This is band camp. And it's band camp with a spicy note. 

These young musicians are learning a thing or two from accomplished jazz artists this week at the Roberto Ocasio Latin Jazz Camp on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. 

Students in eighth through twelfth grades spend the week immersed in the culture of the music. 

“I really didn’t realize how influential the Hispanic culture has been like in Jazz as a musical form as well as the African roots as well I didn’t realize how well they intermingle. It’s awesome it’s such a wonderful experience it’s so different and really pushes me as a musician” said violinist Julissa Vargas.

This is the fifteenth year for the camp and the only one in the country dedicated to the study and performance of Latin jazz.

It's drawn some big-name, talent, too.  Grammy-winning musician Oscar Hernandez is among them.

Oscar told Spectrum News 1 “I think it’s important that young people especially when you are talking about the culture, we need to realize we have people that have accomplished really great things that we could look up to and aspire to be like them and hopefully I can be an inspiration to people who were an inspiration to me.”

Hernandez, along with Bobby Sanabria, a Grammy-nominated drummer and the camp's artistic director performs alongside campers, to show off some of what they learned this past week.

Bobby Sanabria told us it's all about the students, and the culture.
“It’s great it’s really gratifying teaching the students many of them are not Hispanic at all, not Latino so they have no idea of this great incredible musical culture and in fact the ones that are Latino don’t have any idea as well cause it’s been kept from them so it’s time for them to reconnect with their roots and for the others to really learn what diversity is about and appreciate the contribution Latinos have made to this country.”

As for the campers, it's a chance in a lifetime to learn from some of the best.