IIM summer camp students are having lots of fun banging on drums and hanging out with friends making music. FUNdamental Drumming 1 and Rockers students have been developing their musical skills in small group settings, while preparing for end of week performances.
Last week, Wade Corbin introduced campers to the basics of setting up a drum kit, learning different basic drum beats, and playing along with some of their favorite songs on drums.
They ended their camp week with a performance for the Londonderry Summer Camp students featuring AWOLNATION’s “Miracle Man,” AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds,” and Smashmouth’s “All Star.” Of course, they also had to include the classic drum song, Queen’s “We Will Rock You!”
This week, Habiba Miller and Alex Valsing led the Rockers Camp with Madison, Jonathan, Quinn, Paige, Yusuf, and Nate. This group developed a camaraderie almost immediately and had a lot of fun while also learning songs very quickly. They put together an impressive five songs in the first three days: Twenty One Pilots’ “Tear In My Heart,” The Beatles’ “Money,” Green Day’s “Brain Stew,” The Doors’ “People Are Strange,” and Nirvana’s “On A Plain.”
As a part of the learning process, they were guided through how to recognize the structure for each song and write their own charts to reference during rehearsals. One song was too high for Yusuf to sing, so they also learned how to transpose to a lower key. After the band had their songs put together in good shape, Alex and Habiba walked them through the process of deconstructing each song to refine any parts that needed work. Then they worked on stage presence and putting their show together. They accomplished a great deal in a week, and they put on a great performance that really showed off all their hard work!
More camps are on the horizon. If you know anyone ages 8 and above who wants to try out playing in a band, even if they have no musical experience, the full-day Young Rockers Camp still has room for the week of August 5-9. Then IIM wraps up its summer camp program the week of August 12-16 with Wade Corbin’s “FUNdamental Drumming 2” half-day camp.
Check out our website immersedinmusic.com for information on remaining camps and all of our Fall offerings.
Registration for our 2019-20 courses and classes is happening now. Reserve your spot by filling out our online registration forms and paying the appropriate materials fee. We’re looking forward to another great year!