Music is a Language, Long Island Music Camp, Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop

In our music camp in Bridgehampton, Long Island, we approach learning music in the same way you learn to speak your native language. How is this done?

When we are all kids we lean to speak with words, then phrases, then complete sentences, and as we grow older find ourselves in situations where we need to speak in public to small and large crowds. Along with that we learn in a very intuitive way how to accent certain words and letters to express our ideas and emotions. To deepen our knowledge we learn to read and write and keep refining these skills throughout our life.

Learning music is the same thing. Here is a great video by the bassist, Victor Wooten, diving further into this idea.

Just as a child will have conversations at the dinner table, it’s the same in Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop in Bridgehampton, Long Island. You will play in multiple bands, you will have lessons, you will perform, you will interact with many different musicians (your age and older), and you will have many different teachers. With each teacher and student musician you interact with you will learn and get inspired in a myriad of ways.

So whether you a beginner or advanced musician, come as you are, and get ready to speak music!

Music, Art, Dance, Theater Summer Camp in Long Island...The Art of Warming Up

At Rock Camp and later in our afternoon Jazz Workshop in Bridgehampton, Long Island, we talk learn music from many angles. In today’s Grapevine post, let’s look at warming up. This is applicable for artists, musicians, actors, dancers, and artists. Click here to see all of our camps and classes this summer in Long Island.

Relaxing. I normally start out with major scales, playing around the circle of 5ths with one scale flowing into the next, up and down the piano. While I am doing this I am thinking of one thing - relaxing. I pay attention to my hands, fingers, shoulders, my chest, my breathing, my face, my feet, and legs. If I feel tension, I let the tension go. It’s a kind of meditation and just being aware of your body.

I also think about letting go of tension in my fingers and hands. Years ago, I injured my left hand after a long day in the practice room working playing 10th with my left hand, so playing C with my left hand pinky and my thumb play E just above the octave, all at the same time). I saw how the great pianist Hank Jones and others made this a part of their playing. Anyway, at the time the adrenaline was pumping and I felt great, I was straining, but so what…I played through it, as if I was at the gym. Bad idea. I ended up injuring my left hand and not being able to play from 3 or 4 months.

Stay Nimble. It’s like baseball or soccer…In baseball when you hold the bat and the ball is coming to you, your muscles are ready as you are about to swing. When you hit the ball though, you drop the bat and run to first base. All that muscle tension is released after you strike the ball, or if you are a soccer player after you kick the ball. When I play a note and when I get to the bottom of the note, the bed so to speak, I try to relax my finger and hand. This way I can stay nimble and ready to go in any direction at any moment.

I have to say that when I see videos of myself performing, sometimes I will see certain body movements and there may be some tension. I am still working on this concept myself! Nonetheless, this is a concept I try to work on every day so it stays top of mind. There is a whole technique, called the Alexander Technique, which takes this idea of letting go of tension to another level. It is also specific to your art form.

It's All About Your Sound, Music Camp in Long Island and New Jersey

In Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop our music summer camp in Long Island, Bridgehampton, and Lebanon, New Jersey, we focus on what makes a great sound on your instrument. Whether you are a pianist, guitarist, drummer, singer, or whatever your instrument is, your sound is your what makes your music unique to you.

Often times many teachers will focus on the “what.” This is the scale that works over this harmony, and that is something we need to know, but there is something more important than that, your sound. Your sound or your voice on your instrument is what draws the listener closer to the music. It is something unique to you and something that should be developed side by side with learning music techniques, harmony, and rhythm.

So how does one work on one’s sound? For wind instruments, saxophone, flute, trumpet, etc…, you will focus on your breath and embouchure paying attention to things like vibrato, and your approach to how you play the note (legato, staccato). For pianists, guitarists, bassists, and drummers we pay attention to playing without tension, your attack (how you strike the note, thinking like a drummer), the position of your body and how that can change your sound.

Working on one’s sound is a process that takes place over time, and just having that awareness will help you create a sound that is personal and unique to you, a voice that expresses all you have to say in music!

Here are a few examples of musicians with distinct voices on their instruments.

The Premier Summer Camp in the Hamptons, Music, Art, Dance, Theater

If you are looking for a different kind of summer camp experience, and curious to explore the worlds of music, art, dance, and theater this summer, then you are in the right spot. In our fine and performing arts camp in the Bridgehampton we have 5 different programs, both day camps and adult afternoon classes, where you can explore and learn new skills while having a lot of fun along the way!

MUSIC - We have Rock Camp during the day, 9-3, where students will learn up to 2 instruments, will be in a morning and afternoon bands, have electives, and perform at an end of the week concert. In the afternoons we have adult lessons from 3-5, and a program called Jazz Workshop for those interested in the world of jazz.

ART - Our art program is called Diving into Art where students learn acrylic paining in our first week and in our second week explore watercolor painting. Like in music there are electives in the afternoon and there is an end of the week student art exhibit for friends, family, and the public. Adult classes are held 3-5 pm.

DANCE - Dance Intensive is structured as a hip hop workshop and meets 3-6 pm. It is led by Carlos Neto one of the leading figures in dance, choreography, and teaching in the world (Alvin Ailey, NYU, Broadway Dance Center). This is designed with students 12-18 in mind, beginners-advanced students welcome.

THEATER - Theater Workshop is a two week program and this summer we will explore the play/musical, Little Shop off Horrors. Theater workshop meets in the afternoons, 3-6 pm.

JAZZ WORKSHOP - Jazz Workshop is an afternoon camp for middle and high school students, college students and adults that meets daily from 3-5 pm. Students play in ensembles and learn the art and craft of playing jazz in terms of rhythm, harmony, and improvisation.

