by Alexis Barton (Counselor)
Today marks the halfway point for Junior Camp! It’s been an exciting camp so far. After yesterday’s Fourth of July festivities, the campers were ready to jump back into their regular schedules! The day kicked off with morning rally. I got to be featured as the “Counselor of the Day” by Ms. Ritsko! After rally, the students proceeded to their classes: sectionals, masterclasses, music topics, electives, and of course, ensemble rehearsals! I spent the afternoon in the Symphonic Strings rehearsal as an ensemble manager, and it’s amazing how the kids are progressing! In just a few days, they have learned all of their notes and rhythms. In today’s rehearsal, the students focused on creating dynamic contrast. Mrs. Bennett, our Symphonic Strings director, encouraged the kids to pay attention to volume, articulation, and listening within their ensemble to achieve balance among the sections. Since the orchestra has a ton of cellos this year (15!), the violins and violas have been working hard to create a full sound, and their hard work really paid off in today’s rehearsal! It’s amazing to see how far the kids have come in just a few days, and it’s clear that Saturday’s concert is going to be a success. From talking to the campers, it sounds like our other band and choir ensembles are experiencing the same growth as well!
Tonight’s evening event was the Faculty/Counselor Showcase! Campers had the opportunity to see performances by their teachers and counselors. We had a percussion trio, string quartet, clarinet quartet, jazz combo, and various soloists perform pieces such as Canon in D, Un Sospiro, Flight of the Bumblebee, and Bohemian Rhapsody. All of the faculty and staff put on a great performance, with plenty of variety to hopefully inspire the kids to continue performing and listening to music. I interviewed a few campers about the performance tonight:
Me: “What was your favorite part of the performance?”
Aspen: “My favorite part was the jazz combo and the clarinets playing the bumblebee piece! I also have way more respect for how hard piano music is now.”
Madeline: “My favorite part was the percussionists at the beginning!”
Carmela: “I liked the jazz group at the end!”
Gabrielle: “The jazz group was awesome!”
Based on these interviews, it sounds like our counselor jazz combo was a big hit! With so much variety, there was really something inspiring for everyone at tonight’s performance!