Kids’ Programs
Acoustic Outfitters Music Shop is offering a series of ½ day music camps for summer 2010! We’ve recruited from our staff of talented and professional music instructors to offer a wide variety of themes. Our camps are for teens and tweens, and include classes from beginners to advanced players. Acoustic Outfitters’ summer programs are a great way for kids to meet musicians their own age and form friendships while fine tuning their musical skills in a non-competitive and supportive environment. Summer classes have a low student to teacher ratio (4 – 8 students per instructor) allowing for maximum interaction and learning.
ONE WEEK CAMPS
Week-long camps run 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Monday through Friday and include a Friday performance for parents and friends. The cost is $125.00 per student before June 1st; $150.00 per student after June 1st. Please note that we will consider students younger than the recommended age limit depending upon skill level. Contact us for more information.
Download the full Summer Camp Brochure
Session #1. July 12 – 16. All-Strings Chamber Orchestra with Melissa Waterhouse (violin/viola) and Laurie Meeder (cello). Ages 11 and up.
Have fun this summer in an all-string chamber orchestra! Instruction will focus on ensemble playing and include warm-ups, sight-reading tips, mini-workshops, sectionals, and full ensemble rehearsals. A variety of styles will be explored, including classical, Celtic, pop, world music, and contemporary music. The summer all-strings camp provides a great introduction to playing in a group, as well as the perfect summer refresher for the experienced ensemble player. This camp is recommended for middle school students.
Session #2. July 19 – 23. Ready to Rock Band Camp with Charlie Strater. Intermediate. Ages 10 and up.
If you are ready to get out of the practice room and start rockin’, then you are ready for Ready to Rock! This camp is designed for students who have been playing for at least 1 year and are comfortable with basic chords and keys. Learn the art of playing with others, trading licks and working together to create a balanced sound. Best of all, meet some other kids who like to play as much as you do!
TJ in residency at the Seacoast Charter School
Session #3. July 26 – 30. Roots of Rock Band Camp with TJ Wheeler. Advanced. Ages 12 and up.
Join TJ for a ride on the rock and roll time machine and spend the week exploring the music that paved the way for modern rockers and classic rockers alike. We’ll learn from the work of early rock masters such as Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and include some rhythm and blues, surf and rock-a-billy tunes as well. All instrument types welcome including guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, singers and horn players. This class is designed for intermediate/advanced level players who have been playing for at least two years and are considered to be accomplished on their instrument.
Session #4. August 3 – 6. Beatles for Beginners with TJ Wheeler. Ages 9 and up.
You grew up on the Beatles and your kids can too! These classic tunes are loved by all ages and are a great repertoire for learning about the basics of music. Students learn about melody and rhythm through a focus on singing and playing simple percussion instruments. Children who have a basic level of skill on their own instrument can bring it along and join the fun. No previous instrumental experience is required however – just a love of music and a desire to sing along with John, Paul, George, Ringo and TJ!
Session #5. Aug 16 – 20. NH Fiddle Ensemble with Ellen Carlson. Ages 9 and up.
Fiddle tunes are not just for fiddlers anymore! Players of all acoustic instruments are invited to spend the week with Ellen learning and playing fiddle tunes from many traditions: American, Irish, Scottish, Swing, Folk and Bluegrass. Students will learn the basics of performing and musicianship both in the traditional manner – by ear – and using sheet music. This camp is open to students with at least one year of experience up to intermediate; each tune is arranged to offer multiple levels of difficulty.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS
Ellen Carlson
Ellen has been performing on fiddle for over thirty years and is dedicated to bringing the many forms of fiddle music to as many people as she can. She is currently a member of the well reviewed acoustic roots band High Range and has performed in swing, country, bluegrass, square dance, and rock bands as well as for musicals and with a small orchestra. She teaches private lessons, at the Grey Fox festival and runs The Fiddleheads music camp each fall.
Laurie Meeder
Laurie is a cello and orchestra instructor at the Concord Community Music School, orchestra director for the Windham School District in Windham, ME and runs a private studio in Wolfeboro, NH where she teaches violin, viola, cello and bass. Originally from Maryland, she performed in numerous orchestras and ensembles, received her Masters degree in music education from Peabody Conservatory and taught string programs in the public schools. Laurie is past president of NH ASTA, frequent guest conductor for student festivals in ME, NH and VT and performs frequently as a freelance cellist in the northern New England area.
Charlie Strater
Charlie is a performing singer-songwriter and journeyman guitar player. His teaching approach is geared toward getting young students to successfully and consistently mimic the sounds and songs that first piqued their desire to play the guitar. He believes that “making it fun” for the first few years of learning will instill a love for music that can inform a more academic, theory-based approach later in life. Charlie is usually swinging “Country-style,” but he also likes to turn it up to “11” every now and then and rock out! He is thrilled to be instructing Ready to Rock this summer because, while it’s fun to practice licks in the bedroom, making music with your friends is priceless.
Melissa Waterhouse
Melissa studied classical violin with Dr. Laura Mount of the Juilliard School, and was first violinist with the New York Youth Symphony, performing in Carnegie Hall. She received her B.A. from the University of New Hampshire in 1999, where she studied with Robert Eshbach and was Concertmaster of the UNH Symphony Orchestra. Melissa performs regularly with the Artful Noise String Quartet and the French and Celtic trio La Madeleine. She has studied Celtic fiddling with Hanneke Cassel and in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She is an active board member of the NH Chapter of the American String Teachers Association.
TJ Wheeler
TJ Wheeler has been studying the roots of American music for over 40 years. He is the Artistic Director of the Blues Bank Collective and active supporter of music and the arts in NH and across the region. TJ has brought his musical knowledge and enthusiasm to over 350,000 students in schools around the world and recently completed an artist-in-residence program at the Seacoast Charter School in Kingston NH. He has taught at some of the premiere Folk, Blues, and Jazz camps in the country, performed at countless festivals including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and has recorded his unique brand of blues on several independent CDs.