RBL SPRINGTIME ROCK OUT INFO PAGE

If you are on this page it’s either because you are hopelessly lost on the internet or because your rocker is enrolled in RBL’s Springtime Rock Out (SRO). If you are lost, breathe easy - this is one of the tamer pages that you might find on the old electronic garbage mill. If your rocker is enrolled with us, welcome to the longest, most detailed, and hopefully most enjoyable info page you will read today. If you a TLDR type of person, please know that I am a DAMSQTIAA (don’t ask me stupid questions that I already answered) type of person.

With no further ado, let’s get to it. Below are some important details for Springtime Rock Out. Please crack open a bottle of wine and be sure to read all the way to the bottom. If you get to the bottom of the wine please reread this again tomorrow with a clear head.

• Camp Location 
  Rock Band Land is located at Castle Bing Bong (400- E Treat Ave between 17th and 18th). Look for the sign that makes perfect nonsense and you'll know you have found us.

• Camp Hours 
  SRO runs from 9:00 - 4:00.

• Drop off = 8:50 - 9:20 // Pick up = 3:30 - 4:05

• We appreciate that you have to get to work, or to pretend you have to go to work,  and we'll try and open a little early each day (not before 8:50). If you are early and our door is closed, please hang tight. You can ring the doorbell, but we won’t answer. If you are running a little late in the morning, don’t stress, it’s just camp we’re not doing surgery here… or are we?!!!!

• Aftercare is offered from 4:00 - 5:00 (see below). Aftercare is a ton of fun! Last minute sign ups are fine. 
  
  If you are late picking up (after 4:05), your rocker will be sent to aftercare. It’s an arduous journey across the seas, with just hardtack and their fingernails to survive on (actually it’s really fun), and it will cost you twenty bucks.

• We do not offer pre-care. We start each day with an all-staff meeting to make sure we are prepared to adequately blow minds all day long.

• Aftercare
  RBL offers aftercare (AC) from 4:00 - 5:00 Monday - Friday. AC is per camper at $20 per day, $100 per week (M-F). Enrollment for aftercare is open to you now, simply click this link, select the day/s you’d like, and your are all set. We understand that some days explode and you might get stuck at work. Last minute signups are welcome, but please do text me to let me know your change of plans so I can inform your camper.
  
  AC wraps at 5:00. 5:00 means 5:00. There's no such thing as after aftercare. That'd be silly. 
  

• Camp Contact # 415-568-7643 / When to Text / When to Call (and When To Not Call)
  Stop right now and put my (Brian's) number in your phone and list it as Rock Band Land. You will need this number to contact us if you are late or if there is an emergency. 
  
  Seriously though, put my number in your phone. Trust me, I hate using the phone as much as any other busy, self involved person in the 21st century, but this is important. If there is an emergency or a serious issue (911 call, sickness, emotional distress, physical expressions of violence, etc...) that involves your rocker or artist, I will be calling you - not texting or emailing. If you mistake me for a robo-spam call and let my call roll to voicemail, that's time wasted. Rest assured I will not be calling to talk about the new Netflix series or to ask your opinions on the seemingly endless varieties of nut milks that have flooded the market. If I call, it's important. If I don't - which will be your experience 99.99999% of the time, then you can trust everything is cool with your camper.
  

• General Rule For Contacting Me:
  If your camper is with us at RBL and you have a question, then text me, do not call. I can not always answer my phone, especially if I'm leading an activity. I will reply as soon as I am free to do so.
  
  In previous years some parents thought it'd be super fun to text me often between the hours of 11:00pm and 6:00am when I'm pretending to sleep. Oh boy, that was fun to wake up to each night - multiple times. So fun. If you have weak boundaries, it's time to get some fence materials and start building. 
  
  I will only reply to camp texts between the hours of 8:00am and 6:00pm. Outside of those hours, email is king, or queen, or a democratically elected, socialist leaning prime minister. 
  

• RBL is a Parent / Caregiver Free Zone
  Parents, I've some good news and some bad news.

• -- The good news: your camper is about to embark on a completely bonkers, creative adventure at Rock Band Land.

  -- The bad news:you won't be on that adventure with them, in fact you won't even be allowed in the building.

