DC Campus: NW Session 2 Newsletter

A Note From the Camp Directors:

Dear Camp Levine Families,

We can’t believe Session 1 is already wrapped! We’ve had such an awesome time creating a “Tapestry of Traditions” at Camp Levine this session! We’re thankful for you sharing your camper with us this summer. We are in awe at all that our campers have accomplished in three short weeks. It’s been a pleasure watching them explore and enjoy the creative freedom that music and arts inspire.

Our Camp Levine team is great, but it is the support of our Camp Levine community that make it all possible.

Whether this is your camper’s first or fifteenth summer at Camp Levine, we hope that through our theme “A Tapestry of Traditions,” we have provided a fun and engaging artistic experience and camp memories that will last a lifetime.

We wish you a great rest of your summer hope to see you next year!

Best,

Jazmin Goodson, Director of Camp Levine

Catherine Hammes, Co-Director of Camp Levine

A Note from the Site Director:

It has been such a joy watching our campers thrive this summer! Each day is filled with laughter, creativity, and moments of connection. Our phenomenal teaching staff continues to design engaging, thoughtful lessons that spark curiosity and joy in learning. I’m especially proud of how our campers are showing kindness to one another, and how our educators are building strong, caring relationships with each child.

I’ve also seen incredible growth in our Teen Apprentices, who are stepping up as leaders and mentors for the younger campers. They’re gaining valuable experience and confidence while making a real difference in the daily life of our camp. Despite the wild weather and ever-changing indoor/outdoor plans, everyone—from staff to students—has shown flexibility, resilience, and a great sense of humor.

A true treasure has been my time to speak with the full camp and emphasize community building. In the mornings, I’ve been able to address the camp and talk about safety! We keep camp safe by staying inside the boundaries. Similar to how a referee blows the whistle when the ball goes out of bounds, a teacher or teen may stop what’s happening if our words or actions are out of bounds. It doesn’t make us bad people for needing boundaries, just like it doesn’t make Lebron James a bad basketball player for going out of bounds. In these settings, out of bounds means being out of control of our actions/feelings/words. Going out of bounds might look like a tantrum on a tough day, speaking out of turn or not paying attention, or being unable to keep our bodies to ourselves. It’s been important to have a safe community here at camp to support us when we need help coming back in bounds or taking a break to gather our thoughts. We can speak up when someone crosses our boundaries and we can be respectful of others’s boundaries. The awareness around this has created a very safe foundation for us to build a fun and engaging camp experience.

Thank you to all our camp families for trusting us with your amazing kids. It’s an honor to create a safe, fun, and enriching environment for them this summer. We’re looking forward to more memorable moments ahead!

Jon Hamilton

NW DC Camp Levine Site Director

A Note from the Assisant Site Director: Hi families! It has been such a pleasure to get to know each one of your campers! In my role, I have had the opportunity to oversee all of our wonderful staff, Teen Apprentices, and campers! From organizing daily tasks, to helping out wherever is needed, I’ve been dedicated to creating a positive and enriching environment for everyone! Watching your children grow, make music, and connect with others was incredibly rewarding to me. It has been an honor to be a part of their Summer!

PreK/Kindergarten Classes

Our PreK/K campers are assigned to one teacher and camper group for the entire 3- week session. They explore music and the arts through singing, storytelling, arts and crafts, creative movement, and imaginative play.

Lanterns: The lanterns have been having a blast the first two weeks of camp! In the morning with Ms. Margot, we have been doing a whole bunch of activities. We’ve played on the playground, learned songs/dances, and made all sorts of arts and crafts like foam mosaics, paper plate butterflies, and construction paper water lily ponds! In the afternoon with Mr. Thomas, campers have read books, and played with instruments. We are gearing up for our performance next week and we are so excited to share all that we have been doing with you!

Bells: In the morning, students of Rebecca’s discovered that the tones on a toddler “toy” piano match those of the grand piano in our room! We took turns playing the piano & singing the notes:

Middle C4 E G C5

Each of us sang our names, tapping the syllables on a drum. We celebrated one birthday and shared with each other the season of the year we were born. Most of us are Summer babies!

We play DO RE MI FA SOL LA TI DO on Mrs. Rebecca’s teacher “step bells”. We can see the high and low steps. On a xylophone the steps are all even bars.

