MD Campus: Strathmore Session 2 Newsletter

A Note from the Camp Directors

Dear Camp Levine Families,

We can’t believe Session 2 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 have had an incredibly amazing time working with your campers this summer. It has been so rewarding for our teachers and staff to get to observe the surprising amount of progress they made in such a short time. Your children were amazing in their final camp performances, where they danced, played and sung songs and pieces representing traditions from many different cultures and regions around the world. I was particularly impressed by number of lyrics they were able to memorize, particularly those in foreign languages. The dancing, art and drama were also quite spectacular! I observed many new friendships blossom, as well as several teary-eyed goodbyes.

I hope to see your camper again next year, and am excited to see what our new camp theme will be!

Mr. Jason, Site Director

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.

Kangaroos & Koalas

Barbara Gesumaria & Ariela Sirota: We are very proud of our campers for learning a new song in Spanish! After a couple of days, they were able to pick it up and sing their hearts out. They know all the words and movements for the song and it is so cute! We are also proud of how creative and talented they are, whether through daily art activities or our dance time. The campers are always using their imagination to make amazing things.

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!

Music+ (General Music)

Paula Zabel: The Pandas have been full of joyful energy this session! They’ve been working on steady beat playing through songs like “Le Pulga de San Jose” from Latin America and “Nani Wale Na Hala” from Hawaii, while exploring a variety of timbres and instruments. They’ve also enjoyed getting to know one another with singing games such as “Bounce High.” The Elephants have connected beautifully too—we shared special things about each camper’s culture and background, and it was wonderful to see their “International Day” attire last Friday! They embraced a musical challenge and learned to play the entire song “Lost My Gold Ring” on xylophone, which they’ll perform this coming Friday.

The Eagles are a standout group, especially with “Obwisana,” where they kept egg shakers moving rhythmically around a circle at increasing speeds. They’ve also taken on two fishing songs—“Row, Row to the Fishing Spot” and “Chinese Fishing Song”—with three-part harmony, an impressive feat for younger campers! And the Beavers have truly shined as singers during “Morning Sing,” confidently holding two harmony parts. Their TA Gwen has been a fantastic musical leader, and in Music+, they’ve continued to “rock” while learning new xylophone techniques and crafting strong endings to “Land of the Silver Birch” and “Annie Was a Miller’s Daughter.”

I hope everyone continues to have a great summer—see you next year!

Games & Sports

Jade Russo: In Games & Sports with Jade, we get up and get active with many different kinds of games – both old and new, goofy and competitive. We learn how to play fair and ensure everyone is included as we use our imagination to make all kinds of silliness come to life. Between stealing eggs from the Dragon’s Lair and using a parachute to launch satellites into outer space, we’re always having fun 🙂 Special shout out to camp leadership team members Noam and Declan for helping the Eagles group’s epic game of Capture The Flag take flight!!

Piano

Junghee Son: In Session 2 of the Piano Class at Camp Levine, our campers are truly hitting all the right notes! They’ve dived deep into the piano playing and music theory, honing essential skills that will shape their musical journey for the future. By mastering scales and learning folk songs, they uncover “A Tapestry of Traditions,” which is the theme for this year. A standout moment was when our young musicians got the chance to peek inside the piano, marveling at the hammers, strings, dampers, and pedals. They created their sounds, pressed keys, and experimented with the pedal in ways that sparked pure magic! Sometimes, unexpected moments led to beautiful sounds, showcasing their natural talent, even without prior training. Each lesson not only sharpens their musical abilities but also fosters a joyful and supportive community where creativity thrives. We can’t wait to witness their incredible progress by the end of the camp and in the years to come!

Violin

Avner Finberg: Our violin focus group is playing “cripple creek”, a traditional Appalachian fiddle tune. It is so much fun! The campers get a chance to improvise, stomp their feet and play in two parts!  We can’t wait for the final show, where the campers will show off what they learned!

Flute

Ceylon Mitchell: In the flute classes this session, we’ve engaged in VAK learning styles (visual, auditory and kinesthetic). We’ve been working on breathing with blowing exercises with learning tools such as paper balls and The Hiss. The Pneumo Pro device helps us see the direction of our air with colored spinning wheels. We blow the air downwards with a proper “flute face” consisting of firm “yum” corners and a “pooh” aperture (mouth opening). Dr. Mitchell carefully demonstrates every step of the process. Once can we blow our air correctly, we work on flute assembly and various sounds on the headjoint. “Head, Body, and the Foot” is a fun, catchy song Dr. Mitchell created that imitates the classic “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” Once we place our fingers on the correct keys through muscle memory, we learn our first notes (G, A, B, C, D) and melodies (Hot Cross Buns, Mary Hand a Little Lamb, Cuckoo, Al Cintrón). During our last week of camp we make time to listen to flute recordings and Dr. Mitchell performances.

