In one week, children who attend the Brad Schoener Music Man Camp are four months ahead of the average child who takes an instrument when school begins in the fall. For the second year in a row, The PreTeen has hauled his trumpet to the middle school for a day of improvisation, drumming, movement, and mastering his instrument.
The first year he attended, Monday was teeth pulling. He dragged his feet at the idea of having an organized activity, insisting he be allowed to “chill”. Since his life is one big “chill”, I dropped his butt off and made a beeline to work. Tuesday, he had warmed up a bit, claiming he couldn’t stand the movement lessons, claiming they were corny. By Friday, he was lamenting the fact that camp wasn’t longer and borrowing my drum sticks to beat out tunes he learned the past week.
This year, camp was two weeks long. Unfortunately, The PreTeen could only make the week one because he went to Boy Scout camp the following week. In the week that he attended, he played his strongest yet, coming home the first day full of stories about Mr. Alex and his instruction; then surprising me with a jazzy version of Salve Regina: Hail Holy Queen (the song from Sister Act that us non Catholics can sing with abandon).
The camp is designed for boys and girls who have completed grades 3 to 7. I would love for The PreTeen to find his way back to camp one more time before he goes to high school.
Brad Schoener was a teacher in the Upper Darby school for 25 years. He lost a battle to cancer and in his memory, the Schoener Music Man was founded. A 5K is usually held in the Spring, followed by an all day music marathon that highlights the talent of Upper Darby. Music Man Camp is a perfect way to beat summer boredom and nurture your budding musician.
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