feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme

Camp Braveheart ended today. It was a good week though! Like every camp should, it ended with the dance, probably the highlight of everyone on staff's week. I mean I loved dances as a camper, but they are SO MUCH BETTER a adult. Why? Because camp dances are full of young love and heartache and crazy dancing. Girls getting flowers, boys dressing up to impress the ladies... all at a camp dance. At least one couple cried because they had to leave each other this morning. :( Adorable as always, we said goodbye to the kids after a last song set by the CeeTLes after breakfast.

So I promised more info on the CeeTLes... basically we are the coolest band ever. At the moment there are 5 of us (although special guest performers are always welcome). We are: Jamie on guitar, Joanna on keyboard, myself on the djembe, and Melissa and Grace singing! Jojo and I sing too sometimes! Thank you Beth for giving me the confidence I need to pursue my drumming love. Look out next fall for me to take over drumline! Haha jk, jk. So I learned this week that little kids LOVE, i mean, LOVE djembes. And they want them for themselves. I had to distract/fight off/etc multiple little girls from stealing my drum! One 7-year-old was PARTICULARLY difficult. During a few songs I got her to play with me, but sometimes she was a little too crazy! Got through it though. I'm glad I play such a popular instrument! But anyways, we play camp songs (our own versions and remixes) and try to play the songs that are most popular among the kids! We mostly succeed.

Continuing on this drumming tangent of mine... Tuesday night we had Drum Cafe come to camp. they. were. awesome. As a percussion lover myself, I quite enjoyed the festivities even though they arrived late. It was 3 guys, one from South Africa, one from Jamaica, and an older guy from West Africa. For starters... their drums were SO COOL!!!!! and I want one. The two younger guys had these jumbo djembes (love the alliteration) and one had a shaker attached to it, and the older man had three drums attached to each other that he played with sticks. The coolest thing about this was that everyone, every camper, counselor, staff member, etc got to play their own drum. Throughout the night they added in some different instruments as well. The kids who were awake for it thought it was pretty cool. The drummers talked a lot about how drumming is used in Africa and how anyone can make music and be a drummer (everyone's a drummer mt friends!!) It was a great evening program this week. After it was over, a few of the CTL staff hung out on stage with the guys to help them pack up and just talk. Of course, music nerd that I am, I ran on stage and thanked them and told them how cool their drums were. And I very sneakily touched one! haha. They would be so cool to just jam with. I would very much like to do that one day. The older gentleman told us about all the different places he had been to all over the world. It was pretty cool to hear those stories. i can't wait for them to come back! maybe i will muster up the courage to ask to play one of those drums... for more info: www.drumcafeatlanta.com

bottom line.... music is the best and it brings so many people and different abilities together!