A Unique Kind of Music Camp in New Jersey

Tucked away in the beautiful countryside of Hunterdon County in Lebanon, New Jersey, is a very different kind of music camp that has been around for twenty years offering an inspiring musical experience for all ages.

Our music camp is structured in a way where we have 2 music programs that run side-by-side:

1. Rock Camp is from 9 - 2:50 pm, Monday-Friday, and is an amazing program where students have lessons throughout the day, play in a variety of ensembles, are able to take a number of electives during the day. While all this is happening we are having a whole lot of fun! I mean this is summer and we want students to have an inspiring experience and make friends along the way. If students would like to study jazz, we have an additional elective from 3-5 pm called Jazz Workshop. At the end of the week, students perform an amazing concert for friends, family, and the public. You can see our complete curriculum on our site.

2. Jazz Workshop is from 1-5 pm and is geared towards teens and adults who have some experience in music and are looking to dive into the world of jazz. Students study harmony, improvisation, and perform in a variety of ensembles. You can see our full curriculum on our site as well.

We look forward to seeing you this summer at the premier music camp in New Jersey, Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop. All students are welcome from beginners-advanced, and all ages as well. Our teachers are all performing musicians who love to share their knowledge. We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Rock Camp, The Premier Music Camp in New Jersey

Tucked away in the rolling hills of Hunterdon County in Lebanon, New Jersey is a music camp like no other, Rock Camp, which has been providing an inspiring musical experience to musicians of New Jersey for over 14 years. Beginner and experienced students are welcome, ages 7-19 years old, to take their music to the next level.

Students will have workshops, morning and afternoon ensembes, lessons, electives and and end of the week concert for friends, family and the public (see our full curriculum). Musicians will work with their peers and expert teachers to learn the full spectrum of rock music from a variety of time periods. Our campus is located on the beautiful campus of Acorn Montessori School in Lebanon, New Jersey

The end of the week concert is a real milestone for musicians. Students take all of that knowledge they have learned in their lessons and ensemble classes throughout the week and come together to create music they did not think was possible at the beginning of the week. Students finish the week with a certain confidence that that comes the realization that you can create incredible music through teamwork, inspiration, and practice.

Summer 2023 Dates for Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop in Lebanon, New Jersey

The Schedule, Summer 2023

Lebanon, NJ

Campus - Acorn Montessori School

JULY 24-28

• Rock Camp, 9-3 pm

AFTERNOON CLASS

• Jazz Workshop (Middle, High School, Adult Levels), 3-5 pm

The Art of Teaching, Summer Music Camp in Long Island and New Jersey

As we prepare for our music camps in Long Island and New Jersey at Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop, we always ask ourselves how can our teaching have the biggest impact on our students, and what makes for a great teacher? There are a few things that make Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop an amazing experience for our students.

1. We meet students where they are. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student. It doesn’t matter. We meet you where you are and we push you 10 notches higher to a level you did not think was possible.

   2. Whether you are learning a song by Nirvana, Miles Davis, Taylor Swift, or Duke Ellington. We help you understand the harmony and how the architecture of the song, how it’s built. This gives you knowledge and the inspiration to not only learn and play the existing music, but also space to create your own music.

   3. Space and Nadia Boulanger. This is something that one of the greatest music teachers of the 20th century, Nadia Boulanger, gave to her students - knowledge of the structures and techniques used in great works of music in addition to inspiration, space, and encouragement for the student to then create his or own music. Seems like the art of teaching then lies in how to balance those two concepts - knowledge/analysis of music and one’s own creativity/voice. Finding that right approach then lies in the teacher’s awareness of where the student is in his or her development and what is the next step. Some consider Nadia Boulanger one of the most influential teachers after Socrates. She taught many of the greats of the 20th century, Igor Stravinsky (Rite of Spring, Firebird), Quincy Jones (Wrote and arranged for Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson…Thriller and more), Astor Piazzola the amazing tango composer who fused the music of Argentine with jazz, George Gershwin (Rhapsody on Blue), and many many other great musicians.

   Here is a great article on Nadia Boulanger that just came out from the BBC.

2. Making music is fun, especially when playing with your friends! Let’s face it, people learn from teachers but they also learn from their friends and peers. It’s that synergy, that group energy when you are making music with others that makes the whole experience fun and fulfilling. After all, this is summer! At Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop in Long Isand and New Jersey, we don’t see ourselves as some sort of school….we see ourselves as an enrichment experience where students can be 100% themselves, learn a ton, and have a whole lot of fun along the way.

Here are some of the musicians who were influenced by the great teacher Nadia Boulanger. Herbie Hancock and orchestra playing George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Stravinsky (Firebird)

Astor Piazzolla (Libertango, played here with To To Ma)

Quincy Jones (Wrote/Arranged music for Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, and many others)

An Inner Confidence Rises Up, Music, Art, Dance, Theater Camp in the Hamptons

Through the years I have noticed an inner confidence emerge from students in our music, art, dance, theater camp in the Hamptons and New Jersey. Something happens when someone throws himself or herself into something and creates something that they never thought was possible.

When students arrive at our music camp, our art camp, our theater camp, and our dance camp in the Hamptons and New Jersey, there is a mix of excitement and maybe a bit of nervous energy. It’s amazing to see how this feeling transforms into a certain confidence that comes through performance and sharing your talents with your peers, family, and the public. It’s not showy…it’s a kind of quiet, inner confidence that radiates outward that’s built on accomplishments that they have seen through on their own with their fellow musicians, dancers, artists, and actors.

Music Camp in New Jersey

Tucked away in the beautiful countryside of Hunterdon County in Lebanon, New Jersey is a music camp dedicated to inspiring musicians, beginner-advanced, to take their music to the next level. At Rock Camp and Jazz Intensive students have morning and afternoon lesson and play in morning and afternoon bands. Our goal is for students to have a fun and social experience while also learning to play music from a variety of angles.

At the end of the week students perform in a concert for their friends, family and the public where you will hear a wide variety of rock music (for those in Rock Camp) and for those enrolled in Jazz Workshop you will hear jazz from the 50’s through today. You will also hear students perform original music which gets musicians thinking outside the box and the intersection of lyrics/telling a story and song structure possibilities.

So if you are looking for a music camp in New Jersey that is both fun and inspiring, you are in the right spot.