Designed for music-loving children, teenagers, grandparents, and parents of any level, this week of musical fiesta was a delightful and fulfilling one for us all. After we were greeted as princes at the CAMMAC Music Centre, along the shore of Lake MacDonald, our music masters François Ouimet and Anne Massicotte orchestrated for us a variety of music workshops exploring the magic of sounds and music parts in multicoloured scales.
For musical apprentices such as we are as well as for the more advanced, opportunities to live the adventure of sound and creation were everywhere: percussion, recorder, choir, dance, origami and Japanese culture with Ms. Sinto, madrigals, piano with the talented Mélodie, ear training for whoever wanted it: there was enough to suit any taste or talent level.
Every morning, all participants, by age categories, worked at setting up a little house concert. Like Harlequin in his shop, we rehearsed our renditions of various whimsical melodies drawn from the classical, contemporary, or pop repertoire, with our voices, with or without instruments, in enthusiasm and earnestness. Laughs, songs, games, dances, all sorts of music: there was something for participants of all ages, backed up by competent, warm, friendly, and, yes, very professional coaches.
In the middle of the week, happy like the legendary Ulysses, we made a great voyage to Musiclanc. Indeed, we were treated with an extraordinary concert presented by a brass quintet from Youth and Music Canada, who gave us an exceptional musical rendition of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. The kids gaped in awe, and we all were rapidly enchanted by the instrumentalists’ pirouettes and by their impetuous and theatrical conductress.
What’s more, every day, during the afternoon, we had the opportunity to go play in the great outdoors, in the loose and abundant snow, and to enjoy nature in this enchanting site. Kids and grownups engaged wholeheartedly in tobogganing, building small fortresses, making stained glass on ice and even listening to a storyteller by a campfire.
What could anyone ask more from life than this pure pleasure for the eyes, ears, and heart? Plus, at every meal, we could relish sitting at a well-dressed and tasty table. Food was abundant, from appetizers to dessert, with good company too!
Who would have thought? Five days later, we pooled all our efforts to produce a small demonstration of our know-how which turned out to be rich with surprises and high quality, from choir to violin, piano, and flute recital, not to forget the sound of djembes and other percussion and the dancers’ deft choreographies.
Thanks to all of CAMMAC’s team for taking us on the paths of music to open our senses and souls to feelings which, at times, seemed larger than life. All our gratitude also goes to Ms. Andrée Pinsonneault, for having generously invited my family and me to live a fantastic week of musical discoveries, marked with respect for each and every one, that will keep us wanting to come back for more!
What a wealth of fantasy-filled moments for a perfect family vacation!
Noam (5), Marie-Pier, Rémi Lahaussois, and their elders, Michelle Lemay and Andrée Pinsonneault
March 2016