The splendour falls on castle walls
And snowy summits old in story:
The long light shakes across the lakes,
And the wild cataract leaps in glory.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.
Excerpt from Blow, Bugle, Blow by Alfred Lord Tennyson
The sound of the bugle call is as recognizable and as regular an occurrence as the slamming of screen doors around camp. While wrist watches can come in handy at Brown Ledge, it’s really the 16 different bugle calls throughout the day that set the rhythm and schedule. This past summer Ángel delivered the daily bugles with gusto. With limited experience, he bravely took on one of the most visible roles at camp and was quickly admired for his courage and dedication.
I got to fill in from time to time when Ángel was needed elsewhere, and even started my own new tradition in which I played the final Taps of the summer as my symbolic send off to our campers and staff. I have a long history with the trumpet. It’s probably best described as this was the thing I did my “10,000 hours” in.
Author Malcolm Gladwell brought to light this idea of the necessary hours needed to achieve high level success in his book Outliers. His argument is, that in addition to talent, the time and passion invested in something matters greatly in a person’s eventual success in that activity. For me, from 5th grade through 9th grade, that was trumpet. Over the course of those five years I played my instrument three to four times a day. There was symphonic band rehearsal in the morning, marching band or jazz band rehearsal in the afternoon, followed by 60 minutes of practice on my own at home. I also participated in private lessons once a week. All that deliberate practice paid off and in ninth grade I was named 1st chair of my high school band and invited to join the All-State orchestra.
The point here is not the tooting of my own horn, but rather to highlight the opportunity and advantage of the Brown Ledge experience. While a full summer will not amount to 10,000 hours, the combination of a four or eight week session, and our Freedom of Choice philosophy, means our campers have a large quantity of time to focus on any number of activities. They have ample opportunity to develop specific skill sets, and partnered with high quality instructors, build their aptitude in the activities of their choosing. Many campers achieve levels that allow them to continue these discovered passions outside of camp. Notable recent examples include a number of campers pursuing competitive and performative opportunities in riflery, diving, and theater.
Over the course of the summer Ángel made noticeable improvements with his craft. Not surprising, given how many times he needed to play each day. He did admirably well as our bugler and I sent him home with a trumpet to practice over the winter. I have big hopes that once again it will be the sound of him on the horn next summer that will guide us through our Brown Ledge day.
Brooks Johnson
