.
NOTE: Grade levels indicated below are for the 2009-2010 school year.
Rock Play
June 7-11, 10am-1pm
This fun half-day camp is for kids in Grades 4-6 (2009-2010 school year) who want to learn about music and musical instruments. No previous instruction is required. Campers will be exposed to important musical concepts through games and activities, and will explore the different instruments of a rock band - guitar, bass, drums and keys - plus singing! Simple songs will be learned and performed as campers become a band over the course of the week. A great introduction to playing music!
Tuition: $50 - $325 sliding scale 
Get Ready to Rock
June 21-25
A low-key camp for beginning musicians in Grades 4-7 (2009-2010 school year) who have some previous instruction - six months of lessons on an instrument is recommended. Activities include trying different instruments, playing easy songs, songwriting, singing, jamming and other musical games! Drum circles help kids get in the groove, singing teaches ear-training and performance skills, and basic keyboard and guitar classes get everyone playing in a band. There will be a performance on Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75 - $525 sliding scale
Rock U 1
June 28-July 2
This workshop offers musicians in Grades 5-9 (2009-2010 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. A minimum of one year of lessons is required. Repertoire is selected by the group, which rehearses every day. A typical day includes group lessons in the morning, a lunchtime jam with staff, and band rehearsals in the afternoon. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75 - $525 sliding scale
Rockergrrrls!
July 26-30
For girls in Grades 5-10 (2009-2010 school year) playing at beginning to advanced levels, the emphasis is on developing musicianship in girls who want to rock! Working together on music builds camaraderie, and workshops in aspects of musicianship build the skills needed to play instruments, sing and perform with authority. Demonstrations by successful female musicians provide role models, and get girls excited about playing, writing and performing music. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75 - $525 sliding scale
Rock U 2
June 14-18
July 12-16
This workshop offers musicians in Grades 6-10 (2009-2010 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. A minimum of one year of lessons is required. Repertoire is selected by the group, which rehearses every day. A typical day includes group lessons in the morning, a lunchtime jam with staff, and band rehearsals in the afternoon. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75 - $525 sliding scale
Rock U 2 / Classic Rock
July 19-23
This workshop offers kids in Grades 6-10 (2009-2010 school year) who love the classic rock of Zeppelin, AC/DC, Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and other groups of that period. Repertoire will be selected by the instructors and students. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75 - $525 sliding scale
Rock U 2 / Metal
August 9-13
This workshop offers kids in Grades 6-10 (2009-2010 school year) who want to perform songs by bands like Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden... and other favorites! Repertoire will be selected by the instructors and students. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75 - $525 sliding scale
Songwriters
July 5-9
This workshop is for kids in Grades 6-10 (2009-2010 school year) who write songs (or want to) and musicians who want to play original music, get together to finish songs, arrange and perform or record them. Workshops on lyric writing, song forms and arranging will help prepare songs for the performance on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75 - $525 sliding scale
Rock U 3
August 2-6
A camp for kids in Grades 8-11 (2009-2010 school year) who have been playing for a minimum of three years, this camp offers students a chance to play music they like with their peers. Repertoire is selected by the group, which rehearses every day. Lots of hands-on experience in jamming, soloing, songwriting, remembering and playing complex arrangements. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75 - $525 sliding scale
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Marin Camps (The MYC - 1115 Third St., San Rafael)
Get Ready to Rock
June 28 - July 2
A low-key camp for beginning musicians in Grades 4-7 (2009-2010 school year) who have some previous instruction - six months of lessons on an instrument is recommended. Activities include trying different instruments, playing easy songs, songwriting, singing, jamming and other musical games! Drum circles help kids get in the groove, singing teaches ear-training and performance skills, and basic keyboard and guitar classes get everyone playing in a band. There will be a performance on Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $100 - $550 sliding scale
Rock U 1
June 21-25
July 12-16
This workshop offers musicians in Grades 5-9 (2009-2010 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. A minimum of one year of lessons is required. Repertoire is selected by the group, which rehearses every day. A typical day includes group lessons in the morning, a lunchtime jam with staff, and band rehearsals in the afternoon. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $100 - $550 sliding scale
Rock U 2
June 14-18
July 5-9
This workshop offers musicians in Grades 6-10 (2009-2010 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. A minimum of one year of lessons is required. Repertoire is selected by the group, which rehearses every day. A typical day includes group lessons in the morning, a lunchtime jam with staff, and band rehearsals in the afternoon. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $100 - $550 sliding scale
Studio 101
For Boys: July 19-23
For Girls: July 26-30
Students in Grades 5-8 (2009-2010 school year) will make a record, using the acclaimed Mac program Garage Band to write, arrange and record instrumental and vocal tracks for their own compositions. Everyone receives a compilation CD of their camp's original songs! Budding engineers and producers are welcome, as well as more traditional songwriters and musicians. All levels welcome, no previous music instruction required.
