Summer Resolution Blog Series: Honor The Slow Songs

Throughout the summer our girls bond over numerous experiences- Tribe Hill, watching the river run, beating the boys at the Stewart meets, war canoe, eating together, and learning together. Possibly most important, singing slow songs.

Rooted in humanity’s origins, singing has been a defining feature of every community across the globe. When we sing together our heart rates sync, oxytocin is released, and the bonds of the social group are strengthened.

Every day the hills are alive with the sound of music, usually our mealtime songs get loud and rowdy, which is great, but it is important to slow down from time to time. So, on one day of the week we make a minor adjustment to the tempo of our songs and add an acoustic guitar.

Sunday’s slow songs reflect our effort as a camp to slow down and spend the day savoring our camp community. The sweet serenity of Sunday’s slow songs simply soothe the heart. Music is transformative, and by switching to slow songs we can shift the mood from boisterous to contemplative.

What the community finds valuable to sing about, the individual will find valuable to think about. When we bond over singing, the content of the lyrics impacts the lasting quality of our experience. The slow songs at camp are thoughtful and encourage strength, compassion, and fond remembrance.

Singing is Transformative

Singing has the power to transform the brain in numerous ways, memory is one of them! Songs not only help us remember things, they have deep associations with our experiences and strengthen memories within us. We see it at work during every reunion- women of all ages sing songs they learned as girls. Age barriers are dissolved and the impact of singing’s social bonding can be heard across the generations. When your camper is campsick you may hear her singing or humming some camp songs to herself. Check out our songbook and sing with your kiddos at home, they’ll appreciate the opportunity to share a little bit of what they love about camp with their family. Wherever they go, they’ll have the spirit of camp with them.