First, it’s the unmatched quality of the instruction our campers receive. Our instructors are graduates of the famous Jazz Department at The Juilliard School in NY and other top-tier jazz programs. They are all frequent performers at Jazz at Lincoln Center as well as other top-tier venues around the world, and they serve as instructors in JALC’s Jazz for Young People Program.

Second, because our mission is to provide the broadest possible access to high-quality arts experiences, we are able to offer our Jazz Camp at a cost that is lower than the tuition elsewhere in our region.

We are accepting students who play trumpet, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, drums, keyboards, string double bass and electric guitar. Other instruments such as violin and voice can be considered.

We accept rising high school freshmen (current eighth-graders) and high school students from 9th through 12th grades.

Instrumentalists should possess technical skills appropriate for their grade level and a basic understanding of keys and key signatures.

No, campers will need transportation to and from the camp each day.

The camp takes place in the Etherredge Center (our primary performance venue) on the campus of U of SC Aiken.

The camp includes four full days of instruction, with an opening concert by the faculty and a closing concert by the campers.

Tuition is $200. A $25 deposit is required, with the balance ($175) due by June 6th. Financial assistance is available for any student who would otherwise be unable to attend. Please inquire about those scholarships by June 1st.

Yes. To ensure maximum one-on-one time with the faculty members, enrollment is limited to 25 campers.

They say they love it! Here are some quotes from last year’s campers:

“I enjoyed getting to work on a personal level with each of the clinicians. In many camps, you’re lucky if you can get a word in with at least one clinician, but I felt like I built relationships with all four of our clinicians at this camp.”

“The instructors were great. They took the time to get to know us, and went the extra mile to help us understand jazz.”

“Being able to meet all the amazing clinicians was a great experience, and learning from them throughout the three days was one of the best experiences I’ve had so far.”

“There honestly wasn’t anything that I didn’t enjoy about the camp. I loved learning theory in the improv classes, playing many different styles of music in the ensemble, and learning new things about the beginnings of jazz in the jazz history class.”

Joye in Aiken is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 in Aiken, South Carolina. In addition to presenting a full schedule of performances by Juilliard-trained artists and others throughout the year, we conduct an extensive program of outreach events for area students, including the Jazz Camp. We are recipients of the Verner Award, the state’s highest honor in the arts, for our Outreach Program.