Singing with friends in harmony! (two-week long program)
Age: For singers entering grades 5-11.
Enrollment: Minimum enrollment 12; maximum enrollment 16.
Time: Program runs from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Fee: $890.00; after March 30: $990.00.
Description: Join The Camp KO Downbeats for our ninth season of performing as the leading a cappella camp in the Greater Hartford area. In addition to learning proper vocal techniques, solo performance skills, and collaborative group dynamics, you will also explore and improve with sight-reading, ear-training, harmony skills, choreography, and vocal percussion. Whether you’re singing a solo or background parts, you’ll learn how to best prepare for an audition and performance, finding your strengths and go-to material as your own unique singer all the while building community and working toward a greater goal as a group. With facilities designed to handle COVID-19 guidelines, this program will make use of indoor and outdoor spaces in a creative way to facilitate music-learning and community building in addition to recording “live” performances, producing a studio recording, and filming one music video.
There will be opportunities for camper-led arranging, beatboxing, directing, choreography and solo-singing with our afternoon workshops. Campers will also study videos and recordings from our own daily sessions as well as from high school, college, and professional groups across the country. Moreover, singers will get to work closely with our sound engineer instructor to produce a professional recording and music video all the while learning about the technology and process of developing a single. The session will culminate with a final “live” performance that will be filmed, edited, and then shared with the entire Camp KO community and the general public. If COVID-19 guidelines allow, we may also host an outdoor concert for 2 family members per household.
Visit this link to read our goalsInstructor: David Baker '04 is a native of West Hartford and an alumnus and teacher at Kingswood Oxford School where he directs KO's select co-ed choir, Outlook, and the all-male a cappella group, Crimson 7. Additionally, David teaches history, coaches track and field, and helps organize the Wyvern Invitational A Cappella Festival, New England’s largest high school a cappella competition. David attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he was a Filene Music Scholar in voice and sang in the all-male a cappella group, The Skidmore Bandersnatchers. From 2005 to 2007, David performed with and directed the professional a cappella group The Vineyard Sound on Martha’s Vineyard. Over the past thirteen years, David has sung with the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra (WHSO) numerous times and has performed at the Bushnell as a featured soloist. Currently, he lives in West Hartford with his wife Kata, also a teacher/coach at KO, his sons, Callan and Andrew, and his dog, Dobby. Baker trains for ultramarathons and triathlons in his spare time.
Mallory Moser is a singer, actress, video producer and teaching artist based in New York City. In addition to performing with Backtrack, she also leads much of the behind-the-scenes production and business work for the group, from conducting marketing and outreach campaigns, to booking performances, to co-managing accounting and finances, leading rehearsals and creating online content, as well as crafting and executing a variety of educational packages. The group actively participates in educational outreach programs across the nation and Mallory also teaches aspiring artists privately in voice technique and audition preparation. Mallory received her B.A. in Theatre with a musical theatre concentration at Northwestern University. In addition to directing and performing in numerous musicals and plays at Northwestern, she was a faculty member at the "Cherubs" summer theatre program held at Northwestern and fulfilled the role of show producer for her a cappella group, X-Factors. After earning her bachelor's degree, she completed the prestigious professional training program at Actors Theatre of Louisville before joining Backtrack full time.