2009 Summer Camps Program
SF Camps :: Marin Camps :: Suggested Guidelines :: Teacher Bios
 Blue Bear Summer Camps: Truly Cool School
This summer Blue Bear is offering week-long music day camps in Marin as well as in San Francisco. These exciting adventures in rock, blues, songwriting and more are under the direction of Summer Camp Director and acclaimed GRAMMY nominated singer-songwriter and music educator Bonnie Hayes. The tuition for camps is $75-$550 sliding scale. Some full scholarships may be available.
Most camps run from 10am-3pm Monday-Friday (unless noted) and include a concert on Friday, typically starting between 4:30-5:30pm. Other activities are planned after 3pm on Friday, so Summer Campers remain on site until the end of the concert. Some Summer Camp slots require assessments. See the camp descriptions for more info, and also suggested guidelines below.
NOTE: Grade levels indicated below are for the 2008-2009 school year.
After you have selected a Summer Camp(s) from the schedule below, complete the Summer Camps Online Application.
Expect a week of intense learning and serious fun!
June 15-19 . Rock U 1 (beginning/intermediate)
This workshop offers kids in grades 5-9 (2008-09 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. Repertoire is selected by instructors and the group. A typical day includes sectional lessons in the morning, a lunchtime jam with staff, and rehearsals in the afternoon. The week culminates with a show late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$525 sliding scale
June 22-26 . Rock U 2 (intermediate/advanced)
This workshop offers kids in grades 6-10 (2008-09 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. 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. Assessment or approval by Summer Camps administrator is required for bassists and drummers. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$525 sliding scale
June 29 - July 3 . Songwriters Camp (intermediate/advanced)
This workshop is for kids in grades 6-10 (2008-09 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 you get your song ready for the performance on Friday evening. At least one year of music lessons suggested. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. Assessment or approval by Summer Camps administrator is required for bass, drum and guitar players. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$525 sliding scale
July 6-10 . Get Ready to Rock (beginning)
A low-key camp for beginning musicians in grades 4-7 (2008-09 school year) who want to try different instruments (who doesn't want to play the drums!), play easy songs, and try their hand at writing a song, lead singing or jamming. Drum circle helps kids get in the groove, singing teaches kids ear-training and performance skills, and basic keyboard and guitar classes help them take first steps toward playing in a rock band. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$525 sliding scale
July 13-17 . Rock U 1 (beginning/intermediate)
This workshop offers kids in grades 5-9 (2008-09 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. Repertoire is selected by instructors and the group. A typical day includes sectional lessons in the morning, a lunchtime jam with staff, and rehearsals in the afternoon. The week culminates with a show late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$525 sliding scale
July 20-24 . Rock U 2/Classic Rock (intermediate/advanced)
This workshop offers kids in grades 6-10 (2008-09 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. Assessment or approval by Summer Camps administrator is required for bassists and drummers. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$525 sliding scale
 July 27-31 . Rockergrrrrls! (all levels)
For girls grades 5-10 (2008-09 school year) playing at beginning to advanced level, 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
August 3-7 . Rock U 2 (intermediate/advanced)
This workshop offers kids in grades 6-10 (2008-09 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. 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. Assessment or approval by Summer Camps administrator is required for bassists and drummers. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$525 sliding scale
August 10-14 . Rock U 3 (advanced)
A camp for kids in grades 8-11 (2008-09 school year) who have been playing for a minimum of two years, this 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. At least three years of music lessons suggested. The week culminates with a show on late Friday afternoon. Assessment or approval by Summer Camps administrator is required for bass, drum and guitar players. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$525 sliding scale
• Summer Camps Application
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June 15-19 . Rock U 2 (intermediate/advanced)
This workshop offers kids in grades 6-10 (2008-09 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. 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. Assessment or approval by Summer Camps administrator is required for bassists and drummers. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$550 sliding scale
 June 22-26 . Get Ready to Rock (beginning)
A low-key camp for beginning musicians in grades 4-7 (2008-09 school year) who want to try different instruments (who doesn't want to play the drums!), play easy songs, and try their hand at writing a song, lead singing or jamming. Drum circle helps kids get in the groove, singing teaches kids ear-training and performance skills, and basic keyboard and guitar classes help them take first steps toward playing in a rock band. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$550 sliding scale
June 29 - July 3 . Rock U 1 (beginning/intermediate)
This workshop offers kids in grades 5-9 (2008-09 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. Repertoire is selected by instructors and the group. A typical day includes sectional lessons in the morning, a lunchtime jam with staff, and rehearsals in the afternoon. The week culminates with a show late Friday afternoon. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$550 sliding scale
July 6-10 . Rock U 2 (intermediate/advanced)
This workshop offers kids in grades 6-10 (2008-09 school year) an opportunity to play the music they like with their peers. 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. Assessment or approval by Summer Camps administrator is required for bassists and drummers. More on suggested guidelines below.
Tuition: $75-$550 sliding scale
• Summer Camps Application
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Skill Level Guidelines
We strongly suggest the following skill levels for each Summer Camp.
Get Ready to Rock
• Suggested minimum of up to one year of lessons for all instruments.
• No experience is fine, but kids 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).
Rockergrrrrls!
• 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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Summer Camp Teacher Bios
Camp 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 third 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!
Dawn Richardson lives in her own world that revolves around drums and Diet Coke with Lime. She likes to play the drums (currently in TaB, Perps
and 2Toggle), write about the drums (she's got a couple of drum books out there, and has written some stuff in those magazines that only drum geeks read) and teach drums and program drums (and occasionally other instruments). She has also performed and/or recorded with 4 Non Blondes, Kindness, The Martinis, Penelope Houston and Erika Luckett. More at dawnrichardson.com.
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.
Jake Wood, originally diagnosed with a terminal case of the White Man's Disease, overcame his condition and became a competent musician with years of disciplined wood-shedding and a potent medication of diverse music. Some now even go so far as to call him funky! A patient and entertaining drum instructor, Jake has a Bachelor's degree from U.C. Santa Cruz and studied with George Marsh, William Winant and Rich Fongheiser. He has played and recorded with The Cooltones Big Band, Black Market Jazz Orchestra, Nya Jade, The Pine Needles and Pedalsped, and currently can be seen with surf-pirates Diego's Umbrella and local favorites The Trouble with Monkeys (they make bad pets). He is also a contributor to EQ Magazine. More at jakewood.net.
Rock U 2 Summer Camp Performance
[photo by: Allison Boswell] |
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