Power chords, heavy beats open Girls Rock! Chicago
It began with a classic Muddy Waters blues riff, then moved on to Ronnie Spector’s “Be My Baby” and Anne Peebles “I Can’t Stand the Rain.” Little heads were boppin’ to Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane” and Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll.”
The band was guitarist Jan King, backed by bassist Catherine McChrystal and drummer Karrie Jeffris, taking a captive audience of young girls on a quick trip through the history of rock music.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
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Girls Rock! Chicago
This is summer camp, at least the annual one sponsored by Girls Rock! Chicago this week turning the Inter-American Magnet School into a music conservatory — one that specializes in rock ’n’ roll.
Girls Rock! started early this morning with a lot of rock ’n’ roll noise as 68 girls and a staff of volunteer counselors and teachers gathered to jumpstart the future of rock music.
The girls, ages 8-16, came in all shapes and sizes. Returning campers had an air of confidence and a bit of that old rock ’n’ roll swagger. Newcomers quietly scoped out the scene, smiling at new friends and asking questions.
Volunteer mom Sandra Craig says Girls Rock! is just one of several ways she tries to keep her daughter, Lauren, interested in music.
“I don’t want to have a heavy hand and push her into things,” Craig said. “I want it to be light and fun but also build her confidence and self-esteem.”
After a brief introduction, the first lesson was an all-important tutorial in the proper use of ear plugs. The girls were advised to take care of their hearing from a young age so there would be no problems later on. Then they put in those earplugs — and live rock blasted through the school’s usually sedate halls.
The first order of business: form 17 groups consisting of two guitarists, one bassist and a drummer.
As the counselors helped group the girls into quartets, it seemed all the tiniest girls had their hearts set on being drummers. “They’re tiny but they’re mighty,” said a counselor.
A two-hour music lesson followed with campers grouped by instrument and spread out in the school’s classrooms. Many already can play; others have never before had a lesson. Little fingers with no calluses plucked away bravely on electric guitars while tiny drummers stretched to reach the foot pedals. The overall mood was one of studied concentration.
One of those drummers was 8-year-old Lois Chemansky, who simply wanted “to try the drums.” With her cherub face and sweet bob she looks the antithesis of the classic sweaty drummer. But give her those sticks and she’s not afraid of anything.
“I thought I would learn a lot from this, so I decided to just go for it,” Lois said. “And I like that you can do different sorts of things on the drums.”
Drum instructor Danielle Giffort, 23, goes through a bit of music theory followed by instruction in a simple drumbeat. She’s amazed at how quickly the girls learn.
“There are some amazing musicians here,” Giffort said. “I hope this is a step toward making women in rock the norm rather than the exception. Then I won’t have to hear the words ‘female drummer’ ever again.”
In one of the guitar practice rooms, Kayla DeSouza, 13, plucked away expertly on her bright pink guitar. A third year camper who’s also a singer, she is inspired by the teachers.
“They help us a lot,” Kayla said. “They are a great help in experimenting with different types of music.”
Jennifer Trowbridge, a guitar teacher and doctoral student studying classical guitar, is a first-time volunteer. Her advanced students are already into power chords and other tricky guitar moves.
“It’s great how confident the girls are,” Trowbridge said. “I want to add to that and give them guitar skills they can use forever.”
The underlying goal of Girls Rock is to give girls a voice to express themselves and form relationships with other girls. This can be a challenge for a girl who’s shy.
Second-year camper and guitarist Nicole Carmona had to face her shyness when she sang in front of an audience last summer at the camp finale at Metro.
“I had to sing because the drummer was too nervous to do it,” Nicole recalled. “I promised I would do even better this year.”
The campers will continue learning and practicing together throughout the week. Then the 17 bands will each perform a new song in a concert beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Metro. Camp ends on Sunday when they gather at a local recording studio to record their songs for a Girls Rock! Chicago disc.