As the great Barbra Streisand once said, “nobody is gonna rain on my parade.” A rainy day at camp didn’t stop us from having a great day of learning, playing, bonding, and seeing an outstanding performance from Boston Brass.
I had the chance to stop by the color guard rehearsal on the beautiful “quad” and watch in utter amazement at the poise and precision it takes to throw a weapon or a flag into the air and catch it correctly. We have an outstanding color guard faculty whom I have gotten to know through my time with Music for All and seeing them in action, sharing their skill and knowledge with incredible students who are eager to learn is something truly special. (#YouBetterWerk)
Just before the sky opened up on us, I got to pop into some of the Jazz rehearsals with Freddie Mendoza and Jeff Rupert. The amount of energy they bring to the kids was outstanding and really helped them get into the music. You could see the students retaining everything being said and immediately watch their playing improve. It was one of those moments that you can see the impact everyone has on the campers because their whole posture and demeanor change as soon as they nail a run they were struggling with just moments before. The same rang true in the concert band saxophone sectional where I got to see one of my best friends and concert band SWAG, Tori Bingham, lead the sectional and help them work through some pretty tough 16th notes in an even tougher key.
One of the absolute best parts of my job is helping run Music for All’s social media and in doing so, I got to see campers posting Snapchats and Instagram stories while we were on a rain delay. Even though some activities were put on pause because of the weather, everyone was safe, in good spirits, and sharing in the craziness of getting soaked while making the most of it. I, myself, have a slew of stories to laugh about with my video team as they narrowly escaped the downpour that I will cherish as one of the best parts of camp so far.
