Day 4: Game Day
It seems that the sun shines brighter in the Santa Cruz mountains, as another day broke in pristine sunlight at choir camp. Campers hustled to a yummy breakfast at 8 AM, eyes filled with sleep from a full night’s rest in their comfy dorm beds. At 8:30 they warmed up their voices with exercises led by vocal coach Dana, stretching their tongues and trilling their lips. From 9-9:55 singers stimulated their minds in their musicianship classes, practicing their solfege hand signs, tuning their knowledge of sharps and flats, and strengthening their dictation. Then it was off to rehearsal, Ensemble focused on a Renaissance piece by a 17th century nun, one that hasn’t been heard since the early 1600’s! Singers remarked on how special it felt to be sharing a song for the first time in so long, like cracking open a sealed ancient text. They also worked on Moonbridge by Florence Price who was the first black woman to have a symphony premiered by an American Symphony. Concert choir’s beautiful voices echoed across the courtyard, a marvel that we have been missing for a long time, their strong voices coming together in unison only four days after meeting for the first time. Lunch was delicious as usual, honeydew melon and salad with some cheesey pizza. Competition was high between cabins who got together to pose for the theme of “Seeing Double”, there were twins, triplets, and even octuplets. After rest period, the children were off to their afternoon activities. Voice lessons, pool time, and arts and crafts. Lots of kids circled around arts and crafts either making friendship bracelets or painting keychains, the craft of the day! There was also a big card game of set with Andrew Brown and Ryan, students Daniel, Eloise, and Andrew loved learning the new game. After hitting the showers to wash up before dinner, the kids headed to recital in the redwoods. Performers included Ecco singers Nika, Anna, and Larissa, with a special performance of Counselor Owen Klein’s new and unreleased Opera about Frankenstein by Anna. At the end of recital, spirit competition winners were announced, honorable mention to the Salt and Pepper boys, third place to Cabin Oceania, second place to Cabin Mykonos, and first place was a tie between Cabin Flora and Cabin Celeste. Dinner was a yummy chicken teriyaki with rice and veggies, campers were able to sit with friends from other cabins, with some even sitting outside. Night time rehearsal was held outside for ensemble, amongst the trees and nature, while Concert Choir focused on their solfege in new songs. The night time activity was Game Night! Children had the option of five different games including Werewolf, Family Feud, Fishbowl, and more. Family Feud with Counselor Owen Klein was a hoot, children ran to buzzers across the room to answer questions addressing everything under the sun, including annoying things that other drivers do on the road. The children remarked that the category of places that are known for bad food was one of the funniest and their favorite. The night ended early as children were sung to sleep to the tune of choir camp classics like This Pretty Planet and the Waltz.