The second session of American Idol camp recently ended. For $2900 (!!!), kids between the ages of 12 and 15 can hang in the Berkshires for 10 days with ex-Idols like Ace Young, Jon Peter Lewis and Bucky Covington. Or, can write songs with Macy Gray (who made appearance at the first session) and get styling tips from the Idol stylists. There is also a variety of performance classes–for singing, dancing, acting and playing music.
Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? I had to be content with putting on plays in the backyard when I was a kid (sniff, sniff). And there are probably arts camps much less expensive than Idol Camp, but then, what of those networking opportunities for ambitious stage parents? Jon Peter Lewis points out:
“The talent ranges but I think there is a group of very elite musicians here,” said Jon Peter Lewis, a singer who finished eighth on “American Idol” in 2004 and teaches singing and other performing arts at the camp.
While there are no talent scouts from music labels at the camp, he said, “there’s definitely going to be some connections that these kids are going to be able to make for their benefit.”
“But they are minors and all that would be dependent upon them and their families,” Lewis said. “That’s not an aspect to the camp that I think is emphasized, but it’s there.”
When asked by a teen camper in a video interview what he’s doing at Idol camp, he answers, “I am an Idol guest here to help propagate the Idol brand.” JPL, keeping it real! Heh.
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$2900? Ouch. I can’t imagine sending my child to that camp but I bet there are plenty of takers.
$2900 isn’t bad for what they get. I just don’t dig the “teachers” or “Mentors” or whatever Ace, John and Macy are supposed to be. Is that the best “name” they could get for the kids? How about Tony Bennett? or Mary Wilson of the Supremes?
But, you know, Sally……these kids are presumably AI fans. Ace or John probably mean a lot more to them than Tony Bennett or Mary Wilson would.
Ok, I don’t normally post here but this has been making me mad. Northfield (specifically NMH, where the camp is) IS NOT THE BERKSHIRES!!! The Berkshires (or Berkshire county) is farther west in Mass. Hinsdale, Pittsfield, Stockbridge, Lenox, Lee, Adams, North Adams, those are the Berkshires. Not everything west of Worcester is the Berkshires. NMH was in NEPSAC (New England Prep School Athletic Coference) along with my high school and it’s just north, not west. Sorry, that’s just been annoying me.
Wow. Alrighty then. Point taken.
I didn’t mean specifically here, just in general. I just hate that everyone thinks that MA doesn’t exist west of Worcester and that when it does, everything is “The Berkshires” where the people are so earthy friendly and nutty crunchy and if they’re not that, they own farms.
As a resident of “The Berkshires” I can attest to being a nutty crunchy farm owner. I mean we all are out here.
As mentioned, Northfield is not in any way “The Berkshires”. From where I sit it is a suburb of Boston. So there.