PRESS RELEASE
June 26, 2015
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Terry Selders
717-737-KMAC (5622)
Keystone Musical Arts Center

July is "Rock Band" Month

at the

KMAC Summer Music Camps

   

June 26, 2015, Mechanicsburg, PA - The Keystone Musical Arts Center (KMAC) has four week-long Rock Band (ensemble) music camps occurring in July. They get started on July 6th with the ROCK BAND Guitar Intensive where in the mornings, campers will strengthen their skills and reinforce fundamentals, build finger dexterity and memory, and explore music theory, all as they relate to better ROCK BAND performance; afternoons are spent with application in a ROCK BAND setting. ROCK BAND Performance Camp is the following week, July 13-17. In this camp, participants will learn to play with other people in a rock band and end the week with a live performance in a real rock club setting. ROCK BAND Songwriting/Recording Camp will be held July 20-24. Whether campers have written their own material before or it is totally new, this camp has something to offer as they collaborate with others in composing, arranging, performing and recording original material. The final offering for this summer will be July 27-31, Boompop Jam Camp which deals with the art of "the jam." This camp will be a unique exploration of genres and improvisation. Then on Saturday, August 1, all campers are invited back to perform at "Rock Band Live." More information and registration are available on the school's website, KMAC.rocks (or KeystoneMusicalArtsCenter.org).

 

With the KMAC facility still in the planning stages, all 2015 summer camps and "Rock Band Live" are being held at the Metropolis Collective art gallery and performance space in downtown Mechanicsburg (17 W. Main Street). Camps run Monday through Friday, 9am-3pm each day.

 

Rod Goelz is the lead instructor for all of these camps. Mr. Goelz has been teaching for over 20 years. His background includes education at Berklee College of Music and as a professional musician in several rock, jazz, funk and R&B groups. Rod believes strongly in learning through playing with others, making him the perfect choice to head Keystone Musical Arts Center's Rock Band program. He also teaches private lessons on bass, guitar, mandolin and ukulele, and he created and teaches the QuickStart Guitar program. Several of his method books have been published and are available on Amazon.com.

   

Assisting Rod throughout July will be Billy Cave, guitarist and singer for The Mixed Process. The two are looking forward to working together one last time before Billy leaves for college. Other KMAC instructors helping out are Kevin Neidig, Phil Freeman and Terry Selders. Vito Grippi will discuss lyric writing at the Songwriting Camp and Richard Reilly, proprietor of the Metropolis Collective and guitarist with The Bo Deadlys, will be helping with Performance Camp. Cal Weary will be involved with several camps, including the BoomPop Jam Camp which is named for the band he is in with Rod. The other members of that group, KMAC students Ajay Shughart and Logan Bedard, will also be on hand for the final camp.

 

 

Full camp descriptions are on the school's website. A brief summary of each one follows (copied from the KMAC summer camps flyer):

 

ROCK BAND Guitar Intensive

July 6-10

Mornings are focused on learning guitar skills and reinforcing fundamentals, building finger dexterity and memory, and exploring music theory, all as they relate to better ROCK BAND performance; afternoons are spent with application in a ROCK BAND setting. Some of the concepts include: Fingerboard Mechanics - Fast learning requires organizational preparation... know your instrument, Theory - Major, Minor, & Blues Sounds... and the applied theory associated with each, Rhythm Technique - Timing, Attack, Articulation, Rhythm Guitar Toolbox, Acoustic Guitar, Music & Arranging, Guitar Arranging - Two and Three guitar arranging techniques, Building a Better Guitar Solo, Lead Guitar Toolbox, The Blues, Guitar Improvisation - Lead & Rhythm. ROCK BAND GUITAR INTENSIVE: Learning solid organization, technical and musical ROCK BAND principles and having fun!

 

 

ROCK BAND Performance Camp

July 13-17

Learn to play with other people in a rock band and end the week with a live performance in a real rock club setting! Lead instructor Rod Goelz mixes fun with education in a way that will have everyone begging to return for the Rock Band Songwriting Camp. You'll learn about rock history and various styles that make up rock n' roll, and music theory as it applies to contemporary forms--rehearsing, recording, as well as performing. In addition to the musical principles of being in a rock band, we will be working on many other aspects such as building and rehearsing a set list for performance (based on group interest and abilities), songwriting, covering, arranging and re-arranging.

   

 

ROCK BAND Songwriting/Recording Camp

July 20-24

Write and record your own music in collaboration with other campers! Whether you've written your own material before or it is totally new to you, this camp has something to offer. Study the songwriting of past masters and current tunesmiths. Explore song forms. Look at ways to come up with engaging lyrics. Learn about the elements of writing and recording your own music by collaborating with others and exploring the various elements of song from experienced instructors. Songwriting - Lyrics, melody, chords, collaboration... / Arrangement - Form, instrumentation, parts, harmonies... / Recording - The process, microphones and their uses, acoustics, tracking, mixing... Also get a crash course in copyright, publishing and other aspects of the music business.

 
   

Boompop Jam Camp

July 27-31

BOOMPOP Jam Camp deals with the art of "the jam." Learn and jam alongside kids your own age (Ajay is 17 & Logan is 12) as well as seasoned veterans who have many years of experience. This camp will be a unique exploration of genres and improvisation. Styles included in this 5-day intensive include: ROCK, JAZZ, BLUES, REGGAE, FUNK, HIPHOP, NEWGRASS, PUNK & SPOKEN WORD. We manipulate each style in different ways by playing with the variables within music. Each day is mixed with CONCEPTS and APPLICATION and is recommended for anyone wanting to learn or improve on their improvisation skills and overall musical creativity. Participants will come away from this week energized and motivated with a new understanding that leads to increased skill, self-confidence and creativity.

   

  

For more information visit KeystoneMusicalArtsCenter.org or Facebook.com/KMACenter, call 717-737-KMAC (5622) or email info@KeystoneMusicalArtsCenter.org.

 

 

The Keystone Musical Arts Center is a project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, fiscal sponsor.

 

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The Keystone Musical Arts Center offers top-quality private instruction on most instruments and voice along with group classes, workshops, ensembles and summer camps. KMAC provides an opportunity for younger students to enhance the excellent education they receive from music teachers in our local school districts. For home or cyber schoolers as well as adults, KMAC can be the key to a well-rounded musical education.

         

Vision Statement:  The Keystone Musical Arts Center believes that music enhances every stage of life, and that everyone who pursues music, whether as a profession or as a hobby, should have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.

 

Mission Statement:  We unite with the community by offering diverse, high quality musical arts experiences which inspire, enrich and advance musicianship for students of all ages and skill levels.

We operate in an environment that emphasizes both classical and contemporary fundamentals, and nurtures self-expression with an enthusiastic passion for all music.

 

The Keystone Musical Arts Center plans to open its doors later this year, but is already offering private lessons and summer camps in temporary locations around Mechanicsburg. Although this Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation expects to receive their federal 501(c)(3) status later this year, they are able to accept fully tax deductible donations now through a partnership with The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (tfec.org).