LRC 2015
The first ever LV Ladies Rock Camp was AMAZING! Twelve women, 18 and older, spent the weekend with us at The Alternative Gallery in Allentown, PA. They learned how to play an instrument, formed a band and wrote an original song together in less than forty-eight hours.
The first day of camp, Friday May 29th, featured a songwriting workshop led by the lovely Carolyn Thorn. It was such a great (and fun!) way to get the campers ready for their first band meeting where they talked about their favorite music genres, discussed possible song topics and brainstormed a name for their group. The second day was a total whirlwind. After just two instrument lessons, the ladies went to their first band practice and began to write their very own song! They also attended three workshops– Caitlin from Hot Mess Design helped each band create a logo, Emily Hamm taught them all about owning the stage and Sue Dietrich from Olivewood Counseling came to talk about the importance of self-care. The last day of camp was bittersweet. We shared highlights from the weekend so far, Eleni read The Radical Self Love Manifestoand a dance party broke out. It would have been nice to bask in the glory of all that positivity for the rest of the day, but there was work to be done! The campers made their own band shirts using spray paint & stencils, attended Jaime K.‘s fantastic workshop about body image and had their last band practice. After one final rehearsal, it was time to get ready for the showcase!
Our program concluded on Sunday May 31st with a *real* show at The Alternative Gallery! It went so well!!! We could feel the confidence beaming from all of the campers. And they were having so much fun! Seeing the crowd cheer wildly for women who had learned how to play their instruments just two days before was incredible. It was sad to see such an awesome, life-changing weekend come to an end, but we are grateful for the lasting friendships that were made and for our friend Billy who recorded each performance.
Huge THANK YOU’s go out to all of our sponsors, our wonderful volunteers and all of the ladies who came to camp and let us help them live their dreams. ❤
watch Umlaut perform Breasts here!
watch Camp! Camp! perform Skate here!
watch Symphony Within perform Unraveling Mysteries here!
watch Dangerettes perform Forward here!
(Also, some of the volunteers formed a band too! You can watch their performance here.)