bleeps+loops:
Electronic Music Camp
Summer Camps for Ages 8-14 and 12-18
Mod Squad Studios, German Village, Columbus, OH
Founded at the University of Washington in 2018, the bleeps+loops STEM music summer camp is a project-based, collaborative learning experience for young musicians (and aspiring musicians) age 8-18 who want to explore industry-standard electronic music production, composition, and performance techniques.
NOTE: Our Synth Camp for ages 8-14 is new in 2023, so these pictures are from our ages 12-18 program.
Use real modular & analog synthesizers to create unique sounds for your tracks
Get real-life experience using one of the most popular instruments making its way into studios and onto stages today: the Modular Synthesizer.
Produce, mix, and master original music using Ableton Live 11
Create beats and record your music using the industry’s most popular Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).
Collaborate with like-minded musicians in a fun and supportive environment
Many of today’s most popular tracks are collaborations between 2 or more artists. Learn the techniques and workflows necessary to create tracks through long-distance or in-person collaboration.
Learn to perform live using drum machines, MIDI instruments, and analog synths
Today’s top electronic artists use real instruments such as synthesizers and drum machines to perform their music live instead of simply playing pre-produced tracks. We’ll not only teach you their techniques, but also help you to construct your own engaging live sets.
Tactile, Hands-On Music Creation Perfect for Neurodivergent Students
We use lots of physical, analog instruments rather than just computers to make music. This approach is perfect for ASD and other learning differences because kids can hyper-focus on an instrument, explore sounds, and learn how to explore more effectively.
Registration through the Delaware county board of disability (DCBDD) is available upon request.
Listen to your finished track on Spotify and Apple Music when camp is over!
Each performance group of 3-4 students will complete a track and submit it for release on the Bleeps and Loops label.
Music + STEM = Electronic Musicians' Camp
For Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced Students Alike!
Columbus Ohio’s first music summer camp for students who want to learn to produce tracks, make beats, and compose electronic music. Looking for Ableton Live lessons? Music production classes? Our summer music camp prepares students to produce electronic music like the pros.
Students at our music camps have continual hands-on experience with the latest software and hardware tools used by their favorite artists. As such, Electronic Musicians’ Camp is the perfect combination of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and Art, which is sometimes referred to as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math).
With one-on-one help from real musicians and producers, students with little-to-no prior experience can quickly develop their skills, find their ‘sound’, and begin producing the music they’ve always wanted to produce. Intermediate and advanced students will learn just as much, as our instructors tailor lessons and activities to individual skill levels. Wherever you are in your musical journey, our goal is to help you progress to the next level.
Middle school and high school students in Columbus, Ohio looking for a STEM summer camp that focuses on the technological side of music production should get excited!
Your Head Instructors
These two Bleeps and Loops founders will be teaching full-time at our camps, with the help of guest artists and technologists from the local synth scene (this year’s guest artist lineup will be announced soon).
Michael Vawter co-founded the Robot Academy in 2006 and has taught many thousands of students worldwide. He’s been featured in Popular Science Magazine, was on TV with Bill Nye the Science Guy, and was inducted into the National Gallery for Young Inventors for his work with robotics. He published peer-reviewed psychophysics research at Denison University in 2011 and went on to earn a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation. In his ongoing career as a robotics/music instructor, Michael helps students and teachers to analyze and solve technological problems more creatively by integrating their right-brain and left-brain capacities.
Michael holds degrees in Psychology and Vocal Performance, with a concentration in Bluegrass. Classically trained as a pianist, guitarist and vocalist, he now concentrates on building musical gizmos and gadgets that allow him to perform ambient electronic music with a ‘human’ feel. His robotics career and musical training have now been combined and channeled into a passion for Modular Synthesis, which he refers to as “the nerdiest possible way to make music”.
John Kammerer is a Seattle-based music producer, sound designer, audio engineer and computer musician. He earned his Masters in Music from the University of South Carolina, where his focus was to develop techniques for incorporating electronics, machine learning, and various methods of human-computer interaction within the context of french horn performance.
John has served as a sound designer and audio engineer/technician for world-renowned marching bands and indoor ensembles across the country, including the Santa Clara Vanguard (SCV). He toured nationally with SCV in 2015/2016, and since then has been in high demand as an electronic audio consultant to top marching bands nationwide.
John’s musical interests are focused primarily within the realm of electronic ambient, IDM, and computer music with an emphasis on education, experimental performance techniques, and the endlessly enjoyable rabbit-hole that is modular synthesis.
