The Beast

Today we went on the Beast which is an awesome sight seeing roller coaster boat ride. All of us got super wet while we were on the boat, but the adult leaders were drenched! We then came home to some amazing Hedi food which was amazing as always. I think that all of us had alot of fun today, and i can hardly wait for the shopping expedition tomorrow!
Olive

Our evensong went well last night even though we had our doubts. It was cool to be the first choir to sing the commissioned piece. This morning we got to go on a boat ride on the Hudson. It was called "The Beast!" It went really fast and all the adults along with some of us got soaked. Even though we got wet we were able to get really close to the Statue of Liberty and get some good snapshots. Today's lunch was amazing! We had Indian food of course made by the amazing Heidi. We're having 3 rehearsals today along with normal classes so it's definitely a full day. But I'm extremely excited for tomorrow where we get to go shopping, have a formal dinner, and perform our skits.

-Sharon Mays

Heidi's Food and Cooking

Each girl enjoys parts of the course, some more than others. I'm sure each girl would agree that Heidi's cooking is one of the best parts of the course! We have amazing foods and each one is an experience for us girls to try new things.
By Sarah A.

Our Great Director

Sarah Baldock is the Choir Director for the Girls' Course this year. She is fantastic! Her methods are unorthodox, but extremely fun. I actually looked forward to rehearsals this year. We warm up with "John Scott has red hair" "Ravioli and Spaghetti", "Butterfly, Jungle, Moth" and many others. Beside the great vocal work, we have learned useful advice from Ms. Baldock. She taught us to NEVER sing while wearing flip-flops or hats, to sing with feeling, and to sing like a Route Master Bus. I am very glad to have the opportunity to work with Mrs. Baldock and I hope she returns to Saint Thomas next year.
by Katie G.

Liz's reflections on the STGCC

Writing about all the fun things that we do is too hard. It has been so fun with a good balance of singing and craziness!From amazing food to amazing singing this camp has given us a good variety of things to do. I have taken many pictures with my camera so my friends and family will be able to get a taste of the fun!

Yummy food!

My name is Krystal and this is my second year at Saint Thomas School. We go running Tuesday and Thursday. We sing two Evensong services. Everyday Heidi makes us delicious food, my favorite part!
by krystal

Tons of Fun!

Hi, I'm Megan and I have enjoyed everything. The food is great. Everyone is really nice, and I'm having lots of fun. I've loved the art class making the team poster. And, the Broadway show was really funny. We saw "Shrek". I'm having lots of fun!
by Megan

This is my first year at the Saint Thomas Girl's Course. We have had many fun experiences thus far in the course including pizza and a movie, seeing "Shrek the Musical" on Broadway, and fun activities in Central Park. I am very excited for the boatride and shopping that is soon to come.
by Caroline B.

Hadley's reflections

This is my first year attending St. Thomas Girl Chorister Course. At first I really didn;t know what to expect, but I am having such a fun time. I've made so many good friends and learned so much in a short space of time. I'm actually realy sad that the course is almost over but hope to come back next year.

by Hadley Bryan

Probably my favorite part of this year would have to be "Shrek" so far. I was surprised to actually enjoy it alot. I really enjoyed walking the streets of New York and seeing the sights. Tomorrow we are going on "the Beast", which is a very fast speed boat. I'm looking forward to seeing the sights and hopefully the Statue of Liberty. I also loved the movie night with popcorn, soda and pizza. We saw "Confessions of a Shopaholic". I am happy I came.
by Caroline Neupauer

Mairead's course highlights

This is year three for me here at STGCC. I love it here so much! If I had to select my favorite partsthey would be compline and chef Heidi's cooking. Compline is an evening prayer that we sing right before bedtime. It's really calming and everyone seems to get a lot out of it.

by Mairead Koehler

My favorite things!

Although it is my first year at the course, I already feel as if I've been living in this great space with all these girls for years. Even though we've only been here for five days, I've had lots of fun and learned a ton. A few of my favorite events definitely include the Broadway show on Wednesday, and the movie night after Tuesday Evensong. "Shrek" was amazing - the set as genius and it was hilarious. On Tuesday night I chose to watch "The Others" out of four movies and ate my first piece of pizza. This has definitely been a good experience.
By Tara G.

Are you listening at home?

I'm really excited to be heading to our second Evensong. The first one was so much fun! I loved the music, which made up for my extremely painful shoes. I hope everyone at home will be listening to our podcasts, especially my awesome dog Spot!
by Andie

The Choir School's amazing kitchen team!

