Celebrating 7 Years ‘Jazz Camp for Girls’ in the UK
Jazz North are delighted to announce that 8 ‘Jazz Camp for Girls’ events will be taking place across the north over the weekend of 8th-9th March 2025. Camps will be taking place in Beverley, Doncaster, Gateshead, Grimsby, Lancaster, Leeds, Penrith and Sale. Further camps are planned for later in the year in alternative locations. Since the pilot project in 2019, 29 camps have taken place across the North of England in 12 different regions and 479 girls have attended a jazz camp event so far.
So what is ‘Jazz Camp for Girls’?
Jazz North’s ‘Jazz Camp for Girls’ was inspired by ‘JazzCamp for Piger’ a successful initiative developed by Jazz Danmark and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival in 2014 to introduce young female musicians to improvisation and to address gender balance in the music industry. Camps are now held across the world in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Canada, Belgium, Turkey and India.
‘Jazz Camp for Girls’ provides the opportunity for young female identifying musicians to experience jazz music and explore improvisation in a fun, supportive environment. The camps are designed for musicians aged between 8-15 with no or little experience of improvising and aim to inspire them through a range of activities celebrating the work of women in the jazz industry. All instrumentalists and vocalists are welcome to attend. The project connects jazz tutors from across the North of England, encouraging them to network and share examples of good practice through online forum meetings. It also helps to signpost girls to regular jazz sessions in their region and ultimately aims to create a progressive pathway from MEH to NYMO to conservatoire level.
Feedback from our 2024 camps showed that -
100% of girls felt that their camp was a safe space
72% of girls said that attending their jazz camp increased their confidence
88% of girls said they made new friends at their camp
Comments from the participants included
I felt good, musical, jazzy and amazing
I liked to meet new people with similar interests and play as a group
I loved the improvisation! Was great fun and made me really confident
Details for all camps can be found on our website including booking information