Dear Parents,
As I walk down through the comforting hallways at THEARC to see what is going on in our camp classrooms, I see smiles and hear laughter. I hear beautiful music traveling from one classroom, clarinet melodies from the other. Not just this, but already complete musical sentences, filled with the joy of our campers, echo down the hall. This week, our campers were introduced to new tunes, instrumental techniques, and have continued to work on music and projects introduced last week. As I entered the art room on Tuesday morning, I saw carefully selected materials which were laid out for our campers in two areas of the room. Here, campers designed their very own necklaces and other jewelry. This morning, four days later, THEARC’s hallways were filled with bedazzled campers rocking their accessories!
Our drama and music+ teachers focus on building character and self-esteem in each performer and getting them ready for the next week’s performance. Mixing professionalism with fun, campers are having a fantastic time learning the ins and outs of show business. Each rehearsal was more fluent and expressive than the last!
At Camp Levine, we focus heavily on providing campers with age-appropriate, fun, and enriching programs that include music, creative arts, dance, and outdoor education. You can expect a safe and happy place where your child will have fun, make friends, learn skills, develop self-esteem, confidence, and independence. All these things last a lifetime. We have gone a long way and are deeply committed to creating the kind of camp experience that will be special for all our campers. I am proud of each one of our campers for their achievement so far, and I invite you all to join us for the performance next Friday. There they will share with you what they have experienced and learned about Rocking the Red Carpet!
Week 2 of camp was wonderful! We had some exciting activities lined up for this week. One of the best parts of being able to witness a day at Camp Levine is being able to see our campers’ passion and readiness to learn music. Most campers will tell you that their favorite part of the day is getting the chance to learn about a new dances or scripts. If you pass through the halls during one of our dance or drama classes, you will understand why. Some campers even choose to use aftercare to practice their instruments!
With less than a week before our final performance, campers are starting to prepare their parts of the program. Between their dedicated practice on instruments and their eager participation during Morning Sing, we are so excited to see what the campers have in store for us.
Ellison Richardson
Assistant to the Site Director-Camp Levine, THEARC
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Dear Camp Families,
I can’t believe that we’re already at the end of the second week of camp! We are having so much fun that time just flies by. Here are a few reminders as we look forward to week 3.
Lunches/Backpacks: Your child should only be bringing their lunch box (containing a lunch, snack, and mask) and water bottle to camp. Space is at a premium, so it is tough to accommodate book bags, particularly when our older campers are traveling with instrument cases.
Please ensure campers are not bringing toys or items from home. We don't want home items getting fought over, lost, or damaged.
All-Camp & Musical Theatre Performances
All-Camp Performances are next Friday.
Due to COVID-19 precautions and space occupancy, families and friends are not invited this year. Campers will be performing for their camp community. Performances will be recorded and shared with families.
All campers should wear their Camp Levine t-shirts next Friday.
Performance Videos: We want you to be able to enjoy your camper’s performance in the safety and comfort of your home. All camp families will be emailed a link to their site & session's performance video as soon as it is available. It may take us awhile to edit and send them, but they will be on their way as soon as we complete them!
Attendance: Please email [email protected] if your camper will be missing any days next week. It is important to for us take this into account while we are planning the rehearsal and performance.
Happy Friday,
Mary Cat Gill
Site Director of Camp Levine
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The Stars and Spotlights are learning all about new instruments this week! In the Stars class, Mr. Johnny, our cello teacher, gave the campers a visit for them to learn a bit more about his instrument. He played some songs for them and even let the campers pluck the cello string for themselves! Each of the Stars got to learn how to correctly hold a bow and how it functions with the string to make sound as well.
In the Spotlights class, campers got a visit from our violin teacher, Mr. Clayton! After he played some music for them, campers got a chance to learn about the parts of the violin in a song. He also showed the class different videos of violin performances to engage the students. Campers then got a chance to learn about different plucking techniques and try out the violin for themselves!
At the end of the day on Thursday, the Spotlights finished creating their own tambourines. They were having so much fun making them that they almost forgot when it was snack time! Keep a lookout for those during the final performance.
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The Awards are having a wonderful time making creations of their own this week. They completed an art project called using clay to create different sculptures. Some made bowls and vases while others made animals and even a ballet dancer! Not just this, but they always look forward to their sampler time to play different instruments. So far, they all really love the cello, so much so that they try to run to the teacher hoping it is their turn to play the instrument! |
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Even though they are a small group, the Scores are still enjoying camp to the fullest! Often, you can find them outside enjoying the sun playing games with Mr. Nathan Nichipor. Other than this, they have begun to finalize their script and play in drama class with Mrs. Charmaine Crowell-White. From what we have been seeing, they may be leading towards scenes from the Wizard of Oz, but that is all we can say for now!
For our themes, they have really enjoyed dance class this week with Ms. Emm. They want to dance so much that if they get to class early then they will still practice the dance routines with each other anyway! Each camper is enthusiastic all throughout the class, which means each camper makes every move as expressive as possible. Practice will definitely make perfect for the final performance!
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The Soundtracks have continued training their voices in Music+ and Vocal/choral. Even if you are outside the building, you can hear them sing the lyrics to your favorite movie’s songs. You will often catch them humming or singing the tunes they learned as they walk through the hallway. Other than the camp song, their favorite song to sing all throughout the day is “I’ve Got Rhythm”.
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The teen apprentices have really stepped up and have had so much fun doing so! They have created their own games for the campers to play whenever they are not helping the campers and teachers prepare for their performance next week. A little note: they are so talented and driven that if they have any free time, you can find them playing piano or guitar in an open room! |
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The Parent Portal will continue to be updated as camp progresses. Please take some time to explore and learn more about your child’s musical adventure! This includes the parent handbook, car line maps, teacher bios, contact info, health form links, camp photos, and more. The portal will be regularly updated during the camp session.
Password: camplevine2022!
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Next Steps at Levine Music |
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Looking for more Levine programs after camp? We have several more Levine summer experiences for campers ages 8-13 at our NW DC campus from August 8 – 19.
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Budding actors will love Levine Music Theatre’s LMT Experience! This is a two-week day camp where campers will explore dance, music, and acting in an ensemble setting and create a final showcase. Please contact [email protected] for information.
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Levine Music offers private lessons, group classes, ensembles, music theatre, and more. I hope you explore the wide and wonderful options at Levine for children and adults year round.
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Camp Levine | Levine Music | 202-686-8000x1041 | [email protected] | levinemusic.org/camp |
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