Billings Summer, a program at Billings Middle School (7217 Woodlawn Ave NE) which is open to all kids, is off to rocking start.

The program, which runs from July 12 to August 13, 2010, includes a variety of classes, including Contact Juggling, Circus Arts, and Girls Rock!, which was recently highlighted in The Seattle Times:

Girls Rock! Seattle starts Monday and runs through Friday at Billings Middle School in Greenlake. Besides music classes, the day camp features workshops on stage presence, zine making, jewelry, self-defense and the history of women in music. The girls also form bands and write songs to play at the showcase. [...]

Artists Natalie Walker and Holly Houser created the Seattle camp two years ago, and registration doubled this year. There are around 40 Girls Rock! nonprofit camps around the world, first established in Portland in 2001. The local program costs $350 for a week, but over half the students get financial assistance, made possible through grants.

“It’s a safe space for girls to express themselves,” said Houser, 32. “It’s not about being a maestro at their instruments. … A success story at camp is maybe somebody who is really quiet and reserved, who has a hard time opening up to her peers, but at the end of the week, onstage, is completely belting out on her instrument and just feels like a rock star.”

Eighty Girls Rock! participants will be hosted by Billings Middle School this week, July 26-30.  Have fun, girls!