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, cord, microphones, 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 the Music Lab. Practice times are scheduled daily.

We will eat in great restaurants and check out Austin's amazing music scene. Practice can go until they kick us out of the Lab, if we can stay up that late. Feel free to bring acoustic instruments as well as electric; we'll be playing at home, too.

The gig is held the last day (Friday) 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'll come to Casa Rio de Colores Sunday afternoon and check in. We will have some idea of how the groups will be organized before you get here, but it's not set in stone. I'll take your opinions seriously, but ultimately, it's the group dynamic that is important. The show is the most important consideration.

I am (Mike Murphy) the Director of the camp; I will supervise and spend a lot of time with you. You will have counselor/driver who will wake you in the morning, get you to rehearsals, and generally babysit you. Your coach will choose and teach you; I will 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 have a little time to run around and see some pretty special industry things; in past years, we've toured recording studios and guitar factories, gone to roller derby and Barton Springs, shopped at amazing music stores with collections of classic guitars, jammed with Austin performers.

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 Casa for breakfast, and we order pizzas for lunch on most days. There's a new coffee and snack bar at the Lab. After the daily practice session, you'll prowl around town. There's a lot of cool stuff to do in Austin. Be sure to bring a swim suit. Texas is hot. The Casa where you'll stay is on the South San Gabriel River, and this year it's full and cold.

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 at Lucy In Disguise. We plan to take in clubs like Antone's, the Continental Club; Guero's on Sunday, the Saxon Pub, and the outdoor concerts that are part of Austin's legacy. This year, I am producing an outside concert at Davenport Village (July 16), and I may let you play.

Campers are expected to behave as honored guests, and in return, I'll spare no effort to find interesting activities for you. Starting with the Casa Rio Del Colores, you'll find this camp to be an unforgettable experience.

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. Last summer's group was coached by John Moyer, bass player from Disturbed. They were backstage guests of Ghostland Observatory at the Friday, July 17th show at the Whitewater, and got pics hanging out with Aaron and Thomas before and after the show.

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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