Music Bootcamps, Training Module

Concept

A Music Bootcamp is an intensive event that takes place over a short period of time and combines different music teaching practices. It usually welcomes young people from different ages and social contexts, promoting inclusion and cooperation. Bootcamps are ideal to provide a general and enriching learning of the various stages of music production, since it is not restricted to traditional teaching methods. The possibilities are unlimited: from sessions on directed improvisation or how to promote and communicate a band, to workshops on scenography and stage design. Such programmes provide a complete music educational experience, based on different methods and forms of organization. This module aims to help promoters think about several fundamental aspects of a music bootcamp organization and development process, from initial planning to production, addressing the communication strategy, the activities and other essential elements to the success of the event.

Benefits

This module aims to help music bootcamp promoters with several fundamental aspects of this type of event organization and development process. The benefits of it can be summed up by the possibilities they bring to both participants and host institutions through the following practices:

Work with participants with different knowledge and cultural backgrounds, encouraging collaboration and teamwork.
Work with different instruments, focusing on specific suits.
Use different knowledge sharing methods: practice, rehearse, play live, promote theoretical and practical workshops, share experiences with other musicians, engage local communities, attend concerts…
Mix and adapt methods to the needs of participants, turning music study more varied and captivating.
Introduce interart and intermedia methodologies in music training, addressing areas such as plastic expression, staging, scenography, stage design, merchandising and multimedia
Promote parallel activities such as sports, hiking, visit to cultural sites or contact with nature.

Developed skills

Music skills – instrument mastery, composition
Collaboration and teamwork
Cultural values Proactivity
Problem solving
Organisation
Creativity
Communication

Units

This module is divided into three units. At the end of each unit you will find several materials to help you implement the training (namely support documents for trainers and worksheets for trainees). Find more at the training curricula section.

How to set up a Music Bootcamp

Essential activities for music bootcamps

Motivation and well-being for musicians

Evaluation criteria

You can find specific evaluation criteria for each unit of this module. As a suggestion, if you wish to implement the whole module (including all its different units) and evaluate your students in the end, you can always check if evaluation outcomes of all units have been successfully achieved.

Related projects

Explore the following projects and try to get some inspiration from them for your own activities!

“We believe that the best school experience is made on stage, performing to different kinds of audience and, if possible, in a “very professional” environment, like we did already at the best music and art festivals.“

Nuno Alves, Artistic Director of School of Rock

(Paredes de Coura, Portugal)

Since 2014, School of Rock has been taking place in Paredes de Coura (Portugal), promoted by the Municipality of Paredes de Coura. During intensive bootcamp residencies of one week, young people with basic musical training have the possibility to acquire specific musical skills from the rock scene and to perform live in a rock ensemble, with a team of specialized trainers and other relevant professionals and guest artists. The result of the bootcamp is a rock concert that is presented on tour, at festivals and different venues. School of Rock believes that it is very important to develop other skills through music, like how to communicate or how to work the technical peculiarities of performing live, giving participants the know-how they need to be successful in their projects, being them in music or otherwise. School of Rock maintains a close relation with the territory and its local communities, contributing to the cultural dynamization of Paredes de Coura village and the Northern Portugal region.

(Aosta, Italy)

Cluster Summer Camp in Aosta (Italy) is open to all music students, from different ages, levels and backgrounds, providing cooperative learning among truly diverse people and educating them to an intercultural environment. In 2013, CLUSTER became the official SFOM (Scuola di Formazione e Orientamento Musicale) Summer Camp, aiming to teach students different ways of making and thinking about music. Opening nature and ensemble music focus remained the hallmark of this summer camp through the years. These camps are organized with a monografic nature – the activities are shaped by a central theme, like Symphonic Rock (2013), Musical Theater (2014), A cultural revolution: The Beatles (2015), framing most of the campus activities and combining imaginary and cultural experiences. They articulate real artists with the educational project, inviting them to participate actively in the camp and play in live performances with the participants, usually including orchestral arrangements in some of the artist’s pieces.

“A project for the young which tries to be the most attractive both musical and socially, concerned with the development of artistic and human values.”

Marina Ruedas, from Musical Camp Tomiño

By Agrupación Musical de Tomiño (Tomiño, Spain)

Promoted by Goian’s Music School, this musical camp lasts for 4 days and was distinguished by Diputación of Pontevedra as a dynamic activity of culture. It has been held since 2017, with music classes, sports and leisure activities that promote companionship, interaction, teamwork and respect among students (from 8 to 18 year old) from three different music schools. These schools come together to create two large band formations, in order to create variation in methodology, produce artistic improvement and offer contact with new teachers, band directors and colleagues. The main goal is to motivate all students, concentrating in their interest and taste in music and in group musical performance, encouraging values such as responsibility, collaboration and respect. At the end of the camp, about 130 students show their work at the closing concert.

“Malcolm Arnold once said ‘music is the social act of communication between people, a gesture of friendship, the strongest there is’ and this is what we want to achieve with our summer music camp.”

Andrés Alvarez, member and teacher at Goián Musical Group

By Agrupación Musical de Tomiño (Tomiño, Spain)

A music camp designed for children from 3 to 14 years old, organized by Tomiño City Council to bring Goián Musical Group to the whole territory of Tomiño, giving children the opportunity to approach popular music for the first time, try out different instruments, perform different activities and develop interpersonal skills. The main goal is to include all children, even those who don’t live near the music school, covering the lack of opportunities and introducing them to music from an early age. The camp takes place in August during two weeks, while kids don’t have other distractions, which make them truly engage with the project. The organisation believes in the importance of students to engage in sustainable music practices from an early age, like creating their own instruments so that the education purpose is stronger, combining plastic arts with a rich music learning experience. For some kids this is the first time they see, hear and touch any instruments. These camps stimulate artistic and specifically music curiosity in children, and the percentage of kids who go to the camp and then enroll in music classes at the school is approximately 90%.

Music Bootcamps, Training Module

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