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March 2002 Table of Contents
Just A Little Talk With...
Summer "Musical" Camps
By Kathie Hill
TC: I've heard of a Summer Music Camp, but what is a Summer "Musical" Camp?
KH: A summer musical camp (SMC) is a three- to five-day experience where rising lst- 6th graders meet to prepare a musical. The three- to six-hour daily schedule can include individual classes with large group music rehearsals and opening or closing assemblies. The performance of the musical usually takes place the evening of the last night of camp.
TC: Sounds like a lot of work?
KH:Not if you choose the right musical! Just last summer I directed Dr. Newheart's Neck-up Check-up at Eastwood Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. All the activities were pulled from the Director's Aide and Video (DAV) so I thought organizing their camp was easy, and Greg Swack, their Music Assistant and Choir Coordinator agreed. "We used the reproducible activities in the DAV for theory, Bible study and craft classes, so the kids learned so many musical and spiritual concepts," said Greg. "And the activities and teaching segments were so helpful for our camp workers!"
TC: So, if a church does not normally perform children's musicals, the SMC might give their kids the chance to participate in a production for the very first time. Right?
KH:Definitely! And, in preparing the musical, they are actively involved in all elements of the production, which builds their self-esteem and appreciation for the work, which goes into a performance. But, there are so many other benefits of an SMC.
For churches with continuous summer day camps, the SMC gives variety to their ongoing program and provides junior and senior high students leadership experiences serving as activity assistants. But best of all, it provides potential full-time choir workers a short-term commitment which often leads to permanent leadership in children's choir.
From a spiritual standpoint, SMC's provide a wonderful outreach for un-churched children or families "shopping" for a new church home. The camp lets them experience your ministry without committing to church membership and many happy campers have yielded a new family to a church who sponsors an SMC! Add to that the growing number of children who visit grandparents or non-custodial parents for the summer, and you have even more opportunities to share Jesus with children who may not know Him.
TC: So what would be the first step in organizing a Summer Musical Camp?
KH:Choose dates for your camp. I suggest avoiding the week before or after a children's event, but scheduling it the same week as a youth or preschool function is appealing to a parent who wants a vacation from all their kids the same week!
Most SMC's are held from mid-July to late August, which appeals to the kids who get bored with their summer activities and want to get out of the heat. You might even plan your "Back-to-School" choir kick-off around your SMC or, like Pam Brewer, Children's Choir Coordinator at First Baptist, Dallas, Texas, remount your production for a repeat performance. She used Operation Christmas Child as their SMC musical. "We built the week around doing things for others and recognizing our own blessings," said Pam. "Building and decorating the set was one of our 'drills,' as were learning the choreography and rehearsing solos. By preparing in the summer, we were able to use the DAV activities in the fall and performed Operation Christmas Child again in November for our entire congregation."
TC: Okay, say we've got our dates…what about camp hours?
KH:Whatever your camp hours are, they will fly by! If you have more stay-at-home kids or moms, choices might be 9AM - l2 PM (with snack), 9 AM - l or 2 PM (with lunch), 9 AM - 3 PM (with lunch and/or snack.) But, if most of your parents work and their kids are in daycare, night camps are very successful, such as 5 PM - 8 PM for younger children and 6 PM to 9 PM for older children.
TC: Can you really prepare a musical in three to five days?
KH:Yes, but here are some tips to insure your success. The shorter the camp, the shorter the musical should be. But, don't let that limit you, as I have seen Promise U., Fish Tales and Dr. Newheart's Neck-up Check-up edited to fit an abbreviated camp schedule. By registering children in advance and providing them with bulk CDs on the first day, you'll be amazed at how quickly they learn the music. These recordings, choral books and maybe a t-shirt can be financed through a camp fee, which might even cover the cost of their crafts, refreshments or worker childcare.
TC: You haven't mentioned your new musical, Esther-Ordinary Faith for SMCs?
KH:Thanks for the reminder! For this or any musical with multiple characters, I would definitely cast the musical several weeks before the camp and rehearse the actors during the craft or recreation hour each day. With a story as popular as Esther, you might even want to have two performances, maybe on Friday and Sunday night. Many camps even double-cast their musicals for multiple performances, which gives more children a chance to have a speaking part or solo.
TC: So, how many "bodies" does it take to staff an SMC?
KH:If this is your first camp, you really won't know what personnel you need until your schedule is determined, but I suggest dividing your songs among small group teachers. For a nine-song musical, like Esther-Ordinary Faith, have three teachers who teach three songs each. Divide the kids into three groups, preferably by age, and rotate each group through the teacher's 30-minute morning classes. These or other teachers could supervise crafts, Bible study or theory classes in the afternoon, then end your day with a large group rehearsal to review the songs they learned that morning. After the children have rotated through each music class three times, they should have memorized the songs and movements, so by the fourth day of camp, they would just have morning crafts, Bible study and theory classes with large group rehearsal in the afternoon. Since the schedule is jam-packed and your final days are spent in large group or dress rehearsals, it is essential that you plan a recreation break every day -- if nothing else but for your teachers to "chill out!"
TC: So, your staff is three music teachers and a recreation person?
KH:That would do it, but I would highly recommend adding youth or adult volunteers as assistants to help with registration, recreation, snacks, etc. With that extra help you could add a morning assembly. This allows the kids to wake up and get the wiggles out, and you could have a different volunteer to do just the assembly each day. This will also give your teachers 15 minutes or so to prepare for their first music class, to which the assistants will escort the children after the morning assembly.
TC: It sounds like you've done this one or two times!
KH:I participated in my first SMC about fourteen years ago and enjoyed it so much I started one at my own church the next summer. That camp is still in an annual event and each summer I usually have the opportunity to direct at least one SMC production. It is always an exciting experience for me, for the children and for their church.
Since 1981 Kathie Hill has authored twenty-five children's musicals, created numerous teaching resources and received awards from ASCAP, the Gospel Music Association and the International Network of Children's Ministers. Kathie has directed children's choirs in the local church for over twenty years and currently serves as the Children's Choir Coordinator at Long Hollow Baptist in Hendersonville, TN.
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