Oregon Drum Camp

Drum Camp is a week filled with intense learning, fun activities, and the making of new friends from throughout the west coast. Camp takes place at Camp Serene, a beautiful mountain retreat nestled in the woods 20 miles northwest of Eugene, Oregon. The camp is fully equipped with nice cabins, a lodge, full dining room, private lake, many hiking trails, and plenty of shady pines & grassy fields.

Mornings are spent rotating between teachers, working on the 40 P.A.S. Rudiments of Snare Drumming. This “rotation” approach allows the students to experience several different teaching styles and personalities, while focusing on specific rudiments and techniques that will build their “chops”, endurance, and musicality throughout the week.

Afternoons are spent rehearsing the drumlines that are made up of our campers. The goal here is to allow each camper to use the techniques learned each morning in a full marching percussion ensemble. The drumlines are “battery only”, meaning snares, quads, and bass drums, so each camper will be concentrating on stick technique and control the entire week. The “pit” campers will learn proper technique as well as other skills to help them enhance the overall program.

Each evening there is either a rehearsal or clinic by one of the staff members. These clinics can cover a wide array of topics including solo playing, percussion writing and scoring, hand drumming, and “tricks and licks” to name but a few. Evenings also bring about other fun activities such as solo night, primitive drumming around the campfire, and, of course, ice cream night! Parents can rest assured that there is proper supervision at the camp. There are several adult male and females present at all times to supervise and counsel the campers.