Accordions, fiddles, guitars and rub-boards were among the music instruments camp participants are learning this week at Louisiana Folk Roots Kids Camp.
The Louisiana Folk Roots Kids Camp kicked off Monday in Opelousas at Le Vieux Village. All week long, the kids have been learning to play instruments like guitars, fiddles, and accordions. The camp participants have been taking part in daily activities which include music classes, jam sessions, singing, dancing, games, and folklife crafts. This year the LA Folk Roots Music Camp had 28 campers, some of whom have no prior musical experience. A few of the participants are returning campers that have aged into Counselors in Training who enjoyed their experience and are excited about coming back to lead and teach new-comers. While many of the campers are local to the area, a few of the attendees have traveled from neighboring towns to participate in the unique cultural experience, two of which have come from as far as Alpine, Texas!
I spoke with Louisiana Folk Roots director Jeanne Solis about the camp and what it aims to serve for these kids. She stated the program intentionally seeks to share the full cultural experience, including the music and environments that are part of our heritage. Solis shared the primary goal of Folk Roots Kids Camp is to cultivate a lifelong passion for the region’s traditional music among young participants. However, the camp’s ultimate aim is simply to provide children with an enriching musical experience they will enjoy and remember, regardless of genre.
To help lead the campers in their jam sessions, local Creole Zydeco musician Wayne Singleton returned to the La Folk Roots Music Camp to assist participants with music classes. The kids were able to choose from accordions, fiddles and guitars to play and eventually joined together in band labs to perform as a group, learning Creole and Cajun French songs while also picking up a little bit on traditional French language.
This year’s Music Camp instructors also featured local artists to guide campers through music labs. Local musician, singer/songwriter and educator Randall “RJ” Jackson has been assisting in the music workshops teaching the future generation of accordionists. Additional Folk Roots Music Staff that have been lending their musical talents and skills all week included Kelli Jones, Renee Reed, and Henry Hample.
Solis expressed her gratitude for having these talented instructors devote their time to lead the future generation. “It’s one thing to be a performer and a musician, but to also be a teacher and combine both abilities to lead the next generation in their culture is wonderful”. She says the students have picked up remarkably over the course of the past few days, especially those who have never picked up an instrument before the camp, and remarked how incredible it is to see the progress they have made.
The camp wraps up with a showcase performance at the new Toby’s Lounge, lead by the attendees who will perform songs they have learned all week and a dance party to show off their new moves they have learned for their close friends and family to see.
The camp is presented by Louisiana Folk Roots and made possible in partnership with Opelousas Tourism and the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission who are proud to be sponsors once again for this year’s Kid’s Cajun and Creole Music Camp. The mission of Louisiana Folk Roots aims to teach both the origins of Acadiana’s music and the equally important role of dance within its musical culture through performances and educational activities.
