by Noé Cugny & Mary Graci
With the sweltering summer sun hot on our tracks, camps and programs are cropping up around the city to give young New Orleanians a chance to escape the heat while honing their skills.
One such program called Musicollaborative NOLA, a non-profit organization designed to immerse children in the world of music, is taking summer camp to the next level.
With programs like the “Mighty Music Makers,” Founder Kaya Martínez is hoping to turn budding superheroes into powerful musicians and vocalists.
Photo by Scott Myers
“We deal with constructing music in a very concrete way,” Martinez said. “I learn a lot from the children and because we choose to approach it in a collaborative way, we are constantly learning and growing based on who gets involved. So, it stays fresh and it’s exciting.”
The program offers several opportunities for all ages to learn all the tricks of the trade from musicians and vocalists like Co-Founder Khari Allen Lee, clarinetist Réshanda Yates, pianist Audrey Smith, harpist Sarah Burke, bassist Charles Lumar (The Honorable South), violist Clare Harmon, guitarist Jeremy Marx, and multi-instrumentalist Jade Perdue.
“It has been an extraordinary experience observing the birth of the creation of the Musicollaborative,” Lee said. “We are all creators, the thing about children is that their creative energy is flowing much more unabated than with adults. So, one of the things I feel is most important with the youngest ones is listening to them and allowing their creative energy to flow.”
The camp is partnered with non-profits around the city such as The Boswell Family at Drewstunes.org, Aminata Brown at Sistaworks.org, and the Jazz National Historical Park to enhance their program with other local music education groups and family-friendly concert venues.
Photo by Kaya Martinez, via Musiclabnola.com
The summer classes include “Architecture of Sound” ImmersionArts Day Camp for ages 6-12 on July 25-29, “Mighty Music Makers” Day Camp for ages 5-8 for the weeks of August 1, 8 and 15, and “JamCamp” for ages 8-12 for the weeks of August 1 and 8; however, there are various programs throughout the entire year to educated everyone from children to adults in the ways of music.
“We definitely rely a lot on the community getting involved to support our programming. We want to make sure it stays affordable and accessible to all, money should never be a barrier to creativity,” Martinez said.
Camp registration links and details are available on their website, musiclabnola.org, and to keep the camp affordable for future generations, 10 percent of camp proceeds will be set aside for tuition assistance for children’s group classes in the fall.
