String Camp arrived welcoming old and new faces,
Violins, violas, celli and of course basses.
The promise of music, friendship and fun
Brought Tasmanian players and more than one
From Victoria, South Australia and St Paul,
Escaping winter ice and summers’ cauldron
On our first rehearsal, a wild ride
Through novel scores, trying to hide
Mistakes, and rests where none were written.
The music bugs had come and bitten.
But never mind. Tomorrow will be fine,
With supper, a sleep and practice time.
And so it happened, with a week’s rehearsing,
Sectionals, tutorials, our trouble reversing.
We tuned, we rosinned and did what we ought, to
get notes and dynamics from ppp to forte.
We’re almost ready for our concert together,
All ages, all stages, all bars or ‘measures’.
String Camp’s given us so much more
Than music as written in a score.
So to every conductor, we say THANK YOU,
To all the tutors, big ‘thank you’s too.
To our camp parents, thanks for the kindness you bring,
To the committee and Jan, thanks for everything.
Playing together is what we seek.
There’s nothing ‘Claytons’ about this week.