DC Campus: NW – Session 1 Newsletter

Dear Camp Levine families,

What a joy it has been to be part of your campers’ summer!

As we explored our theme, Sights, Songs, and Sounds of the City, it has been incredible to watch our campers grow, create, and gain confidence in just a few short weeks. From Spirit Week and Games Day to our end-of-session performances, they truly brought the magic of Camp Levine to life through their creativity, enthusiasm, and hard work.

Thank you for trusting us with your children this summer and for giving them the opportunity to explore, learn, and express themselves through the arts. We hope they leave camp with wonderful memories, new friendships, and a lasting love of music and the arts.

We wish you and your family a wonderful rest of the summer, and we hope to see you again next year!

Best,

Jazmin Goodson, Director of Camp Levine

As our first session comes to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you for allowing us to be a part of your children’s summer. It has truly been a wonderful and fulfilling experience watching our campers learn, grow, and build confidence through music, creativity, and friendship. 

I could not be more proud of our incredible faculty and staff, whose passion, dedication, and care have made this such a memorable session. Most of all, I am proud of our campers. Their hard work, enthusiasm, perseverance, and accomplishments over the past few weeks have been inspiring to witness, and they should all be incredibly proud of what they have achieved. 

Thank you for your support and for trusting us with your children this summer. We hope the memories, friendships, and love of music they have developed will stay with them long after camp ends. 

Have a safe, joyful, and relaxing rest of your summer. We look forward to welcoming many of you back next year! 

Warmly, 

Kevin  

Hi all! I have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of your campers. In my role, I got to oversee all of the faculty, teen apprentices, and campers.  From making schedules, to being on my toes 24/7, I have been dedicated to making camp an enjoyable experience for everyone. As I was once a camper here, I want the campers to come to love Camp Levine just as I have.  I enjoyed being a part of your camper’s summer!  

-Noelle

The Trams group is having an amazing summer at Camp Levine! Campers are exploring different cities, learning about trams, discovering musicians from various places, and expressing their creativity through arts and crafts and summer projects. They also have visiting instrument classes each day that help build their musical skills and prepare them for an exciting final summer presentation. We can’t wait to share all they have learned! 

What a wonderful high-energy camp session it has been for The Trolleys at Camp Levine! Our youngest artists and musicians have been busy exploring the bustling sounds of the urban landscape through song, dance, and rhythm.  

Our classroom has been filled with beautiful singing voices! The Trolleys have mastered several camp favorites, including “Popcorn Popping” – Celebrating the crunchy sights of city street vendors, “The Littlest Worm” – A hilarious echo song that brings out our biggest smiles, “Mr. Sun” – Wishing for bright skies during our imaginary city walks and “The Car Song” – Beeping and honking our way through morning rush hour traffic. 

City life is all about movement, and these kids know how to groove! We took a deep dive into active play with “The Airplane Song” – Soaring high above the city skyline and “Highway Number One” – Driving, steering, and zooming down the open road. 

Beyond the singing and dancing, our little musicians are working hard on foundational music skills. We have been practicing keeping a steady beat and learning basic rhythm patterns.  

The Trolleys are channeling all this knowledge into preparing for their big final performance! They cannot wait to show you how they play instruments to bring the city sounds to life.  

Our Pre-K and Kindergarten campers explored cities through music, movement, art, and imaginative play. We sang songs from around the world, learned about famous landmarks, created city-inspired artwork, and practiced rhythm, listening, and teamwork through games and percussion activities. As we prepare for our final performance, campers are building confidence while developing cooperation, creativity, and musical skills in a fun and engaging environment. I am also very thankful for our TA’s, Cecilia & Melani, very special & artistic in their own right. I think the evidence of our work will be SEEN in our performance video of “WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK & ROLL”. 

Our campers have been having a wonderful time learning about the cello this session!  Our Focus classes have been busy learning correct posture, holding the instrument, setting our left-hand position to enable us to play notes on the D and A strings, as well as starting bow technique.  We have been busily preparing “I Got Rhythm” for our all-camp performance this week.  Our Sampler campers have been getting a quick trip around the instrument through 2 days of hands-on exercises, songs and games to learn about the cello’s parts, string names, posture and musicianship.  Our PreK classes got to visit with the cello, with activities like singing the “Cello Parts Song,”  the “High and Low Game,” and stop/start movement activities!  I’ve had such a fun time getting to know all the campers and wish them and their families an enjoyable summer and school year! 

In Violin Focus, we have a wonderfully enthusiastic group of students! During the first week, we learned about the parts of the violin and explored the instrument’s fascinating origins. By the second week, as we worked on producing a beautiful sound with the bow and learned new notes by placing our left-hand fingers on the fingerboard, several young violinists were already trying to play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. I simply had to add it to our repertoire! We also created an original song about the sights of Washington, DC. Students created rhythms based on the words, giving them their first experience with musical improvisation. We can’t wait to share everything we’ve learned at our final performance! 

