We sent our fifteen year old daughter to Amplify for the first time this Summer, and she had an…read moreamazing time! We would highly recommend Amplify for any girl that is passionate about music or art- especially middle and high schoolers trying to find themselves in the world while being pulled every which way by social media. For a bit of context, our daughter has had a passion for singing since she was able to sing. From singing in the car as a toddler, to completely filling both her iPad and the family iCloud account with videos of herself singing along to her favorite artists during COVID lockdowns, she was always singing. But the insecurity and bullying that came with middle school and high school stifled that for her, and singing became something that she did in secret. She insisted she wanted to pursue a career as a singer, but she was afraid to let anyone hear her voice. When we read up a little more on Amplify and the positive environment and opportunities that they provide for girls to explore various aspects of the music industry, we decided it would be just the confidence boost that she needed to come out of her shell and let her voice be heard. While the girls are at camp, parents are kept informed through the camp's social media groups for parents of campers, and through the bunk1 app, both of which feature pictures and videos that are uploaded every day or two. We loved seeing pictures and videos of the girls having fun and interacting with the various visiting artists. If any issues or questions came up, camp staff would text us to keep us in the loop, such as when our daughter wanted to change her intensive on the second day of camp. She also sent us an amazing video of our daughter practicing with her band. That's right, the girl that was afraid to sing in front of anyone was singing confidently and beautifully with her band on the second day of camp! She also performed in the camp talent show, and (after a little bit of jitters) the camp showcase! I haven't seen our daughter's performance video yet (I heard that they send out the full performance videos later in the year), but the pure joy I saw in the videos that were posted from the talent show was absolutely infectious! The girls are so supportive of the other bands, dancing and singing along to the lyrics as they cover songs from artists ranging from Bikini Kill to Billie Eilish! Besides practicing and performing with her band, the biggest highlights of the camp for our daughter were the performances from visiting artists. Each two week session features visits from well-known and emerging female artists. During our daughter's session, Lisa Loeb and Emi Grace both visited the camp, performing for the girls, answering questions about their experiences as musicians, and signing autographs. During session three, the camp also invites campers from all sessions back for Campchella, an all day music festival featuring some of the artists from each session and over fifteen artists in total. Emi Grace quickly became one of my daughter's favorite artists during her visit to camp, so she was super excited to see Emi perform a second time at camp before she headed off to Chicago for her Lollapalooza gig! Overall, I'm really impressed with Amplify and the positive impact it had on my daughter. My daughter loved the music aspect the most, but I feel like Amplify is so much more than just a music camp. It's a totally accepting and inclusive community of creative girls coming together to grow, learn, and have fun, without a cell phone in sight! From starting bands and songwriting, to photography, album design, and fashion design, to working on Cuqui magazine, to musical theatre, there's something for every interest. I love how Amplify brings the community and diy spirit that I grew up with in the 90s riot grrl scene to a new generation! Girls to the front!

My 12-year-old went to Amplify for the first time, and she had the BEST time. We drove in from out…read moreof state, and it was absolutely worth it. She chose the rock band intensive, where she learned to play bass and collaborated with her bandmates and instructors, Effy and Sarah, to write and perform an original song at the end of camp on stage. She was so excited when other girls asked for her autograph after the performance! The best part of the experience was that she found "her people." She met girls who were kind, encouraging, supportive, and just a little edgier, which made her feel like she truly belonged. She also loved that all-girl bands came to camp to perform and stayed afterward for Q&A sessions with the girls. One of her favorite days was Field Day, which still makes me laugh because she does not like PE at school. I love that Amplify has a focus on music and arts, but still keeps some of the traditional campy activities. As a parent, I really appreciated that the camp nurse called before camp to discuss my daughter's medical needs and medications. The dining staff also did a great job accommodating her dairy-free diet with plenty of vegan options. She spoke positively about the counselors, especially Chloe. The campus was beautiful, and drop-off and pickup were both organized and easy. My daughter came home more confident, with new skills, deeper friendship, and memories she'll never forget. Before we were even home, she was already asking if she could come back next year and stay longer than two weeks. I think that says a lot.

