Tag: camp

2018 Fall Choir Camp

This year’s camp was yet another success!

Choristers showed up at Camp Horizon buzzing about the weekend to come and were already looking forward to Skit Night, campfire songs and all the other activities camp has to offer.
After the first night of icebreaker games, the real “work” began.

The first full day at camp was a mix of choir rehearsal time and regular camp activities like capture the flag and practice time and arts and crafts. All this rehearsing and running around, however, did little to tire the campers out for skit night. Campers were sorted into teams and were tasked with creating a Bach themed skit. (We think the choir should look into musical theater based on what we saw.) Every group pulled off some very unique plays that thrilled chaperons and choir members alike.

After the skits were concluded, the group huddled around the campfire singing everything from old repertoire to call and repeat songs under the stars as dusk turned into night. Little ones were sent to bed group by group and soon everyone was back in their cabins dreaming of the popcorn fairy.
The next morning was a whirlwind of rehearsals in preparation for the day’s concert for the parents. After a successful concert, it was time to collect compliment envelops and head home!

We are certainly looking forward to winter camp this January and even more forward to our first concert of the year, our Christmas concert on December 8th.

See you there!

October 9, 2018
Winter Retreat 2016!

Our second Winter Choir camp retreat was a lot of fun, thanks to the caring leadership of chaperones, hard-working and enthusiastic kids, and great weather! We spent much of the day Saturday rehearsing Requiem and In These Stones Horizons Sing, by Karl Jenkins, for our mass concert on February 27.

Three of our chaperones are also singing with us, so they joined in. We all love this music so much, that rehearsals are very gratifying. Our rehearsal time was broken up with coloring sheets drawn by artist, and former chorister, Kat Long-Jones. We enjoyed coloring and listening to these two spectacular works.

We also went snowshoeing, and spent time rehearsing for skit night, which followed a theme suggested by the Calgary Youth Choir, of Greek mythology. All of the CYC choristers chose a god, and created skits around their particular characteristics and eccentricities. Everyone was involved, and between the costumes and the antics, we had a lot of laughs. Turns out, our choristers can improvise, and many have great comic timing.

We completed our camp time on Sunday morning, singing O Canada in a circle, with improvised harmonies, in honour of the up-coming citizenship ceremony of one of our choristers and her family.

We thank all of our parents for recognizing what a valuable experience choir camp is, both musically and socially, and for supporting your child to be there!

What was your favourite part of the winter retreat? Tell us in the comments below!

February 1, 2016
Choir Camp 2015 Roundup!

This past weekend we were very excited to be out in Bragg Creek, on our annual retreat to choir camp! Camp is a great opportunity for our choristers to get to know one another better, to rehearse new music, and learn more about what it means to sing as part of an ensemble!

We had a wonderful time in our drumming session with David Kovatch from One World Drum Co.!

The Calgary Youth Choir led us in an amazing activity, in which choristers composed song in the style of an era, like the 50’s, or the 80’s, and then performed them in costume! It was so much fun that even the chaperones got in on the action!

Our skit night was a great event, featuring the amazing musical and compositional talents of our choristers!

We had a lot of fun singing both in rehearsal, and around the campfire, where we would often break into four part harmony!

It was another great year at camp full of music, fun and friendships – old and new!

What was your favourite part of camp? Tell us in the comments below!

September 28, 2015
Winter Retreat 2015 Roundup!

On the weekend of January 30th, to February 1st, the Calgary Children’s Choir went up to Camp Horizon in Bragg Creek for our first ever Winter Retreat! The weekend was absolutely magnificent!

Friday January 30th – We arrived at camp in the evening and where excited to begin! We played a really fun-and competitive game where the groups had to out-sing each other based on different categories. Our awesome camp leader, Andrew, set up a roaring fire for us outside, and even though it was snowing it wasn’t too cold and we all bundled up to sing camp songs and tell jokes into the night. We all agreed singing in the snow was a unique experience!

