The Spokane Public Library will debut its first five-day music camp starting Monday. With its own recording studio, the Central Library will offer a space for children ages 12-16 to learn the process of writing and recording their own music.

Leading the camp is Andy Rumsey, the library’s music education specialist. A singer-songwriter and sound engineer in her own right, Rumsey often lends her songwriting and audio production expertise through the library’s partnership with Spark Central in various music workshops and events, such as the Girls Rock Lab. At the Central Library, he teaches music lessons and provides one-on-one audio engineering services through the Book an Audio Engineer program.

“This camp, like the Girls Rock Lab in years past, just allows me to take all of my skills and combine them into one event,” Rumsey said.

Rumsey had been talking about the possibility of hosting a week-long music camp at the library for years, and it turns out the program would be a hit with the community. The summer music camp is at full capacity, and its success has spurred plans to do more music camps at least annually.

The camp provides five days of instruction and practice, culminating in a recording session using the library’s state-of-the-art equipment.

“I have a little template about the ins and outs of songwriting that I’ve used in the past, and the first few days will have kids either learning an instrument or just making sure they’re as proficient as they need to be on an instrument to write songs. And then the last day or so … will record a song that they’ll then have this tangible thing to take away for themselves and back to their families to show what they’ve been up to,” Rumsey said .

The event focuses on music education, but it also gives local children the opportunity for community and self-expression.

“My whole life, music was a way for me to connect with myself and to connect with others, and allowed me to take in whatever it was that I was feeling. And if you can tap into what you’re thinking and feeling, then you’re better equipped to express to other people what you’re thinking and feeling, says Rumsey.

Although this event is at full capacity, you can look out for other music shows on events.spokanelibrary.org. Or if you already have a few songs in mind, you can book the recording studio, as well as Rumsey’s sound engineering guidance, at spokanelibrary.org/recording-studio.

The central library’s recording space provides much more than just recording and mixing equipment. The self-recording section has almost everything you need to go in and record your own songs.

“You reserve the room like you would any other meeting room, except when you walk in, rather than it being a room with a TV, you have an acoustic drum kit, you have an electric drum kit, you have a keyboard, you has acoustic and electric guitar, you have an electric bass and two ukuleles, and two microphones.”

The recording studio provides access to a laptop with GarageBand so that community members can mix their audio recordings on the spot.

“You reserve this room and you just have this whole playground at your disposal,” Rumsey said.

Built into the Central Library’s recent renovations, the recording studio marks the next chapter in how local libraries serve the changing needs of the community.

“It continues in the long tradition of libraries increasing access to the latest technology,” Rumsey said. “It was books, yes it is a basis in what we do. Then over the years it was audio books, and then computers, and then the Internet, so … it just makes sense that we start bringing some of these more modern things that people are really asking for.”