Tag Archives: creativity

Summer Camp Registration Begins NOW

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Hey everybody! It’s getting to be that time when folks start making their summer plans so I’m ready to take registration for our 2017 summer camp season. Last year we were selling out of spots by mid March so I recommend registering as soon as you are able. I’ve posted an update schedule below and there is a registration button on the right hand side bar thIMG_4637at you can click on. Please download and/or print your own version of the document before typing info on it. This way it stays blank for everyone to use. You may also pay your $50 deposit using the paypal link or mailing to Havilah Rand 1500 Lakeway Drive Bellingham, WA 98229.

This is going to be our best summer yet and I can hardly wait to meet all of our young songwriters and hear what we create. Thanks and see you soon!!

 

“As the director of our arts education program I coordinate many camps each summer. Rarely have I seen a camp so engaging for the kids involved. Each day of camp I would see kids sitting alone or in groups working on writing their songs. Havilah was great with the kids and came prepared with all the equipment she needed to record camper’s songs. This camp was a hit and I’m excited about having Havilah back to teach again next summer.” –  Director of Arts Education, Vashon Center for the Arts

Young Songwriter Summer Camp Schedule 2017

April 29th Private Songwriting Workshop in Los Angeles. Email havilahrand@gmail.com if you’d like more info and to register.

May 8 – 10  Parkrose Middle School in Portland, OR. Havilah will lead a songwriting workshop through the SUN program guitar class. Contact them directly if you would like to participate.

June 3-5  Private Songwriting Workshop on Whidbey Island, WA. 10am – 3pm ages 7 – 12. Contact Havilah at havilahrand@gmail.com if you would like to participate.

June 12 – 15 Methow Young Songwriter Summer Camp at the Methow Valley Community School.  10am – 3pm ages 7 – 13  $225. Register through the document on the sidebar or email havilahrand@gmail.com.

June 26 – 30 Whidbey Island, WA  hosted by Full Moon Rising Camp. Contact Full Moon Rising Camp directly to register.

July 10 – 13  Vashon Island, WA. Contact our hosts Vashon Center for the Arts to register.

July 17 – 20 Bellingham, WA. We are back at Camp Cody in Fairhaven complete with swimming pond and treehouse!! We are also lucky to have Johann Wagner as a guest teacher.  10am – 3pm ages 7 – 13  $265  (partial scholarships available). Register through the document on the sidebar or email havilahrand@gmail.com.

July 24 – 28 Seattle, WA presented through Bertschi School. Contact them directly to register.

August 1 – 4  Ferndale, WA. Hosted at a private location on a beautiful farm!  10am – 3pm ages 7 – 13  $265  (partial scholarships available).Register through the document on the sidebar or email havilahrand@gmail.com to learn more!

August 17 – 20 and 21 – 24 Southington, CT hosted by Southington Community Cultural Arts Center. Please contact our hosts directly to register and learn more.

“My kids, who were initially both reluctant participants, absolutely LOVED the Songwriter Camp. I am so impressed with the creativity you inspired in them, how you showed them that they can take everyday events and turn them into songs, and how songwriting is an organic process. They also loved the silly fun elements like swimming and observing humans in their natural habitats. I hope you’ll offer the camp again next June!” –  Methow Arts Alliance Director and Parent

“You did an incredible job bringing out her creativity. I was in awe of the song you composed together. I am making a CD to come out by October 1st, and I want to include her song.” – Recording Artist and Grandparent

 

Overflowing with Songs and Gratitude!!

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IMG_4572Five camps, over sixty young songwriters and over a hundred songs and I’m sitting here in a coffeeshop in Oregon City feeling so much gratitude towards every kid, parent, assistant and host who have participated in this project over the last three years. Writing songs with kids has reminded me of the joy that comes from the process of creating with spontaneity and curiosity. The list of benefits that I witness these programs providing continues to grow and instead of learning from what didn’t work, I spend most of my time examining what exactly is making these programs so successful!

