Musical Instruments Blog
BAND CAMP 2008 | BAND CAMP 2008 |
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How many of us have got back to the grindstone after a summer vacation, and felt like we just didn't get enough done while we were off? You feel like it was a waste of a summer, like it had potential for a much more memorable time of your life, and now it's already passed. You'll have another opportunity next year, and what better way to have a great experience than to sign up for a band camp? If you're enlisted in school, take the time to ask your counseler about any music programs that might have an annual summer camp. It's a great way to improve on your instrument, meet some great new people, make friends, and just get away from average summer pool party for a while.
If you're entered in the school band program, you might understand how important it is to remain on/around the same level as your peers. It's a good chance you will all one day improve on your instruments, though the speed of improvement may obviously vary between individuals. Although this is great, you still want to be able to play with others. Taking part in a band camp over summer will get you right into the groove of everything when everyone else might be getting rusty. You'll be well prepared for the band season, and will have, at your disposal, a plethera of knowledge pertaining to everything from sectionals to parade marching, and everything in between. There's no such thing as too many friends, and who couldn't use a few more? At band camp, you'll also have the chance to hang out with people like you, who are there for the same reasons as yourself. Countless friendships are formed every year, and many newcomers enjoy their time at the camp so much, they make it a priority to come back the following summer. Most programs last anywhere between one and three weeks, so it still leaves the majority of your summer open. The highly organized recreational agendas allow the students to master all of the aspects of playing in a band. From the basics, like flexability and technique excercises while marking time, all the way to drill, when the entire band goes on the field (or anything in comparison as far as sidelines and hashmarks) and practices movement. You'll come out of there a new and improved musician. Tired of having your summer vacation feel more like a long, boring weekend? What better way to have an eventful, memorable break from school than to get away from the same place you do your homework? You'll be surrounded by land, beautiful trees, maybe even mountains. The sound of music echoes throughout the valley mixing in with the birds and the wind. In such a beautiful place it becomes easier than ever to trust yourself, and have confidence in what you can do with your instrument. This is more than a vacation, it's an opportunity to find yourself, and pinpoint what really intrigues you. It's no wonder so many flock to band camps every summer, when if you find something that makes you feel the way you want to, you embrace it. Picture the first day back from camp; You're putting back what's left of your sunscreen, placing your sleeping bag back up where you pulled it down, just to let it get dusty again. Your binder of sheet music and notes you've taken, you slide it in the drawer in your room. You put your instrument on the stand, or back in it's case, and when you lay down in your bed, you don't hear the crickets like you did at camp. You don't have your friends next to you, bunking in the same room, and you laugh to yourself while you go over the jokes you shared. Band season will start, and you'll have a similar feeling of content, though it will pale in comparison to the couple weeks you had at band camp. Summer will come again, and you will then be able to plan your vacation. You may go again, you may not. Though you will always have the memories of the time you spent meeting people, making friends, and creating music. |