Teens amp up their rockin’ talent, self-esteem
Young girls discover their creative voices and abilities at rock ’n’ roll camp
 | NBC News video |
 |
A camp where girls rock July 18: Through being in a band and learning how to play, they found a voice. NBC's John Larson reports. Today show |
 | Slide show |
 | The Week in Pictures Natural disasters devastate parts of Myanmar and China, while natural – and human – wonders in Chile and Switzerland strike awe. more photos |
Eighty girls between 8 and 18 years old stand in a circle, holding hands and waiting for a signal to begin. When their instructor gives the cue, one little girl screams at the top of her lungs, squeezes the hand of the girl next to her as she runs out of breath, then the next girl screams with all her might, and so on until all 80 girls have let out their own piercing screams.
No, this isn’t some kind of newfangled therapy session. This is what’s known as the Scream Circuit at the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Ore. The First Rule of Girls Rock Camp: Be as Loud as You Want to Be. The Second Rule of Girls Rock Camp: No Boys Allowed. The Third Rule of Girls Rock Camp: See Rule Number One.
“Girls are totally socialized to be quiet,” says Winner Bell, executive director of Girls Rock Camp. “It’s really important for girls growing up to have a space where they can be who they are. They can use their voices, learn from failures, triumph from successes and have positive female role models.
The camp starts on Monday, and during the next five days, the girls will learn a new instrument, form a band, write an original song and perform that song in front of 900 people six days later in the Saturday Showcase. It’s a tall order, especially for some of the younger girls whose little fingers can barely cover the strings on their guitars.
“We do try to make it about the final product,” says Kate Walsh, outreach coordinator for Girls Rock Camp, “but we also want it to be about the week, too. We want them to learn a lot about themselves in the process.”
|
By the end of the first day on Monday, The Geodes have established a backbeat, a guitar strum and the first two verses of the song as well as a chorus, but there are some obvious creative differences brewing. By Tuesday, some of the gaps between the girls’ ideas become chasms, and arguments among the band cut into valuable rehearsal time.
“We encourage struggling,” says Walsh. “We want you to get it wrong a million times so you can get it right that one time.”
Ellie’s mother, Susan Schmidt, agrees with that philosophy. It’s one of the reasons she brought Ellie back to camp after sending her to one of the workshops last winter.
“This has been a really great place for Ellie,” says Schmidt, “because she comes here and she has to be part of the group, she has to contribute to the team and be able to get along with everybody.”
By Thursday, the disagreements turn into dissension, and Molly walks out of the rehearsal when she feels like the other girls aren’t listening to her. Walsh spends the next 30 minutes with Molly, calming her down and working on the lyrics she wants to add to her last solo in the song. Thanks to Walsh’s efforts, Molly comes back to rehearsal and apologizes to her bandmates. The girls apologize for hurting Molly’s feelings, and suddenly, The Geodes are one again and ready to rock.
“I think it was just some interpersonal conflict that was bound to happen when you throw five 8-to-10-year-olds in a room that don’t know each other and give them loud instruments,” says Walsh.
|
allDAY blog |
As the week progresses, coaches of other bands are peeking in to listen to Won Ton Destruction’s song, “Once More With Cowbell,” during rehearsals. One of the coaches likes the song so much, she samples it and put it in her phone as a ringtone.
| Rate this story | Low | High |
MORE FROM PEOPLE |
 People Section Front |
| Add People headlines to your news reader: |