Tucson Rock Camp returns June 2025!

Tucson Rock Camp hosted its first session of summer camp in June 2023 at Groundworks Tucson. Twenty-five kids ages 8 - 17 participated, five of them were also junior volunteers. Our second session of Rock Camp took place in June 2024 at Idea School. Thirty-nine campers were supported in their creative process by a team of twelve skilled teaching artists.

Read abut our first year of camp below:

Students arrived on Monday, many were new to their assigned instrument. On Monday afternoon these brave students formed a band and had their first practice, many of them were complete strangers before entering camp.

Throughout the week during lunch students danced to live music from local bands including, Flor De Nopal, Barefoot on Bumblebees, and Formula 88. They attended immersive workshops like songwriting, screen-printing hosted by Word of Mouth Print Space, and zine making.

As you can imagine, learning an instrument, forming a new band, and writing an original song - all in a week can be stressful! Luckily, our experienced band coaches and teaching artists were able to work closely with students, leading them in creating community agreements, talking through challenges, and learning coping skills.

On Saturday morning, six new bands performed their original song for a live audience and we were all STUNNED!

Support the future of Tucson Rock Camp!

Obviously, we want to continue the youth music program annually and EXPAND to include twice as many students. We are fundraising for:

**Accessibility fund. 75% of the students who attended this first music camp received full or partial financial aid. Everyone kid deserves to attend fun and enriching activities during the summer - our accessibility fund keeps our music camp open to students from all economic backgrounds. $5000

**Facility and venue rental. More space = more students and more music. Being able to rent facilities at a local school will allow us to enroll more students, include more physical activity in camp, space out band and instrument classes so that students can hear us better, create a calm zone for students, and have a private area for teaching artists to debrief when needed. $2000

** Secure funding to provide fresh breakfast snacks, healthy but tasty lunch, and energy sustaining afternoon snacks to each student every day of camp. $1000

** Teaching artist fund. TMII provides stipends to our teaching artists, volunteers, and peer mentors. During the first session of camp most teaching artists were there for an average of four hours per day. Many would come in directly after work or leave early to go to work. Offering a stipend for teaching artists keeps this program equitable and accessible to the adults who make it happen. The more we are able to support, train, and make it possible for working adults to volunteer - the more robust our program is and the more nurtured the students are. Music camp was the first working experience for most of our peer mentors. They learned collaboration, problem-solving, personal accountability, and were thrust into leadership roles. Our goal is expand our volunteer and peer mentor programming with multiple training sessions leading up to camp. Hosting a second week of camp will mean more volunteers and more peer mentors. $2500

**Gear Fund! We plan to keep this music camp going for years to come - so we are building up our inventory of gear. Guitars, basses, drum kits, mics, and all the accessories that come with that. $2000

The Multivrs Is Illuminated is a non-profit. All donations are tax deductible. Tax id: 85-1326093

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Rooted in punk ethos, our approach to music education differs from more traditional programs, which utilize an expert/novice teaching model focused primarily on technical skills. At The Multivrs Youth Program, we offer a curriculum that encourages creative exploration with an emphasis on process, not perfection. This approach makes music accessible and engaging to youth of all ages and skill levels, and helps us reach young people who might not flourish in more traditional programs.

Our small class sizes allow students to receive individualized attention, facilitating dramatic growth in their musical skills. A cornerstone of our approach is the opportunity for participants to write original songs in the styles of their choosing—an empowering experience which allows them to develop their own unique voices while practicing collaboration skills.

Bandmates learn to work as a team in which every player has an important role: Each member develops strong skills on their own instrument, while also learning to harmonize with the group. In the process, students find joy in creative expression and gain appreciation for the hard work that underlies cooperative creative efforts.

At the conclusion of each program, students receive a profound boost to their self-esteem through the experience of performing live on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience. Our budding young musicians experience the satisfaction of mastering something difficult and the thrill of sharing their skills with the community.

Executive Director, Shawna Scroggins

Born and raised in Phoenix, Shawna Shawnté is a queer DJ, musician and multimedia artist based in Tucson, AZ. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Shawnté has played in several bands and always worked with young people; especially in music programming. They are currently pursuing their Teaching Certification with a Special Education endorsement while employed as a K-2 Resource Teacher. Shawna is a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher; they are passionate about incorporating mindfulness and embodied movement into educational spaces.

They were the Co-Executive Director of Bay Area Girls Rock Camp from 2014 until returning to AZ in 2018. From 2021 - 2023 they worked as a substitute teacher and a high school English Language Arts Teacher.

" I believe that music is a powerful tool that connects people across experiences and identities. Music is also a wonderful teaching tool. Participants in Tucson Rock Camp will learn how to collaborate, be empowered to share their ideas, and to take risks in a safe and supportive environment."

Tucson Rock Camp!

By The Multivrs Is Illuminated

Tucson Rock Camp!

Young people ages 8 - 18 immerse themselves in a world of music, sound, and creative expression for a week each summer.

Team Members