Heidi has once again lived up to her reputation for making amzing food for us. She never ceases to create dishes that make my mouth water three times a day!Especially at lunch when we have her delicious deserts. Today we had chocolate cake topped with mousse icing. Us girls always look forward to meal times with Heidi's food!

by Caroline Sorey

Sing, Sing, Sing

We've been spending our days singing, eating, singing, running, singing, going on outings, and singing. Yesterday we headed downtown a few blocks to see "Shrek the Musical". None of us really knew what to expect, but it was absolutely fantastic. I especially liked the parts where they spoofed "Rent", "Wicked", "The Lion King" and "The Princess Bride". It was similar to the movie and really funny!
by Emma

Time flies when you are having fun!

Hi! I'm Ana and this is my 4th year. I swear I have died and gone to heaven. The food is so delicious. I've had so much fun. Sunday through Wednesday went slowly but now it's going too fast.
by Ana

Hide in Seek in the Choir School

This is my third year attending the STGCC. So far one of the highlights for me has been playing hide and seek. The building is HUGE and is filled with so many obscure hiding places. This forced us to be creative and imaginative!

Central Park by Alice Palmer

This is my first visit to NYC and I'm overwhelmed by the skyscrapers and by how many people there are all of the time where ever you go in the city. I love the school's location by Central Park- I especially enjoy going there in the early morning. On Tuesday we took a long walk through the park and on Wednesday we had fun on the swings. It is amazing how it seems so small, but if you walk through it, it just keeps going on and on. It amazes me that when you are out in the park you just look up and see the New York skyline.

by Alice Palmer

Reflections on The Girls Course by Olivia Soares

This camp was a great experience. It was meeting new people from all over the USA and being able to sing with them. The boat ride was very fun and the food is AMAZING! So far my favorite dish ha been chef Heidi's brownies and ice cream :) Everyone is SO nice here. And of course I can't forget to mention how much I have enjoyed playing kick ball in the park.

by Olivia Soares

Girls Course Pencils!

Dorm Life!

Our girls occupy 3 floors of dorms situated on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors of the Choir school. Bearing in mind that the use of elevators is strictly prohibited to the girls, those based on the 7th floor sometimes feel as though they have picked the "short-straw" when rushing from rehearsal in the basement all the way up to their floor!!!
Girls tend to cluster in each others rooms, in the narrow corridors, or in the recreational area on the 5th floor. There is always lots going on in the free time slots!

Day 6 by Olive and Beth

This morning at rehearsal was some of our best singing yet! We have hard pieces of music for this evensong and we did well practicing according to Mr. Kwan. It will be tons of fun to sing "Here a Light" and "Margret Forsaken" in the church. "Margret Forsaken" is a very interesting and eerie piece that was inspired by the Scottish country side. It will be amazing to sing a piece with a Scottish feel in the middle of New York city. Good luck to Jane for cantering and to Kaethe for playing the prelude on the organ. Break a leg! (Not really, especially because they would have to climb 150 stairs in a cast) :)

Excitement for Evensong!

The music for Thursday's evensong is challenging but beautiful. No girl can stop thinking or counting beats during the music but if we all concentrate it will go beautifully! I am listening to Tuesday's webcast and the blend is great! I am excited to give it my all tonight! -Jane

This is my third year here and I do not believe that we have ever sounded this good. The pieces are or seem to be harder than last year, but are fun to learn and are beautifully composed. Even after three years all I can really talk about is the food and how much activity we have around here. I do not think that we have sat down to relax for more than a half an hour and the food is amazing. There is no way that anyone can resist the food here and everyday is different. The Broadway show, Shrek, yesterday was good and was pretty much like the movie, but I think that it was better than the movie. The songs were spectacular and I would recommend it if anyone wants a good laugh and some family time.
Susy Cromwell

Ever since my train ride into Penn Station on Saturday, all I could talk about was Heidi's food. (This, unfortunately, was much to the chagrin of my poor parents, who hear about how great her cooking is the whole year round. Sorry, Mom and Dad!) Feeding 32 girls (in various stages of appetite, ranging from "slightly hungry" to "ravenous") can't be easy, but Chef Heidi makes it look simple. So far at the course we've eaten everything from traditional New York pizza and bagels to the more exotic falafel, fajitas, and flan -- all while drinking our requisite two glasses of water per meal, of course! I suppose it only makes sense that feeding us such good food would result in such a great choral sound -- which reminds me that I can't wait to sing Evensong again tonight!

