Young performers get a fun lesson in music at March Break band camp
About 25 kids, between the ages 6 and 12, are spending their March break at Bandology’s annual band camp in Waterloo.
The program is part of a partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University’s Academy for Music and Arts that accepts kids with any and all musical abilities.
On Tuesday afternoon, campers took part in an Instrument Petting Zoo – testing out smaller plastic versions of their musical counterparts.
“It’s not about hitting the right notes,” said Lisa Michaels, the executive director and co-founder at Bandology. “It's just about how can they play sounds, how can they figure out the air they need to put through those instruments?”
This is the second annual March Break band camp and Michaels is proud that it’s been a hit with families.
Last summer, kids from Grades 2 to 12 took part at a band camp in Guelph.
Michaels said this younger group of students is really excited about learning about new instruments –some they’ve never played before.
“They're just like little sponges soaking up all the musical knowledge,” she said.
Learning how to play
Vivian Zhang, a 9-year-old camper from Kitchener, takes flute lessons every week on her own time. Tuesday was the first time she learned how to play the trombone.
She said it was hard to get the hang of it at first.
“You have to play at the front end,” she explained. “Flute has keys to press and trombone you have to slide the thingy.”
Music can be a mood booster and that’s why Zhang loves it.
“If I'm bored, or I'm really frustrated, I can play some of my pieces and [it] kind of cheers me up,” she said.
Playing the trombone at Bandology's March break band camp at Wilfrid Laurier University. (Heather Senoran/CTV Kitchener)
Ian MacKay, a 12-year-old camper from Waterloo, said he already knows how to play multiple instruments. His musical tastes are influenced by the kind of music his parents like.
“I play ‘Black Betty’, ‘Come Together’, Queen – stuff like that,” MacKay explained.
He said his parents are dancers so he got the performing bug from them.
It’s MacKay’s favourite part about playing on stage.
“The thrill when you get on the stage, it's kind of cool,” he said. “It’s exhilarating.”
MacKay and the other kids will show off their chops on stage at the end of March Break – playing for their friends and family at Laurier.
Parents in Waterloo Region can take part in Bandology’s summer band camps this year as registration is still open.
Participant at Bandology's March break band camp at Wilfrid Laurier University. (Heather Senoran/CTV Kitchener)
Instrument library
Last year, Bandology launched a new instrument library where they can be borrowed for one school semester or during the summer months for free, with a $10 administration fee.
Bandology started the instrument library to help families overcome economic barriers.
“Some of these instruments are a bit more rare, and certainly expensive, to rent and we hope they’ll take advantage of the chance to rent them for free,” Michaels said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.