Putting The Amp In Camp: The Middle East's First Rock Camp for Girls Returns to Dubai

Dubai,UAE: Rock Camp for Girls UAE (RCFG UAE) announces the second edition of its popular and groundbreaking music education project, set to launch on April 11th. Organised by women and catering to all girls aged from eight to 18, RCGF UAE is an in-depth, five-day course for wannabe female rockers - the first of its kind in the Middle East. 

Back by popular demand, the camp premise is simple: pick up an instrument, form a band, write an original song and perform it in front of friends, family and fans on the final day. 

With limited places, tuition is on a very personal level; girls are split into bands, each band guided by its own experienced mentor. UAE-based performers like Noush Like Sploosh, Fatiniza and Carla Saad, all well-known names on the Middle East music scene - will pay close attention to each girl’s musical development.

Alongside band rehearsals, girls attend a series of specialised workshops, with instruction on setting up PA systems, lyric writing, creating fanzines, as well as partaking in self-defence classes and band photo-shoots. 

And the highlight of the week-long event is the camp finale, which will tie together everything the girls have learned with a headline performance. 

“This is not just a music camp,” said Zahra Soar, Dubai Eye radio presenter and camp founder. “This is a not-for-profit mentoring program that will empower girls and galvanise them into action. If a student graduates from RCFG UAE with greater confidence to perform, and wants to form her own band, then we have done our job.”

Rock camps catering specifically for girls are nothing new. North America and Europe have seen the rise of girl-only rock camps over the past decade, all in the hope of encouraging more girls to pick up instruments, join bands and write their own music. Singer Kate Nash has recently launched an after-school club for girls in the UK.

RCFG UAE receives regular advice and updates from the mentors at the original rock camp for girls in Portland, Oregon and has recently applied to join the internationally accredited Girls Rock Camp Alliance.