The strong connections and empathy that build between campers as they allow themselves to be vulnerable in front of each other is a testament to the true nature of human beings to be compassionate towards one another. Many of our songwriters this summer experience anxiety and a variety of challenges when it comes to reading, writing and focusing for long periods of time. We observed these anxieties alleviated to a high degree as they were given the freedom to use words in whatever way they chose, whether it was nonsensically, as poetry, as improvisation and then set in an artistic framework of melody and rhythm. Campers are also provided a variety of choices as to how they’d like to spend their time whether it be sound engineering, writing lyrics, drawing in their journal, working with a group, playing an instrument, mentoring younger participants and so much more. Songwriting can be a tedious process so we make a point of getting out of our heads with spontaneous dance parties, nature walks, theater games and even meditation.  Parents who swore their child was too shy to perform in front of an audience were delighted to watch them describe the process of songwriting and then perform an original piece in front of a crowd of peers and strangers. Most importantly, we had so much FUN! From swimming in freezing cold rivers, to spying on shoppers in the local supermarket, to long walks in the woods, to using paint and recycled materials to make instruments, to our end of the day listening sessions.. every day ended with smiles and excitement for what the next day would bring.

Thank you again to each and every one of you who has participated in making these camps such a transformative and enjoyable experience for myself and for the young songwriters I’ve been so blessed to work with. I’ll be spending part of the fall in Europe and then back in October to offer home school programs, private and small group sessions and planning next summer. Enjoy these pictures and please reach out to me with testimonials, comments, suggestions and requests for a Young Songwriter program near you! My email is havilahrand@gmail.com or fill out the form..

YOUNG SONGWRITER SUMMER CAMP AUSTIN 2016

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METHOW VALLEY YOUNG SONGWRITER SUMMER CAMP 2016

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YOUNG SONGWRITER SUMMER CAMP SEATTLE 2016

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VASHON ISLAND YOUNG SONGWRITER SUMMER CAMP 2016

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BELLINGHAM YOUNG SONGWRITER SUMMER CAMP 2016

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Summer is almost here!!

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Summer is almost here!!

Hello from sunny warm Austin, TX where famed music conference SXSW is underway.The Obamas have been in town as well as tons of musicians, filmmakers and tech industry innovators. It’s an exciting place to be and I’m a lucky girl to be able to spend a good portion of my time in such a creative city. I’m also very proud to announce that I was recently nominated for the prestigious Austin Music Industry Esme Barrera Award for Music Activism and Education. A huge thank you to all the young people I’ve written songs with over the last ten years for making my work so meaningful.

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In addition to gigs and organizing songwriting programs, I’ve been spending the last few months teaching part time at a small schoolhouse located on a ranch where I also lead an after school songwriting workshop. In order to feed my own creativity, I’ve been preparing for a fall release of a five song EP of the work I’ve been doing with elderly translating life stories into songs. Now that it’s spring, I’m looking forward to upcoming summer travels to Oregon, Washington and Alaska where I’ll be leading a bunch of songwriting programs for young people in addition to my own performing and writing. I’m beyond excited and a little overwhelmed at how much there is to do in only a few short months. This work gives me energy though and now that the summer camps are in their third season, I feel like things are going to flow better than ever this year. Thanks to our fundraising campaign in December, I am able to purchase more instruments and recording gear for our camps as well as  offer at least five full scholarships to campers in need of financial assistance.  By the way, there are still opportunities to give at the Indiegogo site. Click the link on the sidebar and thanks for helping!!

If you are interested in registering for a camp please use the link in the sidebar and feel free to email Havilah at havilahrand@gmail.com with all questions. Here is a schedule of what we’ve got planned so far..

Young Songwriters Camp in Austin, TX in collaboration with Terra Luz Community School- May 31st  – June 2nd  $185

Methow Valley Young Songwriter’s Camp in Twisp, WA –  June 20-23 11am – 4pm  $185

Young Songwriter Summer Camp at Bertschi School in Seattle – June 27 – July 1  9am – 4pm  SOLD OUT

Young Songwriter Summer Camp on Vashon Island in collaboration with Vashon Allied Arts – July 5 – 8 (contact them directly for registration)

Young Songwriter Summer Camp in Bellingham, WA – July 11 – 14 10am – 3pm  Private venue…details given at registration. $225

Young Songwriter Workshop in Talkeetna, AK – July 30th presented by The Grove

Young Songwriter Workshop in McCarthy AK – August 8th presented by the Wrangell Mountain Center

Feel free to use this contact form for inquiries and suggestions!

Freedom To Be Ourselves

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Freedom To Be Ourselves


IMG_20150719_155339The 2015 Young Songwriting Summer Camps were an unprecedented success. Thirty kids and over sixty songs were written using inspiration found in nature, urban adventures, artistic explorations and connection with one another. We witnessed kids paralyzed with anxiety upon arrival singing and creating with wild abandon within days. We had several campers who were experiencing a fair amount of turbulence in their personal lives and were able to process their feelings through their lyrics as well as connection with other campers and mentors.

