“Musical Discovery Camp is a fun way to explore the excitement of making music together. Campers develop concrete, hands-on musical skills playing instruments and singing. Kids learn about the world through music. They learn ear-training, musical appreciation, rhythm, voice, playing in a group—all in a fun social environment. No musical experience is required.” Hector Lugo, Camp Director, Musical Discovery Camp
Hector Lugo, the Director of Musical Discovery Camp shared the high points of this camp as a “A Day in the Life of Musical Discovery Camp.”
Morning circle
Every morning the whole camp gathers together in a morning circle. The camp instructors lead musical games with singing, rhythm, and movement. The instructors check-in with the campers letting them know about the day’s activities. The morning circle is a chance for everyone to get to know each other.
Percussion and guitar/singing groups
The campers split into two groups. One group stays with Hector, where they learn percussion. Hector teaches Latin, Caribbean, African-American rhythms using drums, percussion instruments, and body percussion. He also talks about the musical history of the music.
The guitar groups goes with the camp instructors Arwen Lawrence and Jorge Liceaga to learn guitar and singing. The campers get hands-on experience learning guitar, playing simple chords to blues, folk, and Latin songs. They also learn to sing the songs they are playing on guitar. As part of the guitar and singing component, the camp instructors teach the campers to write a blues song.
Afternoon circle and musical appreciation
After lunch, the whole camp comes together again for an afternoon circle. The camp instructors play recorded and live music for the campers. The campers listen to the types of music they are learning in their percussion and guitar/singing groups. The kids learn more about the history and the musical structure, which helps them to play and understand the music.
Playing together as a group
The rest of the camp day is dedicated to playing music together. The campers learn many skills during this time. They learn how to listen, while they are playing, in order to play all together. The campers follow a conductor, learning about tempo (fast or slow), musical dynamics (loud and soft), starting on the beat, and ending all together. This afternoon session prepares the campers for the showcase performance at the end of the week.
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Strings faculty member Heidi Kim is no stranger to playing music as a way to give back to the community. When she was a young violin student, she played concerts at retirement homes and assisted living centers. Playing in front of people and having a concert to work towards were important elements of her music education. Just as important as the practice of performing is sharing the gift of music with others. “Doing community outreach…is important to our humanity,” said Kim. “I believe in using the gifts we have to beautify our corners of the world and beyond, whenever possible.”
Cello faculty Ben Snellings will be presenting a concert of string solos and duos from the Baroque, Classical, Neo-classical, and Hungarian genres. Selections will include Haydn, Bach, Prokofiev, and Kodaly.
Piano faculty Jon Jang presents “Come Sunday: The Music of Duke Ellington in Celebration of his 120th Birthday Anniversary” featuring the works of Duke Ellington. Because the name “Come Sunday” refers to a recording by Duke Ellington and Mahalia Jackson celebrating black people’s struggle to have their own church, there also will be songs performed in the concert that Mahalia Jackson sang in the context of the black church.
Piano, guitar, and theory faculty Jono Kornfeld performs with the band Hop Sauce. The group performs mainly original compositions in a funk/jazz style, with a strong emphasis on improvisation and spontaneous in-the-moment composing.
Woodwinds faculty David Steinberg presents works that feature a combination of live instrumental performances paired with electronic and sampled elements and will feature works that are inspired by jazz, R&B, gospel, musique concrete, and avant garde. The program is an exploration of the concept of “lifestyle” and puts forth the hypothesis that the popularity of lifestyle journalism and content is due to the need to fill the void that traditional and now largely-unattainable sources of meaning such as owning a home, raising a large family, or working in a field that provides both a strong sense of purpose and a living wage, have left behind. By attempting to imbue consumerist habits with the pretense of social activism or spiritual enrichment, lifestyle journalism and content foster a soothing but ultimately artificial sense of purpose.