--Angharad

Today we got up and ran in Central Park. We quickly went into rehearsal where we have been pulling together the details of tonight's evensong. We have gotten rave reviews from Sarah MacDonald, the director from last year, as well as the staff here. I hope that tonight will turn out as well. The music is not as straight forward as Tuesday's because there are more challenging chords and intervals. We are also debuting the piece written for us by Joel Martinson, "Here, A Light". We have had a hard time getting the counting together, but if we focus then I'm sure we can pull it off. I am still thinking about the fantastic cake that we had today at lunch. Heidi (the chef) made us chocolate cake with chocolate mousse-ish icing that was to die for. I can't wait to see what dinner is tonight as well as what the surprise treat is after the evensong.

-Sharon Mays

Happy to have returned!

My name is Hope and this is my 4th year at the girls course. I was timid to return again but I am now so happy that I did! This year is so much fun. The play was really good and I really enjoy rehearsals with our director this year. This years rehearsals are so much more fun than I have ever remembered and i really look forward to them. Tuesday night's evensong went really well and I was really proud of everyone. After today's rehearsals I am really looking forward to tonight's service because everything sounds really good because of the hard work that all the girls have put in to today's two rehearsals. I think it is great how so many people have returned from previous years and i also really enjoy meeting so many new people. This week has been so much fun and I am excited for the rest of the week.

Hope

After attending the Girls Choir Course for 3 years, I must confess that I was dragging my feet a bit towards my fourth year the Course. But my attitude completely changed in the instant that all 32 girls sat in the Rec Room for orientation. I had forgotten how much I loved it here at St. Thomas. Not only does my frequent appearance at the camp allow me to be an assistant leader, it prepared me for what was to happen during the week. My years 3 years of experience had prepared me for a rigorous course of singing, singing, singing. It had prepared me to work with a director that would take us to the next level with an intense teaching style. And the style of Sarah Baldock was completely off the mark of what I was expecting. It was better. Though the course is still rigorous and intense, Ms. Baldock's teaching style is relaxed. For me, this relaxed air about how she directs brings out a willinginess to sing my best. Her way of bringing the music out of us is effortless, and I am sure I can say for everyone that we all appreciate it to every degree.

by Kelsey Vivian

Day FOUR - Broadway Show

On Wednesday we saw the matinee performance of Shrek at the conveniently located Broadway Theater just 5 blocks away from school on 53rd and Broadway. We were sat high up in the auditorium and had a magnificent view. All agreed that the show was very cleverly put together: The props were second to none and the settings were very impressive. My personal favorites were the magic mirror with its "extra features" taking us back in time to view Princess Fiona as a child, the way in which the dragon was assembled, and the costume of Lord Farquaad!

A Note About Evensong Webcasts!

For those of you who are going to the Choir School website, and clicking on the link to the webcasts, we want to assure you that the webcast will be up and running live for each event! You will see the last service that was sung, listed at the top of the page, and it will be there for one week. About 15 minutes before the service (that would be at 5:15 on Wednesday and 10:45 on Sunday), the new webcast will be put up. So, don't despair. If you don't see anything about Thursday Evensong when you log in today, it will be there soon.

Fun to be back!

This is my second year at St. Thomas, and I am very excited to be back. our new director, Sarah Baldock, is amazing. I always enjoy rehearsals because we are able to get things done in a considerably relaxed environment.
by Caroline Sorey

Familiar faces

I was very excited to come back to the course this year! When I got to the Choir School, I was very happy to see many returning girls from last year. When we started the first rehearsal, I was almost blown away, because of the great sound we were making! Already, after the first day, the girls were blending together, and sounding almost as one voice. I am very excited to sing Evensong tonight.
by Kaethe Wright Kaufman

Excitement and Exhaustion!

So far I've had a very fun but exhausting time. Between over 150 stairs (9 floors) from my room to the rehearsal space and our 7:30 am run in Central Park this morning, I'm extremely sore! However, it is nice to have our classes and rehearsals which give us a break from moving around. We have rehearsals for at least 3 hours a day. We've mostly been practicing music for tonight's Evensong since we got here. So far my favorite is Vaughan Williams "The Call". It's been really hard to get our psalms together. but I'm really excited for tonights' Evensong because I really like the repetoire. And, tonight we have movie night!
by Sharon Mays

Day FOUR - Artwork finished to perfection

The girls have enjoyed making the banners for their respective houses. They were given the reign of the art room and made full use of the resources.

