Our Mission
Through music and community-building, MGRC reminds girls and gender-expansive youth of their inherent power, their right to take up space loudly and joyfully, and their ability to create positive change in their lives and the world!
Our Vision
MGRC imagines a future in which all youth are part of a nurturing and uplifting community, have access to creative tools, express themselves freely, and recognize the gifts they are to the world.
Our vision is that every youth in Miami-Dade, inclusive of all demographics and abilities, feels that what they have to say matters, that they are entitled to take up space, and that their self-expression is of value. We want them to know they have the power to be creative, and that they have access to instruction, instruments, and a community supportive of their exploration and self-expression. Every part of our programming and engagement is based in uplifting young people and encouraging them to fully express their authentic selves while honoring and embracing the same in others.
Programming
CAMP WEEK
Our flagship program is a week-long summer day camp for girls and non-binary youth in which campers form a band, write an original song together, and perform it on a professional stage to crowds of hundreds.
The program offers:
Daily instrument instruction on selected instruments (drums, bass, guitar, keyboards & vocals)
Songwriting/band practice with local musicians (aka Band Coaches)
Live performances by visiting artists/DJs
Workshops ranging in a variety of topics including Art, Technology, Music, Life Skills and Social Justice
Live performance opportunities at reputable music venues
YOUTH OPEN MIC
The last Sunday of every other month, MGRC invites all youth up to age 25 to connect with other young artists and perform for enthusiastically supportive audiences on the sunny patio of Gramps in Wynwood. This is a cultivated space for young people to feel uplifted while supporting each other and taking their turns at the mic! It’s a joyful and well-attended, free family event featuring guest musical artists and attracting attendees and performances as diverse as Miami is!
MEET THE TEAM
Steph Taylor, a Miami native, is a musician and music teacher who is a co-founder and co-director of Miami Girls Rock Camp. After performing music for 25 years, Steph knows first-hand about the challenges women face in the music industry, believing in the importance of creating a safe space for girls and non-binary youth to explore, get creative and learn to take up space unapologetically. Steph has performed with her band, The State Of, for almost 20 years, and has also shared the stage with musicians ranging from Jane Wiedlin (The Gogo’s) to Iggy Pop (The Stooges) to locally beloved, Las Nubes. She studied at Berklee College of music as a piano principle and spent the next 10 years on tour before landing back in her hometown of Miami, working as an Elementary School music teacher and starting Miami Girls Rock Camp. Her love of music and sharing all of its benefits with local youth has become a true passion and calling, as she believes that music is a vessel to connect, to heal and to have uninhibited creative fun with access to tap into one's power.
Heather Burdick, a co-founder and co-director of Miami Girls Rock Camp, is a passionate advocate for justice, equality, empowerment, and self-expression. These values drive her work in facilitating community conversations, organizational consultations, and workshops in the areas of consent, DEI, team building, and restorative justice. Transformational learning and experiential education are at the root of her offerings and help to create a space in which vulnerability and personal truth-telling lead to powerful and positive shifts in perspective. She unabashedly calls this magic, and has provided services for, among others, the Dream Defenders, National Federation for Just Communities, United We Dream, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Black Lives Matter Broward, University of Miami, and SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective. She currently works with South Florida People of Color and lets out her rock’n’roll side with MGRC.