BSc African and Afro-American Studies
MSc Elementary Education
Instructor influences: Khalid Saleem, Clyde Morgan, Kpani Addy, Arthur Hull, Keio Ogawa, Mamady "Wadaba" Kourouma, Artero "Uncle" Mulfufo, Keith Terry, Thomas Cruz, Mamady Keita, and Famadou Konate

Bobby has been a student of ethnic percussion and dance since 1994. He began studying the drum in University though Khalid Saleem at the SUNY br /ockport in upstate NY. "Khalid introduced me to the power of rhythm and its ability to unite communities. His drum playing changed my life, and allowed me to explore an artful way to promote understanding, acceptance, and appreciation for the arts and their impact on creating a society in harmony." Since his early university education, Bobby has shared his passion for drumming with hundreds of thousands of people in Canada, Japan, and the US, from seniors to toddlers, corporate team building to gymnasiums packed with students and teachers. "I believe everyone has the desire to be creative, whether it be dance, music, or art, and through these mediums each life becomes a positive model for the next, free to express what's inside without fear of judgement." Bobby has earned the reputation of creating a successful experience for every participant he reaches, and is considered to be a Master Facilitator and Teacher.

Theresa is a guitar, piano, mandolin and African drum player. Theresa's original songs come from her experience in relationships and in her travels, and she desires to inspire people to live in peace with themselves and each other. Theresa has shared music with children as a Music Director art summer camps, in individual lessons, in childcare work and as therapy in shelters for homeless children. Music is a source of comfort and emotional release for Theresa, and her goal is to facilitate that process for others by sharing music with them.

Recently graduated from the program of contemporary dance in Concordia University, Montreal.

Mélanie is also implicated in the theatre field, with a group of young cultural animators. She studied the creative process and the choreography, which implicated a lot of research of ideas, putting them in concrete structures with dancers and light, costumes and music concept.

The idea after school is to continue to learn from workshops, experiences in creation of projects and to start slowly to teach her knowledges.

Jon has been a musician from birth! He has kept up the great momentum in his music through a band called 'As it Happens' whom he played with through the school years. Also during those school years he taught music, with a philosophy that is much different than the classic approach of drills, sight reading, and severe discipline. While not disregarding these things altogether, Jon aims to have the student be self motivated, to cultivate their playing by ear, to write their own songs, and to learn how to jam all night long! Jon is a firm believer that a person's belief in themselves and their self-consciousness corresponds to their music in every way; he takes a lot of time to encourage people, raise their spirits, and boost their confidence in themselves. His main ambition is to master the banjo like a real red-neck, and has already done so with the guitar. He also plays bass, drums, penny whistle, piano, Chinese zither, and telephone digits.

Monika is one who dabbles in many an instrument… though she has more recently started focusing on the upright bass and classical guitar. Monika is currently attending Okanagan College, where she is working on her Writing and Publishing degree as well as her Media and Society diploma. She is the student representative for the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art; where she tries to promote more writing and music based events to happen within the community. She has participated in music festivals throughout B.C, with guitar and a youth choir, receiving multiple awards for her playing. Monika is currently playing with a few local artists throughout the Okanagan Valley. The main group focuses on composing original songs from various genres and playing at local venues. She has also been playing with a local jazz pianist, and occasionally fills in as a bass player for a hip-hop group.

Monika is extremely interested in the way society uses music, the role it plays in defining ones self, as well as the need for music within communities. She has just recently returned from a research project in Vanuatu where she studied the way in which the traditional music of the area has been affected by both colonisation and western media.

Monika believes that the young people of the community (and other local artists) need more support within their community. She is a strong believer in people coming together to discuss not only their art, but also what (who) they are being inspired by. For this reason she cannot wait to participate in the sharing of knowledge that occurs at Jam Camp, and is excited to experience the wonderful creativity of the fellow jam campers.

Jacynthe grew up on a dairy farm in a small town in rural Québec, where she would often take her horse, goat, dog, cats and rabbit for long walks in the field. She was exposed to traditional music and dancing at a very young age, as the fiddle, “squeeze box”, harmonica, guitar, spoons and song circles were a central part of family gatherings growing up.

After traveling from Central America to Alaska and Asia, Jacynthe settled in Montreal in 2005 to work as an environmental and social consultant, mainly on behalf of Aboriginal peoples in Northern Québec and elsewhere in Canada.

Jacynthe has taken full advantage of the “big city” to put into practice her love of dancing, which ranges from African, swing, salsa and merengue to line-dancing, square-dancing and step-dancing. She has performed at numerous venues in Montréal and its surrounding areas.

Jacynthe is very much looking forward to sharing Québécois traditional dances, songs and culture at Jam camp this summer! Au plaisir de danser avec vous! YEEHAAH!!

Tarun is a hybrid, a meeting point between east and west; a cross-cultural (con)fusion. He is a classically trained tabla player, a DJ, and a producer, obsessed with fusing traditional Asian sounds with wicked electronic beats. He performs globally, trains in Mumbai, and represents the Canadian massive in Vancouver. As a producer, Tarun creates South Asian influenced sonic landscapes and uptempo asian beats and breaks. As a DJ, 'Tspoon' mashes funk, hip-hop, dancehall and bhangra into a bouncy, juicy dance floor madness. As a tabla player, Tarun trains classically in the Punjab school, and represents in both traditional and electronic situations. Tarun is currently performing with 3 projects; global music DJ collective Beats Without Borders; crazy celtic punjabi live electronic act Delhi2Dublin; and bhangra/ grime/ hip-hop trio BPM.

