Are You Ready to Rock?? GR!C 2009

Julie: Hey FBombers. This week, I'm handing the fbomb over to the super rad Shélan O. She participated in this year's Girls Rock! Chicago - a week-long summer camp program for girls ages 9-16 that motivates girls through: instrument instruction, music composition coaching, recording workshops, song-writing workshops, hands-on activities, technical equipment workshops, guest speakers, team-building activities and band performances. They aim to: provide positive and supportive role models for campers though interaction and participation by volunteers who will share their experiences as women involved in some form of making music. 

Every day this week, Shélan is going to be chronicling her experience at camp for us, letting us into the world of girls who aren't afraid to rock. And now...Shélan! 

Shélan:  It’s finally happening. You’re onstage, rocking out in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The song you're performing is composed of your own words and music, written just days ago by you and your band mates, some of whom just learned to play the guitar (or bass, or drums) this week. But the audience can't tell, because your hearts are in it, full throttle. Your band owns the stage. Welcome to Girls Rock! Chicago, a week long rock camp for girls age 9-16.

The camp was started by a group of women who wanted to encourage girls to be active participants in the rock music industry, rather than just consumers of it. You can read more about their swell mission here. Girls Rock! Chicago is not-for-profit and run entirely by volunteers: counselors, band coaches, instrument instructors, workshop leaders, etc. are all women who donate their time and awesomeness to make this week happen.

The task seems impossible. In one week, girls form a band, take instrument lessons (from absolute beginners to advanced classes), write a song and perform at The Metro, a rock venue that is dedicated "to bring a cross-platform of the best local, regional and national emerging artists to Chicago." The days are pretty long; in addition to all things related to your band's performance there are workshops like Women in Rock History, Hearing Protection, Band Management, Touring, Silk Screening, etc.

This is my fourth year with the camp. I've been attending since the first year, when there were less than twenty girls and only five bands. Our first rock venue was Schuba’s, another really great space in Chicago. By the second year we'd grown to fifty girls and the lineup outgrew Schuba's stage and room capacity. This year we'll have over eighty girls, one of whom is my little sister, who is finally old enough to attend. We're both hoping to play drums. I've played guitar for six years, but last year decided to try something new and loved it. My sister thinks she'll be pretty good at it too; she says she already has some great beats and likes the idea of being at the back of the stage. She's quite shy, but she's not letting that stop her from rocking out.

I'll be making daily posts this week, from band selection to performance and everything in between. Or at least as much as I can, between Button Making, band practice, Careers in Rock Music and Self Defense. It's gonna be a great week.