Camp Schedule
Camper Registration
Camper registration begins Sunday afternoon in the lobby of the Bourbon Orleans hotel. There will be a casual meet and greet cocktail party in the ballroom of the hotel after registration. You will get a great taste of things to come as our faculty holds their own jam session during the party. A jam session open to all campers begins at about 8:00 PM in the Ballroom
Daily Schedule
Your day begins with breakfast in the hotel ballroom from 8AM to 9AM, where there will be any announcements followed by various guest speakers or demonstrations.
Throughout the day you will participate in a combination of sectionals, ensembles, and other activities. You will also receive a private lesson during the week at a designated time.
Lunch is provided from noon to 1PM.
Ensembles and some private lessons occur in the afternoon
You are on your own for dinner, which allows you to explore the French Quarter. (Make sure you ask staff members for their favorite places!)
Preservation Hall and An Authentic New Orleans Second Line
During the week, if Preservation Hall’s schedule allows, you will perform at this historic venue. On Tuesday (weather permitting), we join a Second Line through the French Quarter to the Mississippi River, where we hold a musical tribute honoring friends and family we’ve lost over the past year. The traditional “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” begins as a dirge and then shifts to an upbeat tempo, celebrating the lives of our loved ones.
Don't know what a Second Line is? See What is a Second Line?
Lagniappe Day
The day after camp ends is our Lagniappe Day (LAN-yap). Lagniappe is a Louisiana French term from the Spanish la ñapa, which means "a little something extra." If you opt to stay, you will participate in a continuous 3-4 hour jam session at a local venue.
Vocalists:
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The NOTJC vocalists week consists of:
- Warm-ups each morning
Stage presence 101
- How to communicate with a pianist/guitarist
- How to speak musician (terminology)
- How to start the song
- How to end a song
- How to find the right tempo for the song
- How to count off the song
- How to analyze a song and build a song from scratch
- What the different types of endings are and what they are called
- Sitting in etiquette
- How to structure a set
During the week vocalists work primarily with just a pianist but there is an opportunity to sing with a quartet and full band during the week. Vocalists will also be able to sit in at the nightly jam sessions.
Vocalists are invited to march in our memorial second line parade Tuesday evening, weather permitting.
Thursday morning you will work on your song with a guitarist and applyi what you have learned in communication skills sessions to a musician with whom you have not worked.
Thursday night you will be performing at a famous New Orleans music venue. Each vocalist will perform between two to three songs each, more if time allows.
Vocalists will also perform on ensemble at the Toulouse Theater.
The official end of camp is with our concert on Friday afternoon, where all vocalists will perform in front of the rest of the instrumentalists, vocalists, and guests.
You are also invited to sit in for our Lagniappe performances at the World War II museum on Saturday during the day and/or at Buffa's Bar & Restaurant on Saturday evening.
If there is something specific you wish to work on we will do our best to accommodate you.