News & Events

MI's Director of Alternative Programs Dan Gilbert, who designed and oversaw MI's second Summer Shot program, filed this report on the six-day late June event: "Hey Everyone! MI’s second Summer Shot took place this year with 59 students attending, including for the first time a mix of vocalists, bass players, keyboard players, drummers and guitarists. With assistance from the teaching staff, the students put together a two-hour final concert that featured 21 acts playing everything from Brittney Spears to Metallica to original compositions. Everyone had a great time training hard in private lessons, technique classes and late-night jam sessions. Our newly added Business and Songwriting Seminars were a big success as well. Session guitar ace Carl Verheyen, just back from a month-long European tour, performed at the Visiting Artist Concert with a band featuring Chad Wackerman on drums. The concert was followed by an insightful Q&A with the students. The week finished up with a concert/jam session featuring great acid jazz group New Soul Underground, giving students one last opportunity to strut their stuff. Friends and families showed up in numbers to lend their support at the concert, jam and final pizza party. All in all, everyone had a lot of fun while learning enough to keep them busy for months and gathering memories for a lifetime (to help bring it all back in decades to come, all students received concert DVDs).

"Thanks and congratulations to everyone who attended this year's Summer Shot. Plans are already in the works for next year's event, and we hope to see you all come back!"