We talked about the instruments that we’d like to play and enjoyed seeing Cello and Piano as visiting instruments. Here’s what we play:

Mrs. Rebecca (piano) Akira (cello) Charlotte (violin)

In the afternoon, students with Miss Emily have enjoyed playtime where they have learned how to share toys and new materials! The students have also been loving art time, where each day we explore getting messy with play doh and paint, and also work on fine motor skills with coloring pages. We love our movement breaks and our read-alouds for storytime at the end of the day!

Week 2 Bells enjoyed extra “visiting instruments” from their Apprentices! Charlotte played pieces on her violin and told us about living in Japan and its cherry trees. Akira pointed out India on our world globe. He prepared a mini concert for the Bells on his cello. Bells class received permission to go to see the Harpsichord in Lang Hall. Mrs. Rebecca played a Bach tune and gave students turns playing gently on the keys. Did you know there’s an opposite pattern of black and white keys? The white keys on a piano are black on a harpsichord. The black keys on a piano are white on a harpsichord.

Week 3 The Bells class enjoyed the Clarinet with Ms Gretchen. Our Apprentices are really good musicians! Akira played the piano to “relax” children before “naptime” daily. Charlotte played her violin on Tuesday. Children rehearsed for performance and changed their voices in a range of dynamics from pianissimo to fortissimo! Wooden noteblocks painted different colors for whole note, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth were fun to measure. We counted the beats and rests, playing rhythm sticks and wood blocks. Indoor fun, using shaving cream, we drew notes on trays! Camp Levine is really No. 1!

Petals: The Petals have been sprouting these two weeks of camp! We’re really enjoying free play and outside play, learning the importance of sharing, taking turns and working together. We love building Lego towers as tall as Ms. Cierra and during arts and crafts, we’ve made kites, fish, and coqui frogs. The Spaghetti Western is our favorite story and some of our favorite songs to move to and sing include Bate Bate Chocolate, El Coqui and the Goldfish Song. Our musical minds have been growing! We’ve been learning about and exploring several visiting instruments and even got a chance to play the cello and many percussion instruments, including the drum set and boomwhackers! We’ve also had the chance to solo sing and lead echo songs. We are even reading and performing rhythms! We are working hard, preparing to showcase our new skills in our final performance. Stay tuned!

Feathers: Our mornings are packed with fun! After morning sing and free play time, we practiced our echo singing at circle time with our special friend Lamby-Lamb, working hard to prepare our song for the all camp performance, and learning about places around the world through books and looking at maps.

Before afternoon switch, we shake it up with some dance and movement (our favorites are the Goldfish song, Seven Jumps, and playing collaboratively with a variety of fabrics) and we have had a lot of fun coming together and sharing things we have learned about our class community members throughout the day.

Morning Classes

Morning classes at Camp Levine are music an instrument focused. During the morning classes our campers grades 1-6 experience Instrumental Music introductions and instruction, General Music, Art, and Games & Sports. Read below to hear from our teachers about what your campers did during Session 2!

Morning Sing

Emily Thaler: Students in art classes have completed their “All About Me” artworks they started week 1. They had the choice of writing their name in print, bubble letters or cursive and drew at least 3 symbols that represented themselves, such as their favorite foods, hobbies and incorporated flags of their family’s heritage. They also had the choice to paint their artwork with watercolors. Each artwork turned out beautiful and reflected each camper’s unique personality. During week 2, students have started to learn about the ancient art of weaving. Younger campers are weaving with cardstock, paper and ribbons while older campers are creating a more advanced friendship bracelet weaving project. All students have been working very hard on their art projects and having loads of fun learning new techniques!

Art

Instrument Building

Savannah Hanley: As campers began to explore the tapestry of traditions throughout all of their classes, we touched on two different types of traditions in instrument building: yearly traditions (something you do every year with your family, friends, or at camp) and cultural traditions (through instruments made in other parts of the world).

For our first project this year, students were challenged to design instruments inspired by their favorite camp traditions. From sail boat shakers, to watermelon guitars and Camp Levine T-shirt drums, the students have brought their designs to life using a variety of recyclable materials. Exploring how we can make sounds using things we had at home, students spent one day exploring the materials available and designing their instruments. We then spent three classes bringing them to life with a hot glue gun, some tape, and of course, decorations!

