Free summer music camp to run weeks of July 8 and 15

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 partnership with the Count Basie Center for the Arts and Red Bank’s Jazz Arts Project. 

Open to middle school students throughout Monmouth County, 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.

“We are proud to partner with the Count Basie Center for the Arts in sponsoring the Louis & Gia Maione Prima Music Camp,” states Anthony J. Sylvester, Trustee to the Gia Maione Prima Foundation. “This program will provide valuable music education and enrich the cultural life of the Jersey Shore communities.”

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.”

The Louis & Gia Maione Prima Music Camp will run during the weeks of July 8 and July 15, daily from 10am to 3pm at Red Bank Middle School, 101 Ridge Road in Red Bank. A final showcase concert will be presented at 2pm on Friday, July 19.

Students interested in registering for the camp should visit www.thebasie.org/musiccamp or call 732.224.8778 x 125.