Elk Grove teen music prodigy picked for prestigious Grammy music camp
Neil Nayyar has mastered more than 100 instruments and has become an ambassador for musical youth across the country.
Now the teenage Elk Grove musician’s latest accomplishment places him in rare company. Neil is part of a select group of young music makers nationwide who have won the chance to further hone their craft at Grammy Camp in Los Angeles.
Nayyar was one of 86 high school students from across the U.S. selected to attend the prestigious music program through the Recording Academy Grammy Museum. Billed as the signature music industry camp for the nation’s high school students, the program is July 16-22 at the University of Southern California.
Zoe Bertsch of Lodi, joins Nayyar as the only California selectees north of the Bay Area. Bertsch’s emphasis is music business.
“It’s a big thing,” Nayyar said of the selection, announced in late May. “Everything is moving fast” toward the July dates, he said.
It’s Nayyar’s second Grammy Camp invitation. Last year, he studied in the program’s audio engineering track. In July, he will focus on instrumental performance on guitar, his primary instrument. Later that same year, the Elk Grove prodigy was named a youth ambassador for national Kids Music Day.
During the weeklong program, the young music students study and work with industry professionals and artists in a variety of music career tracks from audio engineering and business of music to vocal and instrumental performance to video production and music journalism.
“Last year, I learned a lot about how to work with digital audio workstations, how to communicate with musicians,” he said. This year, Nayyar’s study will be in the rehearsal room and on the bandstand.
“Work with the band, giving them a unique sound, getting to interact with the drummer and bassist,” he said.
Nayyar won’t have much time to rest after Grammy Camp. He will play July 26 at the California State Fair, part of a busy second half of 2023 that includes engagements in the Bay Area and a fall trip to Nashville.
This story was originally published June 9, 2023 at 10:38 AM.
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