zombies witches and ghouls..oh my!

Soooooooo…. its almost All Hallows eve, and as parents frantically subject them selves to gridlock, lines that seem to reach around the whole entire store, parking lot rage, and the howls of offspring begging for the most expensive costume in the shop,( that would most likely give anyone heart failure with the right lighting), looking for a perfect summer camp seems to be far from anyone’s thoughts.

 Now don’t get me wrong, Halloween is definitely my favorite time of year and I’m always impressed with the outrageous creations people come up with but I do get a little antsy with the huge crowds and feel a little sorry for all those left over bits at the end….. you know, the severed arms and legs that no one wanted, the plastic skeletons that are missing bones and the dusty old grave stones that you remember from last year .What we really need is another  rendition of ‘Zombie Day’ at Long Lake this summer. Kids having immense fun, hands tied behind their backs, tucking into plates of jellied brains….. Well it was a competition after all! Halloween come early at Long lake camp… see we’re months ahead of anyone!

 For anyone who is still on track, not at all distracted by witches and ghouls, and  still diligently looking for a summer home for next year, here’s some useful info about Music camps. Happy Halloween everyone and have a SPOOKTACULAR weekend.

Music Camps

 What to know and how to ask.

Music camps are wonderful places to let children learn music and enjoy all the benefits of a traditional camp summer. Music camps are very varied and run the price range from free to $6000 for 3 weeks. Some offer a very studious and conservatory like learning atmosphere where the focus is on private study and competitive growth.  Other music camps offer a balance style approach where music education is an integrated part of a performing arts and fine arts environment.  

 What to ask a Music Camp director?

 When researching music camps you really need to ask about the music faculty and the music camps teaching philosophy.  A well run music camp will be more than happy to discuss every aspect of their music camp program and ideals.  Ask if the instructors are just as great at teaching music as they are as performers. Music camps can have a very wide ranging style of accommodations. Ideally your children will be well supervised by instructors living in the same room.  The bathrooms and showers should be en-suite and in the same building as the living area. Music campers do not like having to go outside in the rain for a shower!

 What are some great music camps to explore?

 Depending on your needs a few music camps stand out above the rest.

 Long Lake Camp for the Arts, www.longlakecamp.com

Long Lake music camp offers a unique combination of fine arts, music, theater, circus, magic, film, dance and rock bands to campers ages 9 to 16. 914 693 7111

 Interlochen. Offers a conservatory style camp for musicians wishing to rehearse all day. 800.681.5912

 Eastern school of music summer school. Offers older teenagers a taste of university music life 718-229-0911.

 Juliard School of Music New York City.

The greatest song in the world..

Well blogging Wednesday seemed to shoot past in such a blur yesterday that before I knew it , it was already time to leave and I hadn't had a chance to verbalise my thoughts for the week. This past week has been incredibly busy with re-enrollment forms piling up around my ears and no matter how fast I put all of these returning old friends into the computer, the postman arrives and neatly stacks another pile onto my desk!! So what I'm saying is...we are filling up folks and you need to get those forms in! The DVD order went out yesterday so get excited as little bubble mailers will soon be shooting through your mail boxes in time for Thanks Giving and to those who are now panicking as you "forgot" it was 'THAT' time of year and need to order DVDs before your kids find out and decide to mutiny, I will be putting in a second order next week..so hurry hurry hurry...if you want to keep the peace.
Yesterday was a spectacularly fun day in the office,Geoff is on antibiotics for a sinus infection and so was on top form, especially when he challenged us all to pick the " Greatest Rock song EVER made".I'm not gonna lie there were a lot of "no way"s and "I don't think so"s...its a hard choice to be challenged with, especially as Geoff was split between 'The streets have no name' U2, or just about anything from Guns and Roses.... I suggested Tenacious D but purely for the entertainment factor and Lee added Mr Roboto by Stix....well just cause its a weird yet awesome song, but we all agreed on an oldie but goodie and think it's pretty hard to beat 'Bohemiam Rhapsody' by Queen. Its a tough one and i'm sure there are many of you screaming NOOOOO...but hey it was the only one we agreed on! However, this led us on to listening to some of our campers Rock songs from this summer and quite frankly they are brilliant,it was hard to tell they were campers on some tracks!!! So It just goes to show, that the greatest song EVER, still might be out there, yet to be sung or written and if you come to Long Lake, you could just be the one to write it!

Imagine a bully free world....

So, there seems to have been a lot of discussions lately on the topic of bullying. Oh yes its being discussed everywhere, news papers,websites, CNN did a week special on bullying and lets face it if Oprah is concerned well then so should we! Of course the topic of bullying is not by any means a new one and has been plaguing our school systems,work environments and camps for years, turning safe havens into terror filled experiences that follow us into our adulthood.
If we could suddenly somehow eradicate the problem creating a bully free world... well then we'd be geniuses and there would suddenly be world peace  mmm... not something that can be done overnight unfortunately, however, we can create an environment for kids where they can come and relax, be creative and not worry about being made to feel stupid or different like its a bad thing. Kids of course will be kids and can sometimes say things without thinking  in response to their own feelings or insecurities, but I can genuinely say that in all of the years I've been at camp, bullying is something that has rarely existed in our Long lake world. Our kids just seem better than that, more in tune with each other and generally just "get" the fact that  because we don't always like the same thing, or follow the same music, or have the same tastes,we are not  all weird or somehow, not as important as everyone else. It is of course, our individuality that makes us so unique and something we should all be proud of.
So to all you bully's out there....beware...and be very afraid...you will be eradicated one day!

Continuing your Art after camp.....

First things first, we were contacted by the Artistic Director for New Worlds Theatre today, looking to cast boys for a new up and coming straight play called 'Displaced Wedding' that will be playing in the West End Theatre in Manhattan. She is looking for boys around 4'8 ft in height, red or dark brown hair, who can play a 9-10yr old role. It runs from Dec 10th till Jan 2nd, scattered throughout Christmas, with some matenee shows in between. There is a small stipend of $300 and rehearsals start around November, so they are on a deadline to find the right person immediately. If you are interested at all ( might be good experience for all you budding actors out there) then please send your head shot, or just a really clear Photo, to Ellen Parisman, Artist Director email epercman@newworldsproject.org  or contact us directly and I can give you her telephone number.
Which leads me on to...........Continuing your Art after camp, and how many of you Long lakers or non Long Lakers out there are doing just that? It can be anything from your school play to chorus groups,professional theatre work or art or music classes, we would love to hear what you all get up to the minute you leave our gates, so get commenting I want to hear EVERYTHING!!!

I myself  come from a very Artsy and creative background ( oh yes it positively oozes out of me at every given opportunity) and I try to keep my creative juices flowing by doing outside projects whenever I can. I have just spent the last few weekends painting giant murals of Dr Seuss characters for a friend and later on in the year I become props master extraordinaire  for a children's theatre in the area. I actually start to get antsy if I don't have some kind of creative project on the go and I think it is really important to continue to do the things that you love and make you happy, because self expression indeed makes us who we are. Long lake has played a huge part  in this for many of you I know, but if  you don't have a creative outlet where you live, then there is no better place to dream big than camp..... get creative everyone, there is nothing like it......