Guitar Jam Session with Newark City Schools

Check out the cool event going on at the Theatre today!

Every summer, Newark City Schools hosts a one-of-a-kind Guitar Building Camp, a week where students don't just learn about music, they create it from the ground up. In just five days, campers dive into everything it takes to build a guitar-woodworking, wiring, soldering, stringing, you name it! At the end of the week, students get the opportunity to play their newly crafted guitars on the stage of the Midland Theatre. Tom Singer, a founder of the program, says his favorite part of the camp is watching the students light up as they begin to understand what they've accomplished. "After the first day, they're not real sure about it," Singer explains, "but by the fourth and fifth day, they actually walk around holding the guitar like it's a prized object. That's the huge difference."

One of those students, Owen Painter, says what stood out most to him was learning just how complex the process really is. He embraced gaining a deeper understanding of what it takes to build a guitar, because as he quickly found out, it's not nearly as easy as it looks.

We had the chance to speak with another student, Sydelle Moran, who has a wonderful success story connected to the camp. Her first reaction when she heard about it was, "You get to build a guitar..... For free?! Sign me up!" Since attending the camp, she's gained a strong understanding of the challenging process that goes into building guitars. That knowledge has helped her thrive at her job at Guitar Guys in Heath, where she's developed confidence in customer service and can explain complex guitar details to patrons. Not only does she work at Guitar Guys, but she's also a counselor at the camp - and she's doing all of this while still a high school student!

This camp isn't just about music. It's about giving kids a place to belong, a reason to be proud, and a foundation they can carry for life. Rese Jhordan, an instructor at the camp, musician, and Newark teacher, spoke about the impact this kind of opportunity can have on students. Rese talked about the life experiences that inspired him to do something bigger. "I started thinking, well maybe I can go to college or do something more with my life, just because I had seen something. So things like this help students have those experiences like I had."

The Newark Guitar Building Camp is more than a weeklong project. It's a hands-on experience that gives students practical skills, creative confidence, and a sense of community that stays with them long after the final performance.