image description — BAAM faculty prepping for a performance at Studio9

BAAMS to Hold 7th Annual Summer Jazz Band Day Camp

Staff Reports 12:23PM / Saturday, March 01, 2025Print Story | Email Story

Rodney Jones and Ron Blake

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The nonprofit music academy Berkshires' Academy for Advanced Musical Studies, Inc. (BAAMS) will hold its seventh annual music day camp this summer, offering a full week of music learning and performing for young people.

"It's a rare, memorable experience," said Richard Boulger, founder and executive director. "No enthusiastic young musician should miss, to be able to learn from some of the finest musicians in the country, right here close to home."

The 7th Annual Berkshires' Summer Jazz Band Day Camp will take place July 14-18, 2025, at BAAMS headquarters in Building 6 at Heritage State Park, off Furnace Street, in North Adams. Students should have at least one year of musical experience; exceptions may be made for slightly younger or older students on a case-by-case basis.

Instruments taught include trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn, saxophone, clarinet, flute, piano, keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, and vocals. The camp will also cover ear training, improvisation, and music theory.

This summer's faculty includes three-time Grammy-winning pianist Dario Boente; guitarist and former Juilliard faculty member Rodney Jones; percussionist, guitarist, and vocalist Mino Cinelu, known for his work with Weather Report, Miles Davis, and Sting; bassist Alex Blake, who has performed with Manhattan Transfer, Sun Ra Arkestra, and Randy Weston; saxophonist Ron Blake, known for his work on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and as a faculty member at the Juilliard School of Music. The brass instrumentalists will be led by Richard Boulger, a former Allman Brothers Band trumpet and flugelhorn player and a protégé of trumpet legends Freddie Hubbard and Donald Byrd.

Additional faculty members may be announced.

In years past, students have attended from around Berkshire County and across the state, as well as from Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and NY State.

"It's also wonderful to see the progress our students make working together for five straight days, and the friendships they form with other young musicians here at BAAMS will last a lifetime," Boulger added.

For more information or to register, contact BAAMS — the Berkshires' Academy for Advanced Musical Studies — by emailing info@berkshiresacademyams.org or messaging via Instagram @wearebaams.

Businesses or philanthropists interested in supporting the camp can contact BAAMS Director of Development Jane Forrestal at (413) 663-4424. BAAMS is a nonprofit corporation and registered Massachusetts public charity.

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Veteran Spotlight: Marine Corp. Tim Woodward

By Wayne SoaresSpecial to iBerkshires
05:17PM / Sunday, February 15, 2026

FALMOUTH, Mass. — Tim Woodward served his country in the Marine Corps as a corporal from 1983 to 1987.

Having grown up with Tim, you knew he was the type of person who would succeed at whatever he attempted. His drive and discipline set him apart from his peers, even at a young age. He would have four college acceptances after graduating from Falmouth High School, but put them on hold to enlist in the Marines, where he did his basic training at Parris Island, S.C.

"It was definitely an eye opener," he said. "I had some pretty good preparation as my father and uncle were Marines. It was a lot of work, more mental than physical, and a lot of people weren't prepared for that.

"I wasn't fearful. It was about earning the title of U.S Marines. I'm proud of the fact that I was selected for just about every leadership position in my platoon, including Honor Man. I had a great time."

Woodward's first assignment would take him to the former Naval Air Station Memphis in Tennessee for aviation electronics training through a rolling admissions program.

"Made it all the way through — I was pretty good at troubleshooting. I always wanted to fly jets but ended up working on them," he said. "After schooling, I was sent to Whidbey Island, north of Tacoma and Seattle, Wash., where I was attached to Navy Squadron VAQ-129, where I learned to test the electronics on the Grumman EA 6B Prowler.

"I also did five months with VAQ-29. I remember when you drove into the base the sign overhead said, 'EXCUSE OUR NOISE, IT'S THE SOUND OF FREEDOM,'" Woodward said. "I had a chance to climb on the jets, wash them like your car, walk on the wings — lots of good memories."

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