Concert Band and Elective Information
Everyone who attends Donner Mine Music Camp will play in the all-camp concert band. The Concert Band makes up the core of our musical preparations throughout the week and it showcases the success of all of the students after a week of intense musical study under a highly qualified guest conductor. Our philosophy seeks to promote the joy of sharing music in community and instilling a love of music for a lifetime. In support of these goals, even the staff and counselors will be part of the Friday night Concert Band. We leave our time together connected as an extended family and united through the power of music.
Supplementing the Concert Band experience, DMMC has blocks of time during each day for campers to participate in one of three electives: Jazz band, Choir or Small Ensembles. The campers will choose which elective they wish to participate in when they complete the online application.
• Jazz Band: A Jazz Band traditionally consists of 2 altos saxes, 2 tenor saxes, and a bari sax; 4-5 trombones, 4-5 trumpets and a rhythm section (piano, bass, guitar, drums). Sometimes other non-traditional instruments are brought into the ensemble, such as flute, clarinet, tuba, vibes, etc., but these are not a standard part of most jazz literature played at camp. As such, students hoping to play in the jazz band at DMMC should be competent on one or more of the traditional jazz instruments. Whether or not non-traditional instruments will be included is at the Jazz Director’s discretion to meet the needs of their selected literature. Students playing non-traditional instruments who hope to be in the jazz band should come prepared to audition with the understanding that auditions for jazz will likely only take place if the instrument will be part of the band. Jazz instrumentation needed will be announced at camp. No matter what your instrument, students who select jazz band as their first musical elective choice must have a second choice in mind (choir or ensembles) since Jazz is an auditioned group.
The DMMC Jazz band is audition-based. These auditions will take place during the first hours of camp along with the Concert Band seating. Just because your camper chose Jazz Band, it does not mean they will be in the Jazz band, which is why their 2nd choice is needed on the application. If your camper does not get selected for the Jazz band this year, they will participate in their secondary elective choice (choir or small ensembles). Please see below for more information about the electives. The Jazz Band is taught by a guest jazz director who is highly regarded in the field of jazz education.
• Choir: At DMMC, the choir is comprised of band students (along with participation by some of our counselors), which makes learning the music a much faster and more exciting process. Your voice is your first and most personal instrument and singing in the choir will give you techniques that will improve your singing while also carrying over into your instrumental development. Breath control, phrasing, expression, dynamics, style contrast and basic music reading skills will help you to make the music emotionally and musically enriching. Choir also provides a great chance to have a break from the demands of playing your instrument while still getting to prepare a musical presentation that is part of the evening concert for parents on Saturday. You do not need to have prior choir experience to be successful and have more musical fun with friends in this setting. Our guest choir director will make choir a dynamic and enriching experience for you.
• Small Ensembles: Playing in a small musical group with no conductor demands and develops a different skill set than a large, director-led ensemble. Exposure to this kind of intimate musical setting can open up some great opportunities to kids who are ready to take more ownership of their musical skills and express their ideas with students who are at a similar level of experience. Students who choose to be in small ensembles as their daily elective will group together (with guidance from staff) to form a small ensemble with other students with closely matched abilities. Ensembles are generally comprised of 2-5 students. They will select music and practice that music throughout the week, with mentoring from staff and counselors. On Saturday morning, all of the small ensembles will perform a concert for one another to share their accomplishments. Some, but not all, of the small ensembles will be invited to play again at the Saturday night concert to highlight the Small Ensemble program.
Supplementing the Concert Band experience, DMMC has blocks of time during each day for campers to participate in one of three electives: Jazz band, Choir or Small Ensembles. The campers will choose which elective they wish to participate in when they complete the online application.
• Jazz Band: A Jazz Band traditionally consists of 2 altos saxes, 2 tenor saxes, and a bari sax; 4-5 trombones, 4-5 trumpets and a rhythm section (piano, bass, guitar, drums). Sometimes other non-traditional instruments are brought into the ensemble, such as flute, clarinet, tuba, vibes, etc., but these are not a standard part of most jazz literature played at camp. As such, students hoping to play in the jazz band at DMMC should be competent on one or more of the traditional jazz instruments. Whether or not non-traditional instruments will be included is at the Jazz Director’s discretion to meet the needs of their selected literature. Students playing non-traditional instruments who hope to be in the jazz band should come prepared to audition with the understanding that auditions for jazz will likely only take place if the instrument will be part of the band. Jazz instrumentation needed will be announced at camp. No matter what your instrument, students who select jazz band as their first musical elective choice must have a second choice in mind (choir or ensembles) since Jazz is an auditioned group.
The DMMC Jazz band is audition-based. These auditions will take place during the first hours of camp along with the Concert Band seating. Just because your camper chose Jazz Band, it does not mean they will be in the Jazz band, which is why their 2nd choice is needed on the application. If your camper does not get selected for the Jazz band this year, they will participate in their secondary elective choice (choir or small ensembles). Please see below for more information about the electives. The Jazz Band is taught by a guest jazz director who is highly regarded in the field of jazz education.
• Choir: At DMMC, the choir is comprised of band students (along with participation by some of our counselors), which makes learning the music a much faster and more exciting process. Your voice is your first and most personal instrument and singing in the choir will give you techniques that will improve your singing while also carrying over into your instrumental development. Breath control, phrasing, expression, dynamics, style contrast and basic music reading skills will help you to make the music emotionally and musically enriching. Choir also provides a great chance to have a break from the demands of playing your instrument while still getting to prepare a musical presentation that is part of the evening concert for parents on Saturday. You do not need to have prior choir experience to be successful and have more musical fun with friends in this setting. Our guest choir director will make choir a dynamic and enriching experience for you.
• Small Ensembles: Playing in a small musical group with no conductor demands and develops a different skill set than a large, director-led ensemble. Exposure to this kind of intimate musical setting can open up some great opportunities to kids who are ready to take more ownership of their musical skills and express their ideas with students who are at a similar level of experience. Students who choose to be in small ensembles as their daily elective will group together (with guidance from staff) to form a small ensemble with other students with closely matched abilities. Ensembles are generally comprised of 2-5 students. They will select music and practice that music throughout the week, with mentoring from staff and counselors. On Saturday morning, all of the small ensembles will perform a concert for one another to share their accomplishments. Some, but not all, of the small ensembles will be invited to play again at the Saturday night concert to highlight the Small Ensemble program.