I had the most amazing, wonderful time at the National Music Camp this summer!!! I had a chance to meet a lot of really cool people along the way that shared the same interests and passion for music. I learned many things throughout the program such as the basics of being creative with what notes to play on the spot during my musical improvisation elective, the different harmonies and vocal runs/patterns used for each vocal category (e.g. Tenor, bass, soprano, alto, etc.) to make a musical choir, as well as the different varieties of instruments used to make a song/composition sound the way it should and the different ways to make those sounds appealing to the ear. 

During my 7 day program, we were placed in a camp about an hour and a half away from Toronto, in a town called Orillia, the program was held in a very vast camp full of really great activities apart from the musical experience, activities like a trapeze net, archery place and a couple basketball courts here and there. In terms of the camp scenery, it was beautiful!!! The camp had many different parts where you could just sit down and admire the clear blue lake and the huge green trees, as well as pathways to different areas of the woodlands near the camp itself.  

The first couple days at the camp, I felt very isolated from the other boys In my cabin because I couldn’t relate to them as much as I wanted to or as much as the other boys could because of our differences in backgrounds and lifestyles, but as the days went by, I started to open up about where I was from and just opening up in general, we actually had a couple nights where we just sat down for hours talking about our feelings and just letting it all out, which if I am being honest, I don’t think I would have done without the help from the Canadian program. I got along well with everyone and I became so close with them, we are now all really great buds, each and every one of us!! We had so much fun together during the program, from the time we played baseball with a broom in our cabin, dancing to “careless whispers” outside, and singing Wonderwall in unison both in our cabins and even at the talent show. The boys of 43 (our cabin number) gave me so many great memories that I will never forget in such a short amount of time. The staff also did a really amazing job taking me under their arms and welcoming me into a very scary world I walked into for the first couple days, I am really grateful for that. They also did a really great job embracing our cabin energy and joined in on a couple of occasions. 

I would fully recommend this program to anyone willing to put in the hours to better their understanding in musical education. I really enjoyed my time at this program and I would like to thank NYA for not only giving me the experience I thought I could only dream of in the Canadian program, but to go out of their way to make sure I enjoy the music camp as much as I possibly could.

I really appreciate everything NYA has done from the bottom of my heart. I also want to thank my fellow NYA participants, as they have taught me how to be a more open person and have been there for me while I wasn’t feeling great about the situations I was put into, such as being homesick or feeling like I didn’t belong, they gave me the motivation and encouragement I needed to keep moving forward and I could not thank them enough for that; but I want to most of all, thank them for giving me memories that will last a lifetime. These 2 summer programs that I participated in through Northern Youth Abroad will forever benefit me in ways I could not comprehend to paper in terms of my future. Thank you all for my best summer yet!!!!!