Campers receive one group class per day in their assigned instrument. Instrument classes average a 4:1 student to volunteer instructor ratio. Campers may choose guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, or the DJ track. Instruments are assigned on a first come, first served basis. While we do all we can to assign campers their first choice instrument, we cannot guarantee a camper will play their first or even second choice instruments. There is NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY to participate in our camp, and we encourage campers to try new instruments. GR!C will provide campers with an instrument to play, but campers are also welcome to bring their own instruments if they prefer.

Each afternoon, campers get to put the skills learned in instrument lessons into action. Throughout the course of the week (and with the assistance of a volunteer band coach) bands work together to create an original song. Bands are formed on the first day of camp by GR!C staff and spend the remainder of the week teamed up with a volunteer counselor. Counselors attend all workshops with their band, and also work with their band on team building activities throughout the week.

Each day campers participate in two, one hour long workshops. The workshops are intended to focus on topics related to playing and composing music with a band, building self-esteem, and exploring what it means to be a girl making music. Our workshop leaders are professionals in their discipline. Past workshops have included song-writing, performance and stage presence, DIY effect pedals, DIY recording, media literacy, gender and inclusion, the history of women in rock, button making with Busy Beaver Buttons, and t-shirt crafts with Threadless.

Interested in facilitating your own workshop? Email us at workshop@girlsrockchicago.org.

Each camp session, we lead a workshop that explores the question “What’s with the ‘girl’ in Girls Rock! Chicago?” We feel that it is important to address the reasoning behind why our programming is for exclusively girls and transgender and/or gender nonconforming (TGNC) youth and also ensure that everyone feels safe and included during camp. The main objective of this workshop is to provide campers with a basic understanding of gender, and how that relates to and impacts one’s experience in the world, especially in terms of oppression, bullying, and self-esteem. We also feel that it’s important for our stakeholders to understand our programming and the reasoning behind it. Please feel free to review the curriculum for these workshops below:

What’s With the “Girl” in Girls Rock! Chicago 8 – 11 Year-Olds
What’s With the “Girl” in Girls Rock! Chicago 12 – 14 Year-Olds
What’s With the “Girl” in Girls Rock! Chicago 15 & 16 Year-Olds

The weekend portion of camp offers campers a chance to perform and record the music they wrote and played throughout the week at the End-of-Camp Extravaganza, which is open to the public. Campers have had the opportunity to perform on great stages at Schubas, Metro, & Thalia Hall and record with their band mates at professional studios including ESS, Wall to Wall, Flashpoint Chicago, and RaxTrax. The recordings are then mixed and released on bandcamp. Each camper receives a copy of their session’s album and a link for download.

Our volunteers are screened and selected from a pool of women and trans folks with backgrounds in education, music, and art. Our camper-volunteer ratio averages 4:1, meaning campers get plenty of individual attention and assistance when they need it.

Instruments are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Campers are welcome to bring their own electric bass or guitar, however, but this will not change their instrument assignment. Girls Rock! Chicago provides campers with all the equipment they need, including guitars, basses, amps, straps, picks, sticks and drum kits.

Full tuition for one week of camp is $550. Girls Rock! Chicago is committed to ensuring our summer camp is accessible to all applicants, regardless of socio-economic background, race, ethnicity, or neighborhood. Camp tuition is based on a sliding scale. We have determined Financial Aid Guidelines based on the US federal poverty guidelines, and use these in awarding financial aid on a first come, first served basis. Girls Rock! Chicago also offers before and after care, from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM at no additional cost, and provides snacks for every camper. Lunch can also be provided if arranged in advance – just tell us on your camp application.

View our refund policy.