Bushmills rocks all the way to Boston

Fifteen young Americans travelled across the Atlantic to the North Antrim rock music capital to join Polish and German teenagers and around sixty local young people in the week long introduction to the world of heavy metal and pop culture.

Coleraine Senior Youth Worker Eugene Stewart had the chance to relive his Led Zeppelin days (as a fan) when he picked up an electric guitar and sat in on a practice session with one of the five bands formed specially for the week’s course at Bushmills Education Centre.

Tutors from Derry’s Nerve Centre helped the musicians rehearse for a public performance in front of an audience of parents and friends during which each band would play a piece they had written themselves as well as other well-known numbers.

Meanwhile, a group of young female dancers rehearsed routines under the guidance of tutor Karen Graham and another group of young people – the media crew – filmed a documentary DVD about the Rock Camp.

“This is the second year of the Bushmills Rock Camp and apparently last year’s DVD has been doing very well on Facebook in North America so there were a lot of young people from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York keen to come over this year. We couldn’t cater for all the demand,” Eugene said.

The innovative rock music summer camp is organised by the North Eastern Education and Library Board’s Youth Service with funding from the Big Lottery and the Big Deal.

“As well as bringing together young people from very diverse communities who get to know each other over the week, it helps develop their musical talents and they think it’s just brilliant,” Eugene commented. “It takes them to a new level when they have to perform to an audience and they aren’t always stuck in-doors. We have had them out on the high ropes course at the Bushmills Centre and getting wet at Ballintoy Harbour as well,” he added.

There are regular link-ups between the North Eastern Board’s Youth Service and the United States with groups of youngsters from Coleraine and Ballymoney heading off to do project work in Boston or work as leaders in American summer camps this summer.