Day FOUR - Preparations for the first Tuesday Evensong

Everyone agreed that yesterday's service sounded wonderful! Choir Director Sarah Baldock and Vocal Teacher Abigial Haynes did a magnificent job of leading the service. We hope that you enjoy some photos of the preparation!

Memories - Old and New

I completely forgot how many steps it takes to get to the 7th floor! I don't know how many, but its alot. Our first Evenong is tonight, and the music seemed hard, but after so many rehearsals the music has become easy. I am enjoying Ms. Baldock as our Director. She helps us figure out how to sing the high notes and comes up with imagery to help us understand what she wants.
By Susy Cromwell.

Worship

During break on Tuesday morning, we had the pleasure of a talk from Fr. Wallace about worship. Just what is worship? The girls were quick to answer - "praising God", "giving thanks", "prayer", "belief in faith". The literal meaning of worship is giving God his worth. And what is God worthy of? Everything! God is worthy of our highest praise, God is worthy of all the best that we can possibly offer! We never know what brings people into church - from tragedy to joy - but whatever it is, they will be looking to us as ministers, through music, to draw them into a deeper relationship with God. Don't ever underestimate why you are here, and always do your best, in every aspect of your life.

Day THREE - Competition at dinner time

At tonight's dinner we were served fresh cherries for dessert. Much to our amusement one of the girls bet that her neighbor could not tie the cherry stem in a knot using her tongue. This then developed into a dining room-wide competition! It gives me great pleasure to announce (with a smile on my face) the winners of the competition:
Megan McGlaughn
Hope Serdakowski
Mairead Koehler
Sarah Agoglia

Well done girls!!

Day THREE - House signs

This afternoon the girls started their formal classes. They rotated between having voice lessons, music theory, banner making and gym. I had the pleasure of supervising the banner making. At yesterday house meeting the girls were asked to come up with a name for their houses but relating the names to churches. They came up with "The Genu-flectors", "The Fighting Nuns" and "7th Heaven". Their task today was to create a banner that we could stick outside their dormitory hallway.

Day TWO - Aerobic exercise

Every day time is scheduled for aerobic exercise of one form or another. On day two the girls were promised free time in Central Park provided that they completed running a lap around the field. House points were awarded to the winning team!
Choir Director Sarah Baldock also expressed enthusiasm towards doing some form of aerobic exercise prior to choir rehearsal. The leaders suggested a five minute dance before choir rehearsal. We will keep you posted as to how this idea develops.

Day TWO - Skits

Preparations for the skit show were well underway yesterday. The girls were divided up into 3 groups by their houses. They were given 4 pieces of music from Broadway shows and have to base their skit on one of them. Parts were divided up, characters were assigned, and props were considered.

Day TWO - Choir-ography!

After attending the 11 AM Sunday Eucharist at Saint Thomas Church the girls got a briefing on certain matters pertaining to the choir. They were taught how to walk, stand, and watch out for cues by Choir Director Sarah Baldock and our accompanist Kevin Kwan who directed the choir at the service. Next week they'll be the ones on show!!

Day ONE!

The girls have settled in nicely and have gone straight into their busy schedule. A tear has not yet been shed.

After orientation we spent an hour in Central Park playing "Getting to know you games". Many giggles were heard all around! I find it marvelous to see just how well the girls are gelling with each other.

They are currently in choir rehearsal and I am enjoying the glorious sound traveling up through the floor boards! Choir Director Sarah Baldock is full of praise. Her wit and fun demeanor has won over the girls!
Anna Winser

Welcome from leader Beth Gillig

Hi,
My name is Beth Gillig. I am from the great Commonwealth of Kentucky, which is a state south for the northerners and north for the southerners (did that make any sense? It's in the middle). I have been singing ever since I can remember and am in the Christ Church Cathedral Girl's Choir in Lexington KY. I actually just got back this morning with my choir so I am a little jet lagged right now. This is my second year at the course and I am thrilled to be coming back. I am very happy to be meeting all of you and I can't wait. On the course you will have an awesome time, meet new people from all around the U.S. and get to sing in an amazing church. Last year I came alone from my choir and enjoyed meeting all the girls. Not only is the music great at the course, so is the food! I hope Heidi is still there (and no, she is not singing in the course. You will soon meet her and know what I am talking about.) I will see y'all very soon! -Beth

T-Shirts

Hi girls!

For those of you who are returning we would ask for you to please bring your Saint Thomas T-shirts from last year. For those of you who are joining us for the first time you will be provided with one upon arrival!

