You know Dave Bickler’s voice. The Chappaqua resident (since 2004) is best known for being the lead singer for the rock-band Survivor—yes, that’s him singing “Eye of the Tiger” on the Rocky III soundtrack. (He’s also the one doing the vocal heavy lifting on those Bud Light “Real Men of Genius” ads.) This summer, he’ll be passing on his rock mojo to the next generation of artists by teaching voice and performance at Chappaqua Rocks day camp.
Bickler, 58, got the gig in an unlikely way. He met Janet Angier, the founder of Music in Chappaqua, through singing in his local church’s choir. Eventually his son, Luke, today 10, started learning guitar, bass, and drums through the program and having the best time. “They’re really good at getting people going really fast,” the Grammy winner says. “I’m amazed at how well the students do.”
At Chappaqua Rocks, Bickler—in-between finishing up his own solo album (“I’m about eighty-five percent done,” he reports)—will teach a weekly master class, mentoring students’ techniques in advance of a big performance for friends and family. “I want to teach them how to really get inside the song,” he says. “It’s the subtleties that really matter in a performance.”
Despite the name, Chappaqua Rocks takes place at the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains during the summer. The camp’s eight weekly sessions start on June 27 and run through August 19, and enrollment costs $750 per week. (End-of-session performances take place every Friday.) For more information, call (914) 238-3123 or visit musicinchappaqua.com.
