Girls in Saskatoon rock out at music camp

Young girls were thudding passionately on their drums as they learned the rhythm of the instrument at an all-girls rock camp.

Girls Rock Saskatoon is a non-profit camp empowering young girls through rock music. The volunteer-based camp first started in the city in 2014, and has continued to grow throughout the years.

“In so many music-based situations girls are not often a priority,” said Jennifer McLean, the camp’s 2023 director. “To have a female-focused camp for these kids allows them the space to be themselves (and) to explore without having to worry about any of the usual gender norms that we see in music.”

This year, 34 girls are enrolled in the camp, ranging from eight to 14 years old. Some of the older girls are returning from previous years, and help the younger campers out with the process.

The girls are split into bands based on their ages, but work closely together through the camp. Together, the bands write songs and learn to play instruments while being led by strong female role models.

“We’re getting really into instrument instruction this week,” said McLean. “We have instrument instruction every day first, and then we get into band formation where we start writing our song that we’re going to be performing at our showcase.”

Although McLean isn’t a musician herself, she’s been a teacher for the past four years and likes working with kids. She said this is her first year as camp director, and this year the position was able to be a paid one thanks to a grant from Canada Summer Jobs.

The girls had a songwriting workshop early in the week to help get their creative juices flowing for the songs they’ll be performing in front of their friends and family this weekend

“They wrote a really dramatic song about plants drooping, which was pretty cute,” McLean said with a laugh.

The kids also get to create their bands’ logos, which will be screen-printed onto T-shirts during a workshop. The camp puts an emphasis on all elements of the music process, including the behind-the-scenes aspects like creating a name for a band.

Girls Rock camps have been present throughout North America, with the first one starting in Portland in the early 2000s. Regina has a similar camp, which runs in July.

Adult camps have been offered sporadically in Saskatoon, but McLean noted that next year she hopes to make that a permanent option. She also hopes to extend the youth camp to two weeks instead of one.

Girls who are enrolled in the camp said they’re enjoying the experience of learning to make music with their friends.

“We get to make a song and make our own lyrics,” said Silas Liliverte, a young drummer attending the camp. “We get to perform at the Broadway Theatre, and we get our makeup and hair done. It’s really fun.”

She highlighted some of the fun aspects of the camp outside of just music, including a crazy hair day, pyjama party and a scavenger hunt.

Liliverte is a returning camper who said her time in the camp has inspired her to pursue music in the future.

“I get to learn a bunch of things about the drums,” said Liliverte. “I really like it.”

Girls Rock Saskatoon hits the stage at the Broadway Theatre on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to show off their talents. More information about the camp and showcase can be found on the camp’s website.