Award-winning singer, songwriter and composer Mary Beth Maziarz looks forward to sharing her love of the craft through her 2023 Summer Song Camps.
The camps, which are recommended for ages 13 and older, will cover recording, production, songwriting and performing, with Maziarz, whose music has been heard in more than 60 films and TV shows, including “Dawson’s Creek” and “Joan of Arcadia.”
The “First Tracks” recording camp will run from July 10-14 at Counterpoint Studios in Salt Lake City,” she said. “If you’re going to have an amazing first experience in a studio, this is the place to have it.”
Campers will participate in hands-on production, tracking, recording and editing experiences, and they will gain an understanding of how pop songs are made from recording to overdubbing and mastering, Maziarz said.
“While the studio is located in Salt Lake City, student drop-off and pick-up will be in Park City,” she said. “Idol Camp,” which will focus on songwriting and performance, will run from July 17-21, according to Maziarz.
“This camp is for those who are more interested in the live aspect and career as songwriters,” she said. “We look at everything from the formulaic set up of a traditional pop song — verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge chorus.”
Campers will also learn about hard and soft rhymes, and the differences between singles and album cuts, Maziarz said.
“We will also get philosophical and look at whether or not an idea is big enough to write a song about,” she said. “We will talk about whether the idea is relevant in this day and age from the very practical side of things to the big umbrella of the reasons we write songs at all.”
“Idol Camp” will take place in various venues, depending on the group size and needs, Maziarz said.
“If it’s a really small group, I’ll do the session at my house,” she said. “I have a grand piano and a lot of guitars.”
If the group is larger, the camps may be held at different places in and around Park City, Maziarz said.
“In the past we have held camps at Weilenmann School of Discovery and had the kids set up on a real stage and use a real sound system,” she said. “We’ve also used the Egyptian Theatre studios.”
While Maziarz provides gluten-free snacks and beverages, she encourages students to bring sack lunches with the food they want to eat.
“We’ll take breaks where, depending on the weather, the kids can go outside and share songs they like on their phones,” she said.
Breaktime is the only time the campers can bring out their electronic devices, Maziarz said.
“We’re a non-digital camp,” she said. “We like to put the phones in a box so we can focus on making music in real time.”
Maziarz is also adding a recording experience add-on camp for those who want some extra guidance and time to record additional tracks, she said.
Throughout the camps, Maziarz also hopes the students will hone life skills, such as communication, organization, problem solving, budgeting and relationship building.
“We will also go over how to get along with band members, how to find band members, contracts and knowing when you’re ready for the next step,” she said.
The camp curriculum is culled from years of experience Maziarz has had in the music industry.
“A dear friend of mine, Paul Fitzgerald, who has been an actor for decades, decided to seriously take up songwriting and recording in the past few years,” she said. “So, I started writing him a letter with all of the tips that I wish somebody had told me when I was starting out when I was 12, 13 and 14.”
Some of those tips include simple things like not putting coffee mugs on studio soundboards, to learning the needs of different venue managers, Maziarz said.
“Are they looking for talent or are they looking to get people into the seats?” she said.
As Maziarz wrote her letter to Fitzgerald, the list kept getting longer.
“I thought maybe I should organize this into something that would be useful to young up-and-coming musicians,” she said.
After organizing the list, Maziarz looked for a through-line.
“I wanted to find the things and elements that are applicable to any genre and most levels of musicality, no matter if they are punk, country, rock, singer-songwriter or jazz,” she said. “I wanted to find things that somebody who has been writing and playing out for a couple of years could absorb and appreciate and find interesting. And I wanted to find things that those who are new to this would also find interesting.”
In addition, Maziarz wanted to give every camper a good understanding of songwriting basics.
“Even though the music industry is always changing, there are some what I call golden rules that will always be relevant that I will share, because the business can be an incredibly tricky territory if they don’t have any type of frame of reference,” she said. “So, later on when they’re breaking down barriers and doing experimental stuff or changing the world with brand new songs, they will start from a solid foundation.”
Even if some of the young artists find themselves participating in other music ventures such as “American Idol” and “The Voice,” or if a TikTok video takes off, these lessons can give them tools to help build their careers, Maziarz said.
“I want them to know what to do with all that extra attention,” she said. “I want them to know how to monetize or parley that time into gigs, and how to help the attention last more than 15 minutes.”
Although the camps are recommended for ages 13 and older, Maziarz is open to exceptions.
“If parents have a younger child who is really interested and devoted, they can just call me,” she said. “And if I feel they are ready, we will include them.”
Older students are also welcome.
“Sometimes older students who have experience will take on a mentorship role within the camps,” she said. “So, it’s not just my experience that speaks to the camps’ discussion points. It’s also their experiences that may have a different point of view.”
The last things Maziarz hopes to convey to the campers through her summer camps are the different benefits of playing music.
“There are lots of ways to be in service through music, and there are many ways to find how much you love it in ways you’ve never loved it before,” she said. “Finance, fame and status can be fleeting. So. if you’re not enjoying yourself along the journey, you’re going to be in for real disappointment when the journey doesn’t continue to expand in the way you thought.”