Spring 2010

We're Growing Kids at Caz this Summer!

A question often posed to us by parents, donors and others: Are there tangible benefits from the Caz experience for kids? Providing an environment where young musicians are nurtured and inspired is our goal at Cazadero. We see these goals realized at the end of each session, evident in the remarkable learning that takes place in each child at camp, in the inspired student performances throughout each session and in the heartfelt evaluations written by the young musicians themselves.

But the Caz camp experience is about more than just musical growth. In addition to the more than five hours of practice and rehearsal each day, our campers get to experience the simple but profound joys of camp; of being outdoors, playing sports, exploring nature, taking part in campfires and crazy songs and skits, making new friends, and sleeping under the stars. There are no cell phones, computers, or televisions. Visit Caz and you will find young people immersed in a musical and personal discovery of physical, emotional, social and intellectual growth.

There's no doubt that summer camp is fun! But what else happens at camp? Kids grow! In the largest individual research study of camper outcomes ever conducted in the United States, 5,000 families were asked about their camp experiences. Not only did parents report positive outcomes in 10 of 10 categories, other results were just as confirming:

1. Camp forever changes your child for the better.
Camps build the necessary skills to prepare campers to become successful adults.

• 96% of campers reported that camp helped them make new friends.
• 94% of campers reported that camp helped them get to know other campers who were different from them.
• 92% said that camp helped them feel good about themselves.

2. Camp allows your child to be physical and outdoors in a safe environment.
Camp is the place for your child to try new things, participate in activities, and to just be active.

• 63% of parents said that their child continued to participate in activities learned at camp.
• 74% of campers reported that they tried activities at camp that they were afraid to do at first.

3. Camp creates a bridge to reduce summer learning loss.
Camp helps kids learn and grow. Camp provides an opportunity for them to continue their learning and social development through the summer, providing opportunities for leadership development and to help campers achieve their full potential.

• 70% of parents reported that their children gained self-confidence.
• 69% reported that their child remains in contact with friends made at camp.

4. Camp allows kids to take a deep breath of nature.
Camp is a great time for a child to unplug from the computer, the cell phone and the video games and get outside.

• According to a study by two Cornell University environmental psychologists, being close to nature can help boost a child?s attention span.
• Additionally, studies by both the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for Disease Control reported that an American child is six times more likely to play a video game on any given day than to ride a bike.

In some instances, camp may be the only time a child is in contact with the natural outdoor world.

5. Camp is fun!
We can't argue with that! Kids at camp are not only allowed to play in a safe environment, but also to just be kids. Play is a powerful form of learning that contributes to a child's development physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually.

Send us your young musician this summer and Caz will return them not only a better musician, but someone who has made new friends, been challenged, grown, and had the experience of a lifetime - A Caz Experience!