Mary Beth Maziarz wants to make one thing clear: Her “Idol Camp” is a reference to the singing competition “American Idol,” and is not a nod to the other kind of “idle” that some teens may be experiencing this summer.
Maziarz’s songwriting and performance camp for teens is July 17-21. The cost of the camp is $300 and thanks to generous sponsors and grants, partial and full scholarships are also available. Learn more at MaryBethMusic.com.
Idol Camp will teach young musicians of all levels the basics of rhythm, pitch, songwriting and performance. Maziarz said teaching teens how to write their own songs is a powerful process.
“It is so moving," she said. "I mean, looking back, the feelings you have when you're 14, 15 or 16 are maybe the most intense of your life because it's the first time you've had this kind of strength, this love, this heartbreak or even this joy and thrill.”
Maziarz said she encourages these young musicians to keep a journal.
“That is the most wonderful, rich content to start from. And it's almost like therapy, writing songs," she said. "It's a way to work through these complicated emotions and concepts and distill them down to something that asks a question, or it says a message or sorts it out. I think it's pretty valuable, intellectually and psychologically, to embark upon this too.”
And Maziarz will teach practical skills, too. These young musicians will learn about gigging, a commonly-used term in the industry.
“Gigging is just the word that musicians use for when you play out and get paid," said Maziarz. "Or even sometimes it's a volunteer gig, but most of the time you get a little something—or a lot of something—and you play in front of people, and they listen to you and love you.”
Maziarz will also make sure the musicians get their first gig. On July 30, she will give locals a chance to listen to and love these young performers.
“The Michael James Richards Foundation (through Mountain Town Music) is one of our generous sponsors," she said. "They have given us a spot at the Miner’s Park Concert Series later this month so the kids will actually perform. And sometimes we'll do one or two songs all together that we write, in concert, and other times, it's more individual songs that they've worked on. So I'm so eager to see what they come up with.”
And who knows? Maybe one of Maziarz’s young [American] idols may go on to perform for the real thing.
