Guitar Camp For Kids

SOUTHBURY — The Renaissance Center is offering a guest artist teaching guitar camp this summer to any child who wants to learn the basics of playing the guitar. The teacher is still a kid himself, who truly loves music and wants to share that enthusiasm with other kids.

Sam McCord is going to be a junior at Loomis Chaffee School. He has taken private lessons on a variety of instruments, including trumpet, piano, bass guitar, upright string bass, and mandolin. At school, he has been first trumpet in the band, and has risen through the ranks of music ensembles to arrive at the Jazz Improvisation and Theory level, where he plays string bass. In this class, he learns the theory and participates in an ensemble of similarly talented student musicians.

Sam has chosen to spend his summers playing and learning music, by attending band camp at the Hartt School of Music for two years, and National Guitar Workshops on college campuses for three years. He brought that knowledge back to teach his friends and neighbors to play guitar in a private setting. He especially enjoyed when a small group gathered to learn and play together, because he could teach the kids at their individual levels, and have them learn from each other as well.

This summer, he is bringing that concept to the Renaissance Center, to encourage kids between ages 5 and 14 who want to try playing music for the first time on a guitar, or try new techniques in the group setting. Students may participate on an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, or bass guitar. Sam knows that every guitar player’s goal is to play songs, so he will incorporate the basic theory into learning enough chords to play songs that the kids know and love.

Sam’s class will meet weekly on Tuesday mornings from 10 to 11 at the Renaissance Center, 63-64F Bennett Square. Classes begin on Tuesday, July 10, and continue through August 21. The Renaissance Center offers a number of group music classes during the summer; visit www.TheRenCenter.com for more information, or call 267-7672 or 264-0405 to register.