For our second projects the Dancers, Drummers, Storytellers, and Songbirds explored ankle bells from India. We talked about what they were traditionally made of, where they originated from, and what they are used for. Before having the chance to create their own ankle bells made from felt. After completing their project, each group got to test out their new instrument in a class wide game of freeze dance!

For the older campers, we created rain sticks from Chile. Once again, discussing what they were traditionally made of, where they originated from, and what they are used for. For our project we utilized cardboard tubes, tin foil, and rice. Campers created their own tin foil coils to create pockets on the inside of the cardboard tubes for the rice pass through.

Last, but not least, campers worked on a camp-wide instrument project – our very own, Camp Levine “Tapestry” of traditions! Each camper, TA, teacher, and staff decorated their own ornament to add to our tapestry with their own favorite traditions, colors, and things. Keep an eye out on campus for our future display!

Sports & Games

Kyng Cleveland: Hi, my name is Kyng Cleveland, and I’ve been leading the Sports & Games class this session. We’ve been staying active while learning how to play fair and compete in a positive way. One of our favorite activities has been Capture the Flag, which gives campers the chance to work as a team, think strategically, and stay energized.

We’re making a strong effort to emphasize sportsmanship—encouraging campers to show respect, play by the rules, and support one another, win or lose. It’s been great to see how much they’ve grown in just a few days, not only in their athletic skills but also in how they treat each other on and off the field.

Music+ 1 (general music)

Maya Cooper: In Music+, we have been exploring songs, dances, and traditions from around the world using instruments, but also through singing, movement, and listening. Some of the things that we learned are a Hawaiian dance with flowers, a Hebrew folk dance, and how a folk song in one language could be sung in so many different languages! I am enjoying working with your kids so much, and am looking forward to what we have to present for the showcase!

Music+ 2 (general music)

Thomas Murley: In Music+2, students became “Musical Explorers,” discovering rhythms and stories from across the globe.

2nd and 3rd graders journeyed to Japan, learning an arrangement of “Sakura” with finger cymbals and barred instruments.

5th and 6th graders traveled to Burkina Faso to explore the syncopated rhythms of a drum arrangement called “Makossa.”

It’s been a couple weeks of music, movement, and cultural connection!

Violin

Christine Kharazarian: In 🎻 Focus session 2 we have a wonderfully enthusiastic group of students. In the first week we learned the parts of the violin and even about the origin of the violin!

We also started exploring the bow hold and making our first sounds. We are working on making rhythm patterns in call and response fashion. Campers might try that at home engaging family members. Parents can give them examples to play by singing or saying patterns of string names (GDAE). We are excited to learn our performance songs!

When I asked what rosin could be made of one camper responded Amber. Since rosin is made of tree sap, I said” guess what? The only difference between amber and rosin is Time. “

Week 2

Young violinists are working on their sound production with the bow and learning new notes by placing left hand fingers on the fingerboard. We are enjoying creating variations on the Irish Traditional tune, Aiken Drum. Our call and response exercise is the first glimpse into the realm of musical improvisation. (CK)

Piano

Alexandra Jones: 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. Both classes have learned multiple ways to harmonize Hot Cross Buns and are preparing Alouette, Frere Jacques, and Au Clair de la Lune for their final performance. The best part of each class? Getting to make music with your friends!

Clarinet

Gretchen Hill: I have been super impressed with the outgoingness, curiosity, and perseverance of the Focus Clarinet Students this session! There are always going to be lots of interesting sounds when starting a wind instrument, and these students are learning to adapt quickly and enjoying the process.

In our first week, we explored putting the clarinet together (one of the harder instruments to assemble), how to form an appropriate embouchure (the fancy French word for how your mouth is shaped to make the sound), and the correct placement of our left hand for the first five notes (C, D, E, F, and G). We then worked on putting these skills together in learning our first song, “Hot Cross Buns” (of course), and the Puerto Rican lullaby, “Duerme Pronto.”

In week two, we are expanding the range of notes that we can play, working on a new skill called “articulation,” and refining our use of breathing and air. The songs we are exploring this week are “Kaeru No Uta,” a Japanese song commonly found in early piano teaching methods, “Frère Jacques,” and “Mò lì huā,” a song requested by one of our students who attends a Chinese Immersion school.

