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There are 13 students participating in the music camp this week. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)
new skills

Music camp at SMVS this week inspiring local youth

Jul 24, 2023 | 3:33 PM

The La Ronge Youth Music Camp is taking place this week at Senator Myles Venne School.

This marks the second year the music camp is occurring in the tri-communities. Various instructors, including musician Eliza Doyle, are teaching a range of instruments and skills such as the guitar, ukelele, song writing, singing, keyboard, drums, bass and the fiddle.

The camp began Sunday with group activities and continues until Wednesday.

“We always start things off with some group activities, but we do a thing called the instrument ‘switcharoo’, so we have instruments in different classrooms and we cycle the kids through each instrument, so they can get a chance to explore what they want to spend the week learning,” Doyle said.

“We are working up to a show and also a recording, so we have two people with us who are really skilled audio engineers and videographers. By the end of the week, we are going to have song recorded that we can play on MBC and a music video that will go along with that that we will release on YouTube. Each of the student groups will also be working on their own songs.”

On Wednesday, the public is invited to a free supper at 5 p.m., which will be followed up by a performance at 5:30 p.m. The camp itself is occurring 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Mitch Dureault is one of the music camp’s instructors. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Doyle explained those participating are between Grades 5 and 12 and have different levels of music ability. Some are already able to play the guitar and piano, while others don’t have any experience at all.

“We kind of group by them that in the second or third day, and then they get into their bands,” she said. “By the fourth day, they have a song prepared they can perform.”

Doyle noted the tri-communities are supportive of music camps. She also added it is beneficial to hold a camp because there is regular music programming through the school year and the camp gives a chance for students to stay connected during the summer. Doyle hosted a similar camp in Beauval last week.

“I would like to do more of them, but I spend the summer travelling around and playing at music festivals, so the non-profit has some grants we are looking at to hire some program managers and we would really love to get more grants to train more facilitators and camp directors, because we would like to be able to do them in more communities,” she said.

“A lot of communities want them and we want to be able to have enough trained camp directors and facilitators to be able to meet the demand of the communities.”

derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno