Music is often called the 'universal language.' Singing allows us to express what words cannot.
And yet, most of us only ever learn to listen to this language. Few of us are encouraged, let alone trained, to write it ourselves.
A native French speaker doesn't only recite classic French poetry; they can express their own feelings and thoughts through it. All of us 'improvise' English all the time—it's called talking!
If music is a language, we should feel empowered to compose it ourselves. We are far more capable than we realize.
At BYC, we have embraced this mantra at our Summer Sings over the past 3 years. At each weeklong camp, our campers have written poems about their world, and they worked together to create music from those words.
Many of them begin afraid, because they are trying something new! Some say they can't think of anything to write; others believe nothing they write is worth sharing. It is even scarier to allow a fellow camper to read what you wrote!
But at some point, for each camper, they realize a simple truth: They have something worth sharing, and they already have all that they need to share it.
This summer, our campers chose to write about their fears, and all the things that help them overcome them. The following lyrics are from that song, entitled "Be Who You Are":
We all know
Our fears can make life hard,
Like shadows lingering in the dark,
They’ve followed us from the start.
I think of family and friends,
I think of things that never end,
Like love, the sun, the sky, the sea,
Everything that means so much to me!
Be who you are, take the first stride
Follow your dreams with arms open wide
If you have a fear, I'll be your ear,
And we can make it disappear.
It takes courage to perform,
And confidence to make it through the storm.
Just believe in yourself—
And be jolly like a Christmas elf!
At the camp mini-concert, they performed that song in its entirety, as well as another world premiere: the (potentially) new official state song of Pennsylvania!
What will our singers create next?
Our 2024-25 season is around the corner, beginning in September. We hope that you will help this creative community grow—by sharing our information with families in your community, considering a gift to keep our program affordable, or reaching out to volunteer with our board leadership.
Sam Barge
Executive and Artistic Director
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