CAMP ENCORE-CODA

    Camp Encore/ Coda is one of the best things that has happened to our daughter. Not only has it improved her technique and appreciation for music, but also her critical approach to music has become more sophisticated. We are also struck by her great vitality and self-confidence when she returns from camp.

    She has made some strong friendships among her fellow campers and has quite a correspondence going with many of them. When she talks on the phone to them, her eyes light up and she’s filled with enthusiasm for next summer. You must be doing something wonderful. Thanks!

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Dear Jamie and Ellen,

    Greetings from the not-so-white north! How are things going for this upcoming camp season? It really isn’t that far away… I wanted to write a letter to tell you just how much camp Encore/Coda has meant for me. Seeing as how I won’t be able to go back this summer, it has occurred to me in retrospect just how much I’ve changed in my five years there.

    I came not really having much love for the piano. Little did I know how much music really affected me. I learned so much about the workings of a piano and how we perceive music (thanks to the 9am piano workshop!) I also never felt such an incredible feeling as playing in a large wind ensemble before. There is an incredible emotion I get when we all finish a piece at precisely the same time and there is that moment of silence still hanging in the air. I have developed a love for music that I never knew existed.

    Not only was the music terrific, but I will never forget the friends I have made, both as a camper and a staff member. With e-mail it is so comforting to know that my friends are practically at my fingertips! But it will still never replace the times we shared in the woods of Maine.

    I had to write a paper during first semester and it had to be about something I knew well. I chose to write about the musical ensemble. After the paper was finished I realized that everything I had written was something I had learned at camp, whether it be about the triangle of sound or subdividing (!).

    I could go on forever about all of the things camp has done for me, but it is impossible to fit five years into a small e-mail. I guess I just wanted to say thank you, and I know I’ll always have a home there. If you ever need to tell a parent to call if they want someone to recommend the camp, you can always give my number, and I’ll only have glowing things to say! So, thanks again and I hope this summer goes as smoothly as the rest!