Need something to keep your kids from going stir-crazy during the middle of summer? Well, Anna Defrancesco has an idea for you.
The Fort Frances Summer Music Camp ’98 will be taking registrants at the Alexander MacKenzie School gym June 18 from 3:30-7:30 p.m. The camp itself will be held July 13-17 for children aged four to seven, and July 27-31 for those eight to 12.
Defrancesco said the camp concentrates a lot on listening skills, and will have “a lot to do with rhythm.”
“They’ll learn how to improvise and write some of their own music,” she said. “And I’m going to introduce them to a bit of jazz.”
Only 20-25 students will be accepted in each age category so space is limited, Defrancesco warned. Cost for the camp is $85 for the four to seven age group, and $95 for the eight to 12 age group.
If both classes max out, Defrancesco said she plans to get a student assistant to help out.
Students will spend half their time playing musical games. The other half will be spent preparing to stage on a musical variety show for their parents at the end of the five-day camp.
One of the show’s highlights will be the children performing their own compositions, which Defrancesco said isn’t as hard as it sounds.
“They learn with chords and put their own melodies on top,” she said. “And then they perform their piece.”
Children entering the camp can range from skilled musicians to those with little or no musical background, Defrancesco said.
“They can learn more from where they are already starting,” she noted. “And if they don’t want to sing especially, that’s okay. There will be a couple of keyboards and some rhythm instruments.
“The main objective is to have fun,” she said.
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