Southwest Baptist plans first Christian Summer Music Camp
BOLIVAR – Something that has long been a dream of the music faculty at Southwest Baptist University (SBU) will come to pass June 3-9 when the first Christian Summer Music Camp at SBU will be offered to high school students.
“Years ago we used to do what was called the Ozark Honors Music Festival,” said Jeff Waters, chairman of the SBU Department of Music. “It was a February thing, Thursday through Saturday. We would have high school kids on campus. They would stay in the dorms. This is sort of an extension of that, but we wanted to put it in the summer and make it longer, more intensive.”
Classes, lessons, rehearsals and practice time will fill the days at the Casebolt Music Center. Early evenings will be filled with faculty, counselor and camper recitals and performances. Nights will be reserved for fun activities directed by counselors who are SBU music students.
High school students in the instrumental, vocal and keyboard disciplines who have completed grades 9, 10, 11 or 12 are eligible.
“We hope to have mainly some large ensemble experiences like band, choir and orchestra, and then some other small things in whatever the student’s interest might be,” Waters said.
“We want to see the SBU Music Department grow and attract as many quality students as we can, so we’re willing to invest (in this camp),” Waters said. “We all agreed to be volunteers to get it off the ground.
“We want it to be an intensive musical experience and an intensive faith-based experience, to bring those together in a way that tells students that here at SBU, that’s what we do.”
Cost for the camp is $260 before May 1. For the rest of May the cost goes up to $280. Registration is available online at www.sbuniv.edu/music/musiccamp2007.
For more information, call (417) 328-1630 or email jclimer@sbuniv.edu.