Natural Ear Music Camp was established in 1991 in order to place kids in rocknroll bands. We have been holding a residential music camp since 2001. We hire the best performance musician available to coach your band and lead you through the process of rehearsing your set for the final performance.

We will provide drum kits and PA systems. Students are responsible for their own instruments, picks, strings, straps and tuners. Please make sure your kids are well supplied with these accessories; they are necessary and required for each student.

You can bring your own amp, or rent one from us. Practice times are scheduled daily.

We will eat in great restaurants and check out Austin's amazing music scene. Practice can go as late as 2 am, but no amplifiers are allowed at the dorms. Feel free to bring as many instruments as you want.

The gig is held the last Thursday of the session. No adults will participate in the performance except to help tune and set up the equipment.

Natural Ear Music Residential Camp is a unique experience teaching teamwork, compromise, and exceptional performance skills.

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Here's the way it works: you come to Austin Sunday night and check in with Micah at Hardin House, a dorm close to UT. After dinner, Micah will take you to the school to unload your amps and other equipment. You will be organized into groups that first night. Group placement is a complex process, and is completed before you get to Austin, but it isn't set in stone. Micah will organize the groups in order to produce the best finished product. If you come to camp with a friend, there is no guarantee that you will be placed in the same band. If we have time the first night, we will go see some live music before lights out.

Micah is the Director of the residential camp; he will wake you in the morning, get you to rehearsals, oversee the material and generally support the coaches regarding behavior and practice schedules. You will be able to visit music stores, recording studios, bars and honkytonks. We will go to concerts as available and meet as many famous musicians as we can find (we know 'em all).

Margaret Moser of the Austin Chronicle will be back as head pizza lady and official Texas music historian.

The first week will go quickly, with as many hours of rehearsal as you can stand each day. We will have food available at the dorms for breakfast, and we order pizza rolls and salads from Double Dave's for lunch on most days. There are snacks available at the school as well. After the daily practice session, you'll go to the dorm to clean up, go out to eat and prowl around town. There's a lot of cool stuff to do in Austin. We'll hit Waterloo Records, the premier locations for CD release parties, local product, and knowledgeable staff. Be sure to bring a swim suit.

We'll visit Heart of Texas Music Store, where Stevie Ray Vaughan bought his guitars, and his brother Jimmy still drops in. We can go to SoCo, the artsy strip of hip shops/music venues along South Congress and buy stuff. We plan to take in clubs like Antone's, Emo's, the Continental Club and the Broken Spoke with the kids; Guero's on Sunday, the Hole in the Wall on Thursday, and the outdoor concerts that are held at Zilker Park.

Campers will be schlepped around by Austin musicians on these outings and are expected to behave as honored guests in our city. Micah keeps close tabs on all of the kids. He hasn't lost one yet! The dorm's courtyard is on a combination lock to discourage wandering, and we change the combo daily. There are washers and dryers for campers, plus a TV and kitchen in each apartment.

We specialize in classic guitar driven rock and roll and have the best players/bandleaders in town to teach you how it's really done. All the tabs on the internet can't get you this kind of information and experience.

NOTE: Any students who misbehave, endangering the group or themselves will lose their outing privileges immediately. Any students caught drinking, smoking ANYTHING or engaging in ANY sexual behavior beyond handholding will be put on the first plane home, with NO REFUNDS, NO FOOLING, NO EXCEPTIONS. All of these activities are AGAINST THE LAW for minors in Texas (except handholding).

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