Percussion

Matt Tredwell: The campers have had a lot of fun in the Percussion Cottage!

The Sampler and Pre-K classes had the opportunity to explore all things percussion—making sounds by striking, scraping, and shaking! The campers have played the drum set, hand drums, boomwhackers, and a wide range of melodic percussion instruments.

Our Focus campers were able to dive deeper, learning to play several patterns on the drum set and hand drums, as well as melodies on the vibraphone and marimba. Learning to groove together has been a fun and exciting challenge, and we are getting ready for our performance!

It has been a wonderful three weeks, and we are glad to call all the campers fellow percussionists.

Happy drumming!

Cello

Jonathan Velsey: Our Focus campers have been working hard at laying the foundation for playing the cello by perfecting our playing posture, holding the instrument and bow, as well as forming a good left hand position. We are working toward playing “Tingalayo” in the final performance and are excitedly putting the different parts of the song together.

It’s been nice getting to know our rising 1st and 2nd graders in the Cello Sampler classes. I’ve enjoyed meeting such fun and curious campers! We have been learning the parts of the cello, the names of the strings and the range of sound the instruments produce, through interactive games like “Guess the String” and “Finish my Song.”

Our PreK and K classes have been a delight to perform for and teach. We have enjoyed our time together, learning about the cello and its sound, singing songs, playing the “High/Low Game,” “Freeze Dance” and learning to make sound on a little cello!

Guitar

Francisco Quintero: During the first week, I introduced my focus campers to the basics of playing the guitar. We worked on learning how to use and coordinate both hands to produce the best sound possible, learned some picking exercises and left hand independence drills. They’ve been extremely diligent and motivated to practice the material at home, which allowed us to jump right into learning our songs for the final showcase. Starting on Thursday of the first week, I made sure both groups had the first few parts so that they could practice over the weekend. They all came back very prepared and ready to learn the next section on Monday of the second week, and it’s just been getting better and better since then! By Wednesday of this week, we were basically ready to perform, or almost ready! I’ve been making sure everyone receives individual instruction, as well as balancing a healthy and motivating group dynamic. It’s been a blast to work with them, and I’m looking forward to next week!

Afternoon Classes

Afternoon classes at Camp Levine are musical theater focused. During the afternoon classes our campers grades 1-6 experience Dance, Drama, and Choral music classes. These 3 classes collaborate to produce a musical theater performance at the end of the session. Read below to hear from our teachers about what your campers did during Session 2!

Composition:

VL Buzdygon – Our 2s and 3s wowed us all during their first week with ethereal performances of their pentatonic orff instrument compositions. Using nothing but a blank piece of paper, color dot stickers with note names of the C pentatonic scale, and a pencil, these campers wrote wonderful pieces of music in small groups.

Our 1s have been exploring composing using rhythmic building blocks using various random objects found in our classroom. They have also been making melodic compositions using sol and mi using UNO cards.

Dance:

Nya Carter – Hello families! I am Miss Nya and I’ve had the pleasure of dancing with your young ones for session 2. My background is in dance & musical theatre, and I now dance professionally as a member of a concert dance company called Camille A. Brown & Dancers!

In dance this week, we have been working hard (or hardly working :)) preparing for our showcase! We’ve gotten comfortable with warming up our bodies in different ways, playing games, and stretching our creative muscles as we collaborate to make our choreo our own! Throughout the duration of our time, campers have really impressed me with at least 98% participation each session, showing off their wonderful cooperation and enthusiasm. From the start, campers have been up for all the challenges thrown at them and haven’t missed a beat, all pun intended. I am most proud of the way our movers have weaved together all of their efforts to make a tapestry of movement that is truly special.

Drama:

Emily Gilson – In Drama this week, we worked on partner games such as passing invisible objects, sculpting our partners out of “clay,” and character building; as well as improvisation games such as Gibberish/Foreign Language interview and Questions Only.

Our older campers in groups 3A and 3B chose countries they wanted to represent in the show and did their first read of our script and had a marvelous time! We are looking forward to the next week of character building.

It was wonderful to see so many returning faces this year, and to see how they have grown as performers and students since 2024. I am also loving learning about our younger kids and their interests!

