From 17 to 2,000
Band Camp just grows
By Monday, more than 2,000 junior and senior high schools will invade KU as the thirtieth session of the Midwestern Music and Art Camp gets underway.
This year over 2,000 junior and senior high students representing most of the 50 states and a few foreign countries will be attending, according to Russell L. Wiley, professor of band and camp director.
NINE DIVISIONS will be offered this summer. They are: senior high music, art, science and math, theatre, speech, junior high music, ballet, journalism, and languages.
The largest share of the campers will arrive on the campus Sunday, June 18, and stay six weeks. The junior high music division is only for two weeks and has already arrived.
The camp puts forth every possible effort to build a better, a more inspiring and a more exciting program for young people who come for this special training. Prof. Wiley said.
"WE START each camp with visions of having and building on what we already have. We must go forward to keep this fine camp and I believe we are," he said.
"We are constantly trying to build an accelerated summer program for gifted high school students. This is the only real purpose any camp can truly justify. This is the purpose we built our first camp upon, and all our continuing camps.
"Our camp is unique in that so many fields are represented. An average camp is usually for one to two weeks. This is not a camp but a vacation. We cover vast amounts of knowledge in all our fields of coverage." Mr. Wiley continued.
"WE LITERALLY saturate the student with subject matter. Six weeks gives us time enough to do this. The camper goes away feeling he has grown a little, matured a little, and literally he has. He has matured in his relations and he has physically. Camp has to be a growing process for any camper," the camp director said.
The first camp was started in 1935 with 17 members. They met for six weeks and the camp cost $66. "I went out and begged for money to take up the slack and to open another camp and to get the bills paid," Prof. Wiley, who directed the first camp, continued.
"WE STARTED FROM nothing and have built it into a multi-million dollar business annually." he continued.
"In the first camp we had a little group of musicians, but not enough to make a band. We did not have a balance of instruments. I went over the campus to get summer school students to take up the slack.
"We played two concerts in the twi-light that summer in Fowler Grove. We played out there for several years," Prof. Wiley recalled. Fowler Grove is now in front of Flint Hall and along Jayhawk Boulevard.
Wiley commented that the band was placed on a stage in the shade of a few trees while
those who came to listen sat in the nearby shade of other trees.
"IN THE SECOND summer we started an orchestra. They held concerts in Hoch in the afternoon. In fact all of our rehearsals were held in Hoch until the choir was added and they reheared in Strong Auditorium.
"We grew slowly, very slowly at first, but we grew. Never did we open with lesser enrollment than we had the previous year," Wiley reminisced.
"The working of the camp is now a 12-month job. We started opening next year's camp before the present year's closes," the camp director stated.
THE CAMP did not meet for two years during the latter part of World War II. When it met again in 1945, choral music was added. The camp remained The Midwestern Music Camp by name.
"We first branched out by trying art in 1950. We tried it for one summer and it did not go. I smarted under this considerably and proposed to the art people to join hands with me and have a division director to promote their end of it," Wiley went on.
"Their success proved soon this was a good move." The name of the camp was changed to the present one of Midwestern Music and Art Camp in 1955.
THE CAMP DIRECTOR said, "Then we branched to other fields. It has been worked under the same format of the art division. We have expanded into the many divisions which make us unique."
Theatre came next. Ballet was added in 1953 followed by science and math, and speech. Engineering was added next, then journalism which is in its fifth year, and finally language.
"The uniqueness is that under the same roofs we house and feed and supervise and take care of everyone as one unit," Wiley said.
When the camp originated the only dormitory on the campus was South Corbin Hall. "We couldn't use this and for many years I leased fraternity and sorority houses. We hired house mothers, supervisers and I had to buy all the food and see that it was prepared.
"FINALLY IN the late 1940's I got food service at the Union. We fed at the Union for many years. The first real recognition the university gave us was when they allowed us to place the girls into Corbin Hall and we put the boys under East Stadium. This move we made in the early part of the 1950's."
Templin Hall was first used by the camp in 1960. This year Oliver, Lewis, Templin and Ellsworth Halls will be used.
"While at camp we try to develop a full life for the youngsters. We now hold church services in Swarthout Recital Hall each Sunday during camp with guest speakers." Wiley said.
Summer Kansan
Friday, June 16, 1967
JOHN'S —Air Conditioned— WAGON WHEEL
One Dollar Blue Plate Specials Served At Every Noon Meal
Open 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
1401 Ohio
Weaver's Record Dept. Downtown
INN KEEPERS-TOM, STICK,TUBI STAND BY-J. C.
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