Michael Vawter co-founded the Robot Academy in 2006 and has taught many thousands of students worldwide. He’s been featured in Popular Science Magazine, was on TV with Bill Nye the Science Guy, and was inducted into the National Gallery for Young Inventors for his work with robotics. He published peer-reviewed psychophysics research at Denison University in 2011 and went on to earn a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation. In his ongoing career as a robotics/music instructor, Michael helps students and teachers to analyze and solve technological problems more creatively by integrating their right-brain and left-brain capacities.
Michael holds degrees in Psychology and Vocal Performance, with a concentration in Bluegrass. Classically trained as a pianist, guitarist and vocalist, he now concentrates on building musical gizmos and gadgets that allow him to perform ambient electronic music with a ‘human’ feel. His robotics career and musical training have now been combined and channeled into a passion for Modular Synthesis, which he refers to as “the nerdiest possible way to make music”.
John Kammerer is a Seattle-based music producer, sound designer, audio engineer and computer musician. He earned his Masters in Music from the University of South Carolina, where his focus was to develop techniques for incorporating electronics, machine learning, and various methods of human-computer interaction within the context of french horn performance.
John has served as a sound designer and audio engineer/technician for world-renowned marching bands and indoor ensembles across the country, including the Santa Clara Vanguard (SCV). He toured nationally with SCV in 2015/2016, and since then has been in high demand as an electronic audio consultant to top marching bands nationwide.
John’s musical interests are focused primarily within the realm of electronic ambient, IDM, and computer music with an emphasis on education, experimental performance techniques, and the endlessly enjoyable rabbit-hole that is modular synthesis.
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You'll leave camp with:
- A completed track, created in collaboration with 2-3 of your peers
- A recorded live performance of your group's music
- A unique sample pack of your own creation to use in future projects
As a graduate, you'll be able to:
- Design unique sounds using modular synthesizers, Ableton plugins, or whatever tools are available to you!
- Develop and implement unique melodies, rhythms, and song structures
- Compose and arrange with MIDI effectively and efficiently in Ableton Live
- Create danceable beats in Ableton Live and with hardware drum machines
- Work smoothly with long-distance or in-person collaborators
"Also, I really wanted to say thanks for having such an amazing camp! It was an awesome experience to learn from real electronic musicians and play around with many varieties of synths. What you guys taught me really has opened my eyes to the workflow and details of production [that] producers should know. I seriously appreciate what you guys showed me, I haven't been more motivated to make my own music and learn even more."
Matt T.
High School Student
2hr Synth Workshop & Exhibit
May 21, 2023
Columbus, OH | Mod Squad Studios (German Village)
FREE
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Ages 8-18
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2-4pm, Sunday
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Demos from Modular & Analog Synth Experts
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All Instructors are Adult Music Professionals
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Play with Pro-Level Electronic Music Production Gear
Electronic Music Production Camp
June 19-23, 2023 (Full-Day Camp)
Columbus, OH | Mod Squad Studios (German Village)
$
875
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Ages 8-18 (Students Grouped by Age)
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10am-4pm, Monday-Friday
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One-on-One Mentorship from Instructors
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All Instructors are Adults and Music Professionals
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1:4 Student-to-Teacher Ratio (or better)
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All Gear / Instruments Provided
Electronic Music Production Camp
July 24-28, 2023 (Mornings)
Columbus, OH | Mod Squad Studios (German Village)
$
575
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Ages 8-18 (Students Grouped by Age)
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9am-noon, Monday-Friday
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One-on-One Mentorship from Instructors
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All Instructors are Adults and Music Professionals
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1:4 Student-to-Teacher Ratio (or better)
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All Gear / Instruments Provided
Scholarship Competition (Due April 19)
Experienced musicians and/or producers (ages 8-18) are invited to submit an original track and/or recording (no genre requirements; it doesn’t even have to be electronic music) along with an essay for a chance to win free admission to camp!
Summer Camp Gift Certificate (25% Off)
University of Washington
$875
$
655
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Reserve your spot now at a reduced price, get a full refund later if our camps don't fit your schedule
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Camps will take place at the University of Washington, School of Art and Design
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Camps will be planned for July and August (exact dates TBA)
All camps are 1 week long (Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm with optional early pickup/dropoff for $10/day -
Ages 12-18
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All Gear / Instruments Provided