Be inspired. Be empowered. Be creative!
Our ground breaking and highly inspirational 3-day residential Vocal Jazz Camp returns for a 4th year for singers aged 14-18 (19 if taking a year out) who want to get right inside the music!
Through singing in an ensemble on the course, you will collectively work on essential skills needed for solo singing: phrasing, paraphrasing, intonation, articulation and groove, whilst also covering other skills such as learning by ear; developing a good memory for music and lyrics; developing an understanding of form; rhythmic security in an improvising environment; improvisation and understanding of jazz harmony and modes as well as collectively writing a song!
The Vocal Jazz Camp ends with a fabulous concert on the Sunday, attended by family and friends as well as the Composition Summer School and Summer School delegates.
Find out more:
Watch the 2023 Vocal Jazz Camp Concert:
Application Process
Vocal Jazz Camp students are selected by audition. Auditions are free to attend, all you need to do is choose your preferred audition location and complete the application form.
We’d love to meet you on our 2025 national audition tour and hear you sing!
Application deadline: 11pm on Sunday 16th March
Audition Process
LIVE PERFORMANCE: Candidates will be asked to give a live performance accompanied by NYJC’s accompanist.
REPERTOIRE: In the audition candidates will be asked to perform three tunes selected from the list below. Feel free to practice the ballad and medium tempo swing numbers using the using the backing tracks provided after the vocal repertoire list on NYJC’s website
- One of the following ballads: Either “Moonlight in Vermont” or “The Nearness of You”
- One of the following medium tempo swing numbers:
- But Not For Me
- Pennies From Heaven
- Triste
- Beautiful Love
- A piece of your own choice which can be unaccompanied.
Applicants are not required to improvise (scat!) at their audition. They can if they want to – but paraphrasing the melody and communicating the lyrics is sufficient at this stage. We’re really keen to work with all enthusiastic vocalists who are looking to broaden their skillset and take their singing to the next level.
LEAD SHEETS FOR THE ACCOMPANIST: All candidates will be expected to provide appropriate piano accompaniments or concert lead sheets for the accompanying jazz pianist.
Lead sheet example
Guidance on how to write a lead sheet
Dates
Audition Tour: NYJC’s 15-day national audition tour will take place 29 March – 23 April 2025
Vocal Jazz Camp: Friday 8 August – Sunday 10 August 2025
Cost
The registration fee for the Vocal Jazz Camp is £310
This covers accommodation, food, and all teaching and activities throughout the duration of the course.
Financial Help
We don’t want anyone to miss out because they cannot afford the fees. NYJC offers means-tested bursaries for those needing financial help. This can include covering the full costs of the course enrolment fee, and transport costs to both our free auditions and the summer school. Bursaries also cover the cost of an accompanying traveller for under 16s.
Who’s Involved?
Musical Director
The inspirational award winning Pete Churchill (London Vocal Project, Pete Churchill trio, Avalon Trio, West End MD of 5 guys named Moe, MD for Mark Murphy, Conductor of Kenny Wheeler Big Band, Professor of Jazz Composition @ Royal Academy of Music, Jazz singing @ Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles & Kodaly Summer School @ University of Queensland, Brisbane; Parliamentary Jazz Award for Education 2007)
Hear Pete Churchill’s inspiring work with the London Vocal Project (formed in 2008):
The Location
Benenden School in Kent
Benenden School, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 4AA
Benenden School is an independent boarding school for girls in Kent, England. It is located in the beautiful Hemsted Park at Benenden in the Kent countryside, between Cranbrook and Tenterden.
In 2022, Benenden opened a brand-new state-of-the-art Music School, which also includes the highly impressive state-of-the-art Centenary Hall (capacity 750) designed by the multi award-winning Guy Hollaway Architects and offering state-of-the-art acoustics, which give audiences a truly amazing performance experience.
The Music School also features a smaller Recital Hall, with capacity for an audience of around 150 people, offering a performance space in a more intimate environment, perfect for rehearsals and smaller performances such as the nightly jam sessions and tutors’ concert. The Music School also has 20 practice rooms, five additional ensemble classrooms, a beautiful chapel and IT suite.
NYJC really got me into jazz. I probably wouldn’t be anywhere near what I’m doing today without what I’ve got from here. It’s the best tuition you can get”
Alex Ridout
BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2016
The tutors are great musicians — no one judges your playing — so if you want to find others like you to play with, go for it.. .”
Timur Pak
Summer School 2016
I met a lot of lovely new people and got great insights into the jazz scene”
Rosie Frater-Taylor
Summer School 2016
I’d done a lot of classical before, but here we all learned to blend and fit in with the jazz.”
Mishaal Mehmood
Summer School 2016
Fantastic atmosphere— the jamming in the evenings is so much fun, so inclusive, everyone just gets into it.”
William Pearce
Summer School 2016
NYJC has established itself as the primary means through which young, like-minded jazz players can meet to play and learn together. Their summer school and feeder regional programmes are an invaluable opportunity to experience the highest level of jazz education while forging significant and sometimes life-long musical peer partnerships.”
Nick Smart
Head of Jazz at RAM
Amazing. I’ve just loved playing with so many really enthusiastic people who have a love of jazz”
Sam Nichols
Summer School 2016
