Camp Green Lane Blog Post, July 6th

Camp was still buzzing from last night’s fireworks show today. It was the topic of conversation around the picnic tables during Journalism most of the day.

But there’s been another kind of booming and banging echoing through camp the last few days as we concluded the Path to Rhythm series this afternoon. For those who don’t know, Path to Rhythm is a drum workshop that’s been coming to camp the last few years. Adam, the instructor, remarked today how he’s seen all the big kids grow up from when they were little ones not too long ago.

Adam teaches lots of cool lessons in our time around the drum circle. Among our favorites: “camp friends are the best friends.”

Adam also teaches us how each camper and counselor, each member of the bunk family, has an important role and place in the group. In the drum circle, this happens when we play our own beats to combine into a larger song. Or when we play off one another. Each member of the circle is critical.

The same can be said for camp. The summer is in full swing, but within cabins, we’re all finding roles and places. First-year campers are discovering new talents, or showing off hidden skills to wow their bunkmates. Kids who practiced all winter are showcasing their new talents in Leagues games, and across camp, friends are learning more about each other, discovering all the great things about their bunkmates.

Path to Rhythm ended with an activity where the group has to hit their drums, in succession, like a domino zipping around the circle. The first few times, the beat is slow and wonky, but as the drummers pay closer attention to the person next to them, they fall into a quicker rhythm. By the end of the day, 50-person groups were banging it out in less than 1 second.

Today was another reminder of how when we work together, we can do amazing things. And that camp friends really are the best friends.