Its been truly amazing to watch these workshops and camps take on a life of their own with a minimal amount of guidance and support from adult mentors. I believe the most important thing we provide is a sense of safety and freedom when it comes to self expression. The goal is to write songs but as is the case with all artistic endeavors, it is the journey and not so much the destination that really matters. Parents and campers alike have used  words such as  “transformational” to describe their experience at songwriting camp. We believe that children are innately non judgmental, creative and have a natural ability to open their hearts and minds to new experiences. Infusing a sense of fun, curiosity and freedom into an activity that requires a great amount of vulnerability and courage ensures that this experience will carry over into many other aspects of their lives. It is our mission to show kids that life is an adventure that requires open-mindedness, an acceptance of uniqueness in ourselves and in others and the ability to express ourselves from the most authentic place possible. In this way, we are able to find true happiness and share our gift with the world.

Songwriting Camps and Workshops are mobile and adaptable to many settings and situations such as homeschool communities, after school programs, academic enrichment, private one on one coaching and more. Contact Havilah at havilahrand@gmail.com to explore the possibilities.

Has your child been a participant in a Young Songwriters Camp or Workshop or do you have any thoughts you’d like to share? In order to continue building and improving our programs we need testimonials!! Please give us some feedback on how your child benefitted from this unique experience. Thank you in advance!!

Young Songwriter Summer Camp Encores!!

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IMG_20150703_115507The Bellingham camp was another huge success with three wonderful songwriters creating a 12 song CD!! We recorded sounds of nature, explored our urban and natural surroundings and found inspiration through our new friendships and experiences together. The CD release concert at The Honeymoon was so fun and there is lots of great footage I’m still trying to gather so stay tuned!

UPCOMING YOUNG SONGWRITING CAMPS

Back by popular demand.. Email Havilah at havilahrand@gmail.com to register!!

July 27-30 12-4pm Methow Valley Community School in Twisp, WA

August 17-20 9am – 12:30pm Gabriel’s Art Kids in Bellingham, WA

Young Songwriters of the Methow ROCKED!!

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IMG_0073The 2nd Annual Methow Valley Young Songwriters Summer Camp was a smashing spectacular success.  Twelve gorgeous kids and myself enjoyed five days of songs and poems and singing and recording and giggling and worrying and wondering and finally giving the best dang performance ever at The Confluence Art Gallery in front of a crowd of awe-struck, beaming parents. Not to mention producing a 17 song CD!!

These Songwriting Camps are the bomb and I have very little to do with it. There is magic when you follow your heart and put all your energy into the thing that makes you feel the most creative, the most productive and the most happy. Kids tend to have an easier time that adults with that sort of thing which is why I love being around them, When we give up on fear and open our hearts abundance flows, happiness abides, work doesn’t feel like work and the world becomes a better place.

The Methow Vally Young Songwriters Camp is back by popular demand for Round 2 July 27-31st!! Contact Havilah at havilahrand@gmail.com to register. 

MORE CAMPS THIS SUMMER

Bellingham Young Songwriters Camp June 29-July 3rd has one more space!

Orcas Island Young Songwriters Camp July 17-19 still has space!

Summer Camps Are Filling Up!!

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IMG_20150516_155805 Summer is beginning and my heart is overflowing…because that’s exactly what my camps are doing! SO many kiddos signed up to write songs and dig into their authentic creative selves and I can’t wait. I spent the morning wrestling with my new microphones and recording software but I believe I’ve beat them into submission and all will go smoothly during our camp sessions. I imagine these songs like butterflies that are all resting in cocoons till the young songwriters converge and softly (or loudly) coax them out of their shells and into our lives. If you know me, then you might be smiling to yourself as that’s a bit more flowery than is usually my style but seriously. It’s going to be an incredible summer.

So here’s the scoop..  The camp in Austin, TX June 1-4 is FULL.

Twisp, WA is FULL but I hate saying no so if you register soon I’ll probably say yes. It’s being held June 15-19  1-4pm at The Methow Community School. The fee is $155

June 29 – July 3rd – Gabriel’s Art Kids in Bellingham, WA still has 2 spots left!! 9am- 12pm for five days with a CD release concert at The Honeymoon. $135

July 17 – 19th  ORCAS ISLAND!!!! A very gracious person offered their beautiful cottage for us to work out of. Lots of space as this one was just scheduled. Let’s do this!!

