Santa Barbara’s Very Own School of Rock

Step into Jasmine’s Alternative Music School (JAMS for short) and you’ve entered a completely new world. Instruments decorate the room, a fitting sight for a music exploration facility. Guitars hang along one wall and speakers and amps are stacked in another corner. A local nonprofit that has been around for more than 15 years, JAMS is tucked in Downtown Santa Barbara. The small space is home to many musical activities, including a recording studio, rehearsal space, and, this past month, the Summer Rock Camp.

For the past few years, JAMS has hosted a special Summer Rock Camp taught by the Vancouver-based band Space Queen. The band consists of Jenna Earle, Karli MacIntosh, and Seah Maister, all accomplished musicians whose experience teaching music up in Canada has also come down to Santa Barbara.

“[Coming to teach] was a natural fit,” Earle said. For one week, 12 students between ages 6 through 18 gather to learn how to play an instrument, cover a couple of songs, and even write their own. At the end of the week, students get to perform all their practiced songs at a live venue.

As students slowly came in, Earle, MacIntosh, and Meister expressed their excitement for the week. With some returning students from the previous year, alongside a new batch of eager kids, the band was looking forward to what this year’s rock camp would bring.

Within the first couple of days, students learn a crash course in the history of rock music and start trying out different instruments. For each song played at the final performance is a different lineup of students on instruments, meaning students have the opportunity to choose to learn more than one instrument during the camp. Together, the camp chooses songs they wish to cover, before jumping into songwriting under the guidance of the three experienced Space Queen instructors.

As the students chat among themselves, there’s one thing they clearly have in common: everyone’s love for music.

“I just love learning about music. And listening to music, all the time,” one student said during a transition period. As the instructors searched for instruments and began drawing out their plan for the next few days, the students were quick to familiarize themselves with one another.

This year, the camp covered three songs and produced three original songs of their own. The three chosen songs were “Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai, “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones, and Djo’s recent “End of Beginning.” Even while listening to the songs, you can see the gears turning in the instructors’ heads, their hands tapping along to the beat as they voice out their interest in the chords and music production behind the song.

Students are separated into groups on the third day to begin rehearsing and learning the chords for each song, Earle, MacIntosh, and Maister split up the groups up in accordance to the instruments that they play for Space Queen.

Though JAMS itself is rather small, there’s enough space for dance breaks and to practice instruments side by side.

Aside from the Summer Rock Camp, JAMS regularly hosts private music lessons and music classes and workshops. They also provide a space for exploring, producing, and recording music.

The music programs that JAMS offers is funded by the Star Jasmine Music Foundation, which was founded after the passing of Nancy Earle’s daughter Jasmine. JAMS was formed in her loving memory of being a singer and songwriter, and her legacy. Since then, Earle continued to pass down her love of music and community and founded JAMS in 2008.

Cami, Jenna Earle’s cousin, has been coming to JAMS since she was a little girl. After participating for fun in the past couple years, she returned this year as a “junior counselor,” stepping in to help with teaching instruments and songwriting.

“I can focus on something good,” she explained. “It takes a weight off my shoulders because there’s a positive aura that comes with the camp.” But it’s not just Cami who’s happy to be at JAMS. There’s an overall excitement in the room as the group pitches into songwriting and when they’re listening to the songs they’re going to learn.

“It’s special to see kids who are shy to blossom,” Earle said. “They discover a talent they didn’t realize they had.” Though the camp is only a week long, the group successfully learns and produces their own songs, ready for their final performance. Anchor Rose on the Harbor in Santa Barbara has donated the venue space for the past two years, giving the group the opportunity to play to a larger audience.

In addition to their week-long rock camp, Space Queen is also on a small SoCal tour. For more information about their work and upcoming shows, see wearespacequeen.com.

Learn more about JAMS and the different music services they offer at jamsmusic.org/home.