The second edition Rock Camp for Girls UAE (RCFG UAE), an in-depth, five-day course for wannabe female rockers and the first of its kind in the Middle East is set to launch in Dubai on April 11.

The popular and groundbreaking music education project is organised by women and catering to all girls aged from eight to 18.

The camp premise is simple: pick up an instrument, form a band, write an original song and perform it in front of friends, family and fans on the final day, a statement said.

With limited places, tuition is on a very personal level; girls are split into bands, each band guided by its own experienced mentors including UAE-based performers like Noush Like Sploosh, Fatiniza and Carla Saad.

Alongside band rehearsals, girls attend a series of specialised workshops, with instruction on setting up PA systems, lyric writing, creating fanzines, as well as partaking in self-defence classes and band photo-shoots.

And the highlight of the week-long event is the camp finale, which will tie together everything the girls have learned with a headline performance.

“This is not just a music camp,” said Zahra Soar, Dubai Eye radio presenter and camp founder.

“This is a not-for-profit mentoring program that will empower girls and galvanise them into action. If a student graduates from RCFG UAE with greater confidence to perform, and wants to form her own band, then we have done our job.”

North America and Europe have seen the rise of girl-only rock camps over the past decade, all in the hope of encouraging more girls to pick up instruments, join bands and write their own music. Singer Kate Nash has recently launched an after-school club for girls in the UK.

RCFG UAE receives regular advice and updates from the mentors at the original rock camp for girls in Portland, Oregon and has recently applied to join the internationally accredited Girls Rock Camp Alliance.

The camp venue is Tone Town Studios, Al Quoz, which has five rooms, plus a large upstairs space with a projector screen for workshops and documentary and music video screenings. Spaces are limited to 25 campers only. – TradeArabia News Service