Saturday January 31st – We awoke to a perfect fresh layer of snow, ideal for the activities ahead. After an amazing breakfast of chocolate pancakes, and a morning rehearsal, the choristers split into three groups. Each group took a turn doing music theory with Ms.Strome, an art project with our visiting artist, Lisa, and snow shoeing with Andrew.

With Lisa, the choristers turned their portraits into a unique embodiment of their visions of home. This art project will be displayed at the ‘Home’ concert coming up this March, and it was wonderful to make something so meaningful to go along with our concert.

The snow shoeing expeditions were amazing. The weather was perfect and the campers got to follow animal tracks through the woods, slide down hills, and laugh in the snow whilst wearing old fashioned “beaver tail” or modern “bear claw” snow shoes. We even had races!

Throughout the weekend, the choristers had cards read to them with secret facts about all the choristers, and based on the facts they had to guess who the card was about. It was great to see how well we all know each other. A real turkey dinner was followed by skit night, and the choristers were true to form with funny skits, amazing singing, and poetry. As a special treat, whipped cream was provided so the choristers could have fancy hot chocolate while we played board games by the fireplace. There was Twister, Disney Charades, and more!

Sunday February 1st – On Sunday we ate a breakfast of cinnamon buns, and had another rehearsal. The choristers really delved deep into the music, learning new pieces quickly and really fleshing out the meaning of each work. We thanked Andrew for all of his help and leadership, and Lisa for lending her amazing skills to us over the weekend. We thanked the kitchen staff with rousing applause, as we all agreed it had been the BEST camp food we’d ever had!

Winter Retreat was a huge success and hopefully it will become an annual event!

* Blog post and all photos by Kat Long

What was your favourite part of camp? Tell us in the comments below!

February 9, 2015
Choir Camp Roundup 2014!

This past weekend we returned to choir camp out in Bragg Creek, for a weekend full of fun, laughter, and music!

Our theme this year, created and implemented by our brilliant Creative Consultant, Kat Long, was ‘Science Camp!’ The choir was joined by the eccentric ‘Professor Pfiefferhorn’ from ‘Tunesburg’ (played by the wonderful Kat Long.) He told the choristers that he had travelled from the M.U.S.I.C (Musical Understanding of Sound In Children) research facility because he needed their help understanding how science and music were related.

The choristers were divided into three groups including singers from all three of our choirs. The groups were: Brains, Brawn and Beauty. The choristers were asked to think about how these three categories related to music, and in particular to singing.

The ‘Brains’ group looked at how music impacts all areas of learning, particularly in the development of mathematical abilities, pattern recognition, and memorization. Those in the ‘Brawn’ group analyzed how different parts of the body are used to create music, and were particularly interested in good vocal habits. The choristers in the ‘Beauty’ group determined the emotional aspects of music, and singing, focusing particularly on conveying musical lines and text vocally.

The kids were given time to create presentations to make to ‘The Professor’ to aid in his research!

We also rehearsed, played musical games, had free time to relax or play ‘The Animal Game’. On Saturday night we enjoyed a long standing camp tradition of Skit Night! There were some fun skits, silly songs, and some impressive original musical numbers! After skit night, the choristers took advantage of the camp’s new karaoke machine, and had a blast singing old favourites!

We had an amazing weekend filled with friends, laughter, jokes, and best of all – music! Thank-you so much to all the amazing volunteers and staff members who made this weekend possible!

What was your favourite part of camp? Tell us in the comments below!

September 29, 2014
How To Get The Most Out Of Choir Camp

Every year the Calgary Children’s Choir spends a weekend at camp in Bragg Creek at the end of September. The purpose of choir camp is to get to know one another, and to have a concerted period of time during which we can really get a good start on our music. This is so important because of the nature of choral music, which requires that singers meld their voices to create one seamless sound. This level of trust, and understanding, not only on a musical level, but on a personal level as well, means that spending time together as group is an integral process to creating fantastic choral sound!