• 
  This rule has existing since RBL’s inception and though we have enormous respect for good parenting and believe that it is the cornerstone for a decent society, Rock Band Land is here for the campers and their needs, not for you. When you are in our space, with the exception of shows, you are at best a distraction for our staff and the other campers, and at worst you are completely in the way, and potentially a safety hazard. From the second our campers arrive our staff will be engaging with them and observing the social dynamics among them. We'll be looking for potential groupings of the rockers, behavioral issues, friendships, and rivalries. We'll be listening to the campers and getting to know them as best we can in the short time before camp officially begins while helping them become familiar with the people who will be caring for them, teaching them, joking with them, and creating with them all week. When you are in the space, you interrupt that process and and take our staff's attention away from our campers.
  

• Separation Anxiety
  Separation anxiety is a real thing. If your camper experiences separation anxiety, please connect with me in advance and follow our lead during drop off. If you are the nervous sort, please rest easy, we've had thousands of rockers and artists in RBL and have helped countless young campers overcome their separation anxiety. Within minutes we'll have your camper laughing and joining in the fun. If your camper does experience separation anxiety, it's crucial that you be on time for drop off. Tardiness simply worsens their experience, amplifies their anxiety, and makes it harder for us to smoothly integrate them into the fun that's unfolding in the castle. 
  
  The key to successfully integrating a camper who is experiencing separation anxiety is to first have the parents inform them in advance that their parents are not allowed in RBL. This should be done not while driving to camp on the first day, but a few days / weeks or so in advance and then with regular follow ups so they can be prepared. It should also be framed a positive for the camper, be excited about it when you share the info with them. Then, on the first day,  when dropping off you should make a swift and clean, unemotional goodbye. Give them a quick hug and then off you go. Don't linger, and definitely don't come back to "check in". You'd be surprised at the number of folks who sabotage their child's own success by trying to "check in" on their kid. Almost always that's all about the parent's issues and not the kid's anxiety and I run hard defense on those folks so that their camper can have the best experience possible. Believe me, we get it - it's hard to leave when your child is upset or nervous, or in tears, but sometimes it's exactly the right thing to do to help them grow and develop. 
  
  If you know now that a rolling drop off (see below) is not going to work for your camper and you are expecting tears or a meltdown on day one. Here's what you do:
  -- On day one arrive early enough to park and be waiting outside when we open doors between 8:50 - 9:00. We'll greet you and your camper and if they need an extra minute or two with you, that's fine.
  -- You can hang out front and help your camper see that other kids are arriving and are eager to join.
  -- Either myself or one of our staff will keep checking in with your camper, when we see an opportunity to integrate them into the rest of the camp, we'll encourage your camper to give you a hug and then tell you it's time to go. Please respect that and go when asked.
  -- As mentioned, there may be tears and that is sometimes part of the process. 
  

• RBL Drop Off & Pick Up Protocols
  We employ a rolling drop off and pick up system at RBL that is staggered over 30-35 minute periods (8:50am - 9:20am & 3:30 - 4:05. It’s really simple:
  - Have your rocker ready to go before dropping off. We don’t need to see them finishing their eggs or getting dressed in the backseat. If you are a tornado family, please settle your storm prior to drop-off.

• - Drive up to RBL
  - Stop at one of the orange cones

• - Stay in your car, keep the car running, and don’t park
  - We’ll come to your car and greet your rocker
  - If your windows are tinted, as seemingly every new car windows are, it’s helpful if you roll down the passenger side window and let us know the name of your celebrity child.

• - All rockers will exit on the passenger side of the car. The diver’s side will still be a moving lane of traffic and some people are idiots and impatient and those folks tend to blast down our street.

• - If your rocker will be picked up by another person, or picked up early, let us know at drop off (no need to email or text in advance, day of notices are always preferred). We’ll explain the protocol for early pick up to you depending on the day’s schedule.

• - If you are planning on enrolling them in Aftercare it’s helpful to know in the morning and be sure to then enroll them.

• - Once your camper is out of the car, hit the road. See you later. Bye bye. Take care. Enjoy your day. Go.

• - For pick up, the process is pretty much the same in reverse: pull up, stay in car, let us know who you are collecting, we’ll bring them out, and, once they are safely loaded in the car, sayonara - their camp day is over.

• - If your camper is being picked up by another family member or caregiver please make this information available to them.

• - If you are dropping off / picking up on foot or bicycle, please note we tend to focus on the cars at first to keep the line moving and avoid creating any traffic hazards. We’ll get to you lickety-split.  
  

