Frequently Asked Questions

Why Girls Only?

By having an all-female educational setting, Girls Rock! Indianapolis supports the right for everyone to learn music in a positive environment, making up for the significant lack of such an opportunity for women and girls today.

We want to create an environment that eliminates the restrictive stereotypes about music and gender that can make girls afraid to speak up, sing out, and make noise. We serve to demonstrate – through lessons, mentorship, and positive examples from same-sex staff and volunteers – that every genre of music, every technical job, and every creative endeavor in the music industry is available to any girl or woman who wants to explore it.

At Girls Rock! Indianapolis, girls have a safe place to be themselves, express themselves, and explore their creativity without being influenced by the expectations of the men or boys in their lives. Single-sex environments have been found to provide girls with a higher sense of self, increased confidence to pursue goals, and an awareness of the lives of those around them. Girls are given a place to develop and assert themselves outside of gender roles still imposed by cultural and social norms.

Research from the Girl Scouts indicates that girls in single-sex environments “feel better able to compete fairly, garner attention, take a chance they may be wrong, or not look physically wonderful at the moment.” Ellen Christie, Girl Scouts New York City director of media services.

How is Girls Rock! Indianapolis different from other rock camps/schools?

Girls Rock! Indianapolis is not a rock school. We use music education as a tool to foster self-esteem, create community, and encourage social change. The enormous amount of community support given to girls at camp affords them a unique opportunity to express themselves in any way they wish. It’s not just about rock ‘n’ roll; it’s about all musical genres. And it’s not just about being a virtuoso; it’s about being an active agent in music culture and industry. We believe that by teaching these things, we can help girls develop-musically, mentally, and emotionally-toward their own ideas of who and what they want to be.

How is Girls Rock! Indianapolis different from Portland and Seattle’s Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls? How are they similar?

While Portland’s RnRC4Gs and Seattle’s Girls Rock! are successful models and certainly the inspiration for much of our programming, our primary concern is how to most effectively bring the common mission of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance to Indianapolis. As a result, it’s important that we identify the unique needs, challenges and opportunities in our community and let these guide and shape the direction of our programming and organization as a whole.

How can I help?

If you would like to volunteer during the week of Summer Camp, please sign up on our Volunteer Registration page and you will be informed when volunteer meetings are scheduled. Check out the list of volunteer positions to see how you can help both before and during camp.

If you would like to volunteer time, skills, or resources to help us prepare for camp and other events throughout the year, please contact Info@girlsrockindy.org and describe a few ways that your experience can help a new youth serving organization.

We are also interested in monetary donations, used gear, permanent office space, storage space, and more. Refer to our Gear & Goods page for complete details