For More Info and Details, Check out our Site.

That Initial Curiosity and Fascination with Music, Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop in New Jersey and the Hamptons

What draws people to music? Where does that magnetic pull come from? At Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop in New Jersey and the Hamptons we recognize that this kind of curiosity is a special thing. It’s a spark that we like to nurture, challenge, and develop though our lessons, bands, electives and performances. It’s a special thing because if you are surrounded by people who have a combination of knowledge and generous spirit, that spark will grow, grow, and grow.

Ray Charles talks about his first piano teacher and you can hear in his voice how that initial curiosity and fascination was nurtured and challenged to grow. Check it out.

How a "Mistake" in Music Can Say So Much, Rock Camp, Jazz Workshop, Dance Intensive, Theater Workshop in New Jersey and the Hamptons

One of the benefits of learning music is you learn to adapt to change in the moment. Creating something whether its music, art, dance, or theater, you have to work as a team, and embracing change is part of that. This is something you will learn and experience at Rock Camp, Jazz Workshop, Dance Intensive, and Theater Workshop in New Jersey and the Hamptons. The bass player may be rushing the beat a little bit, the drummer forgets the cue going to the bridge, an actor forgets a line, a painter makes a brush stroke he didn’t intend. What do you do, especially if it’s during a live performance?

Here is a fascinating video of the great pianist Herbie Hancock talking about making a “mistake” at the piano in a performance with the trumpeter Miles Davis. Herbie talks about cringing when it happened, but then he talks about how MIles Davis heard what happened and altered his notes to make his “mistake” something perfect. Herbie goes to say how this experience taught him to approach music and life differently. So good, check it out.

Summer Performing Arts Camp in the Hamptons and New Jersey, Music, Art, Dance, Theater

If you have a passion for either music, art, dance, or theater, we welcome you to our summer camp in the Hamptons, Long Island, or our campus in Lebanon, New Jersey. Our summer camps are for all ages (Adults, College, High school, and middle school) and include Rock Camp, Jazz Workshop, Diving Into Art, Dance Intensive, and Theater Workshop. Wherever your passion lies, we have you covered, and encourage you to dive in and get inspired this summer.

Give us a call or email and we can tell you more, (908) 230-6079, HMSRockCamp@gmail.com.

• In Rock Camp students having morning and afternoon lessons, morning and afternoon bands, electives, and perform at the end of the week for friends, family and the public.

• In Jazz Workshop students perform in ensembles, learn to improvise, and understand how harmony works. Students perform a concert for friends, family, and the public.

• In Diving Into Art students learn acrylic painting in Session I (July 18-22, Hamptons) and Watercolor Painting (July 25-29, Hamptons). There are electives in the afternoon and each week culminates with a public exhibit at the end of the week.

• In Dance Intensive students engage in our hip hop workshop taught by one of the leading dancer/choreographers in the dance world, Carlos Neto (Alvin Ailey, Broadway Dance Center, NYU). There is a performance at the end of the week for family, friends, and the general public. (July 18-22 only, Hamptons).

• In Theater Workshop students will perform the musical Little Shop of Horrors. This camp is two weeks long, July 18-22 and then July 24-28 in the Hamptons.

Summer Music Camp in Long Island

We have three amazing music programs for students of all ages at our music camp in Long Island: Rock Camp, Jazz Workshop, and Adult Lessons.

Rock Camp

This is what a day on Rock Camp looks like:

9 am - Morning Meeting. Everyone meets up outside for a short hands on workshop. One day it could on poly-rhythms from Africa, Cuba, or Brazil. Then next day, we may have a 15 minuet jam session where everyone takes out their instrument (we have keyboards for the pianists), and we learn a new song as a group. Another day, there may be our morning meeting be on acapella singing: This is also a time for everyone to socialize and for us to come together as a whole community.

9:30 - 10:30 - Lessons. You will meet with your respective teacher and have a lesson on your instrument. This may be a private lesson or you may be in a small group with fellow musicians. You may be new to music or you may be experienced. All the same, come as you are. This is a time to really dig and learn your instrument.

10:30-Noon - Morning Band. You will meet up with your band teacher and with your fellow students you will learn songs that make up Rock n Roll. That could mean music that was released last year to music from the Beatles. Rock is like a very wide umbrella and there are many sub styles under it….we get into most all of them. You also will get into songwriting and creating original music with your group.

12-12:30 - Lunch. Relax, hang with your new friends, eat, get your second wind.

12:30-1 - Play volleyball, play music with your friends on your own. There is a different outdoor activity every day.

1-2 - Afternoon Lessons. Here you can either study a second instrument or study vocals, or you can have a second lesson on your main instrument.

2-3 - Afternoon Band. Here you will be a new band, new teacher and different students from your morning band.

FRIDAY - CONCERT FOR FAMILY, FRIENDS, PUBLIC.

Jazz Workshop

Our jazz camp in New Jersey and the Hamptons is meant for musicians who want to take their music to another level in terms of improvising, finding their creative voice, and making music with like minded musicians who love music as much as you do. We have an adult class, a class for high school musicians, and a separate division for our middle school musicians in our jazz camp which meets in July in the afternoons, 3-5 pm (July 11-15 in New Jersey, and July 18-22 in the Hamptons). Whether you are an adult, a college students, a high schooler, or someone own middle school hungry to learn, you will find a welcome home here at Jazz Workshop.

Adult Lessons

This is a program that offers private and small group lessons to adults looking to learn and instrument or an advanced musician looking to take his or her music to another level. The exact curriculum is designed around the interest and goals of the student.