|
|
 |
Blue Lake Alumni Discuss the
Camp’s Impact on Their Lives
|
[Editor’s note: This is the first of two articles where Blue Lake Alumni were asked to provide their responses to two questions. The first, concerning their experiences at Blue Lake, appears below. The second, assessing the importance of arts education, will appear in the Summer 2008 issue. If you would like to submit a comment on why arts education is important, especially for children, you may e-mail it to the Editor at bower@bluelake.org.]
In his recent book, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp: The Early Years, Founder and President, Fritz Stansell, calls the summary chapter “Why is BLFAC Successful?” As Blue Lake prepares to enter its 43rd season, the fact that the organization is successful is an appraisal that Stansell is uniquely qualified to make.
In this chapter, he enumerates the principal reasons for Blue Lake’s remarkable track record of success: 1) a first come, first served admissions policy that avoids elitism and discrimination, 2) never forgetting that “just plain fun is a big part of being at Blue Lake,” 3) a “widely recognized and admired” standard of counseling professionalism, 4) a dedicated year-round and seasonal support staff, and 5) an experienced and efficient Board of Trustees that believes in Blue Lake’s mission. Add to that a supremely talented faculty and a setting in 1,300 acres of unparalleled natural beauty and the recipe for Blue Lake’s success is complete.
Forty-two seasons of activity at Blue Lake means that literally hundreds of thousands of campers, faculty, and staff have come to West Michigan, each of them contributing their special part to the camp’s unique character and, in turn, having the experience leave an indelible mark on their lives. The Blue Lake Alumni Association, now numbering nearly 1200 registered members, is made up of former Blue Lake campers, faculty, and staff who enjoy their camp memories and look forward to any and all opportunities share them with other alumni. Two Yahoo chat groups, one for campers and one for staff, have sprung up recently for Blue Lake alumni and the discussion is spirited and enthusiastic.
So, what does the Blue Lake experience mean to those who have enjoyed it? The members of the Alumni Association were recently given a chance to address this question. The answers were often variations on a theme, with many of the respondents mentioning personal and artistic growth, the creation of lifelong friendships, and Blue Lake providing opportunities for travel and performance that they would not otherwise have been able to experience.
“BLFAC was a stretching/growing experience,” says Michael Lueck, a pianist and camper from 1992 to 1995. “[There were] [m]any unique opportunities. [I’m] glad I have those BLFAC memories to look back on.”
Lauren Rao, a camper from 2003-2007 who will return in 2008 conveys an excitement about Blue Lake that, for her, lasts all year.
“While this will be my last year as a camper, I plan to continue to attend as a counselor or any other way possible because the second I leave every year, I am already counting the days till next year. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about that place and the lasting friendships I made there.”
For Ms. Rao and many others like her, Blue Lake’s influence extends beyond those who have actually attended camp sessions.
“I can also share everything I learned from my [Blue Lake] teachers with kids and adults who are interested in my art at home. So even though many of my friends have never been, they are STILL [Lauren’s emphasis] impacted by Blue Lake because of what I share with them when I come back.”
For Gil Hoffer—a camper in 1977 and a member of the International Jazz Band in 1978 and 1979—“[t]he impact made by Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp on my musical, and ultimately professional development was huge.” Blue Lake was an introduction to the potential of life-long involvement in the arts.
“The camp session was my first experience playing with other kids who were really into playing, and the level of quality that happens in such an atmosphere. It gave me a clue to what it can be like if everyone is into it. It also was an important step in my social development, learning to associate positively with others my own age without having my parents conveniently available to run to if I had a problem.”
Sarah Haidar, a flute-playing camper from 2002-2005, like Mr. Hoffer, got an opportunity to pursue her art in a way that she couldn’t at home.
“I grew up in a city where the arts weren’t really accepted or taken seriously. Blue Lake allowed me to be with other kids just like me and I always felt accepted by others.”
“I consider it a huge part of my growing up,” says Janice (Huang) Dickter, a violin camper and International Exchange Program participant from 1974-1979, who is now a pediatrician in West Chester, Pennsylvania. “I went on tour with the International Youth Symphony three times, first in 1976. Exactly 30 years later, my oldest son started touring with the IYSO. He and my younger son are both going this summer. My older brother went on tour with me, and he sent a daughter also. It really is a family tradition for us.”
Stories of multiple generations of the same family attending Blue Lake are becoming commonplace. Clara (Richards) Lambert, also a violinist, was a camper in 1988 and a member of the International Program’s American Concert Collage in 1989. Her daughter Natalie was a camper in 2006 and another daughter, Emily, will attend Blue Lake for the first time this year. Her son, Michael, a budding percussionist, waits in the wings for the time when he is old enough to attend camp.
“Blue Lake also got my husband [Joe, a member of the International Choir in 1987] and me together: getting together to swap stories about our separate International trips with Blue Lake.”
