On 5 March Leeds Conservatoire was one of four venues to host Jazz North’s Jazz Camp for Girls
Designed to give young female and non-binary musicians the chance to experience Jazz music and improvisation in a supportive environment, the conservatoire welcomed 25 students for a day of music making.
Jazz Camp for Girls students, ready for a day of Jazz exploration.
Addressing the gender imbalance in Jazz, the Jazz Camp for Girls initiative began in 2019 and has continued to grow, reaching more places across the north of England. With support from Leeds Music Education Partnership (LMEP), the conservatoire was able to offer the camp to those studying in Leeds for free.
Students started the day with vocal warm ups.
With tuition from professional musicians, the day long course inspired students by introducing them to positive female Jazz role models through the music they played. Tutors Caroline Boaden (Drums), Ella Hohnen-Ford (Vocals), Fini Bearman (Vocals) and Tori Freestone (Saxophone), led lessons covering improvisation, rhythm and groove building, Jazz repertoire, composition and performance techniques.
Students in break-out sessions creating their own music under the guidance of professional female musicians.
After the group warm ups students split into four smaller groups. Tutor Tori Freestone said: 'It’s been really nice to work with young people in person again after the pandemic! The camp has been a great opportunity for everyone to get together to play and listen to live Jazz.'
Meeting the other Jazz Camps.
After lunch the students and their tutors met up with the other camps running in Doncaster and Hull on Zoom. Helena Summerfield, the Jazz Camp for Girls project leader, introduced everyone and students got to hear what the other locations had been working on.
Bo and Martha, participants of Jazz Camp for Girls.
When asked about their favourite part of the day Martha said: 'It was great to have time to work together in small groups and jam with each other. I enjoyed learning about modes and then using them in our improvisation.'
Fellow student Bo said: 'It’s been fun to learn about how to improvise with other people, and it was really interesting to learn about the history of Jazz too.'
Tutors performing for students and their families.
We finished the day with a performance from our tutors followed by performances from our amazingly creative and talented students showcasing their work from the day.
Students showcasing their hard work.
We had a fabulous appreciative audience for the showcase and heard a real variety of work, including original songs as well as performances of Jazz standards.
Head of Leeds Junior Conservatoire, Karen Gourlay said,
'This has been an inspirational day. I am very proud to work with the team of people who brought Jazz Camp for Girls to life. It is essential that opportunities like this exist for young people to explore and develop their musical interests in a safe and nurturing environment. We look forward to seeing what these talented young musicians do next and can’t wait to do Jazz Camp for Girls again next year'
Find out more:
If you would like to know more about opportunities for young people in music and drama at Leeds Junior Conservatoire please contact us at Junior@lcm.ac.uk. We have a wide range of entry points from beginner through to advanced.
Our partners on this project:
