Today was the first day of a week-long music camp that our church holds every year. It's a good program for music at an affordable rate ($75 / student) and an outreach to the community to encourage new attendees to our church. It's my 7th year helping out but I think it's the church's 14th year. We have 240 campers counting staff and this year it's a record. They offer choir, hand bells, keyboard, composition, creative movement, Orff instrumets, strings and Bible study for the juniors (grade school) - which my wife teaches. In concert band, made up of middle school students plus some H.S. staff and a few on college break, there are 95 seated. Yikes! 12 horns, too many trumpets @ 18, 9 trombones, 6 tubas and just 8 flutes and 15 clarinets. Only 10 in the percussion section this year. Happy to say that the euph section is a manageable 4 - self included. All are playing 4-valve instruments which is a first! The weakest player (2nd year at the camp age 13) got a Mack Brass compensator for Christmas. I haven't had a chance to try it but hope I get to. Had to tell her about using 4-2 fingering for low 'B' natural as she was using 123. The other two players have good horns too... a Yamaha 321 and a King 2280. The student on King 2280 is new to the camp and age 15. He's really just a year too old since he's a Freshman in H.S. BUT, he's only played euph for 1 year. Before euph he played A-sax, T-bone and says he can read both clefs - so should do very well I think. All considered it was a pretty fun first day.