BEST EXCUSE TO MAKE A WHOLE LOT OF NOISE Girls Rock! Chicago
Here at TOC Kids, we’re often struck with pangs of envy when we see all the cool stuff available to kids these days. Girls Rock! definitely fits that bill, offering summer-camp sessions that empower girls ages 8–16 through music. The nonprofit’s accomplished instructors, whose ranks have included TOC contributors Andrea Bauer of Coupleskate and Melissa Elias of the Ponys, school girls on how to play, write and record music, plus work technical equipment and do everything they’d need to get a band together. Week-long sessions also include team-building activities, guest speakers, local band performances, and a finale CD and student showcase at a real rock club—all designed to make girls feel they can accomplish anything. And moms, if (like us) you wish you could’ve learned to jam in an all-girl setting, now you can: Girls Rock! offers a Ladies Rock! Camp, with proceeds benefitting the girls’ program. (773-289-2670).