This first session at Levine has been a blast in the Percussion Cottage! It has been a wonderful opportunity for our younger campers to explore the exciting world of percussion. Throughout the session, they have been introduced to drum set, marimba, vibraphone, hand drums, shakers, scrapers, Boomwhackers, and more. 

Our older campers have been hard at work preparing for the end-of-session concert, where they will perform as a percussion ensemble featuring drum set, hand drums, and melodic percussion instruments. It has been exciting to watch them collaborate, grow as musicians, and bring the music to life together. 

The campers have been a joy to teach, and they have learned so much in such a short time. Happy drumming to all! 

Hi everyone! We’ve been having a great session 1 in trumpet class. In our focus groups, we are working on our songs for the final performance, and learning about songs and music from different cities. We learned about the history of jazz in New Orleans, and also got to learn about the great trumpeter Miles Davis. In sampler class, we got to try out the trumpet, learn how to make our embouchure, and the first five notes, C D E F and G. It’s been great to work with these campers this summer, and I really appreciate everyone’s hard work. 

All of the guitar classes have been a lot of fun. During the sampler class rotations, campers have learned about the parts of guitar, how to hold and strum the guitar, and how to play a one-finger G chord. Some classes have had time to learn the two-finger C chord. With these chords, we’ve been able to strum and sing a few one-chord songs, such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider,” “Frère Jacques,” and “Make New Friends.” In the Focus classes, we’ve learned to play the G and C chords with three fingers, while playing and singing several songs, including our performance song, “Albuquerque Turkey.” The Focus students have also learned to read tablature, and they have learned to play some melodies. Our performance will also include the melody to “London Bridge.”  

The Piano Campers had a blast this session exploring what makes the piano such a unique and special instrument. The campers in the focus class were introduced to basic piano technique, notation, and music theory. They got to see the many ways the piano is used in music, from a solo instrument to a member of the band. We were introduced to reading music on the staff as well as tips and tricks for confidently playing by ear. The best part of each class? Getting to make music with your friends! 

The campers in the sampler are coming away as experts at creating and identifying the many sounds of the piano. No class was complete without an ear-training challenge, followed by a jam-band performance of Boogie Along on Two Black Keys. Each sampler class composed their own Boogies as a group as well as individually. Our favorite part  was sharing our composition or a special song for each other in our recitals held at the end of each class. We’re ready for center stage!  

Hello parents and families! I am thrilled to be back for my 4th year at Camp Levine. In Music+, students have been doing everything from singing to instruments to movement to manipulatives. Some highlights of the session include exploring all kinds of instruments and playing with the parachute (Taxis/Ferries), and composing student-original pieces using barred and percussion instruments, as well as playing the game “Bump Up Tomato” (Squirrels/Pigeons). Teaching your children has been such a delight, and I am incredibly impressed by the eagerness, dedication, and overall performance of these young musicians! 

In Music+ 2 with Ms. Amanda, campers have been exploring many instruments including unpitched percussion, xylophones, metallaphones, and glockenspiels. Through singing games, movement, and learning their songs for the final performance, all campers have been able to learn about songs from cities around the county!  

Sports & Games has been full of fun, teamwork, and nonstop movement this summer at Levine Music Camp! Campers have enjoyed exciting game days on Howard Field playing favorites like Capture the Flag. With the recent hot weather keeping us indoors, we’ve stayed active with games like Hula Hoop Frenzy and the World’s Slowest Race. Sports & Games gives campers a chance to release energy, build teamwork, practice great sportsmanship, and, most importantly, have fun! 

– Kyng Cleveland, Sports & Games Instructor 

In art all campers began the session by creating a postcard of their favorite place in their city. These postcards were sent to our West Falls location.  

Taxis, Ferries, Fountains, and Parks then designed and paper mached their own building to create their own Camp Levine City.  

Pigeon and Squirrel created their own souvenir. They sewed a keychain or a pillow using a needle, thread, felt and recycled materials for stuffing.  

Towers and Skyscrapers learned about the art form macrame. (knot tying) They each attempted to create their own friendship bracelet using embroidery floss and simple knots.  

The students have been making simple percussive instruments using recycled materials, and everyday objects you can find at home. These include bottle cap castinets, tambourines, and rain sticks. 

Dearest Gentle Readers,  

My name is Loodmy Altema and I have had the pleasure of being your child’s drama teacher this session at Camp Levine. In just three short weeks we´ve been able to build upon their focus and reactivity skills, character embodiment, stage presence, and put together an entire musical. In the beginning, we got comfortable with one another by playing some acting games and getting their totally wicked ideas for the musical. I then compiled those ideas along with my foundation and my wonderful musical theatre team, and together we created something magical. I have had a blast working with your stars and I can not wait for you all to see their lights shine on friday. Thank you family and friends for supporting your loved ones these past few weeks and I hope to work with your kiddos soon again! 

With Love, a Mic, and Jazz Hands, 

Loodmy Altema 

The students have been learning a variety of dances to songs in the theme of the camp. The full camp learned a dance to Dancing in the Street. Our younger campers learned a hat dance to New York, New York. Our eldest campers learned a Go Go style dance to a DC based song called block party. Our dancers in the middle of the age groups learned a country dance to Life is a Highway. 