Anna

Webcasts

Webcasts from the Saint Thomas Church during the week of July 26 will include the weekday services of Tuesday 28th July and Thursday 30th July. The Thursday service will be of particular interest since it includes the premier of the Introit Here, A Light by Joel Martinson commissioned by Forrest Warren in honor of Marguerite Peterson to honor her support for the choral pursuits of young people in the outer banks of North Carolina.

Girls Course CDs

Hi girls! My name is Pam, and I will be the new Admin Assistant at the Choir School once Anna heads back to the UK in September. I started at the Choir School on July 1. My son, Massimo, graduated in June, so I have a long standing connection with the school. I wanted to remind all of you that we will be recording the Evensong on Tuesday and Thursday, July 28 and 30, as well as the Sunday 11:00 am service on August 2. Each of you will recieve one CD as participants of the course. If you wish to purchase extra CD's, they will be available for $5.00 each - BUT - I will need to know the quantity by August 30. If you wish, you can bring me a check for the CD's, payable to the Saint Thomas Choir School, for your amount. Or, you can mail me the check, sent to the Choir School, and as long as I receive it by 8/30/09 I can process your extra CD requests. Have a great summer - and I look forward to meeting all of you in a few weeks! :) Pam

THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T FORGET!

• Your music, in a plain, black ring binder. Vestments for church.
• Plain black pants or bare legs with skirt/dress under vestments. (no pink polka dot socks)
• Your hair must be pulled away from your face during services; please bring appropriate hair accoutrements.
• Black shoes with closed heel and toe – able to walk six blocks! If you have new shoes, please wear them several times before you attend the course.
• You may have an iPod to listen to music at night if it does NOT have internet access.
• Lots of walking in Manhattan, bring comfortable shoes. Tennis shoes required for sports.
• No need to bring rain gear – we’ll use the yellow ponchos at the school in event of rain.
• A digital camera is useful for the blog

Girls who have been in the course – what are your suggestions?

N.B. We do not allow you to hold in your possession a phone or an internet connected device. We do however urge you to travel with your cell phone which you wil then be asked to check in once at the Choir School.

Welcome from our leadership assistant Kaethe Wright Kauffman!

Hey Everyone! My name is Kaethe Wright Kaufman, and I live in Evanston, Illinois (right next to Chicago). This will be my second time at this course, and I am psyched to return and be in a leadership role! I had a great experience last year, and enjoyed meeting all the new people and singing in the absolutely gorgeous space that is St. Thomas. I've been singing in choirs since I was 7 (I'm 15 now), and it is my favorite thing to do. Currently, I am the Head Chorister of the Girls Choir at St. Luke's in Evanston. I also play French horn at school, and I am in my second year of organ lessons, which I love! I really enjoy sports, and I can get pretty competitive (Does anyone remember playing ultimate frisbee last year in Central Park?). I also like playing handball and soccer. Next year, I'll be a sophomore in high school, and I'm putting off the college search for one more year (but I have a few schools in mind).

I am so excited to come back to NYC (only a few weeks left), and I can;t wait to see everyone and meet new people who like singing like I do. See you soon!

Welcome from one of our leaders: Angharad Rebholz!

Hi there! My name is Angharad Rebholz (which isn’t as hard to pronounce as it looks like, really!) and I live in the small town of Sayville on Long Island, New York. This is only my second year at the chorister course, but I’m so excited to be coming back as a leader. I’ve sung in church choirs for as far back as I can remember; I’m currently the youngest member of the adult choir at my church. I take voice and piano lessons, and absolutely love them both.

Musically speaking, I’m the secretary of my school’s chapter of Tri-M, a national music honor society (Any other members out there? If so, I’d love to talk to you about it at the course!) I’ll be a senior in high school starting in September; I currently want to go to school at about twelve different colleges and universities (though I’m told this isn’t actually possible) to major in classics. As Ms. Cobb can tell you, I’m also a devoted fan of the New York Mets, despite their current lack of performance.

I’m so excited to be returning to the course, and I can’t wait to meet everyone – some people again, and some for the first time. I’ll see you at the school!

Homesickness (by Ruth Cobb)

The Choir School has a great deal of experience with homesickness and has developed a successful approach to dealing with this difficult, but common situation.

First, keep in mind that homesickness is missing the place and people to whom you are connected. It is a good thing to have developed strong ties and natural for you to miss them. It is also a sign that you are a strong confident person and can attach to another place and new people with a bit of effort.