Our youngest daughter has danced at this studio for years. Recently, I witnessed her father…read morebringing recording equipment to rehearsals and filming full performances of other dancers from behind. I documented this and reported it to the studio. Their response? It was "just a parent" filming, and they saw no need to take further action--even refusing to ask parents to only record their own children. In today's world, where recordings of young girls can end up misused online, I expected more awareness and safeguards from the management. A simple policy or announcement would go a long way, but instead, they offered a vague, dismissive response. I find this lack of action concerning and irresponsible. If your priority is your child's safety, I recommend finding a studio that takes it seriously and sets clear boundaries around filming.

We LOVE this dance studio so much! It has such a positive culture that encourages strong girls (and…read moreboys), healthy body image and teamwork. The instructors are encouraging and professional. I love that when I call the studio there is always a staff person I can talk to and they are so helpful. They also want to work with your financial situation and have payment plans or volunteer trades to make it feasible. My daughter dances here 5 days a week and is in company and she's loves it so much!

Fabulous gym for children! I take my two-year old grandson to My Gym in Santa Barbara twice a week…read morefor an hour of circle time with group leg stretches, dances and puppetry, as well as free play during which kids practice climbing walls, jumping on trampolines and swinging in animal-shaped characters. Charles, Quinn, Grace, the whole staff is spectacular, super helpful and supportive of all the kids, setting aside "independent time" where the staff brings out a huge bag of toys and asks the parents/guardians to step back to encourage the children to play on their own and develop their inner resources. My 6-year-old grandson also loves My Gym, as the classes for older kids give them a taste of surfing, balancing their body on a large cushion roll. Cowabunga! I love My Gym!

We have been attending My Gym for about 6 months now. Coach Charles and his staff are the absolute…read moreBEST! They always have the best energy and our two kids love coming here each week. The coaches make this place such a special environment! The gym is always extremely clean. They have plenty of coaches for all the kids. They are also very organized and all the coaches work well together. You can tell there is a plan going into each class. We have also attended their summer camps and special occasions like their Halloween and Christmas parties! I cannot give them enough stars!!

All 5 kids were able to get up and ride the waves!!!! The instructors were awesome and very…read moreknowledgeable. They were great with the kids and so patient. They also gave the kids a Surf Happens hat (which they thought was cool)!!!

10 out of 10 with the best instructors! From the booking experience to the training session, Surf…read moreHappens turned our first surf experience into a lifetime memory! Micah and Reed handled our private session for 3 with professionalism and enthusiasm. All 3 of our group gave it a 10/10 experience overall. Adequate instruction time to start and plenty of time in the water. Highly recommend!!

I had a surfing lesson this summer with instructor Patrick, he was really nice and very patient…read moreteaching me and other two students. Before approaching the Surf Adventures, I looked for other surf classes. Some classes require beginner attend their introduction class before proceeding to a practical class, and the classes are set in different days and charged separately. I found the surfing class in Surf Adventures is a very authentic, price-worthy option for me as a beginner who wants a quick result in learning surfing. Although in the beginning, the Surf Adventures miscommunicated the change of location, the staff reached me right away and committed to giving me a complete 2-hour, fully experienced class despite the class has been delayed for 45 minutes. Patrick is the best, I hurt my foot during surfing and barely can walk, he gave me first-aid and helped me got to my car and made sure I can drive home before he left. I would recommend the surfing class to a beginner.

My son has done two different Surf Camps this summer. I just love the vibe of this camp. It is…read moresuper casual, easy drop-off/pick-ups, and the instructors are so nice. My son had a great time and staying in one place - not getting in a car to go to another beach - really maximizes their time in the water. Having the food catered by the nearby Shoreline Cafe makes it easy on me in the mornings too. I also really dig the surf tunes being played in the afternoon at pick-up. It makes me wish I could be a kid in the camp again. I highly recommend the camp.