Creative Kids Camp

​A Simple, Fun Approach to 
Theatre and Music

Storytelling ⁓ Drama ⁓ Song ⁓ Movement 
Instrumental Play

Creative Kids Camp’s unique, interactive approach brings music and theatre to life!  Let the power of storytelling draw children into the intriguing world of the arts!  Creative Kids Camp brings drama and music from what can seem to children like a complicated, mysterious form to one that is completely child-centered and fascinating!

Dancing Bugs, Ringmasters and Snobby Pears are just a few of the fascinating characters unveiled in this unique union of story and song. This approach nurtures the many ways which children learn, providing fun visuals, imaginative stories, and many opportunities for creative improvisation.

Creative Kids Camp promotes creativity by encouraging the child to create fun, imaginative characters and bring them to life through drama, song, creative movement and instrumental play. This interactive approach caters to the many different needs of children, allowing every child to participate and feel successful.

Adults love this approach as it provides nourishing content. Children love our approach because it  provides an outlet for creative expression, filled with new and stimulating experiences. 

This program is appropriate for children ages 5 to 12 and helps to build a structure that can be built upon for years to come. Camp days will be Monday - Thursday, June 20-24 from 1-4 PM each day, with a showcase Friday, June 25th at 2:30 pm. 

Meet the instructor!
Black teaches unique style of piano lessons Story by Steven Stiefel
steven.stiefel@times-journal.com

A familiar face has returned to DeKalb County and brought with her a unique style of teaching piano that made waves in Nashville before the pandemic disrupted its momentum. 

Robin Black, a 1997 graduate of Fort Payne High School, said her method equips her students to play the piano after only one lesson. She has returned from Franklin, Tenn., where she taught her interactive group method since 2006. With a waiting list of students, many music industry professionals recognizing her style of teaching was unique. 

“I truly believe that everyone is musical. We all just learn in different ways,” she said. “If I decided that I wanted to kick a football, I’d take lessons and I’d practice. Now, I haven’t been born with an innate talent for it and the likelihood of me being drafted like Evan McPherson is low. But, the Bible says ‘make a joyful noise’. It specifically says “noise”. I don’t believe that God decided, ‘only you and you will have musical talent.’ Music is the universal language and we all have music inside us. I want to help people discover that sound, find that music inside of them and help it blossom to bring joy. That’s my goal and passion!”  

Central to her philosophy is that most people don’t aspire to become professional musicians, which defines the way most piano lessons happen. Her passion for music was instilled at a very young age, yet she grew frustrated having to practice long hours.  

“My grandmother was the church organist, my mom played, my aunt was a music major and church musician and it was just something that I had to do. In my house, we had to go to school, had to go to church, and had to take piano lessons,” she said.  

It wasn’t until she played in her fourth-grade talent show that she realized “not everyone was being forced to take piano like I was,” she said.   

She played the flute, trumpet, french horn, and xylophone in the Fort Payne High School Marching Band, but she found her passion in musical theatre. At Belmont University, she received a musical wake-up call when she realized that she had technical skills but lacked musicianship.  
 
“I couldn’t just join in and start to jam unless there was sheet music. Most people just want to come home after a long day and play a hymn or a song off the radio. They want to express themselves emotionally and creatively.  My lessons help you unleash your inner musician, so that you can take music with you as a lifelong companion. When you’re too old to do a backflip or kick that soccer ball, my hope is that you’ll still be able to play music.”

Her piano classes are held in a group environment of six to eight students ranging in ages from 6-106. Parents typically attend lessons with their child and will often find themselves learning, writing songs, and playing duets with their kids. Classes typically last 45 minutes to an hour, are highly interactive and foster creativity.  

Black also enjoys using music for healing and has collaborated on musical therapy with students with special needs or leaning disabilities. She worked with several non-profits organizing songwriting workshops that paired soldiers battling PTSD with Nashville songwriters to tell their story and allow them to “make something beautiful out of trauma.” 

She also taught weekly group classes at an Assisted Living facility.

“It was amazing to watch as the seniors waited each week in the lobby to see the kiddos and just the joy that it brought to them. The students often performed and we had several events together. I created a senior choir and was working on music therapy programs for the Memory Care unit. And then, COVID shut that all down. I lost my teaching space, I lost my group classes, I lost everything I had spent years working for within a matter of weeks.”

She said First Baptist Church, where she offers the classes, has been her saving grace. 

“Once I moved back, I immediately reached out to Dr. Roger Walworth, who was also my professor at Judson College. I knew that to find some happiness in my chaos, I was going to have to find some music,” Black said. 

To inquire about lessons or schedule a private meeting, email robinblackpiano@gmail.com.