2025 SUMMER CAMP MENU
This summer, Crab Shack Music is excited to present music camps for the first time! The Shack always strives to be an immersive, fun, and supportive environment where musicians can explore a variety of styles and instruments. Each session focuses on developing foundational skills- whether it's mastering drum rudiments, understanding pop harmony, or refining ensemble playing in genres like rock, jazz, or pop. For young brass players and aspiring women in pop, our specialized programs provide a more concentrated discussion on the topic and sense of community.
Enrollment in each ensemble session of the camp is capped at 5 or 6 students and will require a minimum of 3 students to cement its place in the summer program. The Audio Engineering & Production camp is capped at 3 participants due to the nature of the work and no engineering experience is required. Please note: none of the performance ensemble camps are suitable for beginners - two years of band experience at the middle school level is preferred, but the question is ultimately “can they play?” Depending on everyone’s schedule and ability, I may adjust the programming as needed to accommodate everyone who wants to join! To enroll, please email lessons@crabshackmusic.com with the session your young musician would like to attend, their age, instrument, and experience.
The cost of each ensemble section of the camp is $350/camper. If your young musician would like to participate in both a morning and afternoon session, the cost of tuition is $600. Students will be responsible for bringing their own lunch or bringing resources for us to walk to the Avenue. A 50% non-refundable deposit will be required to secure their place in a session of the camp by May 1. If you know someone with a committed student who would benefit from any of these camps but lacks the financial resources to apply, please have them contact me at lessons@crabshackmusic.com.
June 23 - 27, 9a - 12p Audio Engineering & Production (ages 13+)
June 23 - 27, 1p - 4p Drumming Fundamentals: Rudiments & Reading (ages 13+)
July 7 - 11, 9a - 12p Jazz Combo & Improvisation (middle school)
July 7 - 11, 1p - 4p Dewey Finn’s “Legend of the Rent” Rock Ensemble (ages 13+)
July 14 - 18, 9a - 12p “It’s a Femininomenon!” Pop Ensemble (ages 12+)
July 14 - 18, 1p - 4p Jazz Combo & Improvisation (high school)
July 21 - July 25, 9a - 12p Audio Engineering & Production (ages 13+)
July 21 - July 25, 1p - 4p Brass Ensemble (ages 12+)
July 28 - August 1, 9a - 12p Audio Engineering & Production (ages 13+)
July 28 - August 1, 1p - 4p Pop Music Harmony (harmonic instrument knowledge required, ages 12+)
Audio Engineering & Production
This class introduces eager musicians and aspiring producers to the fundamentals of audio recording, covering everything from cable management to miking techniques. Students will learn how to properly set up (and troubleshoot!) audio equipment with a focus on real-world skills like cable and connection types, proximity effect, mitigating bleed, and more. We will learn how to make original, organic samples using ordinary, household objects. Participants will also get hands-on experience with ProTools, learning to record, edit, and mix tracks using this industry-standard software. Given that the Shack is outfitted with 16 channels of analog recording equipment, students will literally have hands-on experience recording through preamps, EQ’s and compressors, deepening their understanding of modern digital applications. By the end of the week, students will have an understanding of the recording process and be able to record and produce themselves, and even other people!
Pop Music Harmony
The course focuses on deepening students' understanding of harmonic structures commonly found in pop music. We will explore chord progressions, voice leading, and how to create interesting harmonic textures within pop songs. We will analyze hit tracks, dissecting how the production supports the melody and sets a mood. As we rehearse, we will apply these concepts to arrange and perform our own interpretations of pop songs. On Friday, we will record our arrangements of the songs we learned which will be delivered digitally the following weekend.
“It’s a Femininomenon!” Pop Ensemble
Instrumentation: Drums, Bass, Keyboard, Guitar, Vocals; can also include background vocalists, horns)
Celebrating the impact of female voices in music! This ensemble focuses on learning and performing popular songs by female songwriters, including Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift. Throughout the camp, participants will engage in group rehearsals, vocal and instrumental training, and music theory sessions to enhance their skills. Each day includes learning new songs, breaking down lyrics, exploring vocal techniques, and practicing instrumental parts, with an emphasis on collaboration and creativity. The camp also features workshops on songwriting, music production, and the history of influential female artists. By the end of the week, the campers will showcase their talents in a final recording available to them digitally!
Jazz Combo & Improvisation
Instrumentation: Drums, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Flute
This camp offers kids the opportunity to be in a small jazz group where they’ll dive into the fundamentals of jazz, focusing on improvisation, the blues, and the dynamics of playing in an ensemble. Throughout the week students will learn the basics of jazz theory, how to improvise over chord progressions, and the structure of the 12-bar blues. They’ll also explore the history of jazz, including seminal figures involved in the progression of the artform including Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and more. We will listen to different group instrumentations to observe their interactions and how they create cohesive performances. With plenty of hands-on playing, we will emphasize creativity, overcoming fear, collaboration, and developing “a sound” within the context of a jazz ensemble. By Friday, students will have gained confidence in improvisation and have a deeper understanding and perhaps even appreciation for jazz and its role in American culture. The guest instructor will be Vaughn Ambrose, tenor saxophonist and Performing Arts Department Chair for St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (ES-12).
Dewey Finn’s “Legend of the Rent” Rock Ensemble
If you haven’t seen School of Rock, it’s a pre-requisite for this week of camp. We will cover songs the kids choose and create our own arrangements, and maybe even write our own songs! Our focus on rhythm, dynamics, and collaboration will create tight, cohesive arrangements. Along the way, we will analyze songs from classic bands from Led Zeppelin and The Beatles to Nirvana and The Foo Fighters. On the final day, the band will record their work, giving them a chance to hear their efforts come to life and get a look into the recording process. By the end of the camp, students will have developed new musical skills, built confidence, and experienced the thrill of recording and performing as part of a rock ensemble, much to the chagrin of their well-to-do parents. *There is potential for this to become a full-day camp if the interest is there.*
Brass Ensemble
Seeking those who want to improve their skills on brass instruments - trumpet, trombone, French horn, euphonium/baritone, and tuba. Brass musicians require constant upkeep on their embouchure because it does truly require muscle strength/training in order to put air through these long pieces of metal! One of our focus points will be on establishing effective and concise practice routines that will allow the instrument to remain a part of the student’s life, even during busy seasons. We will cover exercises that synergize both technical growth (which are compatible across brass instruments) and their understanding of music harmony. The most fun, I believe, will be writing our own arrangement(s) of music we enjoy to deepen our understanding and appreciation of the roles in a brass section. These arrangements will be recorded on the final day of camp and available to them for reference and as a timestamp of their growth. The guest instructor will be Jonathan Barnes, trumpeter in the United States Navy Commodores Big Band.
Drumming Fundamentals: Rudiments and Reading
This week of camp will delight the parents of ambitious young drummers - an opportunity for them to play together and make noise in someone else’s house! Together we will introduce an effective and concise practice routine that covers technique, rudiments (scales for drummers), reading solos, and playing together as a group. We will explore different rhythmic patterns commonly found in different genres of music such as clave and swung eighth notes. By the end of the camp, participants improve their drumming foundation, gain confidence in reading music, and develop a love for rhythm in a fun and interactive setting. The guest instructor will be Dante’ Pope - a Recording Academy Governor in the D.C. Chapter; toured with 2x Grammy award-winning group, Old Crow Medicine Show; played on 2019 Grammy nominated album, Black Cowboys with Smithsonian Folkways and Dom Flemons.