From the baritone to the bassoon, Band at the Beach will sound off on the gamut of instruments young musicians will be playing this August.
Band at the Beach, a nonprofit music camp designed for students in seventh through twelfth grades who have at least one year of musical training, will offer comprehensive instrumental music lessons to San Diego youth from Aug. 6 to 10 at Loma Portal Elementary School.
Students attending the weeklong camp will receive instruction in the flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, tuba, French horn and three different types of saxophone from fifteen different instrumental specialists, according to Dell Schroeder, program director.
The week will culminate Aug. 10, when students will present a free concert to their families and the public at 4 p.m.
In addition to the range of percussion and brass instruments, students will also play musical compositions from a variety of sources.
“I try to keep the titles vacation- oriented,” Schroeder said. “Some current events will also inspire choices, like the movie openings of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Harry Potter.'”
Founded in 1988, Band at the Beach, formerly known as the Peninsula Wind Ensemble, has been offering instruction to children in local public schools when many music programs struggled. After 1979’s Proposition 13 reduced property taxes and California schools began cutting fine art and physical education programs, Schroeder said, “We had eight years of literally nothing in the schools in the way of music.”
School programs have since improved, Schroeder said, and she enlists the expertise of local band program directors like John Daly of Point Loma High School on her advisory board. Daly has taught clinics and worked individually with students at Band at the Beach, and several of his PLHS students will be participating in the camp as section leaders and mentors to younger students, he said.
Despite varying age and ability levels between students, Schroeder sees the team spirit that is encouraged by Band at the Beach as benefiting students in many ways.
“When students have done choir or band or orchestra, {and} there is a high level of teamwork required,” Schroeder said, employers and colleges are typically impressed. She also cites the scholarships and travel opportunities afforded students who practice music.
But Daly finds another reason for students to refine their musical skills at Band at the Beach.
“There’s no replacement for just playing “¦ any student can gain from spending time making music in this group situation,” he said.
Band at the Beach is seeking donations to help pay for the expenses of running the camp and fund scholarships for students who cannot afford the tuition.
About half of the students who participated last year attended on a scholarship, according to Schroeder.
Besides Band at the Beach, Schroeder also teaches private lessons from her home in Point Loma. Students under Schroeder perform in several solo and ensemble festivals sponsored by the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association.
They also participate in the Music Teachers Association of California Certificate of Merit Program, through which students can perform on college campuses in Los Angeles.
Band at the Beach runs daily from noon to 4 p.m. from Aug. 6 to 10.
Students are required to have one full year of experience playing an instrument in a school program or with a private tutor. Tuition is $130, and camp T-shirts to be worn during the camp concert are $15. For more information, visit www.bandatthebeach.org, or call Schroeder at (619) 222-3065.