Just one?

Alicia Hamming-Assistant Music Teacher



How can I just pick one child or one story? When out of the 15 children in our class, each one has shown an incredible amount of change over the past three days. On Monday, when the children arrived to the camp, they got off the bus with eager anticipation but yet with a look of uncertainty on their faces. All were very quiet and behaved themselves very well. However, this produced very shy, timid voices for our children's choir. I had to strain to hear the soft voices of the children.

As the week progressed, I saw noticeable change in the demeanor of the children and their excitement for class. They smiled when they entered class, answered questions eagerly and were excited to sing. They sang with their whole being and so much emotion. At the end of each song they asked to continue singing or wanted to practice another song.

One young girl, Maria Fernando could hardly open her mouth without giggling. But by the third day, she stood with confidence, a huge smile on her face, singing with lots of passion. Modesto, sat down in choir on the first day and looked like he was going to fall asleep because of boredom. He even admitted to us that he was bored on the first day. However, on the third day, he was practicing his songs with lots of intensity and singing with a smile on his face. He willingly participated in class and said how much fun it was to sing.

There are many other examples that I can think of when I imagine the faces of each child. As we practiced our piece for the final show, I stood proudly in front directing our small children's choir and listened to the voices of these small angels. William's face was aglow because he had been allowed to return to Arts Camp, Edipcia sang with confidence, Erick lead his line up front showing his strength as a leader.

For me, it was a blessing to be part of this Arts Camp and to participate as a leader in one of the classes. I had the honor of working with the children and teach them a new Art form. This was a new experience for me and even though it was a challenge, it was very rewarding to see the results. I will always have the memories of children coming up to me and calling me profe, giving me a hug and thanking me for teaching them.