DC Campus: THEARC Session 1 Newsletter

A Note from the Directors of Camp Levine

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

We Did It!

Session 1 has officially come to a close—and what a fantastic way to end it! It has been an absolute joy getting to know each of our students and watching their unique personalities shine through.

The true highlight, however, was witnessing their artistic growth throughout the session, which culminated in a wonderful final performance (recording coming soon!). The dedication and hard work of both students and teachers was on full display through their exceptional musicianship, refined technique, and confident presentation.

I might be a little biased, but I truly believe that Camp Levine at THEARC is something special! I’m so excited to see what new skills, discoveries, and creativity will unfold in the next session.

Cheers,

Juan Goodson

Site Director, Camp Levine THEARC

PreK/Kindergarten Class

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.

Maracas

Lauren Lewis: We’ve had an adventure-filled start to our “Tapestry of Traditions” summer camp, where we’re celebrating global cultures through stories, songs, maps, and hands-on fun!

We started our journey with the book My Granny Went to Market: A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme. Using our world map, we discovered where we live and charted the places Granny visited in the story. Campers loved finding these places on the map and imagining themselves flying across the globe with Granny’s magical carpet!

Next, we concentrated on the continent of North America. We used our map skills to identify the 23 countries that make up this diverse continent. We also met a tiny musical friend—the Coquí, a nocturnal, one inch long tree frog native to Puerto Rico! Campers learned El Coqui, the folk song.

Looking Ahead: Exploring New Continents!

In the next three weeks, our tapestry will grow as we journey through the traditions and stories of Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and South America. We’ll continue using our maps, learning folk songs, hearing tales, and creating cultural crafts along the way.

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 1!

Music+ (General Music)

Jacob Jones:

Grades 1–2: “Sansa Kroma” djembe accordions

Our first and second graders learned the Ghanaian song “Sansa Kroma,” using call-and-response singing and simple Orff instrument patterns. They practiced steady beat and ensemble skills while exploring a rich cultural tradition through music and rhythm.

Grades 3–5: “Che Che Koolay”ouds

Students in grades 3–5 performed “Che Che Koolay,” an energetic Ghanaian game song. They combined singing, body movement, and rhythmic patterns on xylophones and drums. This helped them build teamwork, musical form, and listening skills.

Older Group: “Bonse Aba” erhus

Our older students performed the Zambian song “Bonse Aba” with beautiful part-singing and Orff accompaniment. They created a full, rich sound while practicing harmony, rhythm, and ensemble coordination in a powerful, joyful performance.

Trumpet

Evan Bossenbroek:

The Erhus and the Ouds have been working on Hot Cross Buns, Merry Had a Little Lamb, Kuma San (a Japanese folk song), and Frère Jacques (played in a round). This week, we will be adding a Spanish counting song titled “Un Elefante.” We will continue to work on improved tone quality, increased range, familiarity with notation, part independence, and playing by ear. We are looking forward to our performance on Friday.

The Djembes and the Accordions have been working on playing “So What” by Miles Davis and “Moanin” by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Both of these jazz standards rely on call and response and simple melodies, making them perfect for beginners who only know a few notes. We have also been working on mouthpiece buzzing, developing a better sense of time, and playing by ear.

The Maracas have also worked on “So What” and “Moanin”, though we have been singing instead of playing trumpet. We also learned about the different types of brass instruments, including the French Horn, Trombone, and Tuba. This week we will be building our very own “trumpets” out of construction paper and water bottles.

Art

Mikala Howard:

In art we focused on building our creative abilities with individual and group projects. We worked on blind gesture drawings (drawing a partner without looking down at our papers) to help train our hands to trust our eyes. We explored abstract shapes using acrylic paints. We experimented with different ratios of materials to get the most desirable texture for our ‘slime’. Each project began with directions but naturally evolved into its own set of experiments. Campers were encouraged to think independently and share what they had learned through their creative process. Through our creative time we learned more about one another and gained a better understanding of ourselves as artists.

Violin

Annabelle Berthome-Reynolds:

These first two weeks have been busy at Camp Levine for our young campers! We are having 3 groups of campers:

The Focus group campers: have the amazing opportunity to focus and that is the word indeed! — on violin (for those who chose violin!) with a lesson everyday AND bring a violin home to practice in the afternoon what we have seen in the morning: how lucky!

The Sampler group campers : discover, day after day, either violin, trumpet or piano in a small group setting. This is a fabulous program to get to know more about their own liking (or already, preference) of pitch, sound grain, instrument size and capacities! Each camper has his/her own instrument, though it has to stay at Camp Levine after the class.

The Pre-K and K campers who receive visiting, instrumental teachers who share all the beauties of their (beloved) instrument and offer the opportunity for each camper to touch and play on real, small violins (in our case) for a few minutes! I wish you could all see their smiles!