• No Bicycle Storage
  We do not have bicycle (or scooter or skateboard) storage for rockers at RBL. There is not bicycle parking in front of RBL (we tried to have them installed but the sidewalks are too narrow). Down the block, closer to 18th St, there is a series of bike racks. Please lock up your camper’s bike there.  If you bike regularly in the city I’m sure you know the deal, but for those new to the thrill of urban bike parking, our neighborhood is a great spot to get your bike parted out. Be sure your camper’s bike is as theft proof as possible. Otherwise lean into that nice walk or car ride.
  
  If you are dropping off on foot one of our staff will greet you outside, in front of RBL. Please remember that though I am always happy to answer your questions, at drop off and pick up my (and our staff’s) attention must be on our campers and their safety and it may not be possible for me to check in with you at that time. 
  
  Early Pick Up Party Crashers
  It’s not uncommon for new parents to try and arrive early for pick up,(between 3:00 and 3:30),  to either get our attention and talk for a minute or to get a sneak peek at the inner workings of RBL. Obviously if you need to pick up early for an appointment or something that is of course ok, but if you are trying to get our attention, this is the absolute worst time to do so. The campers (and staff) are tired by this point and we always have lots of little details to tend to to get our campers out safely each day. Please do not come early if you can help it. 
  
  If you'd like to speak with me, or ask any questions, I'll be more than happy to talk with you after we dismiss the campers or later in the day via email or phone.
  

• Sunscreen 
  We will have plenty of sunscreen on hand, but please coat your rocker in UV protection before drop off. We will be spending at least 2 hours each day at the local parks.
  

• Our Campers Might Be Donkeys, But They Are Not Mules
  We know you love your kid and want them to have the world, but there is no need to send your rocker to RBL like they are going on a several weeklong expedition in the arctic. The only things that your rocker will need at RBL are a water bottle, a lunch box (with an extra snack), a light jacket, a small backpack to hold just those few things, and their imagination. Aside from that we have everything covered.
  
  Seriously, please do not send them with a giant backpack filled with "treasures". We don't have a lot of storage space and since I am absolute neat freak, if you send your rocker with extra crap, they will spend their time organizing their unnecessary stuff to my liking while their unburdened bandmates head off to the activities of the day. 
  

  • Lunch / Snack  
    Please pack a lunch and a small, dry late morning snack for your rocker each day. Please do not pack any nuts or nut products in your rocker's lunch. Also, be mindful that snack and lunch will always be outside where the eating surfaces might be a bit unsteady. If you send your camper with a bowl of soup, or roll-your-own-sushi platter, there’s a good chance the grass or sidewalk will be the one enjoying your camper’s lunch. Pack a sandwich or a wrap, don’t get fancy or cute with it, just make sure your camper has enough healthy fuel. Cool?
    
    Dear Dads (it's almost always the dads), I know you are trying your best. You're up late at night making the kids' lunches, trying to do your part, and I know how much you enjoyed PB&J as a kid -- I did too -- but no kid business, or school, or activity is cool with nuts anymore. I know it might seem silly to you, but it's for good reason. Unless you want to be my official EpiPen dude, standing at the ready to stab kids in the thigh with their medicine while tears of fear and discomfort are falling silently from their faces because they can't make anymore sounds, since their throat is swollen shut, because some ding-dong dad insisted on serving PB&J to their kids even after I specifically wrote him a note to say," Hey ding-dong dad, don't do that!", make something else.
    
    You can do it dads. I believe in you. I truly do. 
    
    Yogurts and yogurt drinks are not allowed at RBL. We did the math and 78.7% of all yogurt products end up on the floor. The same is true for milk, juice, and sugary drinks and candy - these all mess up the place in a hurry and the sugar drinks and candy unnecessarily jack up our rockers. 
    
    Dry, healthy snacks and lunches are the way to go while at RBL. 
    
    We provide afternoon snack (popcorn) to all rockers. Occasionally pickles will be shared with the band members - this might not sound like a big deal, but trust me, it is. On the last day of camp, assuming the groups beat Hairy Dave (their nemesis and motivating tool towards great behavior) they will have a popsicle party to celebrate a great week.
     

• Water Bottles 
  All rockers will need a water bottle filled with good old water. All non-water drinks will be replaced with delicious Hetch Hetchy tap water. We have no less than 5 sinks at the castle so refilling is not an issue. Also, if your rocker returns home with a full water bottle, don't freak out and think we have denied them water. Rockers have access to their water bottles throughout the day, and we will refill them for them when empty.
  

• Cell Phones / Smart Phones / Dumb Phones / Wrist Phones
  Your rocker will need exactly zero phones / devices while at RBL. Not zero plus one or one minus zero. Just zero.
  
