Sing St. John has announced two free choir camps that will be held at Julius E. Sprauve School for St. John children this summer:
July 15-19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. — for children entering grades 4-6.
July 22-26 from 10 am to noon — for children entering grades 1-3.
Director Kristen Carmichael-Bowers and guitarist/songwriter/music educator Haile Israel will work together to provide a fun and creative experience in which the children will play singing and improvisational games, sing songs in harmony, relax while listening to music from around the world and write a song together as a group.
Carmichael-Bowers, founding director of Sing St. John whose programs also include St. John All-Island Children’s Choir and St. John Recovery Choir, has been teaching children on St. John since 2011.
“I am really looking forward to this time to play and to explore with my students in a smaller group setting without feeling a time crunch the way I do during concert season,” she said. “I love getting to know their creativity, especially in improvisation and song writing time. We do a lot of laughing as we get to know each other this way.”
Haile Israel teaches guitar and ukulele through St. John School of the Arts programs. “Music greatly stimulates the brain for learning, and it also offers an opportunity to wean these kids from their phones!” He said. “I just love watching them learn and grow.”
The Julius E. Sprauve School will be hosting children’s choir camps in its choral room. “JESS has been so supportive of the St. John All Island Children’s Choir during the year, and we are so grateful to Ms. Lynch-Esannason, Ms. Provost and the V.I. Department of Education for allowing us to use this space.” said Carmichael-Bowers.
Children already enrolled in the summer school program at Julius E. Sprauve School will not have to choose between programs. They can do both because the choir program occupies only a portion of the summer school day.
Children must be pre-registered to attend, however, and applications can be obtained by contacting Carmichael-Bowers at 802-380-0761 or by email: Kristen.carmichael.bowers@gmail.com.Kristen.carmichael.bowers@gmail.com
These free choir camps are made possible thanks to generous funding by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. It is also supported by Dana and Martha Robes, V.I. Lottery, St. John Community Foundation and Virgin Islands Council on the Arts.