Choral:

Maya Cooper – In Vocal and Choral class, we have been learning songs from different parts of the world to sing for our play, all while learning about techniques and learning how to take care of our instruments (our voices!!!). Some of the highlights of this class were teaching fun warmups, getting group 1 to sing together in 2 parts, and playing Charlie Over the Ocean at the end of class! It has been so wonderful getting to sing with everybody!

Production Art:

John-Paul Perrotta – This week in Production Art, I have been working on making masks for the camp performance with the campers. The campers are doing very well overall. They have been dedicating themselves to making props for the camp show. I have seen the most growth in the campers focusing on making their masks and listening to directions. A funny story this week in my classroom was when a camper made a mask to resemble a cucumber. This week, I was most proud of making sure all campers’ masks were tied with yarn to fit on their faces according to specific sizes. I love being artistically creative, so I am very happy to use those abilities in Production Art this session. What is more, I notice gifted artistic creativity in all of my campers.

Teen Apprentices

Lanterns:

Everyday Camp Levine starts with morning singing where all the camp gathers and sings together. Some of the lanterns pre k group’s favorite songs are my body and the camp Levine songs and chants. In visiting instruments most teachers like to freeze dance with the kids. They laugh and giggle the whole time and have lots of fun. During art class many campers chose to participate and I think that they really enjoy getting their hands dirty and making art. They have learned to make paper plate butterflies! They did some painting and many other things. With these 4–5-year-olds sometimes listening and paying attention can be a bit of a struggle, but after having a talk with a teacher or TA or sometimes taking a little walk to calm down really helps them get back on track. Finally, some of my proudest moments as a teen apprentice are when the kids are all getting along and having fun because watching them be happy and have fun makes me happy too.

Bells:

Hi community members and parents of the Bells campers! We start the day with Morning Sing, where we sing the Camp Levine Song, and other songs from different cultures that we will perform for the final performance as a camp. After washing our hands, we head out to the playground for about 15-20 minutes. Once inside, we head up to our classroom. We do circle time until lunch. Next, we end up practicing our final songs for the performance. We even got to play the harpsichord that is in Lang! Next, we have a visiting instrument come for 30 minutes every day, but every 2 days, the instrument changes. We have gotten to see Guitar, Percussion, Cello, Piano, Clarinet, and Violin. After the visiting instrument leaves, we play games and read books. At about 1:05, the morning teacher, Ms. Rebecca leaves, and the afternoon teacher, who is also the morning art teacher, Ms. Emily, arrives. After she arrives, quiet time starts, when our kids take their naps. After a quick break, we play some more! After everyone has finished snack time, we will have art time, where we make ladybugs, plants in a pot, and suns. If our campers are very energetic, we will have a movement break, like a dance and stretch break, before our last bathroom break of the day. We then end the day with storytime, where we read books that range from Pete the Cat to stories from different cultures around the world. This is a look at what we, the Bells, do during the camp day!

Petals:

Hey parents and families of the petals! We’ve had such a fun time with this awesome group of campers!! To begin our camp days at Levine, we participate in Morning Sing! Morning Sing is such a great way to welcome in all of the campers. We cheer the kids on as they make their way in, and then we all sing songs together! Then we go back to our classroom and have Circle Time. During Circle Time we settle in, but also sing more songs with our teacher, Ms. Cierra! This is also a time to practice our final showcase song, Mi Cuerpo! Next, we have outdoor play, if the weather is nice. Playing outside on the playground is one of the campers favorite part of the day. We blow bubbles, go down the slides, and even play invisible (a game where multiple campers pretend to be invisible and us TA’s have to find them)!After playing it’s lunchtime, but first we take a bathroom trip to wash our hands. The campers all sit around and eat their lunches, which is followed by visiting instrument, in which an instrument teacher comes by and shares their instrument with the campers. This is a great way for the campers to get to know many different instruments and figure out what they might want to study in the future! After this is arts and crafts with the campers have much fun making different art projects. Then, we have quiet time, followed by some more circle time. During this time, we also practice for our showcase song, play fun games, or read a story! After this we have snack, and then some more free time. We have found that many campers enjoy building with blocks, play make-believe games, and do puzzles! Then it’s time to go home!

