Jazz Camp

Date: Sunday, June 9 – Friday, June 14
Location: Simpson College, 701 N. C St, Indianola, IA 50125
Contact/Questions: musicatsimpson@simpson.edu

Anyone between the ages of 12-19 and at least one year of experience with their primary instrument.

Campers will spend time learning jazz theory, jazz improvisation, and some jazz history. Time will be spent learning from seasoned faculty in theory and history classes, instrument master classes, and rehearsals under the direction of different faculty. Check out the sample schedule here.

Registration for the 2025 camp opens January 2nd, 2025 with a deadline of (TBD). Once registration is open, a deposit of $50 will be due to hold your spot. The best way to deposit is to send a check made out to: Simpson Jazz Camp
701 N C ST
Indianola, IA 50125

$575 = Tuition/Housing/Food/Camp t-shirt
$475 = Tuition/NO HOUSING/Food/Camp t-shirt

Thanks to a recent benefactor, there are five $100 scholarships available. All registered students are welcome to apply by sending a 250-word maximum answer to the question: “What musical goals do you have for yourself, and how is the Simpson College Jazz Camp going to help you achieve them?”

2025 Faculty Coming Soon

Yes, the deadline for registration is June 1, 2024

No, but a fridge is located in a common space area on each level.

Auditions occur on the first day of camp after registration (Sunday), beginning at 4 PM. For trumpet, saxophone, trombone (and other winds) players, auditions typically consist of sight-reading and improvising over a blues progression, such as those found on typical play-along CDs such as Jamey Aebersold. Rhythm section players will be asked to demonstrate instrument-specific skills at the discretion of their camp instructor. We take great care in making the audition process as friendly and stress-free as possible.

Campers are allowed to bring snacks and have them in the dorm rooms. However, they need to be tidy and not have a food mess!

That is dependent on the camper and parent’s comfort level. Most parents hang out through the registration process and help the students get unpacked and settled in their dorm rooms. If there is time between that and the audition, some parents take their kid for a quick bite to eat or to the Outside Scoop, a nearby and very good ice-cream shop. Generally, most parents leave when auditions begin but are welcome to stay for as long as they’d like.

Cell phones are allowed. There are no restrictions on this at all. We encourage communication between parents and students so both can feel at ease with how the week is going. There is no problem with bringing a tablet as well, though we do hope that students enjoy the full social aspect of camp and don’t sequester themselves in their dorm room.

The camp counselors will indeed check that their assigned students are up and getting ready for their day. Students have to check-in with their counselors at breakfast and are looked for if they have not appeared by 8:30AM or so.

No! We teach you improvisation skills starting from wherever you are.

Many students do this, and we try our best to make this happen. Due to room sizes and availability, it is not always possible, but it is more likely than not.

Depending on local and regional donations, scholarships may be available. Check the Cost of Attendance section for details. Some families have multiple children who want to attend jazz camp. In this case, the camp will reduce each family’s child’s tuition by $25. Also, various promotional codes that offer additional savings will be provided throughout the year.

Registration on June 9th begins at 2:00 PM in the first-floor lobby of the Barker Residence Hall. Click HERE for the campus map. Checkout begins at 2:45 PM, on the final Friday of camp, in the same place.

If students choose to stay on campus, they stay at the beautiful Barker Residence Hall of Simpson College. The camp employs between 8-10 college-aged counselors each year that make sure everyone is safe and healthy.

The beds in Barker dorms are all twin-long size. You should also bring a pillow. Another option is to bring a sleeping bag.

As a policy, we do not allow students to leave campus. However, if it is an unavoidable conflict and the parents are in support, the student is allowed to leave, provided that they inform both the camp director and their counselor about their leave and return times.

Absolutely! All concerts are free, open to the public, and typically begin shortly after 7:00PM each night except for Wednesday, which is the social evening of the camp. Note that the Friday night concert begins at 4:30 PM.

When they check in, they’ll be given a schedule showing all those details. All the students’ first activity after breakfast is theory at 9 AM. The practice sessions will be done around 3:45 PM and the students then have time off for fun outdoor activities (or to go home) until the nightly meeting in the Great Hall at 7 PM, followed immediately by the concert.

Yes. In fact, you should plan on that! Check-out will begin at 2:45PM on Friday, and students should plan on grabbing some food somewhere either on campus or elsewhere in Indianola before the camp finale concert (mandatory and the highlight of the week!) that begins at 4:30PM.

You are free to pay the remaining balance anytime through the first day of the camp.

There are not many (if any) additional expenses, though some students do like to buy snacks etc. There are vending machines, though the Kent Campus center has many more and better choices than a vending machine. Some students like to go to the movies on our social night on the Wednesday evening of camp, so that would be a possible expense. A popular excursion is going to the Outside Scoop for a delicious ice-cream with a cost of around $5. We’d be surprised if he/she needed more than $20. The one caveat to that is that some of the jazz camp faculty bring their own CDs for sale at the camp. Many students like to purchase these items directly from the jazz faculty member.