Creative expression can be challenging for anyone, and even more difficult during teenage years. Fortunately, for some teen girls, Southern Girls Rock ’n’ Roll Camp provides an opportunity to grow through music.

The week-long day camp, which ran in Murfreesboro from July 14 – 19, sorted girls into “bands” and culminated on Saturday, July 19, with a showcase of their work.

“We all worked really, really hard all week long,” said Cara Charlton, a former camper who returns as a volunteer each summer. “It paid off, and the girls’ performances were amazing.”

During the week, each “band” learned and rehearsed a song, and then performed it at MTSU’s Tucker Theater for the showcase. While most of the presentations were popular song covers, such as The Pipettes’ “Pull Shapes,” others opted to develop original compositions.

“We encourage our campers to excel within their interests of music,” said Anna Fitzgerald, who works as the camp’s director, as well as the founder of its umbrella organization, Youth Empowerment Through Arts & Humanities. “We help them explore other areas of music, too, such as screen printing, songwriting, music photography, zine-making, and recording.”

The girls also receive visits from guest artists, such as this year’s performances by Michelle Malone, the Screaming Jacks, Annie McCue, Kelly Shay Hix and Caitlin Rose. The camp requires that each guest band has at least one female member, in order to affirm their mission statement of supporting “a culture of positive self-esteem and collaboration among girls while building community through music.”

That message becomes further instilled by lectures on body image and self-esteem, as well as a class in music HERstory. The camp curriculum strives to inspire the girls to have confidence and awareness, as well as to bring arts awareness to the community.

“We definitely need community support to achieve our growth goals,” Fitzgerald said. “We hope to continue being involved in whatever ways we can and to draw new community members and youth into the process of building a stable future for the arts in Murfreesboro.”

The rock camp has followed that goal since its inception in 2003 and since then girls from as far away as Vermont and Texas come to SGRRC every year. Similar camps exist across the United States, and they are still growing.

“The Southern Girls Rock ’n’ Roll Camp is proud to be a founding member of this alliance and have met with directors from Sweden, Canada and the U.K.,” Fitzgerald said. “Also, one of our previous volunteers has started a camp in Atlanta this year, and this is the second year of our camp in Memphis, which has already doubled its enrollment. It’s very exciting.”

Even though the Murfreesboro camp already ended, the second branch of SGRRC continues through Aug. 4 in Memphis.

For more information, visit sgrrc.org.