MD Campus: Strathmore Session 2 Newsletter

A Note from the Director of Camp Levine

Dear Camp Levine Families,

We’ve had such an awesome time at Camp Levine this session! We’re thankful for you sharing your camper with us this summer. 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 the support of our Camp Levine community is what has made it all possible.

Whether this is your camper’s first or third summer at Camp Levine, we hope that through our theme “Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall: Harmony in All Seasons,” we have provided a fun and engaging artistic experience.

We hope to see you next year!

Best,

Jazmin Goodson, Director of Camp Levine

A Note from the Site Director

Dear Families,

Thank you so much for trusting your children to us these past three weeks. 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. I was particularly impressed by the number of songs they were able to sing, and the pages and pages of lyrics they memorized. 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.

Jason McFeaters

Site Director, Camp Levine Strathmore

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.

The Raindrops and Dewdrops (PreK/K) have have been excited to embark on many adventures every day! Our days have been packed with music, art, movement and play. Time outside has been spent creating with sidewalk chalk, moving with the parachute and singing under the gazebo. Our little voices have been learning and singing songs to include, Down by the Bay, The Seasons Song, Edelweiss, and of course, the Camp Levine Song! We also have been diligently preparing for our big performance, practicing a “Rainy Day” and “If All the Raindrops” medley. We’ve also put on our artists hats creating polar bears, snowmen, kites and using water colors. Storytime has been filled with whimsical stories all about the four seasons and we’ve even gotten to see and experience different instruments like the guitar, flute, piano and cello! We really enjoy playing with all of the toys and even some fun games like Duck, Duck Goose and Candyland and building puzzles. We also have learned the Mexican Hat Dance and have moved with scarves to music being played on the piano. We are having so much fun here at Camp Levine and we are looking forward to all of the fun things we get to do for the rest of camp.

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)

The Snowflakes and Sunrays groups have been engaging in singing solfeggio using Kodály hand signs. They explored basic music notation and created their own rhythmic pattern compositions. Additionally, they learned nursery rhymes and singing games, practiced call and response, and played Orff instruments appropriate for their level.

The Leaves class delved into rhythm using various note values and musical notation through thematic songs. They sang in canon, enhancing their understanding of harmony and timing. The students also explored mallet instruments such as xylophones and metallophones, developing their coordination and musical skills through hands-on practice.

The Glaciers class explored various rhythmic patterns and musical notation, working on more complex arrangements. They had the opportunity to learn intricate pieces on mallet instruments, playing in 4- and 5-part ensembles. Additionally, the students participated in music-based skill games, enhancing their technical abilities and teamwork.

Games & Sports

In Sports & Games we are having a blast getting to know each other with fun games both new and classic, like “Gaga Ball” and Sharks & Minnows. We learn how to play fair, engage in friendly competition, and ensure everyone is included. Here’s hoping it cools down so we can get back outside soon!

Piano

Since the piano is fundamental for learning other instruments, I invest a lot of time in music theory in class. But before then, I gave enough time to explore the piano, explaining how the piano makes the sounds and how the pedals work. I believe that if they understand their instruments better, it will be easier to make sounds. For sampler groups, we work on piano geography to understand the keys and rhythm games essential for playing any instrument. In the focused group, they learned more advanced music theory that can be applied to their performance pieces, such as scales, notes reading, and note values. I hope this class is valuable for your children and memorable in their memory for a long time!

Guitar

Students are exploring different ways of playing a guitar. They now know the difference between playing a melody vs. accompanying a song with the guitar while singing.

They started with foundations which included the sitting position and the right- and left-hand positions. They have learned the notes on the first three strings and have been able to play a complete G major scale, which helps them warm up. With the notes, they are preparing a song for the recital, which involves reviewing music theory concepts such as reading notation, rhythms, dynamics, and ensemble skills. They have learned a few chords, starting with the half chords (using only the first three strings) and some students moving on to the full chords. Right hand basic strumming patterns have also been introduced, and particularly the children had a lot of fun playing with a pick. They only need to be reminded that it takes a good left-hand position, time, and practice to get a clear sound and a faster change between chords…they are learning perseverance.

Lastly, they have been surprised by loud Tambora or soft harmonics sounds that they can make and have enjoyed exploring the variety of musical possibilities that the guitar has. You can ask them at home about this, they will be happy to show you.

As the performance approaches, we will work on getting more comfortable playing, stage skills, making the notes sound like music, and enjoy playing with friends.

Flute

I hope this newsletter finds you all in high spirits and enjoying your time at Camp Levine! It’s incredible to think that this marks my 10th year here at Camp Levine, and I am thrilled to be teaching such talented musicians from Maryland.

Our flute ensemble has been hard at work, focusing on some beautiful winter-themed songs that I’m sure will captivate our audiences. It’s been wonderful to witness the progress our young musicians are making with their instruments. In the beginning groups, we’ve covered the basics extensively, from understanding the parts of the flute to learning how to set up and assemble our instruments. I’m incredibly proud of the dedication and enthusiasm our young musicians have shown. They’ve already produced their first sounds, which is always a memorable achievement! Recently, they had the opportunity to showcase their progress in a mini “class recital,” where they performed for their classmates as part of their assessment. It was a joy to see their hard work pay off, and I’m excited about what lies ahead for us this session, and I can’t wait to see all the amazing performances our campers will deliver. Again, a warm welcome to all our new campers and a heartfelt welcome back to our returning musicians!

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!

Drama:

In drama we do warm ups with the whole class in a circle that involves improvisation, sometimes pantomime, quick thinking of made up stories, and working together to create various scenes. Everyone is so creative and get along with each other making stuff up.

Ther abilities are amazing!

Dance:

In dance all of the groups have been working hard and having fun: leading each other in warm-ups, coming up with ideas for choreography, practicing techniques and the routines. The have been working well together, and all are excited about the performance next week.

Choral:

My name is Ms. Audrey, and I’ve had the pleasure of being the Vocal Teacher for Session 2 here at the Strathmore location. In the first week, I started teaching them the songs for the final performance. This included the whole camp ensemble songs and their group songs. In addition, each group collaborated to write their introduction song that will be performed in the final show. Throughout the week, we also played some games here and there, such as musical chairs and Encore!

The second week involved solidifying the songs that they had learned and a few more games (Encore, Can You Keep A Steady Beat, Beat Add-On, etc). Then a run through of all their songs on Friday in preparation for the final week.

Week 3 focused on combining their learned songs with their dances, and then putting everything together with the drama teacher to finalize the end of session performance!

I hope your camper has enjoyed being in my class, and I look forward to finishing this performance of Harmony In All Seasons!