Jazz and Science camps at Fairfield University | Press Releases

Fairfield University's School of Continuing Education is offering a Jazz Workshop and Young Astronomer's Science Adventure this summer for area young people.

The popular jazz camp will be held on Monday, July 9, through Saturday, July 14, and is geared towards middle school, high school and college-age student instrumentalists that have at least two years of experience and a basic music-reading ability.

Directed by renowned bassist and composer, Brian Torff, the workshop will combine jazz instruction, improvisation and theory with summer recreation activities. Students will perform in jazz ensembles and attend classes and workshops in jazz improvisation, theory, rhythm and world music, history of jazz and jazz arranging and composition. On Saturday, July 14, at the culmination of their week at the jazz camp, the students will perform in concert.

All students will have access to the University's resources and facilities, including the Recreational Complex with a 25-meter pool and tennis and racquetball courts. They will be housed in air-conditioned, double accommodation dormitory rooms with meals served three times a day and spend evenings at concerts, jam sessions, movies, and more.

The tuition for the camp is $675 with a $100 deposit required. For more information, please call toll-free, (888) 254-1566 or fax (203) 254-4106.

The Young Astronomers Summer Science Adventure is a day program which runs Monday through Friday for two weeks, July 9 through July 20.

Offered to students entering grades 7 through 12, the program explores the world of astronomy and builds crucial science and math skills. It incorporates the principles of the National Science Education Standards and will prepare students for high school and advanced courses in the sciences as well as for the CAPT exam.

Students will work with professionals and educators using NASA materials, Internet resources, scientific investigations, and lab experiments to learn about everything from the stars and planets to the Big Bang and black holes.

The Young Astronomers program is directed by David Heiden, a physics and astronomy teacher at Fairfield High School and also an adjunct faculty member at Fairfield University. He has an extensive background, from assisting at the University of Wyoming's Infrared Observatory to being a scientific data analyst in a defense program at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. His knowledge and experience will help students develop a greater understanding of the science of astronomy.

The program runs Monday through Friday, with each session beginning at 9 a.m. and ending around noon. Tuition for this program is $500 and includes all materials and Internet access. For more information, please contact (203) 254-4220 or toll free at 1 (877) 467-3817.