All good things start somewhere. MADCAP Music Camps started in 1998 because I wanted my students to have the chance to enjoy what I and my musician friends love most - chamber music.

Music camps are wonderful for kids, in part because they bring together an inspiring collection of interesting, knowledgeable and enthusiastic people of all ages.

Making music is a very addicting experience. When young people realize that playing an instrument or singing can be the source of so much fun, they naturally have more enthusiasm and motivation to keep going. Encountering satisfying musical experiences early on makes it less likely that a child will quit and later join the legions of adults who are disappointed or frustrated about not developing their musical skills.

Why is making music together and learning with other students so much fun?

Partly because it requires that everyone's wits and skills be in full use. Ensemble music fits together like a jigsaw puzzle and each person is needed to make it work out right. Even for beginners, this is incredibly fun and worthwhile. The success of a group depends on the contributions of each person, a real team effort. And the music available to play, whether elementary or advanced, is wonderful! Composers have always loved chamber music and have written some of their cleverest, most profound and entertaining music for small groups.

MADCAP has been a great joy to me. It's been a pleasure to work with my excellent colleagues and it's been a delight to have students return year after year, larger in size and more accomplished in their musicianship. MADCAP students tend to be vocal and insightful which makes the time interesting for everyone. To be a musician is certainly to be perpetually learning!

By the way, each camp week ends with a concert. At the MADCAP Chamber camp concert in particular, each ensemble chooses a name for itself and decides on its own dress code for the concert. Why? Because this acknowledges the bond and sense of identity that develops among players in a group. They become a team.

Here is a small sample of names we've seen recently:

"The Minuet Marchers"
"Moon Pools and Caterpillars"
"Air Force" (a flute ensemble)
Trio de "Larry" (Larry was the coach)
"Oliver and the Supremes" (Oliver and 3 girl players)
"No Trainwreck Brass" (slightly worried about what might happen with the counting!)
"The Exploding Quartet"
"World's Smallest Brass Quartet" (it was a trio)
"Whine and Spirit Quartet"
"The Airheads"
"The Blue Gopher Fiddlers"
"Irreducibly Complex Zygotes"
"The Bow-Frogs"
"Angels and Devils"
"The Half-diminished Quartet"
"The Disagreeable Quartet"
"The Notes in Black"

Dress at the Chamber concerts has been fun to see. Often the kids choose a color scheme for themselves, but sometimes things get a little more flamboyant. We've had kids wearing angel wings and halos, cotton swab hats for a group playing "Cotton-eyed Joe," a variety of rustic clothing for groups playing fiddling music and other unusual get-ups which are part of the charm of a MADCAP concert.

I send my sincere thanks to all who have been part of MADCAP up to now. I hope we'll see many of you again this summer and I look forward to meeting all the new campers and faculty who will join us for the first time!

Debbie Davis, Director of MADCAP Music Camps