The Advanced Music Camp songwriting program invites young musicians, high school students and teens, who have completed at least one year of our 2 or 3-week Core Music program to further develop their songwriting skills while beginning to explore live performance techniques. Throughout this advanced intensive, students review the fundamentals taught in Core Music, and build on what they’ve learned to create songs with more lyrical and musical nuance. This includes a deeper look at editing and techniques for engaging an audience. Students also meet a variety of industry professionals as they learn more about the process for how to launch their career as an emerging artist in the music business.
Advanced Music offers the opportunity for Singer-Songwriters to advance their songwriting and performance skills. Advanced Music students spend their first few days reviewing the fundamental songwriting skills taught to them previously in Core Music, and then build on these fundamentals in an environment reflecting the nuanced technique, self-discipline, and commitment to continual improvement necessary to becoming an artist. All students who enroll in Advanced Music must be able to accompany themselves on one or more instruments.
Some Advanced and Core classes are combined, starting with a review for all Music students of the fundamentals of songwriting and writing exercises intended to help students brainstorm and immerse themselves in the creative atmosphere of SOCAPA's Music Program. Advanced Music students also receive additional, separate writing and instructional time as they further develop their songs with the support of more nuanced instruction in composition.
Advanced students record their songs at a professional recording studio, and work to prepare themselves for a live performance at the end of the program. Second-year return students have a music video professionally filmed as a staged performance, while 3rd-year returners have the opportunity to perform at a venue such as the Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan. Students leave the program with a copy of their filmed live performance and the audio recording from the studio.
Advanced lessons in songwriting and performance are coupled with a higher level of expectation for students' commitment to their work and ability to manage their time independently. Students in Advanced Music should be prepared to focus their exploration of songwriting and to respond to constructive feedback with an open and positive attitude. All students who enroll in Advanced Music must be able to accompany themselves on one or more instruments.
Advanced Musicians who are return students and have completed SOCAPA's Core Music camp will have a performance video of a song of their choosing professionally filmed and edited. These videos differ from the Core Music camp music video in that they lack a narrative component and instead strive to feature the musician and their performance abilities. These videos are great for portfolios or for building your EPK.
There are some necessary tools students must possess in order to be successful at SOCAPA.
An intermediate knowledge of music theory as it relates to major and minor scales, key signatures, and time signatures is important in our fast-paced learning environment. While we mainly focus on written chord symbols, a basic knowledge of reading music notes is also helpful. Above all, a deep passion for music and an understanding of basic musicianship is imperative in the life of any aspiring musician.
Students attending the Advanced Music camp for a second summer have the opportunity to perform at a professional venue such as the Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan. Professional sound technicians will build the stage to your needs and provide rehearsal time prior to the show. We invite the entire SOCAPA camp and you and your classmates will get to experience headlining a concert on the same stage as many of the greats.
SOCAPA has two campuses in New York City. Our pre-college campus for ages 15-18 is located in the East Village of Manhattan at Astor Place where we use NYU facilities (classrooms, studios, theaters) and the New School's Residence Hall. Our shorter boot camp programs for younger high school students are hosted at Pratt University and FGSC on the Steiner Studios Film Lot in Brooklyn. Our Brooklyn Campus is temporarily closed.
New York City Campus DetailsIf you have any questions, please send us a message. We will contact you ASAP.
