MCMC Camp memories 2026

Chamber Music CAmp by Counselo Jonathan Kafumbe 

This week at MCMC's Chamber Music Camp, local Addison County middle and high school musicians came together to explore the joy of collaborative music-making by participating in small and large ensembles. Several groups of varying ages and skill levels rehearsed throughout the week and performed some of their favorite selections during the final concert on Friday. The ensembles in the final performance included a string trio, a four-cello string quartet, a middle school wind ensemble, a saxophone trio, a full saxophone quartet, a combined winds group, and the full camp playing the final piece together.

Throughout the week, each group worked with a professional instructor who quickly got to know each camper and their specific musical needs. Each instructor brought their own unique expertise, as well as a passion for music, tailoring their coaching to the skill levels and dynamics of their assigned group. They guided the students through musical challenges and helped them understand the nuances of chamber music, including non-verbal communication, musical phrasing, ensemble balance, and much more. Beyond the many hours spent rehearsing, Chamber Music Camp provided a vibrant social space where campers were able to socialize and bond over shared interests. Most importantly, a wonderful mentorship naturally developed between the high schoolers and middle schoolers. Not only did the older students support the younger musicians, but the final full-camp rehearsal also featured a Q&A session where the younger campers asked the high schoolers questions about practice habits and musicianship.

Ultimately, a week of fun, focus, and creativity resulted in a spectacular final concert on Friday, beautifully showcasing both the students' impressive musical growth throughout the week and their strong passion and love for music.

Musical Theater Camp 1 / week 1 by Counselor Ella Kozak

Our incredibly talented campers have completed their first week of rehearsals for Space Pirates, jumping headfirst into auditions, rehearsals, costume creation, and all the excitement that comes with bringing a new musical to life.

The first day of camp started with an incredible amount of enthusiasm, as many of the campers had already been preparing for camp and knew exactly which role they wanted to play. At MCMC theater camps, campers audition through a series of acting games as well as solo auditions. Watching both returning and new campers brave a bit of stage fright and line up to sing solo was amazing, and it was clear from the very first day that we had a strong cast and an exciting week ahead.

On the second day, everyone arrived early with highlighters in hand, counting down the seconds until the cast list was announced. A cast list always brings mixed reactions in theatre, no matter your age, but every camper embraced their role with enthusiasm, hard work, and a positive attitude. Another important part of any production is the costumes and set, both of which campers get to help create. On Wednesday and Thursday, we took a short break from rehearsing to get crafty with pool noodles and shiny silver fabric. Each camper worked on their own costume using a general design as a guide before adding their own personal flair. Campers also had the opportunity to create props and set pieces, making high-tech alien gadgets and funky statues out of pool noodles.

Throughout the week, our campers showed so much dedication by memorizing lines and songs at home, practicing dances and scenes in their free time, and constantly bringing new ideas to every aspect of the production. In the second week of camp, we'll begin rehearsing at the Town Hall Theater, where campers will have the opportunity to perform on the main stage and rehearse in its amazing facilities. Everyone will arrive on Monday "off book," meaning their lines and songs will be memorized so we can begin running the full show while adding props, lights, and set pieces. The two weeks will culminate in a 10:30 dress rehearsal for invited preschoolers before our final afternoon performance. Everyone is excited for another week of rehearsals and can't wait to see our Space Pirates take the stage on Friday!

Musical Theater Camp 1 / week 2 by Counselor Lila Brightman

This week, campers began staging their show, Space Pirates, at Town Hall Theater, engaging in lively songs and dance numbers and diving into their characters as aliens and space pirates, going on to perform a wonderful final show on Friday afternoon. 

Middlebury Community Music Center's first Musical Theater Camp of the summer was a huge success, with 22 young actors working hard for 2 weeks to perform a fun, lively, and engaging performance of the children's musical Space Pirates. This week, the kids had already settled into their parts well and were beginning to build up excitement and anticipation for the show. Final lines were being memorized, dance moves solidified, and the notes of the incredibly fun soundtrack filled the Town Hall Theater. Despite some adversity this week, including heat, lack of air conditioning, and absences, the young actors were able to take it all on the chin and persist in their rehearsals, crafting a final show that wowed parents and made the MCMC team very proud. 

We spent our week at Town Hall Theater split between the mainstage, where the performance took place, and downstairs in the Beyers Studio, which was a wonderful spot to practice dance numbers because of its mirrors, space, and most importantly, air conditioning. Campers spent downtime during snack and lunch breaks singing their songs and discussing their characters. They also enjoyed recess time spent in the Middlebury Green, a lovely and accessible option from Town Hall Theater. With the support of MCMC counselors as well as Town Hall Theater interns, the campers had lots of support in preparation for their show, whether it was in the form of singing tips, help practicing lines, reminders of dance moves, or just conversation about the show and each camper's character. 

