IMP 2021 Camp
On the wettest weekend in IMP memory, 177 students and 24 school and IMP staff took part in the 2021 IMP Camp. For this camp the students were arranged in completely new ensembles, and worked on completely new repertoire. For three days they took part in intensive rehearsals and tutorials, designed to extend them as musicians, and give the students the opportunity to make friends with musicians from other year groups. The learning that took place was phenomenal.
There were three main activities at camp:
Ensemble A (the large ensemble, either Wind Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band, or Training Band)
Ensemble B (students elected to be a part of one of the 11 ensemble B options: Vocal Ensemble, String Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Body Percussion, Jazz Improv Workshop, Horn Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, and Sax Ensemble)
Camp Item – this was a whole-camp item, where the camp joined together to sing, accompanied by a staff band.
Despite the extreme wet weather, nothing could dampen the spirits of the students or the tutor, who were all excited to play together again!!
65% of the participants had never been on an IMP before, due to the last-minute cancellation of the 2020 camp at the start of COVID lockdown but they were admirably shown the ropes by the older members of the IMP.
As is customary, Year 11s acted as leaders and mentors for the camp, running evening concerts and games. They were a wonderful group, and The annual Ceilidh (folk dance) also made its return, featuring a staff folk band, and an exhausting evening of dancing.
The camp culminated in a virtual camp concert (with our usual enormous audience still not able to gather yet). This included performances by all Ensemble As, and Camp Item, and a montage of clips from Ensemble B, who would normally perform at the Camp Afternoon Tea just before the Concert.
Here’s a video of Camp Item (everyone involved)
Matthew Manchester
Fort Street High School
IMP Coordinator
Director of Bands