Music

Music and Stories

Some of my fondest memories of camp revolve around music: playing recorder, singing songs, and just being immersed in the 60’s. The underlying politics of camp, the Jewishness, the joys and humor of staff played our in music. I loved singing in the dining hall after meals, funny songs, (Junior birdman), sad songs (Dona), and Irv songs (There’s a hole in my bucket and Vat is dis my Son). Colbert telling his saggy dog story about Sherry Ott (Swing low sweet Sherry Ott).r>
Campfire songs from the whole Bob Dylan songbook—via Peter, Paul and Mary. And songs in Hebrew, none of which I knew the meaning of but enjoyed the sound. Campfire circle was really important: stories about eh son whose father told him to build a house. The father sad, use the best materials, take you time and do it right. The son, wanted to save money so bought the cheaper stuff and cut corners. When the house was built the father said, “Son this house is my gift to you.” This is a short version and a sad tale, maybe a premonition of what life has become: to fast, planned obsolescence, and a throwaway culture.

Watching the sparks rise into the surrounding oaks, singing songs, sharing stories. There is something tribal, centered about fire, about telling stories. A sense of the continuing culture. And underlying this culture was a sense of the liberal nature of the promise of children—of being children. Irv wanted campers to do activities but not as lessons. I remember a discussion about “nature walks” and Irv telling a staff members that the point wasn’t to teach a lesson but to have the activity be what it was—although we learned things, riding, swimming, there was no test at the end, no competition.

One of the key aspects of camp was that lack of “awards” so common in other camps. The only award at camp was the 5 candy bars you’d get for falling off a horse—and Red Cross swimming cards. The purpose of camp was a different motivation, different as can be from our current focus on metrics and accountability. Something truly significant happened but it was not measurable without seeing that look, “Oh you went to camp” and tears would appear in their and my eyes.

Oh and I was reminded of Irv's Toilet Paper Speech--not really a story although I think there was a moral, about balance and consequences. I actually got to give the speech one year--I was not a public speaker was very embarrased and yet I could do a pretty good Irv non-the-less.

Thanks