(RED BANK | MAY 4, 2023) RED BANK – In another example of creative partnerships designed to empower students through the performing arts, the Gia Maione Prima Foundation will sponsor a free music camp in collaboration with the Count Basie Center for the Arts and Red Bank’s Jazz Arts Project.

Open to Monmouth County students entering grades 4 through 8 in the fall of 2023, the Louis & Gia Maione Prima Music Camp will connect young musicians to instruments and world-class instructors, all through the lens of jazz. Named for the singer and widow of the late, great Louis Prima, the Gia Maione Prima Foundation supports and encourages the appreciation for American jazz, American popular music and jazz performance, as well as the fine arts.

This year’s camp, available to both beginner and intermediate performers, takes place weekdays from July 10-21 at the Count Basie Center’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music, located at 65 Chestnut Street in Red Bank. A concert for family and friends of registered participants will be held at the camp’s conclusion.

Registration and additional information is available at www.thebasie.org/musiccamp.

“We are thrilled each summer to partner with the Basie Center to bring this camp to the young people of Monmouth County,” said Anthony Sylvester, Trustee, Gia Maione Prima Foundation. “The end of camp concert by the students is always a joy.”

“Watching a student pick up, hold and then learn to implement a musical instrument for the first time is nothing short of magical,” said Dr. Laura Petillo, Manager of Music Programs at the Count Basie Center Academy of the Arts. “Through this camp, students will experience that magic for themselves, as well as collaboratively with others to as they work together to create a veritable ensemble of learning and discovery.”

The objective of the camp is to offer a no-cost opportunity to students to experience hands-on instruction from professional musicians and dedicated, experienced music educators. The programs mission, according to Jazz Arts Project founder Joe Muccioli, is to put “instruments in (students’) hands, music in their hearts and hope in their future.”

“The Jazz Arts Project is grateful to the Gia Maione Prima Foundation and Count Basie Center for the Arts for their support of this vital initiative,” says Muccioli. “I know first-hand how impactful a positive experience in learning to play an instrument is, and how it can really change a life. Our organizations will join forces to extend the impact and longevity of a program that will continue to positively impact the lives of young students and their families.”

Students interested in registering for the camp should visit www.thebasie.org/musiccamp or call 732.224.8778 x 142