KTSM News – Girls Rock Camp is back, and louder than ever

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)—This is the second year that El Paso girls have spent their summer learning how to rock and roll at a camp that promotes inclusivity in the music industry.

Jim Ward, a renowned musician and a key member of the accalimed El Paso-based band Sparta, is one of the passionate founders of You Rock! Girls Music Camp. Their dedication has brought the camp to its second successful year.

What started as a mere idea, conceived before the pandemic, has now blossomed into a full-fledged project after years of dedicated development.

Ward explained that the camp was inspired by his late friend Esme, who was an El Pasoan killed in Austin several years ago.

“I just want kids from this community to go out and be able to compete with people all over the world,” said Ward.

During the two-week camp, the campers choose their instrument, form a band, write a song, and, at the end, perform it at the Plaza Classic Film Festival.

The camp is meant to address the lack of women in music performance and many other career paths within the music industry.
“We want to expose them to other careers, like being a promoter, manager, and agent. Those career choices in the music business still lack women and girls in general,” said Mike Hernandez, musician, instructor, and co-director of the camp.

Ward explained that they also teach the girls to use the vocabulary they normally use on tour by meeting in the morning for a “lobby call” or a “sound check.”

When you feel part of something, you feel invincible,” he said, adding, ” They need to get on stage and understand that they have the power to communicate, that they have the power to show what they’re doing, that they have the power to share their creation and believe in it. To me, that’s the biggest thing: that they believe in themselves.”

You can see the campers perform on Friday, July 19, at 7:30 p.m. on the stage at Oregon Street.

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