One camper this week said, "I wasn't sure if I wanted to come to camp on Monday, but by the end of the day I wanted to ask my mom how soon I could come back!" This sentiment seemed to be shared by most campers, because their excitement about all aspects of their performance - including songs, dances, acting, costumes, set pieces, props, and lights - was unmatched. Watching them come to life as their hilarious and fun extraterrestrial characters was a joy! Following the show, parents expressed their pleasant surprise at the level of talent and energy from the campers on stage, and it seems to be the consensus that there have never been better Space Pirates on the Town Hall Theater stage!

Musical Theater Camp 2 by Counselor Carina Brightman

As counselors, parents, and observers of this truly amazing group of kids, we were fortunate to see the hard work, dedication, and fun that was put into this camp week’s production of  “Escape to Carefreetopia” 

We started our week off strong by meeting all 20 eager and musical campers. On the first day, we started the “audition” part of our week. Most, if not all, campers were outgoing and enthusiastic about performing a solo or going for a part they felt strongly about. We all sat in the large Salon space, playing icebreaker games, getting to know each other, and bonding over the true love of music shared by all. After introductions, we worked with Jen on the singing parts and solo opportunities, and I was amazed by the talent and courage everyone showed! Campers would bravely stand one by one to share their voice and find a part they felt good and confident in. 

Besides the outstanding voices, participation, and musical ability of this group, as the week progressed, we also witnessed social connections bloom! Many campers later reflected that this week encouraged them to step out of their comfort zones and go for new friendships! A handful of campers previously knew each other; however, many new friendships truly took place! It was so fun and exciting to see. Later in the week, we headed over to CVUUS (a beautiful church we were lucky to spend a lot of our time in!) This space was open and ready for the kids to turn all the hard work with memorizing lines, solos, group songs, and choreography into a feel for what the performance would feel like. With the help of all the kids, they crafted candy cut-outs to attach to our tree and bush props. Everything was starting to come to life! 

As our week came to an end, through some challenging moments such as heat, the occasional prop malfunctions, and tiredness from all the hard work, the kids pushed through with positivity and an eagerness to share what they worked so hard to cultivate. Almost all of the campers would bring home scripts to practice lines and take positive feedback and acting notes like pros. This group connected, in more ways than one. Group games like “down by the banks” became a hit, and there was never a doubt that everyone was included in the fun. Finally, Friday, performance day came, and every camper was dedicated until the very last minute. After bows, they all shared one thing, or a moment that was a highlight for them at MCMC Camp this year. Many shared that they loved having fun, singing with such an impressive group, kind counselors and directors, and most of all, feeling like they made new friends and enjoyed what they love and are talented in!

Music Discoveries Camp 1 by Counselor Mira Prakash

Throughout the Music Discoveries 1 camp, the counselors, campers, parents, and director had a great time learning more about music, instruments, and putting on a creative and fun underwater themed showcase!

Our first day started off with lots of introductions including our “Welcome Song” which signified the start of camp and got the campers an introduction into the music for the day as well as helping everyone memorize each other's names. We sang this song everyday, along with our “Goodbye Song” .These two songs added more structure to our days, and I enjoyed being able to hear more and more kids' voices sing louder and prouder as they became more familiar with the song and their peers' names. We also attended the Festival On the Green which took place during lunch time, so these campers got a special experience of seeing a magician and professional drummers this week. I was very impressed with our campers because they put themselves out there starting on the first day by making new friends and singing almost all of the songs in the showcase on day one!

Throughout the week, the campers were introduced to all kinds of instrument families and instruments. On Monday we started off with percussion by learning the basics of djembe drums and how to play them. We also got crafty in the basement by making drums and shakers out of regular household/craft supplies. On our string day, camp director Kendra brought in lots of instruments such as the ukulele and guitar, and Lila and Carina presented the violin and cello for the campers to learn about. Campers made guitars on this day made out of shoe boxes and rubber bands. For woodwinds and brass day, Keith brought in a saxophone and flute, and I (Mira) brought in a trumpet for the kids to learn about. The campers l made wind instruments called “Doot do Doos” on this day. The campers' hard work making their instruments came in handy because they got to play their favorite instruments that they had made in the final performance, as well as take them home.

After a week of hard work learning songs by ear, learning about and making instruments, and getting to know each other, the campers put on a spectacular show! Some had to memorize lines and solos, and everyone helped make our wonderful ocean-themed set by painting different cardboard cutouts of coral. The campers also each got to choose what sea creature they wanted to be in the show and get a handmade costume for it. The end performance was filled with songs sung by the campers, fun costumes, dancing, instruments, and laughter! I was so proud watching all of the kids remember the lyrics and dance to each of the songs, and I loved watching all of them have a good time throughout the entire camp by making new friends and learning/sharing new things. These young campers definitely stepped up to the challenge of completing so much in just one short week. I am so happy they got to experience so much creativity and musical discoveries in the camp, and I hope to see them in more musical excursions in the future!.

