Stuck indoors while COVID persists? Can’t travel anywhere? Just bored over the summer? Well QuaranTunes has provided a solution just for you. Summer is already halfway finished and is now ushering in the new school year for 2021-2022. However, QuaranTunes made sure to make this summer unforgettable. Like last year, most people are still confined in their homes and are unable to travel. Taking advantage of this, QuaranTunes not only offers free music lessons with experienced teachers, but also organised an interactive camp for children.
In the camp, there were three different themes for every week and each theme was repeated twice. The themes were the ‘Art of Acting’, ‘Trip Around the World’, and ‘Into the Woods’ where there were several different fun activities that corresponded to each theme. For example, during the week for the Art of Acting, kids were encouraged to write their own scripts, work with other kids, and eventually perform what they wrote and have a dress rehearsal as well. QuaranTunes’ camp directors and camp counselors worked hard to make sure that each activity was compatible with the theme of the week and that each one was interactive and enjoyable.
I was able to interview one of the camp directors, Sarah D’Souza, who made the summer camp happen. D’Souza also worked with fellow camp director Sophie Lamm and Chief Event Coordinator Rebekah Bodner. When I asked about the goal for this year’s summer camp, she simply stated that QuaranTunes wanted the kids to have a memorable time, participate in some fun activities, make new friends, and connect with others while we’re still transitioning to in-person events. However, online camps can be a tricky thing. Making everything online means the loss of real-life connections and having a social life. The directors used Zoom to host the summer camp and the counselors often encouraged participation from the campers to maintain a lively atmosphere. It was also extremely important to find activities that would work well with an online setting as well as with young children. Despite the challenges that online camps faced, D’Souza believes that the counselors managed to connect and establish connections with the campers while online.
To organise a camp is not an easy job. It may sound fun to plan games and activities but there is so much more to it. D’Souza describes the many duties of her position as camp director from planning several activities to contacting parents for the camp. Along with Lamm and Bodner, D’Souza also worked with the former camp director, workshop coordinator Athena Zapantis, and the masterclass coordinator in order to make the camp happen. They had many different documents going around, each with specific details about the camp and had to email parents about the camp as well.
For those curious about what the camp was like, a typical day at camp usually went like this: an icebreaker or arts and crafts, followed by a fun activity that correlates with the theme of the week, another fun game/book activity/Kahoot, and finally ending the day with an interactive workshop. Out of all the activities over the course of the camp, the kids’ favourite activity to do was the script writing activity where they were able to write their own scripts and perform their craft to their peers. Many parents were grateful for the summer camp and gave positive feedback. They all mentioned how their children thoroughly enjoyed this year’s summer camp even though it was all online.
I was able to interview one of the camp directors, Sarah D’Souza, who made the summer camp happen. D’Souza also worked with fellow camp director Sophie Lamm and Chief Event Coordinator Rebekah Bodner. When I asked about the goal for this year’s summer camp, she simply stated that QuaranTunes wanted the kids to have a memorable time, participate in some fun activities, and make new friends and connect with others while we’re still transitioning to in-person events. However, online camps can be a tricky thing. Making everything online means the loss of real-life connections and having a social life. The directors used Zoom to host the summer camp and the counselors often encouraged participation from the campers to maintain a lively atmosphere. It was also extremely important to find activities that would work well with an online setting as well as with young children. Despite the challenges that online camps faced, D’Souza believes that the counselors managed to connect and establish connections with the campers while online.
To organise a camp is not an easy job. It may sound fun to plan games and activities but there is so much more to it. D’Souza describes the many duties of her position as camp director from planning several activities to contacting parents for the camp. Along with Lamm and Bodner, D’Souza also worked with the former camp director, workshop coordinator Athena Zapantis, and the masterclass coordinator in order to make the camp happen. They had many different documents going around, each with specific details about the camp and had to email parents about the camp as well.
For those curious about what the camp was like, a typical day at camp usually went like this: an icebreaker or arts and crafts, followed by a fun activity that correlates with the theme of the week, another fun game/book activity/ Kahoot, and finally ending the day with an interactive workshop. Out of all the activities over the course of the camp, the kids’ favourite activity to do was the script writing activity where they were able to write their own scripts and perform their craft to their peers. Many parents were grateful for the summer camp and gave positive feedback. They all mentioned how their children thoroughly enjoyed this year’s summer camp even though it was all online.
Overall, D’Souza felt extremely good to be a part of this experience since her and her team’s hard work paid off as both the parents and kids loved the camp. It felt very rewarding and it was great to be part of it, D’Souza mentioned. QuaranTunes will continue hosting summer camps next year and though the details aren't clear, D’Souza assures that for next year’s summer camp, the QuaranTunes team will continue to work hard to create an interactive atmosphere and come up with new and unique activities. From the interview with D’Souza, being a part of this experience seems incredibly rewarding and this should be a call for all teenagers around the world to be a part of QuaranTunes because not only can you teach music, but work in a committee, run summer camps, and overall, gain many skills including leadership. Becoming a counselor in QuaranTunes’ summer camp may be a step in the right direction in becoming a leader by connecting with the campers, taking initiative during the camp, and maintaining a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
QuaranTunes’ summer camp is essentially for everyone from young kids to teenagers. Teenagers are able to strengthen their leadership skills since they are able to join the QuaranTunes family while kids are able to spend their summer interacting with their peers instead of watching television all day. So next year, parents, make sure to take note and sign your kids up for QuaranTunes' amazing summer camp!