Otis Music Camp Heads to Albany Boys & Girls Club
The Georgia Music Foundation, Mrs. G’s Music Foundation and the Otis Redding Foundation join forces to present a week-long summer music camp for the Boys and Girls Club of Albany July 6-10, 2020. Boys and Girls Club attendees will participate in “OMC 2.0: The Virtual Experience,” an interactive, online version of the robust Otis Music Camp that has grown exponentially in Macon over the past 13 years.
The virtual experience continues Otis Redding’s mission of enhancing and motivating young minds in music and the arts. Production, engineering, songwriting and music theory will be taught by the OMC coaches, who presented the first OMC 2.0 camp to students in June, with guests D-Nice, Indigo Girls, and Eric Burton of Black Pumas among the many music industry professionals participating online.
“My father was born less than 30 minutes away from Albany, in Dawson,” says Karla Redding-Andrews, daughter of Otis Redding and VP/executive director for the Otis Redding Foundation. “So bringing this program from Macon to near his birthplace to serve this community is very meaningful to me.”
Camp instructors from UGA and FSU along with Freedom Singer Rutha Harris shared their talents with children at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany in 2017, the first year the Georgia Music Foundation hosted a summer music camp.
“Our team felt connected to the awesome kids and staff at Boys & Girls Club of Albany from the very beginning,” says Lisa Love, director for the Georgia Music Foundation. “We feel privileged to support them for the fourth year in a row and this is the second year that we’ve brought in Otis Music Camp rock star instructors to oversee curriculum and conduct the programming .”
This year’s challenge will be to write songs around the themes of Ban Hate, Love All Over the World, and Empowerment. The collaborative music recording platform Soundtrap will aid the 60 campers as they collaborate virtually to create four songs around the themes.
“Every year our members look forward to participating in the week-long music camp. When COVID-19 hit, we were worried the camp would not take place,” says Sherrie Maxwell, SPHR, chief operating officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Albany. “Thankfully with technology, the camp will be offered virtually, and we believe our members will be excited about this year’s program. This is the perfect avenue for our members who are budding artists to begin crafting their skill and ultimately reach their full potential as responsible, productive citizens.”
About the Otis Redding Foundation: Founded in 2007, ORF looks to empower, enrich and motivate all young people through programs involving music, writing and instrumentation. For additional information visit otisreddingfoundation.org, follow the foundation on Facebook and Instagram.
About Mrs. G’s Music Foundation: Established in 2010 by Dinah Gretsch, Executive Vice President and CFO of the Savannah, GA-based Gretsch Company, Mrs. G’s supports the Gretsch family mission of enriching lives through participation in music. Mrs. G’s funds music teachers, in-house artist programs and supplies musical instruments to rural schools in the Low Country. The Foundation also supports numerous guitar and drum camp scholarships and is the benefactor of the music program at Thomas Heyward Academy in Ridgeland, SC.