The 2015 edition of the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party Kids Camp continued its tradition of training the musical mentors of tomorrow, while providing young campers from the ages of 9 to 12 with a fun-filled camping experience that includes instruction in fiddle or guitar, art, dance and drama.
Located at the Kenosee Lake Boys and Girls Camp, participants enjoy swimming, paddle-boating, climbing walls and sleeping in bunkhouses. The camp's counsellors and teachers are young musicians who gain valuable tools from experienced mentors-and from instructing young campers-that will aid them in their musical careers.
“It's a camp to teach the teachers,” says camp co-founder, Michele Amy, who started the camp in 2009 with her husband, Will Elliot. “We're a teacher-training facility run by Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party Inc., which is a non-profit. Our mentors are all adult professionals in their areas: music, education, art, drama and outdoor education. Our counsellors and our teachers are all young musicians who gain leadership skills as a way to pay it forward.”
Fiddle teacher Emily Dubois, 16, of Langbank says, “I'll be taking on some students this fall and this camp is a great experience for early teachers like me. Teaching here will help me with my own students. It's a great experience and opportunity.”
Campers and fiddle students, Jeremy Green and Blake Robertson both declared the camp, “Awesome.”
“It's really cool,” says Robertson. “I definitely want to come back again. It's a lot of fun and I've met a lot of new friends.”
“Everything he said and more,” added Green. “It's my second year here and I can't say how awesome it is here.”
Amy and Elliot modelled the kids camp on the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party (KLKP) camps, with a focus on training new fiddle and guitar teachers. While young apprentice music teachers hone their instructional skills, campers receive specialized instruction in either fiddle or guitar. Every camper also undertakes art projects, with an in-house professional art teacher.
This year's art instructor is Bevin Bradley, while Gordon Stobbe and Donna Turk serve as musical mentors.
Turk, of Calgary, says: “I've been at the kitchen party camps for a few years, but this is my very first year at the kids camp. It's awesome to see the kids. As a group, they're really open to learning new stuff.”
The camp not only seeks out young musicians who show leadership potential. The program also seeks out those who are currently active and studying their instruments. Along with a recommendation from a teacher, candidates for camp leadership roles must also emonstrate “a gift for generosity, kindness and genuine care for others.”
“Often our teachers and counsellors outnumber our campers and this year is no exception,” says Amy. “Campers, counsellors, teachers and mentors all benefit from the atmosphere at camp.”
Apprentice music teachers not only gain confidence in their craft and valuable leadership skills; they also gain insight into creating their own studios, as well as growing as musical educators, adds Amy.
“It's a unique camp with a lot of exciting things going on,” says Amy. “There are a lot of great things going on in a lot of different places. But to my knowledge, no other camp combines a traditional camp experience with a mentor-teacher program like we have.”
“It's like anything else. If you get enthusiastic people who create a culture of excellence, then people really respond to that and an idea grows.”
“It keeps fiddling alive,” says Turk. “But more than that, it builds connection and community in a really unique way. Michele has come up with something really special in this part of the world.”
For more information, check out: www.kenoseekitchenparty.ca