Jazz Camp by Counselor and Musical Mentor Henry Kervick

From July 27 until July 31, the halls of the MCMC were filled with the sound of jazz, as the campers at Jazz Camp showcased and improved their improvisational skills, theory knowledge, and musicality, before ultimately giving an enrapturing performance at the Town Hall Theater. 

It’s hard to believe the sheer amount of progress that was achieved this past week at Jazz Camp. Although each day felt like it passed in the blink of an eye, make no mistake, it was full of learning, improving, and having fun experimenting in music. Campers new and returning gathered round on the first morning of camp to watch a brief concert celebrating the 100th birthday of Miles Davis, one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 20th century, performed by the camp faculty, Glendon Ingalls, Ron White, Miles Donahue, and Rob Zollman. Immediately after, everyone leaped eagerly into the first rehearsal of the week, where music was handed out and the ensemble played their first piece together.

Although a good portion of the day was spent preparing material to play in the large ensemble, campers also broke into smaller combo settings, where they each chose and prepared their own selection of music (this turned out to be hard, as there were so many good options for what to play). Starting on the second day, there were also faculty-led clinics that focused on learning about music theory, and as was pointed out, there is always something new that you can learn, even if you think you already know everything there is to know. At lunch, the ever-popular game “Mafia” made a return, and cornhole outside in the yard was a big hit as well.

On Friday morning, you could feel the enthusiasm building as the concert drew nearer. Solos had been decided upon, arrangements had been finalized, and the sousaphone stand was working (thank goodness). The previous day, two entirely new pieces had been introduced, and the campers took a vote on which one to play. Unlike what might have been expected, there didn’t seem to be any hesitation about performing a piece that they had just learned yesterday. And for good reason - after an incredible performance at the Town Hall Theater, the campers said their goodbyes, filled with the exhilaration of making the music that they loved.

Musical Theater Camp 3 / Week 1 Written by Petra Fearon

During this first week of the Musical Theater Camp 3 at MCMC the campers have been learning, laughing, and joyfully singing their way through the rehearsals for the musical The Grunch.

The Grunch (A New Children's Musical) is a fun spoof of the classic story How The Grinch Stole Christmas, but (!) instead of Christmas it’s a middle school musical, instead of stolen presents it’s stolen sets, props and costumes, and instead of a grinch it's a 6th grade student named Rudy Grunch who despises musicals but has a change of heart at the end. The musical is also a Mad-Libs style production which allows the cast to personalize the musical to them. Lines can be changed to talk about Middlebury and what Middlebury is known for, which caused a large debate whether our musical should include creemees or cheese. (Creemees won).

Only a couple hours into the very first day of camp campers were chatting, friendship bracelet string was everywhere, coloring sheets were out, and of course, the game Mafia was being played (there are at least three games played a day). The counselors have been seeing the camaraderie of the campers growing stronger each day through shared compliments between campers, intense corn hole games, and an attempt to make a human pyramid.

But don’t worry, there’s still lots of work getting done as well. Campers have been fervently highlighting scripts and memorizing lines. There’s been lots of excitement and sing-a-longs to the song “Three Feet Tall”. Campers are perfecting their fake fainting, and practicing making harmonies to any and every song played. There was a day when everyone drew designs for set pieces, which does in fact include an alien space ship in the shape of a creemee, and although many campers were very enthusiastic about bringing in top hats for costumes, there are unfortunately no characters a top hat would be suited for. Although our production might be top hat-less, the campers have been having a blast putting on this production and are very excited for everything to come together in the second week of camp.

Steel Drum and World Rhythms Camp Written by Eve Mengüç

It's been a week of rhythm and fun at the Middlebury Community Music Center! The young musicians of the Steel Drum + World Rhythm Camp split their time between picking up popular tunes on the steel drum with Jen Cohen and practicing grooves from around the globe with Rob Zollman. 

To start off the week, campers learned the names of the different types of steel drums, as well as the history of the instrument, and worked on playing in harmony and in rounds. 

With Rob, they had the chance to try exciting new percussion intruments, such as the thunder tube, vibraslap and surdo, and enjoyed participating in drum circles and improvised songs.

To cap off the week, camper groups "The Steel Pandas" and "Panorama" performed for family and friends under the tent behind MCMC, led by Jen and Rob. This exciting and impressive performance included pieces on improvised instruments as well as steel drums and traditional percussion, demonstrating all campers had learned over the week. The show ended with a song called Samba Chill, which brought everyone up to play a final time and had audience members and campers alike out of their seats and dancing!