Camp Woodland Blog

Singing as a Gateway to Belonging at Camp

Posted by on July 24, 2024

Each day we are at camp brings a deeper sense of place and pace, allowing us all to settle even more into our time here and to become more relaxed and comfortable together…and this happens–not only because we aren’t glued to our phones–but because we like to sing. Woodland girls actually LOVE to sing. And, we sing A LOT! Rumor has it that Song Contest has already been on the radar of some people BEFORE coming to camp!

Part of Camp Culture

I think it is safe to say that there aren’t many places in the world where a relatively big group of people with wildly varying levels of singing ability can come together and make “music.” It might not be music in the traditional sense of harmony, consistent rhythm or even basic unified starting notes, but it is something rare and unique. In fact, if Mrs. J was still with us, she would probably cringe at what our singing has morphed into over the years. When we sing together at camp, it can be familiar words, “This land is your land…,” shared silliness, “I’ll build a bungalow big enough for two,” or part of our culture, “Dip, dip and swing.”

It is the cultural component that makes shared songs an important part of the fabric of camp. We have add-on songs (Green grow the rushes O), “repeat-after-me” songs (The Princess Pat), songs sung in a round (One bottle of pop), spelling songs (L-o-ll-i-p-o-p, it’s a lick on a stick guaranteed to make you sick) and universal songs (If I had a hammer…). We have songs that started out as skits (Herbie the worm…), songs that came from other camps or places (You can tell a girl from Woodland…), and songs that kids just like to sing because they know (almost) all of the words (The Nonsense Song). There are songs/chants about announcements (Announcements, announcements, a-now-ince-ments…woo!) and about having Sunday/Olympic spirit (yes we do!)…and many more.

Singing Builds Community

Community is built and reinforced each evening when the songbooks are passed out at the end of dinner and requests are taken. We dismiss to evening activity with two Woodland songs “W, that’s the way it begins…” (more spelling!) and “We are from Woodland, Woodland are we…” Some songs add a bit of “percussion” and include banging on the table at just the right time (Boom, boom ain’t it great to be crazy…), up and down movement (Johnny has a head like a ping pong ball…), or acting out the words (Have you ever gone fishing?…). These are all invitations to be part of something that is loud and a little (or a lot of) silly, and the beautiful thing is that you never need to know exactly what you are doing to join in. It is a doorway that opens into a sense of belonging–and it is an essential part of camp.

Familiar Rhythm to a Camp Day

From the moment we get up until the time we put our head on our pillow at night, songs are part of the familiar rhythm that keep the “beat” of our camp day. Each morning a variety of popular songs can be heard throughout the cabin area as counselors become DJs and motivate campers to jump out of bed, get dressed, and start cabin clean-up. Some cabins choose to play/sing the same songs every day, while others prefer to “shuffle” tunes. We sing “grace” at the start of every meal; sometimes with just our cabin group and others with the entire camp community. This adds to the routine of the day and is a time to pause for a moment before sitting down to fuel our bodies whether it is a more serious melody (Johnny Appleseed) or on the playful side (a song sung to the Superman theme).

Alive, Alert, Awake, Enthusiastic

Our day would not be complete without JoAnne pepping us up with “I’m alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic” to get the energy going at some opportune moment – often at morning assembly (jazz hands included!). Sometimes the tennis, gymnastics, and/or swim counselors do the honor during first hour activities as part of warmup exercises. While that might not fall into the “song” category, it definitely has a “catchy” vibe to it.

Before-During-After Activities

Woodland girls sing during activities – on sailboats and in canoes, while being creative in the arts & crafts room or changing clothes for riding, and during swim lessons (just to name a few). We sing between activities as we are running or skipping to the next exciting period and picking up friends along the way. It would not be uncommon to belt out in the van as we head to Towering Pines for a sail race, to Cathy’s for winning Clean Freaks, or to the Ropes Course in Rhinelander.

Sending Sweet Dreams

One of my favorite Woodland traditions is having the CIT’s (or next oldest campers at the end of the summer) walk around from cabin to cabin and sing one of several “goodnight” songs. “I see the moon and the moon sees me…” is one that JoAnne and I text back and forth at random times throughout the year. There is something comforting about putting yourself (via your mind) at the deck on the way to the beach to see the moon leave its shimmering trail on Sand Lake.

Weekly Campfire

Singing is also a big part of Wednesday night campfire. Half of the cabins lead a familiar or new song when the emcees call them up to the “stage,” while the others contribute with a skit. Sometimes our musicians will play an instrument that is accompanied by someone singing vocals. CIT’s also present the week’s happenings by reading entries from the CIT log that is introduced by singing, “Log, log, log, log.” JoAnne starts the traditional friendship “squeeze” that is passed along to campers whose hands are joined right over left as we sing (and sway) to “Each campfire lights anew” and “Linger.” When we gather for one last time at the waterfront after banquet, “One Little Candle…” is the song that guides us down the dock to make a wish until we can be together again.

Coed Show

During this time of the summer, the CIT’s from both camps are hard at work putting together the highly anticipated “Coed Show.” Multiple numbers undergo a transformation of words to fit each year’s selected theme. It takes a good two and a half weeks to get the full production (songs, choreography, lines, props, coordinated t-shirts) audience ready.

The first week involves learning the line-up of songs by singing through them repetitively in the Woodland Rec Hall. The group then gathers at the TP Rec Hall to learn dance moves and staging (meanwhile the gals and guys are separately finding any free chance they have to perfect their own individual numbers) during the second week. The final week is putting it all together for two productions (campers, then parents). Coed Show alumni are always invited to join in the traditional slideshow songs including, “At the Beginning…

While singing may not be a preferred activity at home, at camp it provides an automatic social group with an end goal for our oldest teenagers. The beauty is that no one is left out or wondering what their friends are doing because they are all together and bonding over having the important role of telling the story of the summer. Coed Show provides an opportunity for the CIT’s to belong to something special and unique. They earn “celebrity” status and the “cool factor” youth crave at this age in the healthiest of ways.

Camp Songs at Home

Of all of the grand take-aways of camp, we don’t expect your camper to come home and teach you all of the words and nuanced delivery of “Kitchen, kitchen listen while we sing to you” (though you undoubtedly deserve it!). We like to periodically sing a special song to the cooks/kitchen staff at camp as it makes their day. We know your kids most likely won’t make you run around your dining room table on your birthday, but it will be hard to sing “happy birthday” to anyone without thinking about following it up with, “Round the circle you must go, you must go, you must go ‘round the circle you must go on your birthday…” It will only be in that moment you are listening to music in the car as a family, and your camper/s will say, “OHHHHHH, that’s a song we sing at camp…but we don’t sing it THAT way.”

Belonging and More Singing Ahead

The feeling of belonging created by weaving together the opportunities to sing throughout the day is what helps your campers overcome missing home moments, the uncertainty of knowing what comes next, and wondering about being part of something bigger than themselves.

We are SOOOOOOOO excited for more days of singing ahead! And, when it is finally time to make the trip home, don’t be surprised if you hear some humming from the backseat or at random times throughout the school year. It’s one way the spirit of camp and the feeling of belonging never go away.

“And come September, we will remember, our camping days and friendships true…”

p.s. Any CW alums out there who sang your way through this blog?! We sure hope so!

Reference: SWC