Frequently Asked Questions

What ages are accepted?
12-17 years old.

Any prerequisites?
At a minimum, one year playing experience is required.

What goes on each day?
The Soundwall camp operates like a standard music camp. The classes cover instrumental technique, music theory, music history, rehearsal techniques, ensemble skills, and performance practice. However, the emphasis is on rock music instead of jazz, classical, or marching band genres. Students play various styles of rock, from Led Zeppelin to the Beatles to Tool. Three meals a day are provided in the Campus Student Union.

What is housing like?
Students are housed based on age and gender, two per room with shared bathrooms, in one of the campus dorm buildings. The dormitory is a ten-minute walk from the music building. Staff members are housed in the same building and on the same floor, interspersed every four or five rooms. The girls reside in a separate wing supervised by female staff.

Boys are not permitted in the girls' wing.

Besides playing music, are there other activities?
There are some, however, our experience shows that students are primarily interested in music. Attempts to organize basketball games or other activities have not been successful. Most students would play in their bands 24 hours a day if given the opportunity.

Tell me about the staff.
There are pay phones available on campus, and it's advisable to provide a phone card. Successful cell phone use is limited to certain areas, primarily the music building.

Who do we contact in an emergency?
The camp phone number for emergencies will be available on the first day of camp. Camp director Adam Schuman can be reached at (415) 722-0981‬.

How do we contact the camp for a non-emergency?
Email is preferred: Adam.soundwallmusic@gmail.com.
We will check email several times daily.

Tell me about the supervision.
Soundwall provides ample supervision. The student-to-teacher ratio is approximately 5:1. Teachers and counselors reside in the dorm and supervise all students. All rules, particularly those regarding whereabouts, are strictly enforced. Students are not allowed to leave campus without a staff chaperone. Please review the list of rules included in the application.

Does Soundwall provide transportation to and from camp?
Soundwall does not provide transportation for campers to and from UCSC.

Do you provide transportation to and from the San Jose airport?
Please refer to the following link for a list of transport services used by UCSC: 
https://taps.ucsc.edu/travel/airport-shuttles.html

Can my child stay an extra night to catch a Saturday morning flight out of San Jose?
Soundwall does not provide housing or supervision beyond Friday.

When do we check in?
Sunday check-in's are at 2pm.

When do we check out?
Students will be ready to leave directly after the Friday night concert.

I'd like to contact a parent of a camper from previous years.
Send an e-mail to: adam.soundwallmusic@gmail.com and we'll provide contact information.

How many students do you accept to each student?
We accept 70 per session.

I'd like to contact a parent of a camper from previous years.
Send an e-mail to adam.soundwallmusic@gmail.com and we'll provide contact information.

Does the camp fill up quickly?
The camp fills up rapidly for bassists and drummers due to our limitation of one bassist and one drummer per band. Typically, there are fifteen bands per camp.

How many girls attend the camp?
About 30%.

Are there females on staff?
Yes, there are, minimum, two female staff members per camp.

Why do you require an audition recording?
We want to ensure that every camper has a good experience at Soundwall.