by Emmalee Antill

Are you a rocker spending your summer strumming alone in your room? Are you a young drummer sitting in a garage wishing to jam out live on a stage?

If you are between the ages of 10 and18, then Hofman Music Studios has the perfect summertime solution. The Second Annual Rock-N-Roll Summer Camp is the perfect place for young musicians to meet other talented musicians their age and skill level. For one week students will come together, forge a band and create a rock-and-roll show. This is not a camp that teaches participants to play an instrument, this unique camp teaches musicians the other side of the music industry. Students must decide what they are going to play, who will play what part, create a performance, rehearse and promote their show.

As teachers of music lessons, Tommy Baudoin and Troy Percle were inspired by the talent of their young students, but realized they had no place to really perform except perhaps in someone’s garage. The team wanted to create a place where young musicians could come together in a safe, smoke-free, curse-free, alcohol-free environment and really perform. “It’s important to show people good clean fun with an activity that is sometimes associated with negative activities,” Percle said.

The camp provides a learning experience for young musicians while allowing them to show off their talent and work with others. Thirteen-year-old Cut Off native Heidi Rodrigue attended the Rock-N-Roll Summer Camp last year where she was a guitarist and the lead singer in three different bands. Rodrigue also learned to run light shows for other bands. She plans to go back this summer to sharpen her skills and to meet other young rockers.

Shortly after the camp, Rodrigue recorded a CD titled “Heidi”. The lyrics to one of her songs, “We are the future and the future looks bright”, serves as a reminder that when given the opportunity to cultivate their talent, the future of talented teens in South Louisiana is certainly bright. PoV

For more information on camp session dates, contact Baudoin or Percle at Hofman Music in Thibodaux at 985-447-4050. Entry deadline is May 15.