Looking for a great way to cure those Summertime Blues?
How about Summertime Blues Camp?

The Alabama Blues Project's award-winning Summertime Blues Camp gives students the opportunity to take music workshops in their choice of guitar, harmonica, drums or voice with some of the greatest professional musicians in our state. Intermediate level classes will also be offered for students who show exceptional skills. In addition, the Summertime Blues Camp offers art classes headed by internationally renowned artists. We also give students lessons in songwriting, life skills and blues history.

This Blues Camp will be held at the Covenant Presbyterian Church located at 113 Hargrove Road in Tuscaloosa. You will be required to escort your child in each morning and sign them out each afternoon. A team of youth workers will always be present to assist you and the young musicians.

Blues Camp will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Monday, July 13th to Friday, July 17th. Friday’s session will be an Open House Blues Café where the young musicians will showcase their talent with a music performance and art show. Family, friends and the wider community are invited and encourage to attend.

The cost for Blues Camp is $200 per student. If you are on a limited budget, please contact the ABP office as scholarships are available. Space is limited and strictly on a first-come, first-serve basis. Places fill up quickly, so please make sure to return your registration forms and payment a.s.a.p. to reserve a spot for your young musician(s)!

You may download registration forms below. Please read the materials carefully, fill out and sign, and check the appropriate boxes. If you have any questions about the forms, please do not hesitate to call Cara Smith at (205) 752-6263. Thank you!

2009 Blues Camp Application

General Demographic Form

Our award-winning blues camps preserve the blues while passing it on to the next generation - and we need your help!

The Alabama Blues Project is in its 11th year of award-winning blues camps. The ABP's After-School Blues Camps give youth positive ways to express emotions through blues music. The program is a mixture of hands on music instruction taught by professional musicians, a life-skills curriculum, and blues history lessons.

In the current economic climate, state and federal funding for the arts is being cut nationwide, and the Alabama Blues Project is feeling the effects of those cuts. We are seeking help from individuals and organizations to subsidize the program costs for at-risk children who attend our 2009 Spring After-School Blues Camp. The registration per child is $165 for a 14-session semester, including the Open House performance. Any donation to defray the cost of providing the Alabama Blues Project's After-School Camps is appreciated! The ABP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed the law.

DONATE ONLINE TO THE
BLUES CAMP SUPPORT FUND!

* Please make checks payable to Alabama Blues Project

During camp, students from the ages of 8-17 learn to play blues music on their choice of voice, guitar, drums or harmonica. By practicing and performing together, Blues Camp students learn teamwork, social skills, discipline, and improve their self-confidence. The camp culminates with an Open House performance, in which the students are able to showcase their skills for the public. Our 2009 Spring After-School Blues Camp Open House "Blues Extravaganza" at the Bama Theatre will be on May 1st. Individuals and organizations donating to help subsidize the cost of Blues Camp will recieve two free tickets to the show so they can see firsthand how much their support means to the ABP and our students!

The ABP makes a special effort to attract at-risk children who might not otherwise have access to arts programming. We partner with the Boys & Girls Club of West Alabama, YMCA, Tuscaloosa Housing Authority, United Methodist Children’s Home, DHR, and Brewer Porch Children’s Center to provide our services to the children in our community who will benefit from them the most. This amazing program is open to other area children of all backgrounds and experience levels. It is our desire to provide children with the opportunity to learn about this important American art form in a diverse, safe, nurturing, and fun environment.

We would greatly appreciate any financial assistance you can provide to help us continue to touch children's lives with the lessons and inspiration of the blues.