  To keep it simple all phones / devices that are brought to camp will go in a pickle jar in my office. This includes Apple Watches and other wrist style phones. I’m not sure if Apple Care covers damage caused by pickle brine, so please check your plan before sending your rocker to camp with a phone.
  
  Managing our campers’ unnecessary devices will be at lowest end of my priority list, so just leave them home. While at camp if you need to connect with your rocker, please do so through me: 415-568-7643.
  

• Instruments
  We have more instruments than a mad scientist one-man band. We could easily be mistaken for Guitar Center, except we don’t allow middle aged dudes and teenagers to shred at will while we are trying to talk, we don’t hire ding-dongs, and we don’t loose your items between the sale and the awesome escort to the door. All that is to say, we have your rocker covered. However, if they want to bring their own guitar, bass, or drumsticks they are welcome to do so. There’s no need to bring keyboards.
  
  Please note: If your camper does bring their own gear, we’ll of course look after it as best we can, but we are not responsible for breakage and we won’t be replacing their gear should it be shred to death. Gear breaks all the time, if you don’t want to worry about that, leave it home.

• Sicky Sick & The Icky Bugs
  Now, more than ever, if your rocker is ill, please keep them home. Same goes for if they have a healthy case of American head lice. Also, if your camper is undergoing an exorcism, your priest is not allowed to accompany them to camp. Our staff is trained in demon wrangling. 
  
  Remember lice? One nice thing about the pandemic is that lice scares were pretty much erased. I know some folks think that lice is not a big deal, but when you run a family-centric business, lice is a huge deal. If you knowingly send your camper with lice  (we always find out if a camper has lice --kids talk) they will be sent home immediately. Your camper will not be allowed back until cleared by a doctor or a professional lice wrangler / groomer, refunds will not be discussed, and you can guarantee that you will hear from me directly in my not-so-nice-I’m-not-messing-around voice.
  

• All Shoes Are Not Created Equal
  All campers must have reliable shoes in Rock Band Land. This means sneakers that lace or velcro, or slip on, closed toe shoes that do not fall off easily. Crocs, flip flops, sandals, platform and high heeled shoes, wheeled shoes, and those weird, web toe shoes are not allowed in Rock Band Land. We are really strict on this rule as we have seen too many kids trip and fall in the past simply because of inadequate footwear.  
  

• Park Time / Breaks on The Block / Emergency Meeting Point
  We have our version of recess either at In Chan Kaajal Park ( Folsom at 17th) or Franklin Square Park (17th and Bryant). Each cohort will spend a minimum of 2 hours at the parks engaged in both structured physical activities and free time.

• 
  Throughout the week we occasionally take outside breaks to reset the energy of the rockers. Sometimes we'll do running games in front of our space, sometimes we take a walk around the block. Whenever any rockers leave our space they are always accompanied by at least two RBL staff. 
  
  If for some reason there was an emergency that forced us to evacuate RBL, our meeting point will be In Chan Kaajal Park on Folsom at 17th. We would be calling parents from there, and whether cell phones worked or not, we would stay in place unless police or emergency services instructed us to move elsewhere. 
  

• Expectations 
  SRO is great creative fun. We will be learning a classic RBL song, diving deep into its companion story, we’ll be creating an audio recording of the song the band will be working on, and, on Friday @ 3:30, we’ll have a live performance at the the castle.

• Each day each camper can expect a music period, a visual art period, a physical activity period, a free time period, as well as story writing sessions, game periods, and park visits. There will be countless music, art, comedy, group games, and creative, expressive lessons scattered throughout the week, but the primary focus is always on creative collaboration. We meet each camper where they are with regards to their experience and ability. No experience playing an instrument is required to enjoy RBL.
  

• What We Expect From You
  We expect that: 
  -- You will communicate with us about any medical, behavioral, life issues (i.e. the passing of a family member or pet, a recently announced divorce, the loss of a favorite stuffie,  etc...) that might effect your rocker's / artist's ability to participate in camp. 
  -- You will be reading the email updates that we will send throughout the week and make your rocker's / artist's song and song materials available to them at home so that they can practice and get the most out of their camp time at Rock Band Land.
  -- You will be on time for camp drop off, pick up.
  

• Staff to Camper Ratio // Team Teaching
  At RBL all classes and activities are team taught with a minimum of two teachers present per group. The campers will break out into a variety of different project groups (within their cohorts) throughout the week, with a minimum teacher to student ratio of 1 staff member to 8 campers, though often that ratio will be 1 staff member to 4 or 5 campers. 
  

