By: John Cranford
I’ll come clean right off the top. I was a band kid growing up. I played in the marching band, the orchestra, the show choir pit band and, most importantly, my high school’s jazz program. Our summer camps were two weeks of intense jazz study and group rehearsal. Everyone else was out enjoying the summer and taking advantage of the freedoms it provided, and I was sitting inside playing Ellington tunes with 25 other dedicated kids and a couple awesome directors. I was always happy to be there. The jazz camp got me physically and mentally prepared for a competitive high school jazz program and started me on my path to becoming a serious musician.
What not enough people know is that Hilton Head is home to Hilton Head Jazz Camp, a multi-program jazz camp that provides kids between the ages of 14 and 20 personalized instruction from top notch musicians. Co-founded by James Berry, Camp Director, and Josh Kravette, saxophonist and Camp instructor, and thanks to the support of private donors and the Junior Jazz Foundation, the program has expanded quickly. Every summer, our island plays host to kids from all over the country who come to Hilton Head Jazz Camp for the intensive, week long program. Although I’m unfortunately too old to enroll, I did have the opportunity to do some Q&A with Mr. James Berry.
John Cranford, The Southender: How long has Hilton Head Jazz Camp been in existence, and how many kids have attended?
James Berry, Hilton Head Jazz Camp: The Hilton Head Jazz Camp started as a local camp based at Hilton Head Christian Academy in 2011 with only 9 students. The Mastellers (owners of The Jazz Corner) found out about the camp and wanted to come alongside to support local jazz education. The first year they provided t-shirts, and then in 2012 we ramped up the camp, expanding to 6 faculty members from 2, and 25 students. As the camp grew, we added overnight lodging, a large scholarship program, and expanded the faculty to 16, along with college interns. We expanded into three different camp programs, and last summer had 110 students attend across the three programs from as far away as Idaho.
JC: You’ve been involved from the ground floor, what’s the biggest improvement you’ve seen in the program?
JB: I think the biggest improvement in the program is that we truly have something for every aspiring middle school and high school musician, and even college students, at the Hilton Head Jazz Camp. In addition to the traditional big band and combo offerings, we have elective courses, where students can learn everything from sound engineering to music production to marketing their band. We also have specialized tracks in jazz strings and vocal jazz, which comes outside of the normal scope of most jazz camps. We have several concerts throughout the week, including a faculty recital, camp recital and camp finale. In addition to this, we have added an unbelievable artist-in-residence program, bringing in artists who have presented masterclasses along with a private lunch/concert at the Jazz Corner mid-week for our students. With 16 full-time faculty who have traveled as performers internationally, our students are able to truly learn from the experts in the field.
JC: Why is it important for our community to offer an arts based camp like this for young people?
JB: I believe that it’s incredibly important for students to have an experience like the Hilton Head Jazz Camp for many reasons. Across the country, arts programs are not always given equal treatment to athletic or academic programs, although time and time again it has been proven that the arts build skills crucial for the 21st century workforce. To play an instrument well requires commitment, teamwork, and creativity along with many other intangible benefits. In studying music, sometimes students feel as though they are an island, and a camp like this brings students together from across the country to create friendships and community that can last a lifetime.
JC: Did you go to any similar camps or programs as a kid and, if so, what did they teach you outside of learning your craft?
JB: I attended several music camps as a kid, along with all-county and all-state, and I think they gave me a glimpse of how large the music subculture was. I was originally trained in classical music, so some of the programs I attended were certainly educational but maybe a little too serious. In Maryland, I attended one all-county jazz program where we played ‘Night in Tunisia’ by Dizzy Gillespie and I was blown away by the level of talent from all across the area. That was the first time I thought that bringing together jazz musicians from various backgrounds could be REALLY cool. I guess the life lesson is that you never know who you will connect with, and that a summer camp program can be extremely impactful for a student. If they are struggling to connect with their peers back home, this can give them a chance to feel like a part of something larger.
JC: What can we as a community do to help this program succeed and survive?
JB: Honestly, the best thing that the community can do to support the Hilton Head Jazz Camp is to keep sending students our way and keep supporting them through scholarship donations. We need the educational community to strongly encourage students playing an instrument in middle and high school to consider attending the Hilton Head Jazz Camp or one of our other programs. We have two students attending this summer from Alaska, so if they can make it – so can you! Lastly, we’d love to see the community come out and see our camp finale! It will be July 13th at 2pm and the location will be announced.