Feathers:

Hi all! The feathers are a pre-k group with so much musical talent. Some of their favorite activities include playing with each other, chalk, and lots of marbles. They have made many arts and crafts such as string painting, q-tip canvases, flowers, slime, and flags. We are so proud of our campers and how much they have learned! We can’t wait to see you next year!

Dancers:

The dancers enjoyed various activities these past few weeks, making art, singing, playing games, and especially trying out different instruments. Their favorite things to draw in art class include favorite characters from books or movies and places. The dancers designed and then created instruments based on the camp’s theme ‘Tapestry of Traditions’! In Music +1 they enjoy singing funny songs and playing the bells. The campers also raved about the instruments they tried in sampler class and were asking when they were going to play them again.

The dancers are talkative and playful, ready for each day’s activity. They are such a fun group, and we hope to see them next year!

Drummers:

Throughout the past few weeks, the drummers have participated in a variety of activities. Some of which include instrument building where they design an instrument of their choice using recycled materials, music plus where they show their ability to learn new instruments and music and sports and games where the drummers played team and individual based games varying from capture the flag to hula hoop toss. The drummers always start the day with enthusiasm and are always ready to try new things. They are good at following directions and while some redirections are needed, they ultimately pay attention and listen. It has been so fun being a part of the drummer’s new experiences and discovering things they enjoy. We look forward to seeing them next year.

Songbirds:

These past few weeks have been filled with lots of fun for the Songbirds. They learned songs in morning sing. Including the ratland bog, which quickly became their favorite. They created intricate instruments in instrument building and made fun ankle bells. They made weaving projects in art as well as name drawings. They enjoy running, hula hooping, and playing sports and games. The songbirds always start their day with infectious enthusiasm which makes their Teen Apprentices so excited and proud to see. Additionally, they are great listeners and are great at following directions. This is amazing considering they are only in first and second grade. We hope to see them return next year!

Storytellers:

Hi families! We are the TAs for the Storytellers group, and it has been so fun to get to know your kids these past few weeks! They really make camp Levine the amazing camp it is today. Now let us tell you what it’s like in the morning as a storyteller camper. To start off the day we have morning sing in the Lang. This is a great way to encourage them to start the day off in a fun way. We sing songs and dance. After morning sing, our first class of the day is an art class where the kids get to build and create beautiful artwork. The campers really enjoy this because they get to put their own spin on all the projects we do. After art we have Music+ which is where the campers get to learn different songs and how to play different instruments. They also learn songs that are going to be in the final performance. We love seeing how hard the kids work to learn these songs, and we are so proud of them. After, they each have a sampler class that changes according to the day. Some days they will have piano and other days they could have cello, but no matter what they have they are always excited to share what they have learned with each of us. After sampler has ended, we collect the kids from each room to go down to lunch. This is the time of the day for the kids to get back their energy and just hang out with their peers. Once lunch ends, we head off to sports and games. This is a very fun time for the kids because they get a break from having to sit still in the classroom. A fun memory of this class was when we played with a parachute, and it engaged many of the campers because so many people could be on it at once. The kids really had a lot of fun with it and we loved seeing the smiles of joy on their faces. Once sports and games ends, the entire camp goes into the Lang and joins their afternoon groups. This is called afternoon switch. The TA’s perform a dance for the campers and it changes everyday. The campers really love seeing their TA’s dance and it is a lot of fun. This session has been a lot of fun and we can’t wait to see what they do next year!

Weavers:

The group’s favorite song in the morning is Ratling Bog and they like to dance around to it. They are dedicated builders in Instrument building, and they’ve been working on their own instrument since the start of camp. Their favorite thing in art is making bracelets and although they struggle sometimes, they can always ask a TA for help. I think the most impressive craft they’ve learned to make is stained glass using aluminum foil. One of the proudest moments I’ve had was during morning singing one day, when all the other kids were loud and not listening or playing, but the Weavers were quiet and listening. We can’t wait to see you next year!

Gatherers:

Over these past weeks of Levine Camp, the Gatherers have been enjoying themselves in many classes and games, even during this intense heat. Starting with the “Do Day” schedule, the Gatherers have been participating in sports and games, learning their focus instruments, making bracelets for art class, and learning various languages and songs in music +1. Switching to the “Re Day” however, they change it up a bit and build their own instruments instead of their bracelets. We’ve had a great two weeks and can’t wait to start week three!

