Posts Tagged ‘camp music’

Jamming Out at Camp Starlight

Monday, March 13th, 2017

Music can be tied into so many activities and experiences at camp. From songs around the campfire to traveling songs, incorporating music into camp life just comes naturally. For campers who are interested in fine arts such as dance, music and theatre, music is a tool that can be used to express themselves in a way that written or spoken word just can’t. Dance classes give campers an artistic outlet to do what they love, and can create a strong sense of self-confidence.  Camp Starlight gives them the opportunity to explore music as a way of self-expression, and has so many benefits for the growing minds of young campers.

 

Whether it is singing, dancing, or playing an instrument, music works wonders on a growing, adolescent brain, and can teach them things that build their character and helps them become more productive members of society. While they are having fun with their fellow campers and counselors through music instruction, they don’t realize they are becoming more creative, more communicative, and more well- rounded in the process. At the end of the summer, many campers are proud to go home and show off their new musical abilities, and it gives them a sense of pride to have learned something new while they were away from home.

 

Children who learn to play an instrument at an early age benefit in many ways. It teaches perseverance, helps with math and number skills, enhances coordination, improves memory, reading and comprehension skills, and can help sharpen focus and concentration. Studies have shown that learning to play an instrument has lifelong benefits, which is why music and access to instruments is such an important part of camp life. Campers can learn to play the guitar, participate in a live show, or learn about the behind the scenes workings of a real radio station. Camp provides plenty of options for all kinds of personalities and learning styles to really dive into music and everything it can teach them.

 

It is safe to assume that most campers are exposed to music on a daily basis back at home, but at camp they are exposed to different types of music, which broadens their horizons and helps them become more culturally aware. They learn to appreciate different styles of music, and learn the history behind specific music styles, instruments and songs.

 

Camp Starlight is all about providing children with the tools and resources they need to build their character and set up a foundation for a successful future. This goal could not be reached without the incorporation of dance, songs and musical instruments into the every day life of the campers.

Soundtrack of Camp Starlight Summer 2014

Thursday, July 10th, 2014

It’s our favorite time of the year-SUMMER! The time when school is out, the nights are long and  the sun is hot and more importantly camp is in full swing! At Camp Starlight,  we find ourselves turning up the volume and dancing a little more when these songs are played in the bunks during clean up, over the PA system and in the Dining Hall.

Top 10 summer camp songs

  1. “Camp Starlight Alma-Mater”

  2. “Summer” – Calvin Harris

  3. “Sing” – Ed Sheeran

  4. “Friends, Friends, Friends”

  5. “Love Never Felt So Good” -Michael Jackson

  6. “Can’t Smile Without You” –  Barry Manilow

  7. “Singin’ In the Rain”

  8. “Fancy” – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX

  9. “Sweet Caroline” – Barry Manilow

  10. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams

“THE” Song of the Summer

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014

Every summer at Camp Starlight, there is that one song that it seems no one can get out of their head. We sing it. We use it for MTV Night acts. We choreograph dances to it. It pops up in Week in Review slideshows. It’s just “THE” song of the summer. As camp draws near, it’s fun to play “Guess What the Song Will Be” while listening to the radio. Will it be a new song? Will it be a song from a movie soundtrack or perhaps a Broadway show?

It seems like such a small detail, but music is such a big part of camp that the “THE” song not only becomes a camp trend in the current summer—in this case the Summer 2014—but is permanently associated with it through the memories we make with it as a soundtrack or inspiration. “THE” song is also a common memory that is unique to the Camp Starlight experience. Even after the summer ends—sometimes years later—whenever “THE” song plays on the radio, it instantly conjures memories of that summer at Camp Starlight.

“THE” song has even been the theme of summers past and continues to live on in significance through its role in that theme, like “We Take Care of Our Own.”

Have you heard “THE” song of the summer yet? What do you think it will be?