A Note from the Camp Director |
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Parents, Campers, Friends: WELCOME to Camp Levine, Rock the Red Carpet! I am beyond thrilled to welcome new and returning campers back to in-person Camp. Please read below, blurbs from your camp teachers and apprentices, to learn some of the wonderful activities your campers have been doing this week. It is truly heart-warming to walk the halls of Strathmore and hear the amazing music and energy, and I am really looking forward to our final camp performance.
Mr. Jason
MD Site Director
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Dear Camp Families,
Welcome to our first newsletter of Camp Levine Session 2 2022. We are so excited to be reunited with returning friends and making new ones! Campers are already filling the halls with artwork and songs inspired by Music from the Movies. I am grateful to our fantastic teachers, staff, apprentices, campers and parents for helping us Rock the Red Carpet this first week of camp.
It’s a pleasure to have you join us, and I hope every camper has already discovered new musical and artistic interests and talents. We are looking forward to continuing our musical adventure next week. Have a safe and relaxing weekend!
Happy Friday,
Mary Cat Gill
Director of Camp Levine
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Here are a few reminders to help continue our adventure down the red carpet:
Instruments: Campers in rising 3rd grade and up bring their focus instruments to and from camp daily. Feel free to encourage your camper to practice and show you what they’ve learned!
Lunches/Backpacks: Your child should only be bringing their lunch, snack, mask, and water bottle to camp. Space is at a premium, so it is tough to accommodate large backpacks, particularly with older campers are traveling with instrument cases.
Late drop off: If you arrive after 9:45am, please walk your child to the camp office so we can sign them in and escort them to their class. It is the best way for us to keep every child accounted for.
Absences/Early Pick-Up: If you are running late to drop-off, need to pick up early, or if your child will be absent, please e-mail camp.md@levinemusic.org. Notice enables us to have every camper accounted for.
The Parent Portal may look a little bare for session 2, but it will continue to be updated as camp progresses. Please take some time to explore and learn more about your child’s upcoming 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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Levine’s Trusted Weekly Newsletter
News, Updates, and Everything Camp Levine
By: Camp Levine Newsletter Journalist Carter
Week 1. Session 2. Volume 1. Group: Scores
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First Week at Levine
This week, it was a very happy, fun, and exciting week. The weather helped us to get off to a great start! It did not rain once during camp!!! Yippee! Everybody just got through their very first week!!!
This is many people’s first week at Camp Levine. For some, it is their second session of Camp Levine! For others, it is their first session, and it is many apprentices’ first year here. Regardless, we are all united and all have a delightful time at Camp Levine.
I have been going to Camp Levine since 2018. This is probably because I come from a family who really loves music and dance. My grandpa was a pianist who studied in Paris, my uncle in Sweden and other uncle in Atlanta, Georgia play the guitar, and my aunt and cousin play the cello, just like what my focus instrument is right now. My grandma, who watched my performance in 2018, was once a pianist and choir leader at her local church. My other grandma in Sweden plays the piano also. My Mommy used to be a professional dancer, and studied the art of dance in Russia.
So, please let me talk about some of my own experiences at Camp Levine this week. I like all the teachers and apprentices. In each class we have a lot of fun, and they are very unique and special, each one coming with a new set of skills we can learn. In vocal and choral class, we are signing the song “Everybody Wants To Be A Cat.” We get to sing every day outside, and feel the gentle morning air. Can you believe we sometimes see ducks and deer? We are also learning the dance to “Everybody Wants To Be A Cat” but that is inside. We have focus instruments and those are piano, guitar, cello, and flute.
We eat lunch at the grand tier level, which is nice, especially when it is so hot outside. Snacks are fun. For example, today at snack, we cooled off by having popsicles. I got a blueberry flavor of popsicle, but campmates could choose from different flavors.
I go to aftercare (XPM), too, just like some other campers. Today, Mrs. Ally, the teacher who is in charge of aftercare gave us cute little minion stickers to put on our name tags. I have one on my name tag (thank you so much, Mrs. Ally, if you see this newsletter)! I gave people cello lessons with my knowledge of the cello so far (I have played before, when I was 5 years old). Also, in aftercare, some people have been making new interesting things. I helped make a fun little taxi service, with a blue bucket. People pull each other around the room, so each person can go on a tour of the room, a fun ride/joy ride, or they to go to a fixed place, and they find it fun to take the taxi we created. It is decorated with bright, colorful signs that are yellow and purple. The yellow sign says the word “taxi” on it, and the purple sign has fun little pictures on it (credit to Jonathan for drawing the purple sign, thank you so much Jonathan!).
It is a pleasure to write these weekly newsletters for you, for now on. I am one of the new writers hired by Marry Cat, and I am enjoying writing for you so far. I look forward to my next newsletter, coming out next week. If you have a shared experience in common with me, then please, come talk to me! I am happy to interview you and write about your experiences, too. My name is Carter, and I am always ready to talk to you!
Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!
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Our campers are having a blast here at Camp Levine as each morning is kicked off with morning sing. Our campers are engaged and learning new songs, along with our excellent music faculty who are eager to play and sing along with us. |
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This week, the Scores dove right into a new session of camp for both returning campers and new campers. They quickly connected through games and a shared boisterous energy, quickly picking up on camp traditions while also making up some of their own. Sam was announced as the musical chairs champion after winning two rounds in a row, but he opted to sit out the next few games for fear of losing his title. |
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This week at camp, the mini kernels befriended each other and bonded over tug of war and stickers. Constantly full of energy, they excitedly learn new instruments, songs, and dances. This week, they learned to both dance and sing alongside "New York, New York", as well as the xylophone accompaniment to "The Circle of Life". We're so excited to see our little kernels every day, and we can't wait to see them grow up and pop!
Quote of the week: "... he would definitely get the audition for 'Cats'"
-Mr. Warren
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Week one with the Stars has been great! We started out the week by getting to know each other. They’ve enjoyed learning new songs and drawing things like our own personalized Hollywood stars and the Camp Levine logo! When outside, they enjoy playing with chalk, bubbles and the parachute. They enjoy singing at morning sing and interacting with the visiting instruments for the week. Overall, this week has been a blast and we are so excited for the weeks to come! |
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This first week of camp was super fun and exciting! The campers got to know each other through a variety of different games and activities, such as playing with bubbles, learning new songs, and story times. One instrument they learned about was the cello. They learned the different parts of a cello, like the fingerboard and end pin, and they listened to the cello teacher play popular music from popular movies and shows! They also worked on many arts and craft projects that will be taken home at the end of camp. Overall, it was a great week, and we are excited for the weeks ahead! |
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The Soundtracks have been having a boat load of fun at Camp Levine this week. They have been learning famous songs from the movies such as “Singing in the Rain” and “A Million Dreams,” with the accompaniment of Gary Prince, Levine’s premier jazz guitarist. In art, the made their own walk-of-fame stars and clapper boards. The Soundtracks are excited to return to camp next week for another fulfilled week of learning and activities. |
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We are fortunate to have such a fantastic group of teen apprentices with us this year. They have been working tirelessly to ensure that our campers are having a blast here at Camp Levine, and we couldn’t do it without them. If they are not walking kids through games and classes, they are busy helping our valued staff with anything they need. They are just beginning to get acclimated to their new groups, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for the rest of camp. |
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If the Camp Levine experience has revealed a budding musician, I hope you will consider Levine’s many ‘school year’ opportunities. Whether you’re interested in private lessons or a group learning experience, I’m sure Levine has something for your child. And maybe for you, too, since many of our students are adults!
You can find a list of camper age-appropriate classes and lessons on the parent portal under "next steps."
Password: camplevine2022!
We hope you will take us up on a $50 discount to join any weekly private lessons or yearlong group class over $250. You can use the coupon code CMPL22 at checkout anytime before September 5th!
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