Brought my uke to summer camp. Here are my favorite quotes from the kids...

Bob Bledsoe

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I just got back from Catalina Island where I was a camp counselor for 10 days at a summer camp for kids with heart disease. I brought my uke and luckily there was a Cordoba tenor there to use as well. One of the kids in my cabin plays pretty well so we both ended up teaching a few other kids some chords (C,G,Am,F) so they could jam with us. Here are my favorite quotes, coming from 14-15 year old boys. BTW, my camp name is "Rockstar":

"Hey Rockstar, I just heard I qualify for the Make A Wish Foundation. What kind of ukulele can I get for $2,000 - I want it to have awesome strings and everything"

"This year is the best year of camp. I'm learning to play ukulele!"
(Thats is a big statement. They also get to snorkel, rock climb, kayak, shoot rifles, archery, etc... I love that uke was a highlight for him)

"Hey Rockstar, Zachary doesn't have a date for the luau tomorrow so can we take the ukes over by the girls cabins? We're just going to hang out and jam and see what happens"

Half an hour later: "It worked! I got a date! Ukulele is awesome!"

It was a great 10 days. Lot's of happy kids playing ukulele.
 
Lovely story! I saw a kid with a ukulele at my daughter's summer camp this year, too. Apparently ukes are "in" with teens these days.
 
What a great story!!
 
Hmmmm, guess you are a Rockstar! Nice story, thanks.
 
My heart feels all warm and fuzzy hearing that! How wonderful! Do you do this camp every year?

This was my first year, but they let me do two sessions so I had a cabin of 9 year olds the first session and 14 year olds the second. I'm hooked. Will be doing it every year and helping with fund raising in between.
 
Hi Rockstar Bob. Any one of those kids would have been a great moment. You pulling a trifecta!

Looking forward to getting some new, young UU members.

Thanks and congrats.
 
I've been bringing my uke to summer camp since 2008. The kids love it. Returning kids have started bringing instruments and we have jam sessions. This year I brought a cajon that cost me $15 to build. Out of 200 kids there were 5 who play percussion in high school, none of them had seen a cajon. But they sure could play it! Once I had heard "real" drummers play it I decided to stay with the uke.
 
Great story, Bob. You certainly lived up to your rockstar status with those kids.
 
Actually, I thought this was going to be a funny. Instead it was awesome. Very nice.
 
Rock on Rockstar!! Great story!
 
Great story.

I always feel like I want to do something like this, but after a school year of teenagers, I need my summers.
 
Thanks everyone! I ended up with tons of good stories. You guys just got the uke related ones. I think I probably got more out of the week than the kids did.
 
Thanks everyone! I ended up with tons of good stories. You guys just got the uke related ones. I think I probably got more out of the week than the kids did.

That's usually the way it is. A few years ago I knew this young guy, right out of high school, one of those angst filled cases - always feeling sorry for himself, always in trouble, tried hard enough to commit suicide to wind up in the hospital at least twice while he was in high school Then, somewhere along the line a counselor got him working with kids who had real problems and it turned him around completely.
 
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