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Cannon Music Camp celebrates 40 years |
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Monday, 14 July 2008 |
 The Symphony Orchestra performs three pieces of repertoire Sunday conducted by James A. Anderson. Photo by Alisha Park
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by ALISHA PARK
Chief Photographer
As Julie Andrews once sang, “The hills are alive, with the sound of music.”
The same has been true every summer in Boone since 1969 as Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music celebrates the Cannon Music Camp’s 40th year, attracting students who wish to continue their music education while regular school is out of session. To help guide the campers, counselors who are all Appalachian State music students stay the full four weeks between June 28 and July 26 and share responsibilities of ensuring class changes, performances and dorm life run smoothly and efficiently.
Senior
music performance and journalism major Eva M. Mowry was a camper the
summer of 2003 and is working as a counselor for the first time this
summer. The past two weeks have already shown her the best and least
enjoyable parts of the job.
“My
favorite part of the day is around 11 p.m. when I go by each of the
campers dorm rooms to say lights out,” Mowry said. “It literally takes
me 20 minutes per room because they’re telling me about what they
enjoyed doing that day and it’s just indicative of the fun we have at
camp.”
The cost of fun, however, is the food, which Mowry says is
disappointing in taste, variety and distance considering the only real
place to eat on campus is the bottom of Welborn Dining Hall, across
campus from the music building.
 Troy Brooks, a sophomore from Polk County High School, plays bari saxophone during Symphonic Band rehearsal Friday. Photo by Alisha Park
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When not running to grab a meal, first year vocal camper and senior at
Trinity High School Kayla D. Watson enjoys the company of her fellow
high school peers while striving toward becoming a professional
vocalist.
“The faculty is amazing, it’s not like high school classes because
everyday is different while learning something new. Not to mention,
there are no cliques here like in high school so it’s really great that
everybody hangs out together and we’re all friendly,” she said.
The Associate Director of Bands at Appalachian State and the camp’s
Symphonic Band Director Dr. Scott C. Tobias agrees that the camp is
very beneficial to those who participate. Students partake in music
theory classes, major ensembles, honor recitals and applied lessons. Of
the approximately 60 campers under his direction, his goal is to
encourage a good learning environment and an enjoyable experience.
“The golden rule of camp is that the campers know more when they leave
than when they get here. All have different backgrounds, but the hope
is to have broadened their knowledge base by the time they leave,” he
said.
He enforces this ideology by motivating his band students during their
daily rehearsal at 8 a.m. to do more than play the notes on the page.
“It’s the emotion that gives us the music, not just the note itself,” he tells them.
To keep them awake enough to consider this, he tells jokes, randomly
asks them to stand up, wave their hands and sit down, and provides
life-like analogies to the music they’re performing.
“You guys have to understand how to play music as an emotion. Not just
playing but making your performance as meaningful and beautiful as if
you were preparing a fantastic surprise picnic for your girl that you
just ‘happen’ to stumble upon on the parkway. But it’s not just a
picnic. It’s her favorite food, her favorite music playing on an iPod
and a rose,” he said.
By this time, all the girls in the room are feeling the emotion of such
a hypothetical moment and murmuring ‘awws’ while one male student is
awake enough to realize the potential of this example and raises his
hand before Tobias begins to conduct again.
“Could you repeat that so I can write it down?” he asks.
The laughter that follows is genuine and allows energy to be kept high
during the rehearsal as the ensemble continued to prepare for their
concert on Sunday afternoon.
In passing the halfway point of camp, the next two weeks will feature
several more concerts and recitals from students and faculty.
A list of performances can be found on the Events Calendar online at www.appstate.edu.
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