Photos courtesy Santa Barbara Education Foundation.
Summer Music Camps Bring Students Together Through Music
SANTA BARBARA — As a child, Stephen Hughes took an Orff class at a local music school, where he fell in love with music. This inspired him to take piano lessons and later join the band and choir throughout his school years.
“In school or out, I’ve been involved in music ever since,” Hughes said.
Today, Hughes directs the Nick Rail Summer Band Camp, one of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s signature summer programs (SBEF). Over the years, he has watched students grow not only as musicians, but also as teammates, leaders, and friends.
“Not only do they learn a lot and keep their musicianship going into the summer, but students come back for years, wear their band camp shirts all throughout the school year, and talk about experiences from the camp with me in school,” Hughes shared.
Past band camp student Cal McHugh will return to camp this summer as a trombonist. He said one of his favorite parts of the experience is connecting with students from across the district while continuing to improve as a musician. “It’s an opportunity to play with kids from all the area schools while also receiving instrument-specific feedback during small-group sectionals,” McHugh shared.
The Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s Summer Music Camps give students hands-on experience in band, strings, or drumline at all skill levels. By supporting equitable access to these transformative programs through scholarships, SBEF is ensuring that all students can experience the power of collective music learning, just like Hughes did.
Hughes hopes that through the camp, students are brought together, because he believes that’s what big bands are all about! For him, “Music can be many things, like a passion, a team to join, a vocation, or a job.”
Music education goes beyond the arts, though the skills, enjoyment, and appreciation it fosters are already so beneficial for our students. Music education supports cognitive, emotional, and academic development. Summer music programs help students continue learning and creating during the school break while building collaboration, discipline, creativity, and confidence, skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
This summer’s offerings include the Summer Strings Camp, co-directed by Susannah Hoffman and new co-director Elizabeth Callahan. A violinist and music educator, Callahan teaches music at Adams Elementary School, mentors students in the Santa Barbara Symphony Youth Ensembles, and holds degrees from Boston University College of Fine Arts and Westmont College.
Students can also participate in the Summer Drumline Camp, led by Charlie Ortega, where incoming junior high school students build rhythm, performance, and percussion skills while learning instruments such as snare, bass drum, marimba, conga, djembe, and timpani in a collaborative ensemble setting.
Registration for SBEF Summer Music Camps is now open. Camps are available for students of all experience levels, whether they are just getting started or looking to continue developing their skills over the summer. Scholarships are available.
To learn more about the camps, register, or request scholarship support, visit: sbefoundation.org/sbef-summer-programs
