First Annual........

MUSIC CAMP!

September 8-12, 2014

KANAB, UT

 Sally and I have been friends for over 35 years, and we and our families have a lot of history together.  Both Sally and I play flute, and part of that history is music.  We think it was in 1991 that we decided to put together a few holiday flute duets to play for our shared Christmas dinner.  We enjoyed playing so much that we made a commitment to play together on a regular basis.  Little did we know what that commitment would give us.  

 

We chose to get together once a week, and did so consistently for 10 YEARS!  We played through my variable work schedule, her working full time with three young children, through good times and really tough times.  Each year our families & friends gathered for a Christmas Eve gala that consisted of an hour of Christmas music played initially by Sally and I on flutes.  Over time, I accompanied Sally on piano for some pieces, and as the children got older and took up instruments, they played as well.  Music was followed by party games, then a Mexican food extravaganza that has never been matched.  Encouraged by musical friend and guitarist Larry, we also played at the local assisted living facilities with him and later just the two of us.  We even named ourselves: "Winds of Song".  

As it will, life takes its turns.  Sally and husband Jon moved to Kanab, UT.  She has been involved in the Kanab Symphony Orchestra, playing flute for a few years and now on the Symphony Board.  Without Sally, I stopped playing flute, and piano playing gave way to other interests.  Visits to Kanab almost always included my flute, and we would enjoy playing together again and the memories it evoked.

 

Sometime in our history, we talked about what fun it would be to attend a music camp for adults.  We even did some checking-the www was still in its infancy.  We couldn't find anything, and dropped the idea.  Until a visit in 2013, when I asked Sally if she might be interested in creating our own flute camp, just the two of us.  She agreed with alacrity!  We committed to setting it up for 2014, and September ended up being the sweet spot in our schedules.

 

As we discussed the details, we decided we'd play flute duets, of course, and I'd bring my violin and we'd play flute & violin at my still very elementary level.  Sally doesn't have a piano or keyboard, so I mulled that around.  When I talked to my violin teacher Emily about ideas for the camp, she offered me the use of her keyboard--a generous solution!

  Committed to three instruments, the only one of which I was currently playing being violin, I added flute and keyboard in May.  Which was none too early, as it turned out.  Re-learning to play pieces that were once easy is a disconcerting experience!  Sally took up her flute in Kanab.  We each went through our extensive collections of music and via e-mail settled on a sufficient selection of pieces to play.  We chose to make it a five-day camp, Monday through Friday.  We would include performances at the local assisted living facility, the Beehive, and the long-term care unit at Kanab Hospital.

Besides a playing repertoire, we developed a lineup of musical activities, both fun and educational, that would be part of the experience.  These included rhythm dictation, music puzzles, improvising, playing by ear, and playing palm pipes. For our evening entertainment, I found dvd movies in which each of the three instruments were featured in some way.

The day arrived!  I drove up on Sunday, arriving in the early afternoon.  A few years ago, Sally & Jon made a decision to convert their garage into Sally's craft/hobby/music studio. This is where I took my quite large amount of musical gear.   From the outside:

 Inside it's a lovely bright space, with enough shelf and counter space to make everything finger-tip accessible.  

Sally surprised me with this delightful display on her large work-table:

She'd found the most wonderful website with every conceivable musical novelty.  The big keyboard runner you see, the table decoration, the musically decorated totes, pencils, cups, paper clips.  She embellished the binders and notebooks (each in our favorite color).   What a great way to celebrate the commencement of Music Camp!  I was so pleased that she labeled the notebooks "1st Annual Music Camp", because even before we started this first camp, I was hoping there would be more to come.  Turned out we were thinking alike!

Though Jon did not join our musical endeavors, he generously agreed to provide all of our evening meals, both cooking himself and bring in deli dinners.  We really appreciated not having to plan or prepare food-there was a certain feeling of being pampered!

A few years ago, Jon and Sally finished the attic of their house as a self-contained apartment for guests, and that is where I stayed.  It's so charming I want to share:

Its own deck:

 

The living room and kitchen:

This bit of cleverness in the bathroom:

Yes, the commode is raised to accomodate the plumbing available through the attic.  A woman of average height must launch herself up onto it - backwards.  Planning ahead is a must! Yes, her feet dangled. 

The bedroom:

Sally's wonderful decorating abilities are evident throughout.  It's so compact and complete it feels like "playing house".  I love staying here.

Our days quickly fell in to a routine.  I got up and ran a couple of mornings, otherwise enjoyed a quiet start with breakfast then tea on the deck.  If I wasn't in the studio before Sally, she'd call me (gotta love cell phones!!!) and we'd begin the day.  We usually started with a table task to get ourselves thinking musically, then spend a couple of hours playing.

Flute duets:

flute and keyboard:

flute and violin:

It doesn't get any better!  

We'd break for lunch and chat, then do another session in the afternoon, checking with Jon to see when dinner was served.  Besides more playing, afternoons included experimenting with palm pipes and improvisation, and trying rhythm dictation.  All of these activities were new to both of us, and we had a blast with them.  

It was nice to have so much space, as we could leave everything out.

We had this view out the window when we looked up from our music:

The days flew by!  Thursday evening we played at The Beehive Assisted Living.

Friday afternoon, Ron joined us from Flagstaff.  In fact, Ron knew Jon and Sally, her Mom Nancy, sister Trevie and best friend Jennifer before he and I were married.  Trevie and Jennifer now both live in Kanab.  Last time I visited there were words to the effect of, "You're okay, but we want to see RON!"  He took this opportunity to come up for the weekend.  

Friday evening, Sally and I played at the long-term care unit at the hospital.

 

 

Was our wonderful week of music already done?   We had so much fun, accomplishing an ambitious schedule of playing and activities.  Only the movies fell victim to lack of time. We're saving them for our 2nd Annual Music Camp. 

Saturday morning, Sally, Jon, Ron and I took a drive north of Kanab. Lots of tourists and great scenery reminded us the Kanab area is the crossroads to numerous stunning National Parks & Monuments, including  Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Grand Escalante, Pipe Springs, and Grand Canyon.  

Saturday evening Trevie and Jennifer joined us for potluck and their Ron-fix.

This week was wonderful in every way.  I'm so grateful to Sally for sharing her music and friendship, and along with Jon hosting our 1st Annual Music Camp.  Thanks to Jon for spoiling us with great dinners.  Thanks to my violin teacher Emily for her many suggestions for camp activities and the generous loan of her keyboard.  It all added up to a PERFECT start what promises to be an exciting new musical direction for Sally and I.