For all of you who have signed up… here is some pre-camp homework:)

  1.  Get a journal that you LOVE and decorate the cover with whatever art supplies inspire you most.
  2. Write or draw in it for at least ten minutes every morning about any topic that comes to mind.
  3. Have an impromptu dance party alone or with a close friend at least once this week.
  4. Look in the mirror every day and notice how amazing you are.

P.S. A few weeks ago I had a booth and showcase at The Mini Makers Faire in Austin, TX and met so many creative kids. We wrote a boatload of songs and had a blast. Here’s some pictures!!

Letting go and coming alive

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IMG_20140218_120440“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman

Four weeks ago I packed everything I could fit into a 1996 Kia Sportage and left my life in Austin, TX for a valley in the North Cascade mountain range in Washington State. It was a tough decision but in the end there really wasn’t a question. There aren’t many things in this life that I feel sure about. What I am sure of is that singing and writing songs is as much a part of me as breathing. I am sure that being around kids strengthens my soul enough to weather most confrontations I have with adult egos including my own. I am sure that it will always be extremely difficult for me to be anything other than myself. I am sure that if I don’t spend the majority of my time doing something that I enjoy and that I find exciting and purposeful, that I will slowly die.

I made the choice that served every desire (besides money) my heart was longing for. More time singing, more time being creative with kids, more fresh air, less time in traffic, less time recuperating from a job that would deplete my creative energy rather than strengthen it, I got in the car and drove forty hours through the desert and the sunset colored hills of California and through the wet forests of southern Oregon back to my heart so I could BE alive instead of TRYING to be alive. Life has a way of making us think that there is always something more or different that we could be if only we tried harder. I find more and more that by accepting who I am in this moment and embracing it wholly brings me the closest to realizing my full potential.

As many others, I have often made the mistake of comparing my life to other’s, scrutinizing my choices and wondering why “normal” things like family, a steady job and home have never happened. I’m eternally grateful to whatever higher consciousness has helped me to see that our most precious belonging, our greatest treasure is our story. With its beauty and intrigue, heartbreak and strange twists and turns….this what we have to share with each other. When we find a way to share our selves and our most authentic story with the world, whether its through writing, singing, teaching, building a house or bombing down a snowy mountain..this is when we truly come alive and are serving the greater good of humanity.

I have a lot to say these days so stay tuned. I hope to take advantage of these chilly nights and early mornings by writing my story and sharing it with you.

The Adjacent Possible..

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“..the adjacent possible defines all those molecular reactions that were directly achievable in the primordial soup. Sunflowers and mosquitoes and brains exist outside that circle of possibility. The adjacent possible is a kind of shadow future, hovering on the edges of the present state of things, a map of all the ways in which the present can reinvent itself.”

Johnson, Steven (2010-10-05). Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation (p. 31). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

Most people I know are building something. Or thinking of a way to build something. Or wondering what they should build. Or wondering what they would build if they had the right skills and talent. Or inspiration. There is an urge in all human beings to make stuff. Whether it is a painting, a relationship, a book, a presidential campaign or a new way to arrange living room furniture, everyone is making something. Or desires to make something if only they had the courage or the skills they assume they lack. In many instances, we yearn to take this to another level, and to make something that no one else has ever made. To make something that others will find useful. To make something that will revolutionize the way of making that thing from this point forward.

We have more than enough materials to make stuff with. We have metal, sun, oxygen, innate talents, education, books, instruments, technology, and on and on … Yet there is a mystery in how to integrate a singular vision with the infinite amount of materials and genres available and to produce something utterly new. Something that holds meaning and allows us to leave an indelible mark on the world long after our inspiration, and eventually our bodies, leave this plane of existence. It is the mystery that forces us to choose between our intuition and our fear and doubt; the trusty followers of those first sparks of inspiration. In order to carry out an idea from the inward to the outward, vulnerability is necessary. A blind step into the unknown must be taken with faith that the inner vision will take form. A hundred places at once, red paint hits canvas, chisels shape wood, fingers hit guitar strings, lips crush against each other and somehow there is a different result every time.

Johnson’s “adjacent possible” speaks to the infinite possibilities that reside outside of the finite amount of energy and resources available at any given moment. There is a mysterious element to creativity, a secret passageway that allows the creation of something new from material that has been used over and over from the beginning of time. I believe that by leaning into the mystery, into the fear, and ultimately the rush a new song, a new love, a new idea brings, we have the ability to discover an authentic  expression of the human experience through creation. In other words, there is never an end to what is possible. And there are few words to explain why this is so, and yet it is.

Where does your “adjacent possible” reside? Just outside of your comfort zone. Go there. Image