Pathfinders:

So far at Camp Levine, the Pathfinders have been starting of the day with learning to play their focus instruments. After that, they release their energy and have fun in Sports and Games, In Music + 2, the Pathfinders have been experimenting with different instruments and preparing a song for the final performance. They even designed and created their own instruments in Instrument Building. In Art class, the Pathfinders have embraced this years theme, “a tapestry of traditions,” by weaving their own friendship bracelets out of yarn. The Pathfinders are working hard in their creation of art and music and are ready to put on a show for the final performance.

Keepers:

Throughout the past few weeks the keepers days have been filled with so much fun! Starting the day off strong in morning sing wherre they set the example and enjoy singing and dancing to songs. They then head over to their focus instruments. Focus is where the campers each spend three weeks working on a song to preform in the final preformance. THe keepers then go outside to sports and games where they play capture the flag and enjoy freeplay. They then head over to eiether art in the cafe where they are making friendship bracelets or to instutment building where they have made their owni instruments and rainsticks. After lunch, we go to Music. In Music, they have learned how to play the xylophone, ukulele, drums, and so much more! We hope to see you all again next year! Maybe even as a TA!

Instrument Building:

As Instrument Building TA, I get to see all groups of campers, from 6 to 12, participating in the activities that we have to offer. I am delighted to inform you that all of the campers which I saw were spectacular. They are all extremely enthusiastic and cheerful in class, even when there were some obstacles when it came to creating their projects. While some of the younger campers needed assistance and occasionally some redirection to complete the activities, overall, the campers were incredibly self-sufficient. In our projects, the campers take the lead, working almost independently, and have proved to be very capable of doing so. Furthermore, the campers’ creativity has really been shown through our main project, where they design and build their own instruments. Their projects have so much color and life to them, and it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to help them along the way. Even in our smaller projects, such as making their own ankle bells or rain sticks, their imagination has truly shined through. Ultimately, the campers’ enthusiasm towards the class and their inventive sense of direction has made me ever so grateful to be along for the ride. I look forward to seeing them next year.

Art:

Over the past few weeks, I’ve helped lead Arts & Crafts with a group of energetic and creative campers, mostly around 6 to 12 years old. One of their favorite projects has been making friendship bracelets. We’ve done a bunch of different styles, and they love picking out colors for the bracelets. We also did paper and ribbon weaving, which was a big hit, especially once they saw how cool the patterns looked when they were done. Another fun activity was drawing their names using pictures of things they love, like pizza, flowers, or soccer balls. It’s been awesome watching their confidence grow as they try new crafts and get better at using their hands and being creative. My proudest moment as a TA was seeing a camper who was super shy on the first day proudly show off the paper weaving, they made to the whole group. Helping with this activity has been such a fun part of my summer. I can’t wait to see you next year!

1A:

During the past couple of weeks 1a has done exceptionally good at participating and engaging in classes. They really enjoy morning sing especially bog down in the valley as it is a funny song with lots of movement. They are always excited to participate in dance with all the fun games such as four square and ghost in the graveyard along with the upbeat music. When it’s time to dance they are always ready to get in position without much help and can pick up on the moves very quickly. In vocal and choral they love to sing and move around with the beat. Drama and composition are some of their favorite classes since there’s a lot of movement and fun activities. By the end of the day, they are sitting quietly and already with their stuff to go home. 1A is super easy to work with as they follow instructions and are always ready to try new things.

1B:

These last three weeks at camp 1B has gotten to explore various musical components such as vocal and choral, production art, dance, drama and composition. 1B learned one of their dances for the final performance, and they are eager to learn more. In vocal and choral. Campers enjoyed fun musical games such as the spaghetti song and many mumbling mice. During composition campers began to learn how music is composed and how the arrangement of pitches and notes affects the song. We can’t wait to see your campers grow throughout the final days of camp. We look forward to the final performance!