This week, the Focus and Sampler violin campers focused further on posture, sound production, bow hold and continue learning how to read more few notes on the staff (corresponding to the violin strings G, D, A, E). Some even invented their own composition! We will also explore the 1st and 2 fingers (on the fingerboard!). In addition, Focus campers were also introduced to 3 types of rhythms (whole-, half- and quarter- notes) as well as bow directions (down- and up- bows).

Piano

Rachel Chen:

My students in the Piano Focus class have been learning about Taiwanese culture, and they’ve been working hard on a Taiwanese folk song. They’ll be performing this piece along with a few American folk tunes on Friday.

Most of these students had never played piano before, so it’s been incredibly fun and rewarding to watch their growth over the past few weeks. They’ve learned their finger numbers (which vary by instrument!), proper hand position, good piano posture, the music alphabet, how to name all the notes on the piano, and basic rhythms which includes quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, and whole notes. They’ve also learned seven songs, can read basic staff notation, and are ready to perform. I’m so proud of their progress!

The Sampler Piano kids have been learning a lot too! They can now quickly identify the black key groups (two and three keys), sing the music alphabet, and chant the finger number song. They’ve also developed a strong sense of rhythm and got to try out one or two pieces in class, even performing for their classmates!

Attached is the Taiwanese folk song! They drink boba but didn’t realize that it was originated from Taiwan! They were super excited to learn that fun fact!

From the Teen Apprentices

We work together as TAs to make sure the students have an enjoyable sports and games experience when playing games from sharks and minnows to basketball to indoor games like telephone. We love seeing campers get their energy out. We love participating in the games, but also having the students follow our instructions and respect us.

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 1!

Dance- Michelle Seaward:

Mrs. Seaward has gone over rules and expectations for the campers in her dance class. She has also exposed them to new and cool dance styles. The campers have learned about ballet, afro-beat, and hip hop this week. She has set a goal for campers to utilize everything they have learned to put together a phenomenal final performance.

The 1st & 2nd campers have had a chance to learn the basics of first & second position in ballet. Mrs. Seaward really focused on a creative curriculum for this group. They were able to play some dance games. They really enjoyed the freeze dance & the warm up activities.

Campers in 3rd & 4th were able to go over the beginning techniques for ballet, hip hop & go-go dance. They were taught basic first & second positions in ballet. They also worked on exercises to improve their flexibility for the final dance performance. The campers enjoyed some dance games at the end of class.

Group 3A &3B were very excited to come to dance class. We went over ballet, hip hop & jazz dance. They are fast learners! They were very happy to do jazzy as well as hip hop dance. They were taught the rhythm of leg movements in jazz dance style. The campers were very enthusiastic in learning all the dance genres. They even went home to practice and returned even better. They enjoyed the dance games we played and really like the beginning stretching exercise we did. The campers wanted more.

Drama- Tiffany Strother:

In Drama class, campers are learning improvisational games that focus on concentration and minimizing distractions. These skills are essential when producing staged performances. Campers are gearing up for their final performance which will highlight traditions and cultures around the world.

Choral- Jacob Jones:

Grades 1–2: “Bonse Aba” & “Belle Mama” Our first and second grade singers explored harmony and ensemble singing through two beautiful cultural songs:

“Bonse Aba”, a traditional Zambian piece celebrating unity, allowed students to sing confidently in parts and blend their voices as a group.

“Belle Mama”, a calming round from the Congo, introduced them to canon singing—where each group enters at different times—helping them develop timing, listening, and vocal independence.

Together, these songs gave students a joyful introduction to global music, harmony, and teamwork through voice.

Grades 3–5: “Remember Me” (Go-Go Style) & “Belle Mama” Our third through fifth grade singers performed:

“Remember Me” from Coco, infused with Washington D.C. Go-Go rhythms, blending Latin melody with local musical culture. Students worked on rhythmic accuracy, ensemble balance, and expressive phrasing.

“Belle Mama” was also sung in canon, but with added dynamic contrast and vocal layering, allowing older students to refine their choral skills and create a more textured performance.

These pieces helped students explore vocal harmony, cultural appreciation, and the joy of collaborative music-making.

It has been an incredible journey watching the campers at Camp Levine grow over the past few weeks. From day one, their creativity, resilience, and enthusiasm have shined through every song, rhythm, and rehearsal. Many students stepped out of their shells and discovered confidence they didn’t know they had, while others uncovered hidden talents that have truly inspired us all. The transformation in each camper has been nothing short of amazing, and it’s been a joy and honor to work with such passionate, talented young artists. Camp Levine is truly a special place where music and growth go hand in hand.