Here are three tips to help you get the most out of choir camp:

#1. Bring an open mind and heart:

Camp is about getting to know new people, and having a good time with the people you already do know. If you are brand new to the choir, or even if you’ve been a member for years, remember that camp is all about bonding! Introduce yourself to others, find out about them, and have a good time! By keeping yourself open to meeting new people, or getting to know other choristers better, you can get the most out of choir camp!

#2. Bring your music and get ready to sing!
Camp is also about the music. This is a great time for the choir to get in a lot of practice, and to really learn some of our music. Make sure you bring your music, your pencil, and a water bottle, and be prepared to rehearse!

#3. Participate!

It can be easy to sit on the sidelines, especially if you are new to choir. There are so many activities to choose from; campfire, skit night, crafts, outdoor games, and more! Camp is the most fun when you participate in all of the great activities that are offered!

Who’s excited for camp this year? What’s your favourite part of camp? Tell us in the comments below!

September 22, 2014
House Songs!

This year, at our choir camp in September, we had a Harry Potter theme. As part of that theme, the choir members were divided into three different houses: House Harmony, whose Head of House was our Creative Consultant Kat Long, House Rhythm, led by our Artistic Director Marni Strome, and House Melody, whose Head of House was the Junior Choir Director, Rachael Mollison-Read.

The Houses were tasked with creating a song that exemplified what our choristers love about choir. On the last day of camp we performed the songs for each other, and our parents! So here are the songs each House created:

House Harmony:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK1SWLF8mpY&feature=c4-overview&list=UUil3fmUfboZVn9LteEljRLg

House Rhythm:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpsO_K2BUCc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUil3fmUfboZVn9LteEljRLg

House Melody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yex_q5mJO9E&feature=c4-overview&list=UUil3fmUfboZVn9LteEljRLg

(All video courtesy of Christina Jahn)

Tell us, what do you think of the House Songs?

October 21, 2013
Choir Camp 2013!

This weekend, the Calgary Children’s Choir went out to Camp Horizon to enjoy a wonderful weekend of choir camp! Camp is a great opportunity for all of the choristers to get to know one another, and really get comfortable as an ensemble. We could not have asked for a more stunning location for our weekend away!

When the choristers arrived in the main lodge, our ‘Harry Potter’ theme was revealed! The main lodge had been decorated to look like elements from Harry Potter! The choristers were divided up into three different houses; House Melody, House Harmony, and House Rhythm.

After being ‘sorted’ we moved onto some singing games, which were fantastic with so many people there to play!

We ended the night with a quick snack, and a wonderful campfire filled with beautiful music!

Our next morning began with a great breakfast, and some rehearsal time, before the choristers headed off to the ‘Bank of Ideas’, supervised by the ‘Keeper of Coin.’ There, the choristers were asked to write down any ideas they had about music, and the choir. Their efforts were rewarded with the best kind of currency – chocolate!

Then it was time for lunch, but no sooner had we sat down to eat, than a nefarious villain named Malcoeur arrived, denouncing our love of music, and challenging us with musical questions. Despite our best efforts, Malcoeur kidnapped our choir mascots, Piano and Forte, and escaped with them!

Despite our heartache over the plight of our mascots, we soldiered on through the rest of rehearsals, and some time in our Houses to prepare a piece that embodied what we love about choir, and then it was free time! We had time to play games, make crafts, work on our skits for the evening’s performance, or just hang out with friends.

After dinner, it was skit night! Anyone who was so inclined, could make up a skit, and perform it for the group! We are so fortunate to have so many creative, theatrical choristers! After skit night, we headed out for another great campfire!

The next morning, the evil Malcoeur made another unwelcome appearance at breakfast, issuing musical challenges to the choir again. But this time, we bested him, and our mascots, Piano and Forte were returned to us! After a quick rehearsal, we were ready for our mini-concert for our parents!

This camp weekend was a wonderful experience for everyone, and brought all of the choristers closer together, all in the pursuit of beautiful music!

So tell us in the comments below, what was the best part of camp?

September 23, 2013