Four years ago Michele Amy and her husband Will Elliot put together an idea which was spawned from the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party (KLKP) camps, but focused on training new fiddle and guitar teachers.
Today that idea has become a well oiled machine and the Kenosee Lake Kid's Camp is sponsored by the KLKP.
Though youth between the ages of nine-years-old and 12-years-old learn much during this time, it is the camp councilors and instructors who benefit most.
"It's a camp to teach the teachers," Michele Amy, co-camp founder, explains.
This year seven teachers were chosen to run the camp with the advantage of having Gordon Stobbe, Shamma Sabir, and Amy as camp mentors an opportunity otherwise unavailable.
Learning from the mentors, apprentice music teachers gain much needed insight into creating their own studio, putting together a string band, and experiencing what it's like to teach in a music camp atmosphere.
"A teacher's job is to give you the short cuts, who has 30 years to figure everything out?" Stobbe explained of his mentor status. "It's up to us to move people along, correct mistakes, and inspire people with a passion for playing."
Stobbe also said that the difference in approach from himself, Amy, and Sabir provides the young teachers with a holistic concept of what being a fiddle teacher is as each arrived at the job in different ways. Each also looks for different things in playing and provides different focuses, which the others may not see initially thusly providing a complete knowledge of teaching to the apprenticing teachers.
The hope in the camp is to create great, new teachers who are ready for a job as a music instructor. It also allows young teachers to learn how to call square dances and organize a small scale string band.
"It provides a safe venue for them to make their first attempt," Elliot, co-camp founder, states.
Therefore the camp has given many new teachers the opportunity needed to grow as a teacher and develop their skills moving into the future through mentorship by seasoned professionals.
"My experience at the Kenosee Lake Kid's Party has proven invaluable to me as a teacher," Emily Klatt, local fiddler and teacher, says. "I work one on one with kids, gain real life experience, and am able to shadow mentors including Gordon, Shamma, and Michele. I couldn't think of a better experience as a teacher and it's great to work as a team with the other staff."
"It's one of the best experiences I've had and I'm lucky to get to come back each year."
Overall the idea to have a camp specifically designed to work towards creating experienced teachers is in a sense revolutionary.
"Groundbreaking," Sabir, a seasoned fiddle player, explained. "I don't think they do this anywhere else in the world. Michele really has fabulous ideas and that answer to the culture of fiddle music, that is in a good place now, but it's not really thriving though it's better than it was 20 years ago."
"It's been so amazing to be a part of the journey, to watch the young teachers gain confidence and cohesion with one another as well."
Not only is Sabir impressed by the kid's camp, which she has happily been involved with the past four years, but she is ever amazed by Amy.
"I'm just in awe of Michele. She's a mover and a shaker and I don't know where Saskatchewan fiddling would be without her."
Though focused heavily on fiddling and guitar playing it is still a youth camp for those attending as campers and they are given the opportunity to canoe, swim, play games, enjoy camp fires, have great food, and engage in night time story hour.
In addition to this the youth enjoy an artistic period with Marlene York of Nova Scotia who runs the art program every year. This year the campers were given the opportunity to create their own country complete with maps, histories, a coat of arms, emblems, and a flag. Utilizing drawing, painting, and print making all campers were excited for the unique experience.
"It gives them sort of a quiet, down place to be after working really hard on fiddling," York explained. "It's nice to have that little oasis where they can come and paint."
Campers, councilors, teachers, and mentors are all able to take something special away from the unique experience, which is helping to make the Saskatchewan fiddling community stronger and helping to carry it throughout new generations.
"When the year comes that Michele calls and says 'We don't need you.' That's when I'll know I've done my job," Stobbe explains in regards to the Kid's Camp.
Up next for Amy, Elliot, Sabir, and Stobbe are the two separate KLKP weeks, which focuses on teaching all levels of students. This year, as if in response to Stobbe's beliefs, all Kid's Camp mentors are proud as Booker Blakely, a Kid's Camp protégé, takes to his first year of teaching at the KLKP. Others have also made this jump in the past including Justin Easton on guitar and Gillian Maher on the fiddle.
Involved with the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party are nightly concerts beginning at 7 p.m. by the extremely talented instructors, with a schedule available online at http://www.kenoseekitchenparty.ca/. These concerts run between Aug. 12 to Aug. 15 and Aug. 18 to Aug. 21, while both Aug. 16 and Aug. 22 will feature the campers in their showcase.
