Granite School District hosted its annual Introductory Band & Orchestra Camp in June, one of five summer music programs the District offers annually. The camp provides an opportunity for current and incoming junior high school students to learn how to play an instrument, developing foundational skills. 

Noemi Hernández-Balcázar, director of Granite District Fine Arts said, “These are great kids,” discussing how the camp creates desirable behaviors through learning an instrument and being engaged in the process.

Students met daily, Monday through Friday, for 1.5 hours at Cottonwood High School. Bus transportation was provided for the students, paid for by the Granite School District Board. 

Balcázar emphasized this as “the most important thing” to helping students to access the enrichment opportunity.

The camp offered individual and group instruction for participants and various unique workshops. 

The nonprofit group Bomba Marilé was there to educate students about the history and essence of Puerto Rican Bomba music and dancing. Students learned how the 500-year-old art form evolved and was used as a means to communicate longing for freedom and justice.

Drummers followed the lead of the dancer, Liliana Rodriguez, to illustrate to the group the connection between musicians and dancers. Students learned two rhythms, trying their hands at the drums and moving their feet to experience the dance patterns.

The camp program has grown in recent years, according to secretary for the District, Jannette LaRose, who also manages the finances for the camp.

Tuition for the four weeks is $60. Fee waivers, for students who qualify for them during the year, transfer to the camp. As for the instruments, students rent them from their junior high school or on their own. Summerhays Music store visits early on in the program to offer rental options to students and their families.

At the end of the program, students performed pieces they learned at locations around town.

Music instructors for the program are all licensed music teachers. 

Instructor Roe Gomez said, “The different teaching styles is beneficial to students who learn in different ways.” 

In Gomez’s experience, students who participate in the camp really elect to be there and take learning and practice seriously.

Many participants return to the program each year, some to learn a second instrument. Some go on to join the Granite Junior Youth Symphony, and some, like Gomez, become teachers in the program.

The camp opens myriad pathways of exploration for students.

Running simultaneously, but at different times of the day, are Granite Junior Youth Symphony, Senior Youth Symphony, Junior Chorus and Senior Chorus programs. The senior programs culminate in an out-of-state trip to perform at various locations, while experiencing monuments and attractions. This year the group is headed to Seattle.

Choir director Cecil Sullivan said this year there were about 300 kids enrolled in the entire program.

Eighth-grader Hani Ahmad enrolled in the program to learn to play the viola, and her sister, Fartun Ahmed, a sixth grader, chose the flute. The girls made new friends immediately and were playing songs by the end of the first week. 

Sharing her thoughts on the experience, Hani said, “It’s fun and something new. I get to socialize more, make friends and learn…and find out if there’s something I’m great at.”  λ