In Vocal/Choral, we combine practicing the musical selections for our play with the art of learning basic vocal technique and performance practice. Students have been doing a great job learning and singing our songs, as well as developing excellent musicianship through the in-class activities and games that we play. It has been a joy working with the rest of the Musical Theater team to put together a show that your kids put their everything into!  

Throughout the past three weeks, campers have had the chance to explore rhythm, creativity, and teamwork through a variety of composition activities. Our 1st graders practiced creating and performing their own short rhythmic compositions, while our 2nd and 3rd graders worked with partners to compose and perform multi-part pieces on Orff instruments. To wrap up the session, everyone had fun putting a creative twist on the Camp Levine song by making their own Mad Libs versions. There were lots of laughs and some very creative ideas! 

Our afternoon campers have been doing some serious work conveying scenes and characters in their artwork, showing particular creativity in our stained glass designs the first week. Our A and B groups have been busy making Mardi Gras masks and Mickey/Minnie Mouse ears respectively for various scenes in our production, while our capable TAs provide kindness, knowledge, and support. TA’s have been helpful in creating additional props for the show! 

When the campers first come in, they go to the Lang for morning sing and then transition into the classroom for circle time. During morning sing, the kids have fun and sing songs like the camp Levine song. When we’re in the room, we have circle time where we have circle time and play games like steady beat and practice for our end of camp performance. After circle time, we bring the kids outside for outdoor play and them back inside for lunch. When the kids go outside to play, they meet up with the trams group. After lunch, the kids get a visit from an instrument and they do arts and crafts. Visiting instruments can vary from trumpet to piano. During visiting instruments the campers build their musical experience and arts and crafts help exercise their imagination. After arts and crafts, the campers have snack and then rest time. Rest time can be difficult, but at the end of the day, its a well needed quiet break. After break, the kids have storytime, we practice facial expressions. During dismissal, the campers play with the TAs.  

The parks are a joy to work with. In the mornings we have music with Ms. Amanda where we learn songs and fun games. Depending on if it a Do or Re day we either go Instrument Building or Art. In Instrument Building we created different instruments using recycled materials. IN art we are making buildings to create a big city with the rest of the camp. After that we have sampler, where campers go and learn the basics of different instruments. After lunch is followed by Sports and Games. A fun and entertaining way to get their energy out. After that, we have afternoon switch, where campers watch TAs perform and go to their different groups. 

Hello Parents,  

Your kids have been amazing this year, and they keep being awesome and creative! Throughout the first 2 weeks they’ve been engaged in songs, arts, and music. So far they enjoyed playing capture the flag against us TA’s and making fun postcards along with cute keychains in art! All of the campers have been doing great with their separate focus instruments. After focus, we learn how to play different percussion instruments and play rhythm. ON some days, instead of art, we go to instrument building, where we have been making all sorts of instruments such as rain sticks and tambourines.  

We have enjoyed two awesome weeks at camp Levine! During out door play, our campers drink lots of water and play with bubbles on the playground. We are learning to sing ‘what a wonderful world’ for the final performance on Friday, July 10, during circle time. Every day, a new instrument is introduced in visiting instrument, such as trumpet, violin, and percussion! In arts and crafts, we have started constructing towers out of toilet paper rolls, and we finished coloring 3d trams. 

The campers rest for half an hour each day, where they take out their nap mats and have a nap. At the end of the day, we have story time, in which the campers listen to stories relating to trams, subway. And other sights you can see in a city. 

In the past few weeks, the Trolleys have made the classroom a fun and lively place filled with music and laughter. While there have been bumps along the road, each camper has lept a mark on or community, and smiles on our faces. 

Every morning, with the help of the Trolley’s teacher, Ms. Cierra, the campers learn new songs, participate in outdoor activities, and make ther own unique artworks. Then, in Visiting Instrument they learn about different instruments such as cello, dums, trumpet, piano, guitar, and violin, and even get to play some of them on their own. 

In the afternoon after Quiet time (or naptime) we dance to songs, eat snack, and play games during Freeplay. One game the camper have become particlary enamored with is the War card game, among others. 

From all this time they’ve spent at Camp Levine, in which they’ve improved their musical abilities, and impressed teachers and faculty with their good benavior and manners, we can confident say we’d love to spend another summer with them. 

With that being said, thank you Reiko, Leo, Lucca, Riley, Ari, Celesto, Milo; Axel, & Emil for spending your time with us and we hope to see you next summer. 

1A is a joy to wokr with! After afternoon switch, we have break and snack where we eat any snack and have fun with our fellow campers & TAs. On Do days we go to production art. Recently, we have been working on our stain glass project. On Re days, we learn our hat dance to “New York, New York” in dance class. We learn songs for our final performance in Vocal/Choral class which we have with our 1B friends. We then went to composition we are learning how to make our own songs with notes.  On Do Days, we have different classes, for example, production art.