I have been working with diverse groups of youth in a variety of settings for 15 years. In 2002 when I spent 4 months in Cuba (Santiago) I fell in love with Cuban Salsa. I have danced continuously (and passionately) since then. However, as I am not Cuban it is important to recognize that the dance has evolved out of a particular cultural and political context, which I have only experienced as a privileged outsider. At the same time, the fact that I wasn't "born dancing", and that I know what its like to be a self-conscious beginner has contributed greatly to my teaching.

I was originally trained as an instructor with "Dos con Dos" dance school in Quebec City and currently perform with the dance troupe "Estilo Cubano" (Cuban Style) in and around Vancouver. Since January 07 I have been teaching salsa to youth and adults in Vancouver and have developed my facilitation and teaching skills through training and work with Check Your Head, Power of Hope and Safe Teen.

In my classes and workshops I seek to create a FUN and supportive atmosphere in which people feel safe to take risks and therefore learn quickly. Through Cuban Salsa I seek to foster connection with rhythm, our selves and others. For some students, my classes are places to enjoy themselves, meet people and learn to dance. Others have told me that these classes have had a profound impact on their lives.

I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to be able to share the pleasure and power of Cuban Salsa with people of all ages, sizes, colors, sexualities...

Tyler's musical interests range from early jazz to bhangra, though he is particularly passionate about bluegrass, old-time, and the fusion of folk traditions. An accomplished songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Tyler is at heart a storyteller who captures universal themes through tales and anecdotes. Instrumentally he is driven by improvisation and harnessing the melodic potential of his music.

Leaving Winnipeg for the west in 1995, Tyler picked up his first banjo and went on to firmly establish himself in Vancouver's acoustic music scene. For three years he served as programmer and host of Bluegrass for Breakfast and High on Grass on UBC's CITR 101.9FM. He has since performed with numerous Canadian roots acts, but his main projects include Viper Central and the Bogghoppers, a Montréal-based old-time trio. Currently completing his M.Sc. in applied conservation biology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, Tyler cherishes the opportunity to grow, learn, and share with the artists of tomorrow at Jam Camp.

Christopher Suen sings and plays clawhammer banjo, guitar, piano, pipe organ, and classical Chinese zithers (guzheng and guqin). Although he only started playing banjo in 2005, he has firmly established himself in Vancouver’s acoustic music community with his different musical projects: the alt-bluegrass string band Whiskeyjar; the high energy Appalachian old-time trio Shout! White Dragon; and the rootsy folk band Lily Come Down. He also teaches banjo lessons and workshops, and he is at the heart of a collective of old-time musicians in Vancouver who host regular jams, workshops and square dances. Chris is also assistant choir director and principal organist at his Vancouver church Holy Family Parish, a community that offers traditional services in Latin, with Gregorian chant and Renaissance choral music. His love of music and community finds full expression in Jam Camp, which he values as a unique opportunity for campers, parents, and facilitators to be enlightened by each other’s musical energy and creativity in the spirit of fun and sharing.

Ivan is a performer, composer and music producer. He has been playing guitar for 15 years. Recently, he has been studying Latin and flamenco guitar techniques, and also obtains extensive knowledge of guitar techniques and music theory taught by the Berkley School of Music.

In his academic years, Ivan studied in his thesis the mechanics of producing simulated sounds of plucked guitar strings. Since then, he has been diversely involved in music production. Besides focusing on acoustic projects that usually involve recording a variety of ethnic instruments, Ivan has dived into the world of electronica as well. One of his electronic tracks was released on the European lounge electronica compilation Cafe Del Mar.

Currently he leads a world fusion band called Tambura Rasa and runs a company that offers various services such as music and video production, soundtracks, and digital design.

Celina is a singer-songwriter and guitar player who has been writing songs since her youth. Celina has performed in various venues, festivals and community events in the Okanagan and in Vancouver. Celina's music is inspired by environmental and social issues, as well as by the beauty of Nature and the people in her life.

Thomas Tumbach is a strings guy, and he likes to sing songs too... oh yeah, and drum, and dance, and garden, and play with kids, and cook, and play hockey, and .... Jam Camp is like coming home for Thomas, as he loves being surrounded by wonderful, creative new and old friends, especially outdoors in the wonderful Mabel Lake valley!

James started on guitar as a very young boy when his mother used to bribe him with $5 bills to practice. Before he even knew it, music had crept into his heart and permeated his soul. He plays guitar, piano, drums, and whatever else inspires him in the moment. He is a passionate singer-songwriter with an original style somewhere in between folk, rock, pop, jazz and blues. He has played the open-mike circuits in Vancouver for many years now and is currently working on his debut album.

Chris spent much of his musical career in the Maritime provinces of Canada. Musical indulgences took the form of playing acoustic and bass guitar in progressive rock and power blues bands. Chris brings an interesting musical influence to the Jam Camp experience with a healthy appreciation for the heavier side of the musical spectrum. In essence, Chris is a lover of the groove - whether the groove is created by Prince, Parliament or Pantera. Chris attempts to introduce concepts of detuning, intricate time signatures and odd-time rhythms while maintaining the ability to listen and react to other musicians. Expect the music from his corner of Jam Camp to be both weird and wonderful.