Part of the application process for Girls Rock Camp includes a series of questions for the campers about their personalities and their hopes for the camp experience. We also give them a chance to let us know anything about them that they feel is important. As we prepare to get to know them better in a few weeks, here are some of their responses.
1. Self-described as "complicatedly-odd," one of our campers says that their most important female role model is Michelle Obama. They represent their diverse music taste with artists The Paper Kites "(chill)", Mother Mother "(rock)", Daughter "(sad)", and Tom Rosenthal "(happy)." They want to attend camp to "become a better drummer" by learning fills and to learn about healthy relationships as well as how girls are treated and represented in society.
2. One camper looks up to Fifth Harmony "because they are a group that works together and [they] are a good team." The nine-year-old also likes 5 Seconds of Summer, Twenty One Pilots, and Shawn Mendez. They want to learn how to work with others, improve self-esteem, play in a band, write songs, and learn more about the technical side of music such as "special techniques, booking shows, [and] types of music equipment."
3. Another camper reports that their primary reasons for attending camp are making friends and singing with a band.
4. A nine-year-old, whose favorite artists include Grace Vanderwaal, Little Mix, Cyndi Lauper, Taylor Swift, and Michael Jackson, wants to come to camp to "learn new songs" and is excited for "everything" about the program and our workshops. They "look up to [their] older friends" because they "teach [them] stuff."
5. A student who loves David Bowie, KISS, and Karbomb wants to play the keyboard this summer and learn "how to play in a band" while making friends and growing their self-confidence. They look up to professional WWE wrestler Bayley because "she is a good wrestler and she's fun and pretty and nice." When given the opportunity to share anything else about themselves that they feel is important, the nine-year-old said that they are "good at making weird noises and being funny."
6. An eleven-year-old who wants to learn self-defense and explore how girls are treated in society looks up to their math and reading teacher, who "teaches things differently than the other classes." They like performing, and while their favorite artists are the Beatles, Avril Lavigne, and Katy Perry, they want to to be introduced to new bands this summer as well as learn about different types of equipment, "recording, booking shows, [and] special techniques."
7. One ten-year-old who likes to sing and dance plans to become a doctor in the future. They report that their mom is their most important female role model because "[s]he works so hard and takes good care of me!" They also want to learn more about the history of music during camp.
8. An eleven-year-old whose favorite artists include Queen, David Bowie, Twenty One Pilots, Panic! at the Disco, and Joan Jett wants to come back to camp because they "had a lot of fun with [their] new friends" last time they participated. They also want to conquer their stage fright and learn about self-defense, self-esteem, body image, and special performance techniques. Their mom is their role model, "OF COURSE!!! Also Eleanor Roosevelt."
9. A nine-year-old who looks up to their grandmothers and describes themselves as "very creative" wants to be a spy in the future. For now, they want to learn about songwriting, makeup, and special effects "like lightning and fog" at camp. Their favorite artists include Katy Perry, Shakira, and Josh Groban.
10. A camper who loves Guns & Roses, Bruno Mars, and [Tom] Odell looks up to their sister because "she is smart, talented, and has been to camp before." Now that they are old enough to attend, the nine-year-old wants to learn self-defense and "how to do a show" while at camp because they "love singing and [making] new friends."
11. An eleven-year-old soccer player whose favorite artists include Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Guns and Roses, and Alesia Cara looks up to their fifth-grade teacher. They "loved" camp both times they have participated, and this summer, they want to learn more about music equipment and self-defense.
12. A self-described "energetic" ten-year-old who looks up to Susan B. Anthony "because she really wanted equality for females and males" wants to come to camp this year to learn to play an instrument and be in a band. They look forward to performing and recording as well as learning about issues associated with school and how to cope with them. Their favorite bands are the Beatles, the Police, Nirvana, Cake, Hayride, and Japancakes.
13. A ten-year-old who wants to learn how to help girls in other countries go to school and looks up to Hermione Granger wants to have fun and meet new friends at camp this year. They especially want to learn about "the band making process." Bands and artists that they already like include Secret Sisters, Rancid, Kylie Odetta, Selena Gomez, and Pink.
14. A nine-year-old who aspires to be a hip-hop star wants to come to camp and explore their love of the genre further. They look up to their mom, grandmother, and teacher, and listen to Lucinda Williams, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce. At camp, they hope to write a rap song and practice self-defense as well as learn how to play guitar and "how to stop Donald Trump from all the bad stuff he's doing."