Here are a few of our tips on dealing with the issue:

• When missing home or family, try to re-channel your focus on your desire to be in the Course and working with your new friends. Going off by yourself and turning inward will not help; become engaged in the current activity.
• If you’re having a difficult time with the music, schedule, roommate, etc., the staff is ready to help – seek out someone. Ms. Sullivan (the nurse) makes a wonderful cup of tea; Ms. Beien is an great listener; Mr. Holst was once a homesick chorister himself so he’ll empathize; Ms. Haynes Lennox (aka Princess) is a great confidant; Ms Winser has been away from her home all year and Ms. Pellegrini missed her little boy when he first started at the Choir School – ditto for Mrs. Cobb.
• A phone call home is guaranteed to make you and your parents feel worse. You will cry when you have to hang up and that will have to happen. In the words of one of our wise young girls, “I said good-bye once and it was hard; I don’t want to do that again. I’ll say hello on Sunday.” Even when given phone time, she refused to call. She’ll be back with us for the 4^th year!
• We’ve found that the girls are the best help for other girls. Contrary to what you may fear – the other girls absolutely understand your feelings and most will tell you that they have felt the same way. You’ll feel better with a friend to pull you into the activity.
• Parents, we will try to post on the blog when we expect that the girls may be given phone time (twice during the week). This is always dependent on our schedule going as planned. We never have phone calls before bed time – a recipe for disaster. Time is short and our schedule tight. We try to emphasize in the literature that girls need to be of a certain maturity to participate. If you are wondering about your daughter, please feel free to call or email Mrs. Cobb (rcobb@choirschool.org). As a veteran mother of three boarding schools I know you want to know, but give your daughter the opportunity to grow as a confident and independent young woman.

Travel Tips and Advice – and a few “MUSTS” (by Ruth Cobb)

Each year, the Choir School works with parents to plan and carry out travel arrangements for 36 boys in grades three through eight. Students travel with comfort, confidence and safety when details are made in advance. The Choir School needs to have information from parents, in writing, that outline your plans.

Many older girls who have attended the course before will be comfortable taking a cab alone or with their traveling companion. In this case, we ask that the student have a cell phone and the cell phone numbers of our staff to notify us when their plane has arrived and when they board a cab.

Many girls need to be escorted from terminals or stations. We have limited staff available for pick ups at area airports and so we must try to coordinate the arrivals and departures of groups of girls. Parents are responsible for the cost of staff to travel to the airport as well as their daughter’s travel expense. A faculty member may determine that is in the best interest of the course to take a cab rather than public transport, especially if arrival is late and all staff members are needed to carry out their duties with the course.

LaGuardia is the closest airport, followed by JFK. Newark is much farther and less convenient public transport. Cab fares to LaGuardia may be approximately $45 and escalate to nearly twice that at Newark, depending on traffic.

Amtrak arrives at Penn Station and regional rail at either Penn or Grand Central. Both stations are easy subway rides.

Tips for traveling:

• In the week prior to the course, you will be informed which faculty member will be your escort and exchange cell phone numbers.
• Please make sure the cell phone is charged!
• Carry the address and telephone number of the Choir School. Should you need assistance en route, call the school and identify yourself as a traveling course member and the school receptionist will find a staff person to assist.
• Have cash on hand for meals and ground transportation.
• Girls meeting to take a cab should have each other’s phone numbers and take a cab from the queue at the terminal. Private cars may solicit rides and are safe, but usually more expensive.
• Don’t bring more luggage than you can carry - on escalators, up subway stairs, etc. Your escort may have several girls to assist.
• Remember, getting there is half the fun!

Welcome from our Leadership Assistant Kelsey Vivian!

Hi everyone! This is Kelsey Vivian hailing from Rhode Island, coming to the camp for my 4^th summer. This year though I will be one of the leadership members. I have known music for as long as I can remember. I have sung in my church choir since I was a toddler and am currently one of the senior girls there. As a senior chorister, I teach the newcomers all about the basics of music. I also developed the mentoring program so the choristers can get to know each other and learn responsibility. I also take private lessons and piano lessons, each for about 4 or 5 years.

Also related to my love of music, I absolutely love acting and musicals. I was recently in my school production of Peter Pan as Wendy and thoroughly enjoy watching plays and movies of any kind. I am currently going into my sophomore year of high school and am already looking at colleges! I love coming year after year to New York to see all my friends I made during the previous years. Some of us still stay in touch remember the great times we had in New York. It would be great to share my experience with all of you, both newcomers and returnees so I can't wait to see you all there!

Kelsey Vivian