CARLSBAD — New Village Arts is living up to its promise of offering more programming in a freshly renovated space.
From Aug. 7-11, the theater will offer a youth vocal summer camp taught by Korrie Yamaoka, a San Diego-based music director and vocal coach. The camp runs daily from 9 a.m.-noon with a showcase at 7 p.m. on Aug. 11. The camp is limited to the first 10 kids between ages 9-13.
The camp is the brainchild of Yamaoka, NVA Founder Kristianne Kurner and Director of Education Samantha Ginn.
“This is a brand-new camp we’re offering,” Yamaoka said. “It’s very competitive in San Diego. There are a lot of different camp options, but I wanted something that was a level up. Something more focused on acting and storytelling through song on a deeper level for the kids ready for that.”
Yamaoka, inspired by her 9-year-old neighbor Lena Palke, who performed in NVA’s production of “The Ferryman,” said she approached Ginn about a more robust learning environment, including concepts such as music theory, ensemble dynamics, harmony and musical interpretation.
“NVA is so happy to provide this opportunity for the young people in our community. Korrie Yamaoka is a fantastic teacher with a lot of experience working with this age group,” said Natalie Alvarez, NVA’s marketing manager. “The camp is going to be very informative as well as a ton of fun. Anyone who is hoping to audition for their school musical would be perfect for this class, as well as anyone looking to have fun signing.”
Yamaoka said the camp will consist of solo performances (singing and acting), ensemble and musical theory, with the goals of fostering a deeper understanding of music.
A group class will focus on singing together and how to interpret a song to include the nuances as performed by a soloist.
“You can’t have each person making their own choices about how they want to interpret a song when it’s a group song,” Yamaoka said. “It has to be a collective.”
As for musical theory, she said a lot of singers don’t focus on theory as they do it by ear, thus negating learning how to read music. Learning music theory allows the performer to follow the music director more closely and better interpret a song on their own, Yamaoka said.
“We want to offer deeper storytelling skills,” Yamaoka said. “Kids are so much more capable that we give them credit.”
