In the summers after my freshman and sophomore year of high school, I attended Baylor University's High School Summer Full Orchestra Camp. I don't remember much about my first visit, but my second week of living at Baylor was one of the best weeks, I think, of my entire life. Those camps served their hidden purpose well -- recruitment!
And now, five years later, I'm a Baylor Bear and a music student, spending time as a camp counselor for the very camp that drew my attention here. (I'm actually writing this in the hall outside a friend/counselor's door... I don't get the campus wireless in my own room, but I have signal here for some reason. It's after lights-out, and everything is quiet and still... except for the Dr. Pepper machine down the hall.) Kudos to the School of Music and all those involved for running so many awesome camps. There's also a piano camp going on, and a choir camp coming up later, then All-State workshops... wow!!
Anyway! Last week was high school camp, and this week is junior high camp. The younger kids need a little more looking after, but the great thing about them is that (as a friend/counselor said) they're not "too cool for school" yet. Most of them are very enthusiastic. Yeah, they need a little direction, but they're good kids... and they go to bed at lights-out time, and they always wake up SUPER-early and are ready to go like pros!! The other great thing about this week's camp is that lights-out is an hour earlier than it is at the high school camp... which means more sleep / free time... hence the blogging.
During a meeting, one of my campers asked, "Has anyone ever told you that you sound like Kermit the Frog?" I was surprised, though pleasantly so -- a Kermit the Frog impression is one of the few items in my bag o' tricks, along with the Gollum cough, the Tauntaun squeal, and the growls of Watto. (Hmm... maybe I should work on expanding my lineup outside of the scum of sci-fi / fantasy movies.)
One of our evening activities for both camps was an optional Guitar Hero tournament in which students and counselors / staff were welcome to participate. I managed and oversaw the tournaments, which was a fun (though somewhat demanding) job. Juggling four brackets (one for each difficulty) over four TVs with students hopping up onstage to ask you how long it is until they play (or if they can go to the bathroom) will really take it out of you!! It was definitely a blast, though.
Another evening activity is our faculty recital. This week's faculty recital is tomorrow, and I'll be playing the Rossini duet for cello and double bass with another counselor. That piece is sure a good 'un -- I'm looking forward to it!!!
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This is from last week's talent show. We didn't announce what song we were playing before we started... hence the rock concert-esque cheering at the beginning. Enjoy!!
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Haha, I love the cheering! You're totally a rock star, dude!
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