Campers Also Will Experience Beekeeping and Nature Exploration

BALTIMORE – With summer right around the corner and parents trying to find fun, affordable
things for their children to do, one nonprofit in Baltimore has the answer – and it’s through
music, art, academics, and nature exploration.

Beyond the Natural Foundation is offering its 2023 summer camp for students in grades 2
through 7 during the 2022-23 school year where they will learn positive ways to express
themselves through music and visual art, collaborate on projects, enhance their critical thinking
and writing skills, and decrease summer learning loss with instruction in math and English
language arts to prepare them for the upcoming school year.

There will be two camp sessions – one from Monday, June 26, through Friday, July 21; the
other from Monday, July 24, to Friday, August 18. The camp will run each weekday from 8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. at Stillmeadow Community Fellowship located at 5110 Frederick Avenue in Baltimore.
Aftercare will be available from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

“Music has always been able to express what words cannot and it’s something that benefits
people of all ages,” said Robert Levine III, founding executive director of Beyond the Natural
Foundation (BTNF). “After surveying parents of youth who participated in our previous summer
camps, BTNF received a 100% program satisfaction rate. Parents expressed that they have
never observed their children appear this confident in expressing themselves.
“One parent shared, ‘I have never heard my children talk this much about any program that I
have signed them up for…they are already talking about next year,’” Levine added.

Campers will learn songwriting, beat making, music production, piano, drumming, and vocal
performance while exploring the fundamental aspects of rhythm and harmony. Music, which
increases communication and socialization skills in children, also allows them to open up and
explore their feelings. Campers will engage in a variety of mixed-media art projects that range
from painting and drawing to sculpture, ceramics, and printmaking.

In addition, campers will take nature walks, learn about beekeeping, hunt for bugs, and utilize
technology to collect field data. Campers also will enjoy exercise and fitness activities and learn
about health and nutrition. Free, nutritious breakfasts and lunches will be provided along with weekly field trips.

Registration is currently open, and scholarships are available based on financial need.
“The simple and enjoyable act of making music naturally fosters important emotional and social
skills, such as self-regulation, self-confidence, leadership, and socio-emotional intelligence,” said
Levine. “Music helps the body and mind work together and ignites all areas of child
development for school readiness. Creating music helps children build motor skills while
allowing them to practice self-expression.”

About Beyond the Natural Foundation
Beyond the Natural Foundation (BTNF) is a nonprofit organization that uses music education
programs to engage and empower youth. Students learn the art of songwriting, production and
audio engineering as a platform for positive self-expression and to promote campaigns like anti-
bullying and anti-violence. BTNF also provides musical instruments and scholarships for
qualifying students. To learn more, visit beyondthenatural.org.