Category Archives: The Weekly Themes

2015 Weekly Themes

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July 6 – 10 – The BLUES: FROM SHOUTS TO 12 BARS $225… more info →
July 13 –  17 – WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING (guest artist!) $275… more info →
July 20 – 24 – COMPOSITION & SONG $225… more info →
Aug 10 – 14 – WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING (guest artist!) $275… more info →
Aug 17 – 21 – ROOTS MUSIC (guest artist!) $275…  more info →
  • Class sizes are small.
  • No formal training is required. No instrument required – just an enjoyment of music.
  • Our intuitive approach to exploring sound, music, composition, the voice, and the weekly themes also functions as a great supplement to conventional music lessons.
  • We also integrate crafts (instrument and mask making), backyard games, Pizza-making Wednesdays in Dufferin Grove park and other outdoor fun.
  • 2015 Registration forms can be accessed here

 

visit our Flickr Gallery – click on the images below

MusiCamp at a glance

THE BLUES: From Shouts to 12 Bars

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From great rock ‘n’ roll legends like Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, to pop divas like Beyonce or Katy Perry – they all know THE BLUES. And so should you!

Clapping on the off beats
Clapping on the off beats
Exploring the blues on the diddley bo
Exploring the blues on the diddley bo
The blues progression
The blues progression

Blues is the root of all popular music and Blues Camp exposes campers to the rhythmic and melodic feels and harmonic frameworks of The Blues through groovy gospel tunes, African American shouts and work songs, the pentatonic scale as well as the blues itself – from its swingin’ roots to present day Soul and R&B.
And we’ll do this along with the tonne of musical games, beat boxing, body percussion and other fun-in-the-park activities we do every week.

Campers will:

  • build and compose on their own instruments (and explore some ideas about acoustics)
  • learn and improvise on the pentatonic scale, African American shouts, and work songs
  • vocalize the blues rhythms with beatboxing, feel the grooves with body percussion and hear the chord progressions with singing and instruments playing
  • write lyrics to, compose, improvise and sing over 12-bar blues and its derivatives.

While we do lots of vocal based activities, campers who already have instrumental experience are welcome to bring their instrument for this week and explore the blues instrumentally as well.

From the pictures above you can see some campers making diddley bos and bucket basses. The diddley bo is the precursor to the slide guitar and you click the picture below to see how bluesy it sound!. For more info on bucket basses click here.

Check out our Gallery for more pictures of previous camps!

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Roots Music Camp

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Special guest artist for this week includes acclaimed singer / song-writer / banjo player / fiddler Hannah Shira Naiman!

Banjo instruction
Workshopping their instruments for the first time.
Making instruments
Ensemble practicing
End of week performance

Drawing from old time and Appalachian musics, bluegrass, shaped note singing, and other folk musics from North America as well as the English and Celtic traditions, Roots Music Week is all about group singing and playing folk songs. While there is always room for those who just want to sing, this week we welcome campers to bring their fiddle, guitar, ukulele, or banjo – or we can arrange the rental for those following a new found interest on one of these instruments. Guest artist co-leading the week is acclaimed singer/banjo/fiddler/song writer Hannah Shira Naiman, who happens to also be a professionally trained dancer, so there’s a chance we’ll also be doing a little jigging, clogging or square dancing! As we do in every week, we’ll also be making an instrument and visiting Dufferin Grove park for pizza days and other outdoor activity. The week will end with a coffee house style performance that parents and friends are invited to attend.

No previous training required. But those with skills on or ambition to play violin/fiddle, guitar, ukelel, or banjo will want to consider this week!

Check out our MusiCamp Flickr Gallery for more pics of MusiCamp

MusiCamp 2014

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CLICK   HERE   FOR   MusiCamp  2015

 

All day (9am-4pm with extended care options) summer camp for kids (8-14 yrs) in a home studio close to Dufferin Grove Park (Bloor and Dufferin) in Toronto.
July 7 – 11 – The BLUES: FROM SHOUTS TO 12 BARS $225 more info →
July 14 – 18 – ROOTS MUSIC (guest artist!) – NEW in 2014! – $275  more info →
July 21 – 25 – COMPOSITION & SONG $225 more info →
July 28 – Aug 1 – WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING (guest artist!) $275 more info →
Aug 18 – 22 – WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING (guest artist!) $275 more info →
Class sizes are small.
No formal training is required. No instrument required – just a love of music.
Our intuitive approach to exploring sound, music, composition, the voice, and the weekly themes also functions as a great supplement to conventional music lessons.
We also integrate crafts (instrument and mask making), backyard games, Pizza-making Wednesdays in Dufferin Grove park and other outdoor fun.
Registration forms can be accessed here
visit our Flickr Gallery

MusiCamp at a glance

The Blues Camp 2014

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THE BLUES: From Shouts to 12 Bars  $225

July 7 – 12, 9 am – 4 pm (extended care available)

Pics from The Blues week 2013

Besides the tonne of musical games and other fun-in-the-park activities we do every week, Blues Camp 2014 explores the roots of the blues through the pentatonic scale, African American shouts, work songs and gospel tunes as well as the blues itself – from its swingin’ roots to present day R&B.

