JAM Bands

The Jam

On Monday - Thursday, The JAM will consist of two sessions: A Morning Clinic Band Session and an Afternoon Showcase Band Session. See the details below for more information and the genres offered for each band.

Clinic Bands (9:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Mon. - Thurs.)

In each session, the students will learn about many facets of music in a band atmosphere: history, music theory, technique, repertoire, charting their own music, and playing music that will aid them in becoming better musicians on their instrument. Clinics are taught by some of the area’s most esteemed music educators and are offered for a wide range of music genres. Students will be placed in a clinic based on their personal musical preference, as denoted on their application form, and they will be part of that clinic for the entire week of camp. We urge all students to step out of their comfort zone with music genre when choosing a morning clinic.

SPECIAL NOTES: 1) If the student has an interest in songwriting, they must choose one of the two songwriting clinics for their morning clinic band session. 2) While no student attending the JAM is at the beginner level, students who are younger with less experience on their instrument will be placed in the Rock Roots clinic. This clinic will provide those students with the knowledge they need to continue on as skilled musicians and empowered individuals. 3) Studio Band was designed for young vocalists seeking an ultimate solo performance with an advanced student band.

The morning clinic bands (with the exception of “songwriting” students who will compose their own song) will perform one song that the clinician has chosen for them to study, chart, and perform in a Thursday evening performance. Each band is allowed one 4 minute performance. The sound check for this performance starts at 3:10 pm, and the students stay on campus after camp until the performance is over. The performance starts at 6:00 pm and will last approximately 2½ hours. Dinner will be served on campus at a cost of $5 per student. Please pay during the week of camp.

Choices for the Morning Clinic Bands are as follows:

Clinics will be added according to popular demand.
Those participating in songwriting must choose either:
*songwriting acoustic, *songwriting rock or * songwriting hip hop

Funk - Rhythm driven soul music (James Brown)
R&B - A combination of blues and jazz ( Muddy Waters)
Jazz Fusion - A combination of Jazz, funk and rock ( Miles Davis, Chick Corea)
The San Francisco Sound - Explore the music of the 60’s underground music scene (Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Electric Flag).
Performance Rock - This clinic is not just about the playing, it’s about how you perform it! This clinic also teaches stage presence, makeup and style.
Studio Band – One of the JAM’s most popular clinics. A win-win for both musician and vocalist. Band instruction on charting and preparation (4-5 songs) to back a lead vocal performance. Vocalists bring a CD of two prepared song choices.
Rockabilly – One of the earliest styles of Rock and Roll - where Rock music meets HILLBILLY
Rock Roots - Classic Rock Music at its best (this clinic is for our younger players.) Learn the basics and perform in a classic rock band.
Vocal Harmony Blend (Acoustic) - Learn and perform traditional vocal blending technique in an acoustic band setting.
Motown - Soul Music with a distinct pop influence (The Jackson 5, Diana Ross)
Latin Ensemble - This was a BIG hit for The JAM last year. Timbales, duel guitars, keys and tons of percussion (Santana, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz)
Jazz Vocal Ensemble - Working on a higher level of 3 to 5 part harmony singing jazz standards (for advanced vocals only)
Jazz Improv – Basic concepts of playing melodically over standard chord changes. A balanced variety of Jazz styles, blues, bosanovas, swing
Bluegrass - fiddle, guitar, mandolin upright bass, accordian and vocals round out this band!
Reggae - Study and perform this Jamaican Rhythm music (Bob Marley) Ska - Jamaican dance music originating in the1960’s (requires a full band with keyboard and horns, the bigger the better!)
Soul Music - Distinctive soul from the 70’s, including the Philadelphia, Memphis, and Muscle Shoals sound.
*Songwriting Hip Hop - Learn, compose, and perform the art of this alternative independent cultural form of expression in music.
*Songwriting Acoustic – collaborate, compose, and perform your original song with this band (light percussion only) acoustic guitars, violin and vocal with vocal harmony
*Songwriting Rock - collaborate, compose, and perform your original song. Full Band, vocals and vocal harmony.
Fingerstyle Guitar Band – An instrumental band featuring the guitar style of Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, and Martin Taylor – acoustic or electric.
Chicken Picking Band – An instrumental guitar band with bass & drums; popping the strings with a percussive quick sound. (Brent Mason, Albert Lee, Brad Paisley)
Praise & Worship Band – Pop music with Christian lyrical content (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns)
Other - as requested by students

Showcase Bands (12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Mon. - Thurs.)

The Showcase bands consist of players who have a similar music genre preference, experience level, and age. Band instructors will help the showcase bands choose material if necessary. We encourage each student to bring prepared ideas (on their iPods, CD’s, laptops, or MP3’s) for cover songs that they want to perform in their bands. Students should also bring copies of lyric sheets. Showcase band poster photos will be made at the Wednesday afternoon rehearsal, and posters will be for sale at the end of the week. The showcase bands will perform on Friday evening at 6:30 pm. The actual schedule depends entirely on the amount of bands we have accumulated at The JAM and will be announced mid-week.

Choices for the afternoon showcase band are as follows:

Examples are given but not limited – Students choose material!

Current Rock - Kings of Leon, Greenday, The White Stripes, Coldplay
Pop - Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Miley Cyrus
Classic Rock – Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Beatles, Cream, ZZ Top, Fleetwood Mac, Hendrix, Joplin
Bluegrass - Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, Del McCoury Band, Earl Scruggs
Alternative Rock - Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, Paramore, 3 Doors Down
Indie - Patti Griffin, Regina Spektor, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Jack Johnson
Progressive Rock - Genesis, Pink Floyd, Rush, Radiohead, Muse
Rhythm and Blues - Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin
Hard Rock - Van Halen, Guns and Roses, Aerosmith, Foo Fighters
Country - Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood
Indie Rock - The Raconteurs, Feist, Kaiser Chiefs
Reggae - Bob Marley
Heavy Metal – AC/DC, Metallica, Def Leppard, Slayer
GlamRock - Kiss, David Bowie, Alice Cooper
Southern Rock - Gram Parsons, Marshall Tucker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Eagles
Christian Rock - Switchfoot, P.O.D.
Jazz - Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker
Hip Hop - Jay Z, Blackeyed Peas, Kanye West, 50 Cent
Ska - The Skatalites, Streetlight Manifesto
Punk - The Ramones, The Clash, Blondie
Other - as requested by students