Linda Evans Memorial Music Camp

Please Note: Children 8-12 might also be interested in Camp Bowen: Braille Literacy Camp.

Camp Bowen’s Linda Evans Memorial Music Camp brings together up to twenty-four blind, low vision, and Deafblind youth ages eight to eighteen from across the country for seven days on Bowen Island, BC, to learn music-related skills, make friends who experience some of the same challenges they do, have fun, and gain confidence essential for full and equal participation in school band and other music programs in their communities alongside their sighted peers.

Camp Streams

Campers in the Band Stream learn the basics of playing musical instruments, while those in the Songwriting Stream learn about songwriting and explore music.

Band Stream

Campers in the Band Stream explore the beginner band curriculum and demonstrate what they have learned in an end of camp concert that their families, friends, donors, and the Bowen Island community will be invited to attend. Camp Bowen staff are very pleased to be working alongside volunteers from the West Vancouver Youth Band and their Executive Director, Doug Macaulay, to provide this exciting program.

Blind, low vision, and Deafblind students face significant challenges when beginning in music programs due to the highly visual nature of the methods commonly used in beginning band and other forms of music instruction. This program is designed to give students a foundation of skills and confidence that they can use to bypass visual instruction by taking them through the first part of the beginner band curriculum in a non-visual manner that sets them up to succeed in mainstream band and music programs alongside their sighted peers.

Songwriting Stream

In the Songwriting Stream, campers learn how to compose original songs through activities that help them discover and refine their musical abilities as songwriters. The stream also encourages campers to explore music in new ways and helps them incorporate what they find into their own creations. At the end of the week, campers have the opportunity to share their songs in an end of camp concert that their families, friends, donors, and the Bowen Island community will be invited to attend. Camp Bowen staff are very pleased to be working alongside Masceo Williams of MEW Productions to produce this exciting stream.

Confidence and Independence Through Recreation

Like all of Camp Bowen’s summer independence camp programs, the Linda Evans Memorial Music Camp balances recreation and skills learning, with a focus on fun and friendship! Campfires, hikes, community outings, self-defense, swimming/boating, and board games are just some of the activities Camp Bowen offers. The skills taught through these fun activities prepare youth for truly life-long independence and build their confidence.

For the Band Stream of the Linda Evans Memorial Music Camp, the COBd: Camp Bowen team is working with long-time supporters of Camp Bowen, the West Vancouver Youth Band and Long and McQuade. The West Vancouver Youth Band has been involved with Camp Bowen since 2004 and has provided Camp Bowen with instruments and the instructors that have made the program possible. Most recently, Doug Macaulay, Executive Director of the West Vancouver Youth Band, was involved in training blind mentors to teach the next generation of campers. Long and McQuade has had a similar length of involvement in the camp, providing additional instruments at no charge to the program.

For the Songwriting Stream, we are working with Masceo Williams of MEW Productions, who has been partnering with Camp Bowen since 2021.

We do not want funding to be a barrier for any child or teen who wishes to attend Camp Bowen. Funding is available to cover camp fees and travel expenses and can be requested during the registration process.