Campers will also:

  • build and compose on their own instruments (and explore some ideas about acoustics)
  • learn and improvise on the pentatonic scale, African American shouts, and work songs
  • vocalize rhythms and chord progressions of the blues
  • write lyrics to, compose, improvise and sing over 12-bar blues.

From the pictures above of Blues week 2013 you can see some campers making Diddley Bos (the precursor to the slide guitar). The plan is to make more of those this year but we’re also toying with the idea of building modified washbasin basses! We’ll be taking some time during March break to experiment and see if it’s doable.

In the meantime, click the picture below and have a listen to what a Diddley Bo sounds like (it’s so bluesy):

Screen Shot 2014-02-10 at 1.42.01 PM

Check out our Gallery for more pictures of previous camps!

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West African Drumming Camp 2014

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Drumming 2013.

WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING $275

July 28 – Aug 1, 9 am – 4 pm (extended care available)
Aug 18 – Aug 22, 9 am – 4 pm (extended care available)

…. Special guest artist for the week includes AnnA Melnikoff and her orchestra of drums!

NO DRUM NEEDED! Special guest artist AnnA Melnikoff (along with her orchestra of drums!) will be co-hosting this week. Campers will have a chance to play the polyrhythmic accompaniment on 3 bass drums (known as dunun) and develop riffs and patterns on djembes. Focusing on rhythms that accompany rights of passage, participants will build masks and also explore the meaning of the drums and the rhythms from the very ancient Mande tradition. A drum will be made available to every camper.

Click on the gallery above to view more pictures and some video of West African Drumming camp 2013.

Click HERE to see MusiCamp campers perform in 2013

Click HERE to learn more about West African Drumming at MusiCamp

2014 July Camps at MusiCamp

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Here are the July weekly themes for MusiCamp 2014!

  • July 7-11 – BLUES: from shouts to 12 bars

  • July 14-18 – ROOTS MUSIC (guest artist!) – NEW in 2014!

  • July 21-15 – COMPOSITION & SONG

  • July 28-Aug 1 – WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING (guest artist!)

Registration forms and August dates will be posted very soon!

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More info on Roots Music Week     More info on the Blues

 More infor on Composition and Song   More info on West African Drumming

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Screen Shot 2014-02-12 at 3.28.41 AM

Roots Music Camp 2014

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Roots Music Week $275

July 14 – 18 2014 9 am – 4 pm (extended care available)

… special guest artist for this week includes acclaimed fiddler/singer Rosalyn Dennett!

Roots music

Drawing from old time and Appalachian musics, bluegrass, shaped note singing, and other folk musics from North America as well as the English and Celtic traditions, Roots Music Week is all about group singing and playing folk songs. While there is always room for those who just want to sing, this week we welcome campers to bring their fiddle, guitar, ukulele, or banjo – or we can arrange the rental for those following a new found interest on one of these instruments. Guest artist co-leading the week is acclaimed fiddler/singer Rosalyn Dennett who happens to have some experience teaching dance so there’s a chance we’ll also be doing a little jigging, clogging or square dancing! As we do in every week, we’ll also be making an instrument and visiting Dufferin Grove park for pizza days and other outdoor activity. The week will end with a coffee house style performance that parents and friends are invited to attend.

No previous training required. But those with skills on or ambition to play violin/fiddle, guitar, ukelel, or banjo will want to consider this week!

Composition & Song Camp 2014

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Comp and Song 2013

Composition and Song $225

July 21 – 25, 9 am – 4 pm (extended care available)

Have a song you want to sing? A story you want to tell? Through a series of writing workshops and the study of different elements of music, aspiring songwriters and singers put their ideas to music. In a fun and practical way, campers are introduced to aspects of songwriting – like hooks, riffs, harmony, and rhythmic accompaniment, chorus-verse format, basic chord progressions, intros and outros, rhyming and storytelling. By the end of the week campers will have written and/or collaborated on the creation of original songs and arrangements. Kids who already have basic guitar chording are encouraged to bring their guitars. The week ends with a world premiere performances of our songwriter’s compositions!

Click the picture above to view our Flickr gallery of the Composition and Song camp from the summer of 2013. The pictures are of:

  • campers constructing, stringing and playing diddley bos (home-made instrument)
  • making/eating pizza (homemade by campers from a wood-stove) in Dufferin Grove Park (yummmmm)
  • campers writing lyrics for a song (we had individual and collaborative writing workshops)
  • some of the original lyrics-charts
  • performance day & the after-performance party with parents, friends, watermelon and (more!) pizza

2014 Weekly Themes

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It’s that time of year and MusiCamp is sorting out the summer schedule. We’re planning to keep our three themes from last year –

  • West African Drumming
  • The Blues
  • Composition and Song

But we’re juggling some other possible weekly themes, like:

  • OLD TIME & BLUE GRASS – details are still sketchy but the idea involves fiddles, guitars, and singing that old North American folk music (Blue Grass and Old Time music) featured so brilliantly in O Brother Where Art Thou? Special guest artist (to be announced) will co-direct this week.
  • JUST SONGS – this week is for serious singers! With a focus on technique and a blended sound, we’ll learn  2- and 3- and maybe even 4-part songs! Repertoire will be drawn from across the genres, from classical to world music, from madrigals to pop tunes!

Let us know what you think or if you got any other ideas. Anything is still possible!

For reference, below are the descriptions from last years themes…

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