The Lambert Family were the Featured Alumni in the Summer 2007 issue of Upbeat.
Blue Lake, as might be expected, has also influenced and encouraged participants in its programs in their choice of vocation.
Mr. Hoffer—a trumpeter in the United States Army Band, Pershing’s Own, a member of the United States Army Orchestra, as well as being a freelance musician in the Washington DC area and a Principal Trumpet in the Maryland Philharmonic Orchestra—received a taste of what a career as a professional musician might be like.
“The International Jazz Band tours were a key ingredient in making me the person and the player I am today. Although I didn't fully understand it at the time, it was my first glimpse into what is demanded of a professional player. Seventeen concerts in three or four countries in thirty days contributed greatly to my consistency, confidence and self-esteem.”
For Timothy Bennett, a camper and staff member from 1971-1980, the matter is simple.
“Blue Lake is the reason I went to Grand Valley State University (Class of 1980) to earn a BME [Bachelor’s of Music Education]. I spent many years as a camper, two summers with the International Orchestras, and several years on the staff. The experience of playing with other great young players pushed me to be a better musician.”
Mr. Bennett has been a high school orchestra director for 28 years, most recently in Lexington, South Carolina.
Another common theme of alumni recollections is the travel opportunities afforded by the International Exchange Program.
Jayney Reuter, a camper in 1982 and International Choir participant in 1983, states the benefits of the International experience succinctly: “It’s a wonderful memory. It was a great opportunity to travel abroad. People often seem impressed that I did this!”
Clara Lambert also sums up the International experience very effectively: “This trip [with the American Concert Collage] gave me life experiences I look back on regularly. I may not have had the opportunity to travel to Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Switzerland without Blue Lake.”
In commenting that “the lasting impact Blue Lake had on me is how lucky I feel to have been a part of such a unique experience,” Jennifer Reff, a singer who participated in the International Choir’s tour in 1999, echoes Ms. Lambert’s sentiment.
“I think it’s a rare opportunity for kids to have—traveling to Europe, performing, getting to experience different cultures. Now, years later, the memories of my time at Blue Lake and on the tour are still very special to me.”
Ms. Reff was profiled in the Featured Alumni article in the Winter 2008 issue of Upbeat. Her allusion to having her world view expanded by participation in the International Exchange Program is corroborated by Gil Hoffer.
“The cultural aspects of the tours, staying with host families, conversing with them and attempting to learn a little of their languages, and all of the many sights that we were exposed to made the world suddenly seem to be a much smaller place,” he says.
Blue Lake’s immediate and lasting impact is also felt by staff members who have not experienced the organization as a camper. One such person is Kevin Johnson, now working in the financial sector and residing in Texas, who had a number of staff positions over the course of six years.
“The very first day I stepped on the grounds of Blue Lake’s campus back in 1985, I knew my life would never be the same. By the end of the summer, I couldn’t wait to get my letter asking if I’d like to return. From 1985 to 1990, I served on staff as a counselor, unit director, and assistant staff director. Each year I learned something about myself and what kind of educator I’d eventually become. As Music Director for the International Choral Ensemble, I understood that music really is an international language that transcends cultural, racial, and religious differences. Many years later, I find myself needing to experience the vast cultural influences that music affords. This all started way back in 1985 in the life of wide-eyed, first-year counselor.
Janis Peterson, a current Blue Lake faculty member and former camper, feels similarly to Mr. Johnson: “Attending Blue Lake as a camper was inspiring and continues to be now that I am on the faculty. I always learn a lot and meet great people who motivate me to keep pursuing excellence.”
Many, if not most, Blue Lake students come away from the experience with an increased appreciation for the place of the arts in a fruitful and rewarding life. Joel Schindlbeck, a camper in 1995 and a member of the International Choir in 1996, is one such person.
“Attending BLFAC reinforced my beliefs that Arts are and should be part of your daily life. Look at such commonplace things as being part of a community, eating, sleeping, going to work, travel, and [. . .] going to summer camp. Everyone does these things, but at BLFAC we did all of these things, with the Arts interspersed like threads in a rug. Every day at BLFAC was fun, of course, but having that daily injection of the Arts, it didn't seem out of the ordinary, and it still doesn't today. I'm glad that BLFAC exists to promote such a life.”
“From the outset,” writes Blue Lake’s Fritz Stansell in Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp: The Early Years, “we recognized that our stock-in-trade at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp is accepting students at every level. We teach them, and above all create joy, awe, wonder, and respect for the possibilities of their art form. We strive to send them home highly motivated, and dreaming of what they may yet achieve.”
“My parents really made some sacrifices and a huge effort for me to be able to participate,” says trumpeter Gil Hoffer, “and I am forever grateful to them for that and to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for making the experience available to me.”
Back to Top
|
|
Twin Lake