Tuition: $100 - $550 sliding scale
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Skill Level Guidelines
We strongly suggest the following skill levels for each Summer Camp.
Get Ready to Rock
• Campers will do best if they have been playing an instrument or singing in an organized setting for at least six months.
Rock U 1
• Suggested minimum of one year of lessons for all instruments.
• Drummers should be able to play a simple rock beat for one minute.
• Bassists should know names of notes and be able to play one song through to the end.
• Guitarists should know open position chords and E form barre chords.
• Keyboardists should know major triads in root position.
Rock U 2
• Suggested minimum of two years of lessons for all instruments.
• Drummers should be able to fill without losing time, and be able to hold three minutes of a simple rock beat.
• Bassists should know names of notes and how to read chord charts, and be able to play 1/8th notes through changes.
• Guitarists should know open chords and E and A form barre chords, and know minor pentatonic scales.
• Keyboardists should know major and minor triads, and know the blues scale.
Rock U 3
• Suggested minimum of three years of lessons for all instruments.
• Drummers should know syncopated kick drum patterns, shuffle and 6/8 beats.
• Bassists should know syncopated bass lines.
• Guitarists should know syncopated guitar rhythms (i.e., AC/DC) and riff songs (i.e., Led Zeppelin).
Rockergrrrls!
• Suggested minimum of one year of lessons for all instruments.
Songwriters Camp
• Suggested minimum of two years of lessons for all instruments.
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Meet the Summer Camps Teachers
Blue Bear Summer Camps Director Bonnie Hayes is a platinum-selling songwriter, with songs on records by Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Robert Cray, Huey Lewis, Robben Ford, David Crosby, Cher and Booker T. and the MGs. She plays guitar and keyboards, and has released five CDs of her own music on various record labels. She also has produced seven records, one of which was nominated for a Grammy. In 2003, she designed and implemented the Blue Bear Summer Camp Program and has taught songwriting, music theory, and performance skills at Blue Bear, Cal State LA, and the Stanford Jazz Workshop. More at bonniehayes.com.
Susie Davis is a respected music educator, as well as professional vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter, guitarist and accordionist. She has been a music professional for 22 years, touring and recording with some of the top names in the music world including Van Morrison, Prince, Sheila E., Billy Idol, Melissa Etheridge, Sinead O'Connor, Pat Benatar and Mick Jagger. She has worked extensively as a solo artist in the Bay Area and Los Angeles and currently tours and records with Those Darn Accordions, Rhythmtown Jive, and the Rubinoos. In 2000, Susie opened the Alleycats Music School in Fairfax, California. She currently teaches at her private studio in the Point Richmond area. More at susiedavis.com.
Nils Erickson graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1994 with a major in Arranging. Since then he has played guitar in many bands, including 20 Minute Loop, the New Morty Show, Brad Brooks, The Mad CattleEnsemble, and many others. He has also composed and arranged music for various products and advertisements, and a short film. Nils has taught guitar privately for 12 years; this is his fourth summer teaching Summer Camps at Blue Bear School
of Music.
Janak Ramachandran teaches voice, guitar, bass, vocal styling, and
acting principles for the stage musician. His acoustic, electric, and bass guitar instruction is designed to
concretely guide your progress from one level to the next with an emphasis on playing songs today and a
goal of making music forever. A graduate of SFSU's Music and Recording Industry Program, Janak
regularly works on original material and is currently fronting the classic and hard rock cover band
Bottoms Up!
Erik Schramm is a Bay Area guitarist who for the last several years has been touring the U.S. with the band Super Diamond. He performs often in San Francisco with artists Brandi Shearer, Clay Bell, Matt Verba and Strip Club. He also does sessions for songwriters, commercials and independent films. His playing is a mix of pop, blues, funk, rock and a taste of country for good measure.
Bob Tatum, a graduate of PIT (Percussion Institute of Technology), has been teaching drums and performing in the Bay Area for the past 15 years. In addition to being the house drummer for the Blue Lamp in San Francisco, Bob has played with bands and artists such as Jimmy Two Times, Noelle Hampton, Storm Large, Bonnie Hayes and Heather Combs. He is very excited to be involved with Blue Bear's Summer Camps program again because, well, it's just plain cool.
Bill Spooner, Bammy-Award-winning singer and guitarist, was founder and principal songwriter of the legendary Tubes and actively performs in the Bay Area's best dives and bars. More at billspooner.com.
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