Well, where do I begin? Well, I guess the first question to answer is if was better than last year. Overall, I say that it was, yes. There were certain things that were better last year than this year, but not as much. II guess I'll list the positives and negatives.:
Positives
- The kids seemed to have a really great time this year, just like last year. There was a lot for them to do and many different groups for them to play in, including an instrument-specific group for trumpets, horns and low brass.
- The music, once again, was really well liked. We did music from Star Wars as well as Siegfried's Funeral March and Hawaii Five-O. The younger kids got to play the chorale from Jupiter and a Mexican piece, while the older kids played Gabrieli's Canzona Per Sonare No. 2, Bruckner's Ecce Sacerdos and Shostakovich's Waltz No. 2 from Suite for Variety Orchestra. The kids also had music for quartets, and played movie music in their like-instrument groups. I didn't get to them all of the music I had planned, but I was able to get most of it, and pick good substitutions with the music I already had in my library.
- Even though it didn't quite feel like it at the time, I look back now and feel that this camp was more organized than the last. I had a better idea of what to do for sessions, I had coaches for all of the groups, and the outdoor activities went swimmingly.
- For most of the kids, the challenge was adequate. I really gave them a lot to rise up to, which, for the most part, they very much so did.
- I felt like I offered them a lot of helpful and insightful knowledge. Sessions that happened last year, such as music theory and improvisation, were on different subject matter than last year, to keep it interesting.
- Giving water bottles to the kids and having ice water on hand was wise.
- Having 19 kids this year was better than having 16 last year.
- The kids seemed to endure the music better this year. Last year, it was pretty apparent that students' chops were tired by the concert, but this year was not so much the case. It seems like the kids even had good mental focus to the end.
- There was a lot more laughing this time around. It just seemed to be a much more fun atmosphere, with everyone chiming in.
- I had more first-timers as this camp than returners. Many of my first timers are students of mine who weren't able to attend last year.
- A lot of kids said they're coming back for more next year.
- The list just keeps going...
Negatives
- The most pressing negative was the ability gap among the students. We had 5 beginning students who had a really rough time with the music. We had one student break down and cry during rehearsal more than once, and another who could hardly do anything on his instrument, so they just played random notes, which really upset me. During mass ensemble, these students were very obvious to me, and played too many wrong notes for my liking. Definitely not fair to those who could play their parts. I'm thinking of allowing only 2nd or 3rd-year players into the camp in the future, and maybe hold a shorter camp for 1st year players with easier music.
- I really wanted to plan a jazz tune this year, but it never materialized. Kids were cool with it, although a couple students did express extreme interest in jazz in the future.
- The move really affected my ability to prepare, and I was up until 5:30am on the morning of the first day of camp preparing music, so I was very tired on the first day.
- We didn't have a local artist's recital this year, which should have happened.
- A couple sessions didn't go as planned, so I had to make up some ideas for them. For instance, my wife was to come in to do a world drumming session to help student with their rhythm & tempo, but her involvement with our church's Vacation Bible School prevented that. Luckily, Jeff Agrell's Improvisation Games book helped me to improvise solutions...hehe.
- I know several of my students that we're able to go wanted to go, so my attendance could have been potentially higher.
So yeah, the positives in content outweigh the negatives. But I have learned from it and I know what I can do to make it better next year. I need to do something about the 1st year players, because I still want them to have some kind of camp experience. I may want to change the venue of the camp just so we have more space and we aren't disturbing other music teachers (we held the camp at a music store).
But overall, another big success. Pretty much all of the kids left happy, and the parents, too. They knew their money was well spent. And it will always be, every year, as long as I have something to do with it.
Oh, yes, I did take photos, video and audio. And yes, I will make those available to you all...shortly.
I turn my attention forward, not only to a normal, busy teaching week, but also the Pacific Northwest Conducting Workshop help by the Saratoga Orchestra. I get to sit and watch a bunch of young conductors get experience in front of our orchestra, all the while doing my best to manhandle the 1st horn part to Brahms' 2nd symphony...
Ah, yes...Brahms' 2nd, Horn 1...my old nemesis. This piece and I have a history. This will be my 4th time playing principal horn, and hopefully the first where I can really do the piece justice. I'm a different horn player than I was in my college years, though, so I think I got this. I'll let you know.
Take care and value music.