Music Camps for Kids at Happy Camper Live

Kids really benefit from learning music

From the time you were very little, music likely played a big role in your life. It’s probably been awhile, but I bet you can recite every lyric of the Itsy Bitsy Spider. And don’t forget all those lullabies that were sung to you cradled in the arms of those who loved you most. Hopefully right now you’re thinking of some favorites from when you were tiny. Bringing back fond memories? I bet so! That’s what music does. It can transport us back to a very specific time and place in a magical way.

Music is such a gift, don’t you think? Maybe you’ve never thought of it that way but think about all music can do for us as humans. It can:

• Teach us concepts in a fun way (uh, hello ABC song?),
• Get us dancing and moving to a good beat,
• Connect cultures who may not speak the same language,
• Give powerful words to connect to what we may be feeling.

Listening to and learning to play music even makes us smarter! Hmm…what else?

It’s proven that music makes us happier and helps us get rid of stress. As a kid, this is super important! Bad days can be turned right around by cranking up your favorite song.

At Happy Camper, we know how enjoyable life can be with music in it. Whether that’s through an instrument, your own voice, or listening to someone else’s, you are sure to find something that connects with your personality. And don’t be afraid to try something new!

Here we’ll highlight some of our musical camp offerings, with the added bonus of songs you can try on your own!

 

Percussion Camp

Meet Griffin – our resident percussion counselor. He reminds us that you can create percussion out of lots of items already sitting around your house. Don’t skip this because you don’t have a drum set. Just grab a laundry basket or box (even a garbage can!) and you have yourself a percussion instrument!

After you get a chance to take some of Griffin’s camps to learn the basics, you can scan your playlists at home to find some favorite songs to try out your new skill. It’s important to find a song you like that has a good beat. Here are a few easy favorites you can start with.

• Everything is Awesome from the Lego Movie
• Happy by Pharrell Williams
• Perfect by Ed Sheeran

 

Ukelele Camp

Remember I encouraged you to try something new? Ukelele Camp would be a great opportunity to do just that! Counselor David will give you all the tips you need to try this 4-stringed instrument. If you start to feel yourself dreaming of warm sun with an ocean breeze on your face while surrounded by palm trees, we won’t blame you! The ukulele hails from Hawaii. We hope you try out the Happy Camper song first, but after you do that, here are a few others to try!

• “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley)
• “Over the Rainbow” by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole
• “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana

 

Singing Camp

One of the best things about singing is everyone has a voice! It’s with you wherever you go. That means that you can make music anytime, anywhere – and create a happy beat. Melissa from Confident Performance Coaching will be sure you know how to use that wonderful tool of yours to make the loveliest sound possible. If you’ve always wanted to bring out your inner rock star, now’s your chance! Melissa will teach you all the words to the Happy Camper theme song (grab your ukulele, too!) and here are a few great classics for you to sing next.

• “Camp Grenada” by Allan Sherman
• “Kumbaya”
• “Make New Friends”

 

More Music Camps!

We hope you’re already excited about all the music camps we have to offer. But we have even more! Want to learn a little guitar or piano? Maybe use those awesome singing skills to learn some new cheers? We have you covered with all of those. Like we said, music is something very special and we have many ways to spark your creative musical talent!

One last thing to mention before we go. A great part about all our music camps is that we encourage you to write your own songs. Some of the best vocalists in the world are singing songs written by someone else. Just one more creative avenue for you to explore while you’re spending 365 days a year with Happy Camper!