Amplify Sleep Away Camp
Besant Hill School (Amplify Sleep Away Camp), 8585 N Ojai Santa Paula Rd., Ojai, CA 93023
About
Amplify Sleep Away Camp offers music and arts activities including Musical Theater Immersive, Rock Band 101, Songwriting & Performance, Musical Theater, Film Making, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, and multiple levels of Rock Band Intensives. Campers can also take part in Band Photography & Album Design, photography, film, fashion, skateboarding, designing and screen printing their own swag, Nature Adventures, Water Adventures, pool parties, and the CampChella Music Festival, along with off-site trips such as kayaking at Catalina Island and whitewater rafting the Kern River. The program also offers private instruction in areas like songwriting, rock band, film, fashion, and photography.
• Ages: 8–17 years old
• Schedule: Sessions of 2 or 4 weeks
Amplify Sleep Away Camp is part of Amplify Arts Project (formerly Girls Rock SB), a registered non-profit organization that has served over 20,000 youth and raised more than $2 million in scholarships. The camp runs grade-based cohorts called Electric Youth (3rd–5th grade), Lights (6th–8th grade), Legends (9th–10th grade), and Leaders in Training/LITs (11th–12th grade), and campers move through the program with their own age groups for dorms, electives, and creative immersives. Electric Youth have their own dorm section with dedicated staff who stay with them from wake-up until bedtime.
The Musical Theater Immersive includes all equipment provided, and campers build a musical from the ground up inspired by an iconic female album. Each session ends with a fully staged performance or musical in the Zalk Theater, a black box performance space, complete with lights, costumes, and choreography, and older campers can opt into a Pro Pathway to develop audition pieces, musical theatre reels, or creative portfolios. Transportation options include LAX pickup and LA shuttle, with dedicated camper shuttles to and from LAX staffed by trained staff, and there is support for solo and international campers, including unaccompanied minors.
The camp’s staff includes working artists and educators from Berklee, UCLA, and other institutions, and trained medical staff are on-site with secure campus facilities and clear emergency protocols. Amplify began in 2012 as a summer day camp and after-school program in Santa Barbara and launched its first full-season sleep away camp in 2014. The current Camp Director is Marley, and Amplify was founded by Jen Baron, a musician, youth mentor, and nonprofit leader with over 25 years of experience in youth development.
Amplify states that it is a community that empowers participants through music education, the creative arts, and positive mentorship, and that it encourages youth to find their power, be their most authentic selves, and lift each other up. The program describes itself as a sleepaway arts and music camp for girls ages 8–17, with a focus on music, arts, and confidence-building, and notes that it is not a sports camp and that all levels are welcome. It also describes itself as a safe, inclusive camp where girls build real skills, real confidence, and real friendships, and emphasizes confidence over competition.
Amplify is funded by national foundations such as the Country Music Association Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and California Arts Council, as well as local supporters including the Santa Barbara Foundation, Hutton Parker Foundation, and the Ventura Community Foundation. It has partnered with brands like Sonos, Guitar Center, and Zadig & Voltaire, and has collaborated with artists including Billie Eilish and Zella Day, and is supported by the City of Santa Barbara. Amplify has been featured for its approach to creative education, inclusivity, and youth empowerment, and in 2022 it was honored by the California State Senate for creating measurable, positive change in youth development and the broader community.
Parent and camper testimonials describe experiences of campers feeling confident, safe, respected, accepted, and cared for, and mention campers talking about camp every day, making good friends and strong bonds, and wanting to return the following year. Parents report watching their children blossom, explore creativity, grow independence, and stay in touch with friends made at camp, and describe the campus as idyllic with beautiful views and wonderful facilities and the community as inclusive with girls from all over the country. One camper describes Amplify as “literally the best place ever” and praises the staff, and multiple parents state that their daughters loved the camp, learned a lot, and that they plan to sign up again.
Last updated June 18, 2026.
• Ages: 8–17 years old
• Schedule: Sessions of 2 or 4 weeks
Amplify Sleep Away Camp is part of Amplify Arts Project (formerly Girls Rock SB), a registered non-profit organization that has served over 20,000 youth and raised more than $2 million in scholarships. The camp runs grade-based cohorts called Electric Youth (3rd–5th grade), Lights (6th–8th grade), Legends (9th–10th grade), and Leaders in Training/LITs (11th–12th grade), and campers move through the program with their own age groups for dorms, electives, and creative immersives. Electric Youth have their own dorm section with dedicated staff who stay with them from wake-up until bedtime.
The Musical Theater Immersive includes all equipment provided, and campers build a musical from the ground up inspired by an iconic female album. Each session ends with a fully staged performance or musical in the Zalk Theater, a black box performance space, complete with lights, costumes, and choreography, and older campers can opt into a Pro Pathway to develop audition pieces, musical theatre reels, or creative portfolios. Transportation options include LAX pickup and LA shuttle, with dedicated camper shuttles to and from LAX staffed by trained staff, and there is support for solo and international campers, including unaccompanied minors.
The camp’s staff includes working artists and educators from Berklee, UCLA, and other institutions, and trained medical staff are on-site with secure campus facilities and clear emergency protocols. Amplify began in 2012 as a summer day camp and after-school program in Santa Barbara and launched its first full-season sleep away camp in 2014. The current Camp Director is Marley, and Amplify was founded by Jen Baron, a musician, youth mentor, and nonprofit leader with over 25 years of experience in youth development.
Amplify states that it is a community that empowers participants through music education, the creative arts, and positive mentorship, and that it encourages youth to find their power, be their most authentic selves, and lift each other up. The program describes itself as a sleepaway arts and music camp for girls ages 8–17, with a focus on music, arts, and confidence-building, and notes that it is not a sports camp and that all levels are welcome. It also describes itself as a safe, inclusive camp where girls build real skills, real confidence, and real friendships, and emphasizes confidence over competition.
Amplify is funded by national foundations such as the Country Music Association Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and California Arts Council, as well as local supporters including the Santa Barbara Foundation, Hutton Parker Foundation, and the Ventura Community Foundation. It has partnered with brands like Sonos, Guitar Center, and Zadig & Voltaire, and has collaborated with artists including Billie Eilish and Zella Day, and is supported by the City of Santa Barbara. Amplify has been featured for its approach to creative education, inclusivity, and youth empowerment, and in 2022 it was honored by the California State Senate for creating measurable, positive change in youth development and the broader community.
Parent and camper testimonials describe experiences of campers feeling confident, safe, respected, accepted, and cared for, and mention campers talking about camp every day, making good friends and strong bonds, and wanting to return the following year. Parents report watching their children blossom, explore creativity, grow independence, and stay in touch with friends made at camp, and describe the campus as idyllic with beautiful views and wonderful facilities and the community as inclusive with girls from all over the country. One camper describes Amplify as “literally the best place ever” and praises the staff, and multiple parents state that their daughters loved the camp, learned a lot, and that they plan to sign up again.
Last updated June 18, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.