Miami Girls Rock Camp Celebrates Ninth Year of Inspiring the Next Generation

The first girls rock camp Steph Taylor had heard of was in Portland in 2001.

"Born out of the riot grrrl movement, most camps exist to counter gender inequity in the music industry and to remind girls and nonbinary youth of their right to take up a ton of space in that arena, loudly and joyfully," Taylor tells New Times.

About a decade ago, the South Florida musician wondered why local girls had to leave town for such an opportunity.

"With the help of Emile Milgrim and an incredible array of awesome South Florida musicians and teachers, we rolled up our sleeves and made it happen," Taylor says. "Both of us were inspired by the celebration of powerful girlhood that emanated from the performances and films of other camps and wished that we had that experience when we were young."

Monday, July 29, marks the start of the ninth edition of the weeklong summer camp, which is open to girls and nonbinary youth from 8 to 17.

"In just one week, campers form a band, write an original song together, and then perform it on a professional stage to a crowd of hundreds," Taylor adds. "While most campers have some musical experience, some have never picked up an instrument, yet it all magically comes together year after year."

The daily itinerary is jam-packed with a blend of fun and learning.

"The camp days include daily instrument instruction on drums, bass, guitar, keyboards or vocals, songwriting and band practice with local musicians as their band coaches, and live performances and Q&As with visiting artists and DJs," Taylor says. "We've had some incredible guests over the years. Cat Power played for the campers last year, and during the pandemic, Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos talked to the campers, encouraging them to continue practicing their instruments and answering any of their questions."

It all culminates with a finale showcase on Saturday, August 3, at Magic 13 Brewing Company.

"The finale showcase is a chance for the community to celebrate them reclaiming space with their fully expressed selves and the music they have created together," Taylor explains. "The show features eight to ten camper bands, grouped by age, and audience members are charmed by little ones whose voices and energy are much bigger than expected and surprised by the power and socially conscious lyrics of the older campers. Time and time again, we are told that audience members are moved to tears with the performances — whether they know any of the campers or not."

Taylor says the festivities continue even after the campers perform original songs they wrote during camp. "After the bands play, we have a gigantic dance party; this year, we had DJ Angel Boi on the decks. Young and old join in and just have a ball," she adds. "Last year, there was even a humongous conga line! Really, it's something very, very special and honestly a rocking good time."

When the weeklong camp is over, Miami Girls Rock Camp has other year-round activities, including a youth open mic, the next one taking place on Sunday, August 25, at Gramps. With next year marking the camp's tenth anniversary, the camp plans to expand programming, including an adult rock camp and a second week of summer camp.

Taylor described the camp with such positivity that I told her I would aim to nudge my own music-loving daughter into signing up. But as tweens are liable to do, my daughter has made a stand on what music genres she likes. Right now, she's pro-pop and firmly against anything to do with rock, a stance Taylor has heard too many times.

"A big misconception is the idea that at camp, we only focus on and play rock music because it couldn't be further from the truth," Taylor says. "It does say 'rock' in our name, so it makes a whole lot of sense that folks might think that. Rest assured, many of our campers are huge pop music fans and write pop songs, some bands play rock, we have had slow folky songs written at camp. Basically, anything goes, and we are just focused on creation and freedom to create whatever music they want. Maybe you can take her to the finale and let her see it for herself. She might have a change of heart, and we would love to welcome your daughter to rock camp someday."

Miami Girls Rock Camp Finale Concert. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, August 3, at Magic 13 Brewing Co., 340 NE 61st St., Miami; miamigirlsrockcamp.org. Tickets cost $20 via eventbrite.com.