Summer Camp Madness is about to begin in just a few weeks! You better have your playlist ready. The kids and staff want to dance, and get hype with you. It’s been a long winter and school year, the energy is building and they are ready to explode. Music is key to a FIRE program. You need to use it throughout the day, and find ways to incorporate this to create a fun atmosphere. I will admit it is tough to find appropriate music, so you will have to do some research before you pop in your favorite song when you are working directly with kids.
When incorporating music into youth programs, I love to use music during contests/assemblies and during certain games. The background music makes these activities even more fun and we all can relate to music. Serious/intense music for a contest, fun/silly music to entertain and exercise with the crowd, or just fun music during a quiet dodgeball game! My favorite time is during Rides In (Carpool) when many parents/campers are sleepy and could be in a bad mood. Use this music to put a smile on their face, break a dance move, or just entertain yourself as you are doing this routine EVERY day.
My Top 3 new Summer Camp jams as of right now…
1. Taylor Swift/Brendon Urie – Me (Song of the Summer, yes I am biased because I love T. Swift more than a middle school teen.)
2. Ed Sheeran/Justin Bieber – I Don’t Care (Super catchy and a good dance song!)
3. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
I have saved you some time! Check out my DJ Playlist section on my website. I have broken up some of my favorite songs into categories as you build your ultimate playlist. Spotify is my favorite music platform to use in youth programs. Simple and easy to make playlists, and you can find almost any song.
Go Rock This Summer!