• Not Afraid of The Dark 
  We want to be sure that everyone is absolutely, completely, totally, without a doubt, one hundred thousand million percent checked out on the amazing experience your camper is about to participate in. 

  We write and produce only original material (songs, stories, art, videos, etc…) with our campers. We do so with great care and passion, and though we help steer, we mostly follow their lead when it comes to the directions that the stories and resulting songs might go. Sometimes our subject matter is dark. I share this because we believe entirely in our process and our product, and want to be sure you are completely aware of what we do. We know everyone is crazy busy and a lot of folks sign up for programs simply because their friends' kids are in it. There is nothing at all wrong with that, but Rock Band Land is definitely not T-Ball or cat petting camp.
  

• As with all media it's your responsibility as parents to determine what is right for your rocker to participate in and to consume. You should definitely watch UGLY BABY and listen to some of our songs.
  
  The longer your camper stays with Rock Band Land the more their collection of awesome songs, stories, and video projects will grow. As will their attachment and investment in these creations.
  

• Medical / Behavioral Issues
  If something is happening in your camper’s mind or body that might effect their experience or their behavior in our class, please be sure to share this information with us. In addition to years of teaching experience our staff has years of experience working with kids and adults with special needs. We will do everything in our power to help accommodate your camper and give them the best experience possible.

  I include this section because in the past there have been numerous examples where parents who, for whatever reason, have chosen to withhold this kind of information from us and if they had shared it we could have significantly bettered their child’s experience. Sometimes they simply forgot to tell us, sometimes they weren’t sure, and sometimes they were either in denial, embarrassed, or afraid of stigmatizing their camper with a label that might accompany a doctor’s diagnosis.

  This is your reminder to not forget. If you are dancing with denial or embarrassment, get over it. This is about your kid and not your feelings. And if you are concerned about stigmatizing your camper with a label, please do not worry – we have your kid’s back.

  Here’s the thing: every single one of us has issues. We all come rocketing out of our mothers a perfect blend of completely awesome and totally messed up. Some issues are major some are minor, and together – just like chords of a song- they make us who we are.

  Here’s the other thing: whether you tell us or not, we almost always know when something is going on developmentally with one of our campers’s. We are not therapists or medical professionals – and we don’t claim to be, but we know kids. Though we are fully capable of accessing and reshaping a situation to accommodate specific concerns that we see in a child, it’s eight million billion times better for your child if you share information with us from the get-go so that we can work together to make sure they have everything they need to succeed.
  
  If you need to, please be sure to update your activity's info in your ActivityHero account and you can write to me directly. Please don't wait till the morning of the first day of camp to share this type of important information with me.

• Medication Release Forms
  As RBL has expanded, more and more campers are attending that have allergies severe enough to require either EpiPens or asthma severe enough to require an inhaler to be on their person. Because of this, RBL must have a new protocol in place to ensure consistency in the administration of such meds for the safety of the campers. Thus, we need a medication release form to be filled out by any parent who is leaving their camper with an EpiPen or inhaler, or by those parents who allow their rocker to self administer any other medications, in order to:
  
  1) Get parent permission for RBL to administer.
   
  2) To make clear that we will only follow the instructions for administering contained on the prescription box provided by parent (ie. there will be no judgment calls by staff and there will be no accepting a long list of instructions from parent that deviates from the prescription on the container - RBL cannot make those medically related judgments). 
  
  If you'd like to save time at drop off on the first day of camp, you can download the form here, print it, and bring it in already filled out. Otherwise I'll have a stack at the ready when you arrive. 
  

• RBL Tax ID # For Your Records
  Many of you will be claiming our camps and activities on your taxes and / or getting credit from your employers. To do so you will need our Tax ID number, which is 47-2940974. Every spring I get countless panicked emails from parents who are finishing their taxes and scrambling to collect all the necessary info. If you know now that you will be claiming camp on your taxes, please save yourself the stress and make note of this number.
  
  When you write me in the spring I'll be directing you to search your inbox for the email that included this fancy link, so by recording our tax id now you'll have just altered your future in a more positive direction. 

Thank you for reading all of this info. I know it's a lot, but hopefully most all questions have been answered and our collective preparedness makes for a better experience for our campers. If I have forgotten anything or if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to write. 

We are really looking forward to making great art and music with your campers. Thanks. 

Brian