by Alexis Barton (Counselor)
It’s check-in day!!! Today we kicked off our junior camp session of the 2017 Curry Summer Music Camp! The staff spent yesterday afternoon getting the halls ready for our new campers, and everything was looking great by this morning! The campers arrived in the morning and stopped by our dorm, Allen Hall, where they received their name tags and camp shirts and moved into their rooms! Afterwards, campers went to the music building to get their locker keys. Campers said goodbye to family around noon, and camp began with orientation! At orientation, the campers heard from our senior staff members about topics such as the Hotspot, living in the dorms, and how our camp works. After learning a bit more about camp, the kids headed over to auditions! Many kids were nervous, but excited to be auditioning for their ensembles. In addition to regular auditions, the campers also had the opportunity to audition for jazz and for our camper showcase at the end of the week! After auditions, many of the campers were pretty relieved, and I heard quite a few campers say they thought they did well! It was great to hear the kids have confidence in their playing!
After the craziness of auditions, the campers went on a tour to see where they would be having their classes. The tour ended with them back at the dorm, where they could relax. Some campers chose to play games such as Egyptian Ratscrew and Twister in the dorm lobby, and friendships were already forming! During this time, campers also went to dinner to have their first meal at the Hotspot, NAU’s dining hall. The kids were excited to see so much food and take advantage of the all-you-can-eat service! Their eyes lit up at the sight of burgers, pasta, veggies, stir fry, and desserts. While having dinner in the Hotspot, I talked to a couple of campers about their day!
Me: “What was your favorite part of today so far?”
Tripp: “Meeting my roommate!”
Me: “What part of camp are you most excited for?”
Tripp: “I’m most excited for meeting new friends!”
Sophia: “I’m most excited to play on Yamaha pianos and to learn more about music theory and make new friends!”
Tonight’s evening activity was reading sessions with each ensemble. Campers had a blast reading through the music they’ll be playing during camp! I sat in on the Symphonic Strings rehearsal, and it was clear that the kids are going to sound awesome by the end of the week! Overall, camp is off to a great start, and we look forward to the music and memories we will be creating this week!