Press release
In another example of creative partnerships designed to empower students through the performing arts, the Gia Maione Prima Foundation will sponsor a free music camp in partnership with the Count Basie Center for the Arts and Red Bank’s Jazz Arts Project.
Open to current 3-7th grade students in Monmouth and Ocean counties, the Louis & Gia Maione Prima Music Camp will connect young musicians to instruments and world-class instructors. Named for the singer and widow of the late, great Louis Prima, the Gia Maione Prima Foundation supports and encourages the appreciation for American jazz, American popular music and jazz performance, as well as the fine arts.
“The Prima Foundation is excited to continue its partnership with the Count Basie Center and the Jazz Arts Project in sponsoring the Louis and Gia Maione Prima Music Camp,” stated Anthony J. Sylvester, Trustee to the Gia Maione Prima Foundation. “During the past couple of years, the importance of music education and the arts have been vital. The camp offers young people the opportunity to have access to hands-on music instruction and collaboration with their peers, key to fostering the program’s mission of social and academic success.”
“We are thrilled to continue to partner with the Jazz Arts Project to help bring the Louis & Gia Maione Prima Music Camp to students who need it most,” says Samantha Giustiniani, Senior Director of Education, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “Access to the arts and music education is essential, and we’re honored to continue to provide a free, worldclass music education experience this year. “
The objective of the camp is to offer a no-cost opportunity to students to experience hands-on instruction from professional musicians and dedicated, experienced music educators. The programs mission, according to Jazz Arts Project founder Joe Muccioli, is to put “instruments in (students’) hands, music in their hearts and hope in their future.”
“The Jazz Arts project is grateful to the Gia Maione Prima Foundation and Count Basie Center for the Arts for their support of this vital initiative,” says Muccioli. “I know first-hand how impactful a positive experience in learning to play an instrument is, and how it can really change a life. Our organizations will join forces to extend the impact and longevity of a program that will continue to positively impact the lives of young students and their families.”
The Louis & Gia Maione Prima Music Camp will run weekdays July 11 through 22. The camps take place at the Basie Center’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music, located at 65 Chestnut Street in Red Bank. Students interested in registering for the camp should visit www.thebasie.org/musiccamp or call 732.741.8880.
