Image of Pratidah playing a drum by Millie Young
I was driving in my car today and listening to WNYC . The host was interviewing a guest by the name of David Soldier, who tells an amazing story of how he began teaching elephants in Thailand how to play musical instruments. The elephants eventually learned visual cues and were able to play together. David and his team created special instruments for the elephants! No joke… Read more or watch a video about this amazing work here.
This raises one of my favorite questions that I like to ask Camp Directors, “Do you have a music making program for your campers?”.
This raises one of my favorite questions that I like to ask Camp Directors, “Do you have a music making program for your campers?”.
I usually get a variety of responses, but the general answer is that they would like to, but are not quite sure of the best way to go about it. Or, perhaps they tried to do something a few years ago and they judge that it was not successful, and so they let go of the idea. (By the way, my favorite answer is, “Yes, we have a kick-ass music program.“)
What is a music making program? To be clear, a music-making program is any program, club, elective, or activity that enables campers to learn and play musical instruments together. It can be organized and taught by staff, informal and put together by campers, educational and taught by a hired professional, or a combination of all of these and more. Your programming will be unique as to meet the needs of your camp. You may also find the programs you offer changing and evolving from year to year.
If you do not yet have a music making program, now is the time to start one!
I assume that we all know how schools have been affected by budget cuts, and music and arts are the first programs to be cut. With children missing out on these opportunities during the school year, summer camps have an opportunity to pick up the slack and provide music programs for their campers.
The benefits of having a music making program:
- Campers are given an opportunity that they may not get during the school year
- You will have a program that is educational, and the campers enjoy
- Making music together creates a sense of community and connection
- Encourages creativity and is an outlet for creative expression
- Provides an alternative path for campers who are not interested in playing sports
- rainy day activity
If elephants can learn to make music, imagine the possibilities for all of those intelligent human beings that we call campers!
If you already have a music program in place, I would love to hear about what works for you and your camp. Leave a comment below and start off the conversation.
Learn More About Music Programs in Summer Camp
I will be presenting on this topic at The Tri-State Camp Conference in Atlantic City on March 16th, 2011. Look out for the session, “The Case For Music Making In Camp; Does Your Camp Rock?”.
I hope to see you there!
-Adam Issadore
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