2A:

Campers start off their afternoon in either Drama or Dance. In Drama, they have learned how to improvise on the spot. These improv skills will come in handy for our performance! In Production Art, campers created the masks their magical animals will wear. They also made vibrant stained “glass” projects using foam, aluminum, and plenty of color! Soon after, we will have Vocal and Choral! We have learned many songs from a variety of countries and cultures. If you haven’t already, be sure to ask about the lullaby they’re rehearsing for the production! In Dance, Ms. Nya is teaching them a groovy number that will kick off the final performance. In Composition, they’ve been exploring how to combine different sounds and notes to make something uniquely their own. It has been such joy getting to know each camper—their likes, dislikes, and all the little things that make them special!

2B:

Over the past three weeks, Group 2B has enjoyed participating in activities such as dance, art, music, and drama classes! On our “Do Day” schedule, the kids have been engaging in their dance class where they practice their choreography, make and perform their music in composition, and sing songs in various languages for their chorus class. However, in a typical “Re Day”, The kids have enjoyed debating what kind of animal trickster they’re going to be for drama class, and what colors to use on their stained-glass project for production art. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for our final week!

3A:

3A is a wonderful Mix of 3rd – 5th graders who are constantly working hard and enduring any challenges that they face. Their first afternoon class is vocal and choral Class where they warm up them voice and learn songs in both English and Italian! Their second class switches between Drama and composition. After receiving their scripts in drama, they have begun thinking about how they want to portray their characters for the final performance. In Composition, they are given music notes and Instruments to compose their own music. Finally, at the end of the day, they switch between production art and dance, for the final performance, they need many props, so in production art, they use their creativity to build their own props. In dance, they move their bodies to the beat! Taking each move one at a time, 3A has been diligent and coordinated. Their dance is lively, expressive, and so much fun! We can’t wait to see you next year!

3B:

Within the past few weeks, 3B campers have expanded their skills and explored new pathways in a variety of activities. From playing creative improv games in drama to exercising with new poses in dance, there has been lots to learn. 3B campers are great listeners and have been able to fully express their unique ideas freely. As a TA, working with 3B campers always leads to an exciting new experience. One fun moment was playing background music on xylophones in composition class, which acted as an accompaniment to the campers’ original compositions. Watching 3B grow with their discoveries has been a joy and a journey. We look forward to seeing them next year, whether that be as a returning camper or as a new TA!

Drama:

Hi camper families! I am the classroom TA for drama, and it has been truly heartwarming to see the growth in each and every camper throughout the session. Getting to know every group was wonderful, and it was even more interesting to see how each group interpreted the activities we did. The younger kids were sillier and always wanted to have a good time, while the older kids started to hone their craft of acting. In drama, we played lots of fun games that encouraged the kids to tap into their imagination. Many of the games included giving others a turn, which gave those who weren’t as out going to be included, and let the more boisterous campers give attention to others. All in all, drama was a fantastic experience, filled with learning, growth, and most of all, fun!

Dance:

Dance class with Ms. Nya is time for campers of all ages to have fun moving their bodies, and also learn some awesome dances. A typical dance class here at Levine starts out with a good warm up. Whether it is lots of jumping jacks or a song that shows us different ways to travel around the room, Ms. Nya’s warm ups always get the kids ready to dance!!

Next, we work on our dances for the final showcase! One of the dances has all campers in it. The song chosen is called Spinning Wheel, which goes along with the theme of Tapestry of Traditions this year.

There are also other dances that were created for smaller groups, like one with 1A/B and 2A/B. To wrap up dance, we sometimes play a game like ghost in the graveyard or freeze dance.

Production Art:

I’ve had a magnificent time working with JP in Production art! It’s very cool to work with such a wide age range of campers from 6-12. We have taken really cool stained-glass pictures! You will all see them soon! We have also created paper masks! It has been such a pleasure to work with the kids! I have loved watching the campers grow into such kind and creative kids. I can’t wait to see you all next year!

Vocal/Choral:

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had an incredible time in Vocal and Choral. The campers especially enjoyed Ms. Maya’s engaging and creative warm-ups, which brought a lot of energy and excitement to each session. Activities like sirens and lip trills helped improve vocal technique in a fun and supportive environment. In addition to the vocal exercises, we worked on several songs, like Tapestry of Traditions, which will be performing at the end of camp. This allowed the campers to explore different Cultures through music. It’s been a joyful and enriching experience that helped build both confidence and community through singing.