NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The nonprofit music academy Berkshires' Academy for Advanced Musical Studies, Inc. (BAAMS) will hold its seventh annual music day camp this summer, offering a full week of music learning and performing for young people.

 

"It's a rare, memorable experience," said Richard Boulger, founder and executive director. "No enthusiastic young musician should miss, to be able to learn from some of the finest musicians in the country, right here close to home."

 

The 7th Annual Berkshires' Summer Jazz Band Day Camp will take place July 14-18, 2025, at BAAMS headquarters in Building 6 at Heritage State Park, off Furnace Street, in North Adams.  Students should have at least one year of musical experience; exceptions may be made for slightly younger or older students on a case-by-case basis.

 

Instruments taught include trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn, saxophone, clarinet, flute, piano, keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, and vocals. The camp will also cover ear training, improvisation, and music theory.

 

This summer's faculty includes three-time Grammy-winning pianist Dario Boente; guitarist and former Juilliard faculty member Rodney Jones; percussionist, guitarist, and vocalist Mino Cinelu, known for his work with Weather Report, Miles Davis, and Sting; bassist Alex Blake, who has performed with Manhattan Transfer, Sun Ra Arkestra, and Randy Weston; saxophonist Ron Blake, known for his work on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and as a faculty member at the Juilliard School of Music. The brass instrumentalists will be led by Richard Boulger, a former Allman Brothers Band trumpet and flugelhorn player and a protégé of trumpet legends Freddie Hubbard and Donald Byrd.

 

Additional faculty members may be announced.

 

In years past, students have attended from around Berkshire County and across the state, as well as from Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and NY State. 

 

"It's also wonderful to see the progress our students make working together for five straight days, and the friendships they form with other young musicians here at BAAMS will last a lifetime," Boulger added.

 

For more information or to register, contact BAAMS — the Berkshires' Academy for Advanced Musical Studies — by emailing info@berkshiresacademyams.org or messaging via Instagram @wearebaams. 

 

Businesses or philanthropists interested in supporting the camp can contact BAAMS Director of Development Jane Forrestal at (413) 663-4424. BAAMS is a nonprofit corporation and registered Massachusetts public charity.