On Wednesday, the GRAMMY Camp Jazz Session and Vampire Weekend performed in USC’s Grand Ballroom.

Thirty-two high school students from across the country were chosen to be a part of this program. The students represent thirty cities and twelve states in all, and are being directed by Justin DiCioccio of the Manhattan School of Music, Dr. Ron McCurdy of the USC Thornton School of Music and associate choral director Susanna Wegner of Kasas City, Missouri. 

In addition to their performance Wednesday, they performed Thursday at the Spaghettini Fine Dining & Entertainment with a special guest and will attend the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards on January 26, performing at the GRAMMY Celebration after-party proceeding. 

Students also record an album at the Capitol Studios & Mastering in Hollywood, which will be available on Amazon, iTunes, Napster, and Rhapsody. Additionally, they are eligible for $2 million in scholarships. 

So how does it feel to be a member of this talented group? My brother, high school junior Caleb Collins from Los Angeles, told me about his experience as a vocalist in the group. “When they called me [to tell me I was accepted into GRAMMY Camp] I thought it was a prank at first because I didn’t believe it… I was so happy.” 

The group of students as a whole has “bonded a lot over the past couple of days,” Collins said. They use each other’s energy to stay calm and energized during performances, my brother told me. Watching them Wednesday night, it appeared as though the group had been a unit for years. 

The performance opened with the GRAMMY Combo, a piano, drums, and guitar set, which then accompanied the GRAMMY Choir. The groups, both under the direction of Ron McCurdy, got feet tapping with their jazz and gospel tunes, and every soloist was mind-blowing. I couldn’t believe the perfect blend the group had, especially after being together for such a short time. 

The instrumental GRAMMY Band instrumental group followed, reproducing jazz standards brilliantly under the vivacious conductor Justin DiCioccio. The group sounded nothing below professional, and I loved watching the faces of all the band members as they performed. 

Caleb is really awaiting the GRAMMY Awards themselves, where he will be surrounded by all the current big name artists, but he said the experience thus far “shows me that I really want to [perform] and it gives me confidence that I got into [GRAMMY Camp]. It’s such a good opportunity to be associated with such a prestigious thing in the music industry: The GRAMMYs.” 

And Vampire Weekend was the cherry on top of it all. The group performed as a closing act for no pay on Wednesday, only to draw in more audience members for the GRAMMY Camp kids.

Though they only performed for a short time, they played all their hits, including "Diane Young," "White Sky," "Holiday," and "Hannah Hunt." Being in the front row, it also gave me plenty of time for capturing Kodak moments and swooning over the lead singer (the ultimate hipster hottie). 

Meeting Vampire Weekend backstage before the show, I could easily see why the Foundation chose this group as part of the program. All four band members walked into the room casually with grins on their faces, and told us to not be so formal, giving everyone a laugh and a sense of relief in the face of fame. 

Ezra, Rostam, Chris and Chris were more than happy to pose for many a picture – I even made them do a “Fight On” with me – and when I told them that my brother was part of their pre-band, they were quite impressed.

“Your brother is one of the most talented high school musicians in the country, then, right?” lead singer Ezra Koenig acknowledged. I had to smile with pride. “I guess so!” I told him happily. 

Comedian and GRAMMY nominated Tig Notaro also performed, saying in her standup how appreciative she is of music and how great she thinks the GRAMMY Foundation is. 

All in all, it was a night to remember. I'm definitely jealous that my brother gets to go to the GRAMMYs, but I'm hoping I'll get to attend one day and watch him accept a GRAMMY of his own. 

Read more of NT's show reviews here.

Contact reporter Sarah Collins here. Follow her on Twitter here.