Trumpet

Nathan Wolfe: Hello all! It has been a fantastic session 2 in trumpet class at Camp Levine, I appreciate all of the hard work everyone has put into learning, it shows! In our focus instrument groups, we have been working on learning the first five notes on trumpet, C, D, E, F, and G, and trying to make a nice sound with them. Along with these notes, we have been playing songs that utilize them. Everyone has been doing so well, and the songs sound great, so we have expanded our range and learned some flat notes, and a song that uses them too. Everyone’s curiosity and excitement to learn has made me so incredibly pleased!

In our sampler instrument class, we have been learning how to make a sound on the trumpet, and our first five notes as well. With less time to practice, we haven’t gone as in depth on learning other songs, but we have learned a few easy classics, like Hot Cross Buns, and Mary Had A Little Lamb. 

Art

Allyson Ger: In art the groups learned about Folk Art and created projects inspired by different cultures and communities around the world. They looked at pictures of Aborigine dream paintings from Australia and created their own paintings using dots. We talked about Native American dream catchers and many of the children knew about the symbols- the web, the feathers & beads. They made their own adding native american symbols. They learned about Thailand’s spirit animal, the elephant, and collaged 3D elephants and made an environment for them. They created scratch designs inspired by the Aztec Sun in Mexico. The children were very creative and their projects looked amazing!

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!

Drama:

Tory Shaw- Our campers have had an AWESOME time exploring the world of Theater this session! In addition to learning their lines and staging for our “Tapestry of Traditions” show, campers have been learned the importance of developing Stage Presence, the power of Projecting their voices on stage, and how to develop characters and play people that are different from themselves. They have also learned a bunch of new theater games that are teaching them about Improvisation and how much fun it can be when one has to “think on their feet.” We have enjoyed our time together and hope you will enjoy our show!

Dance:

Allyson Ger- In dance the children explored movement from diifferent cultures- New Orleans, Cuba, Jamaica & Mexico. The groups learned dance moves, moved as a group in circles, lines and other formations. They created their own choreography in pairs and small groups  lines. They had wonderful ideas and are looking forward to sharing all of this in our final performance.

Choral:

Abbey Brandt- The campers have been having a lot of fun learning songs and playing games in the Vocal/Choral sessions. One of their favorite games is the Poison Rhythm game, which is a game where the students compete against the teacher. The students have to memorize and avoid clapping the “poison rhythm” in order to win points. Students have also enjoyed the Penguin Dance as a warm-up to get their energy up! Some of the favorite songs from this session are “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman and “Un Poco Loco” from Coco. They are getting ready to put on a fun show this Friday!

Teen Apprentices

Elephants:

Over the past 3 weeks at camp Levine, the Elephants have had lots of fun and learned a variety of skills in the performing arts, from running around in sports and games to working hard in their dance class in preparation for the final performance. They were able to learn how to play different percussion instruments such as the metalaphone and xylophone for a great performance in Music+. The children also explored different cultures around the world through art projects with different cultural backgrounds. They also got a taste of 4 different instruments, flute, piano, violin, and trumpet through their sampler class. In dance class, they were able to master choreography to the song “Jamaica Farewell” to connect to this year’s Camp Levine theme. The students have also prepared their vocals for the final play by performing a multitude of songs from different cultures during vocal choral, such as the Japanese alphabet song, Un Poco loco, etc. All in all, the Elephants have had a great time learning and growing interest in the arts through their experiences at Camp Levine this year.

Beavers:

Over the past 3 weeks of camp Levine, the beavers have done outstanding work on their activities throughout the camp session like dance, drama and vocal. They practiced the Madi Gras dance and have completed the dance with good choreography. In drama they worked to improve on their volume when acting out their lines for the final performance and have also memorized their part of the lines. In vocal class they’ve done spectacular work on songs like “This is Me” and Jambo bwana. Overall, they all enjoyed the classes camp Levine have offered and enjoyed their time of camp with activities like sports and games, art and practicing with their focus instruments.

Eagles:

The Eagles were a very fun group to spend the past three weeks with. We led them around each day to their classes, and they found each class fun in a unique way. While some campers enjoyed some classes more than others, it was a fun experience overall for each and every camper. It was an amazing experience to spend time with these kids over the past 3 weeks!

Pandas:

Overall, the Pandas have been doing pretty well! Campers have learned how to listen more effectively and are now able to remain quiet when asked to. They have also been doing very well in classes such as dance and vocal/choral, where they have managed to memorize lyrics to songs within a day or two. The campers have also managed to make a lot of progress on their sampler instruments and have shown a lot of progress over these three short weeks. Furthermore, the campers went above and beyond and took their scripts home to practice over the weekend and came back on Monday ready for drama.