Illinois Summer Youth Music Announces Return of Hip Hop Camp

Illinois Summer Youth Music is back with its annual Hip Hop Camp at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In its fifth year, the week-long intensive music camp led by experienced faculty, Adam Kruse and Lamont Holden, strives to diversify the realm of musical excellence and exploration.

For the summer of 2022, the Illinois Summer Youth Music Hip Hop program will continue its legacy of providing a platform for aspiring youth musicians. Under the tutelage of experienced music educators and guest artists, youth from grades 5-12 will participate in intense music-making. Attendees will participate in songwriting workshops, beat-making labs, and sampling demos from local artists. At the end of the camp, students perform their songs in a free public show for a live audience. 

The ISYM platform shows community partners what’s possible in music. In addition, it serves as a message to music educators across the state and around the world that skills associated with the creation of hip-hop music are something that all musicians could adopt into their technique At ISYM, faculty dive into the history of the genre as well, which makes the experience that much more rewarding.

“Each year we take a step forward in laying out music as a viable career path,” Holden said. “If these 6th and 7th graders can hone in on their music-making skills now, they never have to work a traditional job.” 

ISYM Hip Hop Camp has launched its first rap verse competition. The best rap verse gets a full scholarship to camp. All interested students can submit their verse on a personal or an adult’s YouTube account using the hashtag #ISYMHipHop. The deadline for all submissions is June 1. 

This year, ISYM’s Hip Hop Camp will run from June 26-July 2, 2022.

Source: The Formula