Giant Steps Package July 7 – 18 (no class on July 12)

Have fun increasing your jazz confidence and skills.

Giant Steps Package July 7 – 18 (no class on July 12)

Have fun increasing your jazz confidence and skills.

A two-week jazz adventure for middle school musicians

Just getting started with jazz and already loving it? The Giant Steps Package is for kids like you: Middle school musicians who are really excited about jazz. You’ll get two weeks of concentrated jazz fun that will take you from the fundamentals to playing in your own band with confidence. It’s a transformative two-week experience that will immerse you in the world of jazz and ignite a life-long passion for this exciting music.

You’ll start with five days at Giant Steps Day Camp, where you’ll explore the fundamentals of jazz improvisation and performance. Then, dive deeper with six days at Jazz Camp, honing your skills through daily masterclasses, combo rehearsals, and theory classes.

The Giant Steps Package will take you on a journey as you learn the basics and begin to apply them in Giant Steps Day Camp, all the way to performing in a band at Jazz Camp, where you’ll hear to some of the top artists play at the Stanford Jazz Festival.

Your 11 days as part of the Giant Steps Package include:

Daily master classes

Learn more about your instrument, improve your technique, and sound better with the motivating support of our amazing jazz faculty.

Personalized instruction

You’ll receive expert guidance from top jazz musicians and tailored to your experience in masterclasses and ensemble rehearsals. In addition, at Jazz Camp you get your own private lesson.

Ensemble playing

At Giant Steps Day Camp, you’ll experience the excitement of performing in a big band and the fulfillment of swinging in a small combo. During your week at Jazz Camp, you’ll focus on the small band experience, where you’ll develop your ear and gain confidence as an improviser.

Improvisation

Learning to express yourself creatively through improvisation is the core of your two weeks at the Giant Steps Package, and it’s supported in all your classes and rehearsals.

A safe and supervised environment

We provide a safe and nurturing environment where you can have fun, be yourself, learn, and grow.

Immersive experience

Your eleven days on the Stanford University campus will be packed with fun outdoor activities, social events, jam sessions, and Stanford Jazz Festival concerts.

Community of musicians

Connect with cool young musicians just like yourself from all over the Bay Area, and make friends that you’ll want to play music with all year long.

Two shows for your family

Each week of the Giant Steps Package finishes with a showcase for your family, where you get to experience the thrill of playing live jazz in front of an enthusiastic audience.

Giant Steps Day Camp is the perfect place for you, whether you’re a vocalist or an instrumentalist.

Ignite a passion for jazz that will take you on a fun musical journey as you grow and join your high school music program, and for years after.

Giant Steps Day Camp is the perfect place for you, whether you’re a vocalist or an instrumentalist.

Ignite a passion for jazz that will take you on a fun musical journey as you grow and join your high school music program, and for years after.

Program details

Who is the Giant Steps Package for? What are the dates and times?Where is the Giant Steps package held?What is the cost of Jazz Camp?Is there an audition?What instruments are accepted?

The Giant Steps Package is for current middle school vocalists and instrumentalists, and students entering middle school in the fall.

Week 1, Giant Steps Day Camp

July 7 – 11, 2025

Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Showcase performance on Friday, July 11: 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Supervision and late pickup option from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. is available.

Week 2, Jazz Camp

July 13 – 18, 2025

Sunday from check-in (11:00 a.m. for residents, 12 noon for commuters) – 6:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Showcase 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Click for a Week 1 schedule

Click for a Week 2 schedule

All classes and performances are held at the Braun Music Center on the Stanford University campus, 541 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA 94305.

Click for detailed directions

Tuition only $2,465

Tuition (both weeks) plus room and board (Jazz Camp only) $3,565

Catered lunch for five days (Giant Steps Day Camp only): $125

Supervision and late pickup (Giant Steps Day Camp only): $200

Financial aid is available; you may apply for financial aid during the online registration process.

Click for details on financial aid

Click for details on program pricing

There is no audition to be accepted into Giant Steps Package. We hold placement evaluations at Stanford in June, where we listen to each young musician in order to place them in the classes and ensembles that are optimal for their development. Once you register, we’ll send you information about the placement evaluations via email, and through your SJW dashboard.

You can play just about any instrument at SJW, including:
All brass instruments (trumpet, F horn, trombone, baritone, tuba)
All woodwinds (flute, clarinet, saxophone)
All strings (violin, viola, cello)
All rhythm section instruments (guitar, piano, keyboards, vibraphone, bass, drums)
And many others — just ask us!