Rock Camp For Girls UAE (RCFG UAE) goes into its fifth edition this August
Organised by women, Rock Camp For Girls (RCFG UAE) is an in-depth, five-day course for all girls aged from seven to 18 who are wannabe rockers. The first of its kind in the UAE, the camp is starting this Wednesday in Dubai.
The premise is simple: pick up an instrument, form a band, write a song and perform it in front of friends, family and adoring fans on the final day!
With limited places, tuition is on a very personal level; girls are split into bands, each guided by its own experienced mentor. UAE-based performers like Noush Like Sploosh, Fatiniza and As Per Casper - all well-known names on the Middle East music scene - will pay close attention to each girl’s musical development.
Workshops this edition include creating band press kits and band t-shirts, building instruments and amplifiers with Howlin’ Rooster, as well as learning sign language and enjoying lunchtime Open Mic sessions with UAE-based musicians.
And the highlight of the week-long event is the camp concert at Jazz@Pizza Express, which will tie together everything the girls have learned with a headline performance on the fifth day.
“This is not just a music camp,” stresses radio presenter Zahra Soar, the camp organiser. “This is a not-for-profit mentoring program that will empower girls and galvanise them into action. If a student graduates from RCFG UAE with greater self-confidence to perform, and also wants to form her own band and write songs, we have done our job.”
Over the past two years since its inception, the RCFG UAE team has seen many camp alumni do just this. Girls have gone onto forming bands, continue to write music and perform at various gigs around Dubai. Most RCFG UAE volunteers are now comprised of ex-campers.
Rock camps catering specifically for girls are nothing new. North America and Europe have seen the rise of girl-only rock camps over the past decade, all in the hope of encouraging more girls to pick up instruments, join bands and write their own music. Singer Kate Nash has also recently launched a camp in the UK.
There is a strong global network where mentors unite to help each other. For example, RCFG UAE receives regular advice and updates from the amazing mentors at the original Rock N Roll Camp For Girls in Portland, Oregon.
RCFG UAE’s long-term goals are to establish more camp dates and a year-long mentoring programme in the UAE. In addition, the mentors would like to implement a weekly After School Club between the camps where they tour various schools to jam and talk to female students.
