KISSM off and drumming again

ARTS/ COMMUNITY — With precise timing, Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music is away and drumming for three weeks of music-making at JP.

Thanks to an 11th-hour agreement with the striking KTTA, the camp is allowed to cross picket lines at the Beattie School of the Arts campus during its three-week operation. That means 210 young musicians aged five to 18 can take part in a 38-year tradition that’s more about fun and camaraderie than it is about remembering notes.

After Monday’s start, Cliff Noakes, a co-founder, and Kim Mangan, camp executive director, sat down before Kamloops-Thompson School Board to share a little of the excitement mixed with relief.

“We’re down (in registration) this year due to the uncertainty of the labour dispute,” Mangan said.

At its peak in the 1980s, the camp drew as many as 300 kids and they still hope to rebuild to that level.

John Churchley, HR administrator with the district, fondly recalled his camp days.

“That was what really influenced me to become a music teacher,” Churchley said. “It changes kids lives and brings culture into the community.”

Supt. Terry Sullivan recalled the camp enthusiasm shared by the late Dick Dickens, a school trustee, retired music teacher and camp co-founder.

KISSM has forged all kinds of connections. The first camp was run by Bruce Dunn before he joined the Kamloops Symphony. Dunn and Noakes knew each other as classmates at UBC. Another footnote: Noakes and Dickens taught music to Mangan when she was in high school, a passing of the baton of sorts.

A KISSM faculty concert will be held July 15, 7 p.m., at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at Sixth and Douglas. Other concerts at the same location include a strings and piano performance on July 22 and a showcase concert on July 23, both at 7 p.m. Drowsy Chaperone, a camp musical theatre show, runs July 24, 7 p.m. at Sagebrush Theatre. Tickets for the show, $7, are available from Kamloops Live! Box Office.