Camp SOUL attracts talented high school students with its mix of music, empowerment
Arieion Ward of Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis sings during rehearsals at Camp SOUL Photo by James Brosher
IU Newsroom intern Amanda N. Marino contributed to this story:
On the first morning at Camp SOUL, students in the rhythm section dabbled with their instruments at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.
None of the campers spoke much to the counselors or each other.
Just minutes before, acting director Ignoisco Miles rallied the entire group, telling them to wake up. “It’s time to go. It’s time to work!”
Ignoisco Miles coaches vocalists during a rehearsal at Camp SOUL Photo by James Brosher
Then the music began. Body language relaxed. Eyes widened and faces filled with light.
This was why they came.
“It feels like home,” Terry Golden said. The high school junior and bass guitarist from Winfield, Ind., was attending the Indiana University camp for a second time.
Playing music might be fun, he said, but playing at camp with these counselors was an amazing opportunity. His father told him he would meet people at Camp SOUL who shared his passion and could help him improve his skills. “I’m trying to get where I need to be,” he said.
The heart of SOUL
The high school students arrived at Camp SOUL with significant musical talent. They had auditioned for places in the camp, which is operated by the African American Arts Institute and supported by IU’s Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs.
Charles E. Sykes, executive director of the African American Arts Institute, described the institute’s three performance ensembles to the group: “This program is a gem. There is no other university in this country or any other country that has a program like this.”
Isabella Balle-Voyles, a sophomore at Bloomington High School North, belts out a tune at Camp SOUL Photo by James Brosher
During the camp June 12 to 17, the young musicians stayed in a residence hall, toured the Bloomington campus and spoke with current IU students. Guest speakers taught them about African American dance traditions, college admissions and the aid available through IU’s Groups Scholars and Hudson and Holland Scholars programs.
Each day there was music — and practice, practice, practice.
The rhythm section, vocalists and horns rehearsed separately much of the week.
The vocalists learned by listening to each other, themselves and recordings of their songs. Miles challenged them to give everything to the music.
“I never worked so hard with my voice before,” said Arieion Ward, a junior from Indianapolis who was attending Camp SOUL for the first time.
Roots and rights
Tyron Cooper, the director of IU Soul Revue, founded Camp SOUL in 2002. This year, he invited Miles to lead it.
Miles is a month away from completing his master’s degree in African American and African Diaspora studies. In the past, he served as vocal coach at the camp and for IU Soul Revue.
Kenneth L. Roberson, a professor of practice in the Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance, shared history on the Charleston and other dances before Camp SOUL tried out some steps.
Camp SOUL stands for Students Obtaining Unique musical Levels, but it stands for more. Music is a catalyst for achieving excellence.
“It’s a mode of growth for them.” Miles said. “They are not only working hard learning this music, but also working hard at being better humans.”
The 10 Camp SOUL Rights are part of that mission.
Students start the week reciting the rights on demand because it is required. “Over the course of the week, it starts to become more than just the words. They really start to believe in those rights.”
Miles singled out Right No. 5: “I have a right to attend any college or university of my choice, because I will attain academic standards higher than college or university entry-level standards.”
And he called out Right No. 9: “I have a right to succeed.”
“It’s a way of encouraging them every day,” he said. “It teaches them that you mean something to others, and you mean something on this earth.”
Progressions
Bobby Davis is head counselor at Camp SOUL and a 2016 IU graduate with B.A. in folklore and ethnomusicology. He attended the camp for two years as a junior and senior at Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis.
“Camp SOUL really taught me discipline,” he said. “It taught me a lot about going to school.”
Recent IU graduate Bobby Davis attended Camp SOUL in high school and served as head counselor in 2016. Photo by James Brosher
The camp also taught him about IU. “I’d already been here, acclimated to campus. I knew people, I knew professors, I knew faculty and I knew staff,” Davis said. “Being African American, I knew the Black Culture Center. … It was just like coming home, almost, but moving away from home.
“Camp SOUL was actually what brought me here.”
Like Davis, camp counselor Jasmine Dennie is an alum of Camp SOUL.
Now a junior studying art management in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a member of IU Soul Revue, Dennie attended the camp for four years as a Portage High School student.
“It was absolutely life-changing,” she said. “Early on, I found my life passion.
“They treated us like professionals, so I became a professional at a young age.”
Greatness
Camp SOUL culminated Friday with a concert before an audience of parents, camp counselors, faculty and staff.
Campers who wore T-shirts much of the week looked older when they dressed up in black for their big show. By now, they were friends and family. They were performers. The Grand Hall at Neal-Marshall was their stage.
Tyron Cooper, founder of Camp SOUL, spoke to the students after they performed.
The group launched into a high-energy set of soul, funk, gospel and pop that included “We Are Victorious,” the Earth, Wind & Fire standard “Let’s Groove” and “Lettin’ Go.” By now, they were more than students. They were powerful.
After Friday’s show, the performers from Camp SOUL sat in rapt attention while professor Cooper spoke: “I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you all how great you all were. I’m very serious. I’m very serious.”
He repeated his words quietly, until they fully understood: “I want you to know and carry with you that you are so great, just great.”
Cooper said they were part of a living legacy. Other performers had come to camp, many returned to IU as college students, and some continued through graduate school. All had embarked upon their futures.
“There is nothing but greatness in you,” he said.
Then he turned his attention to his first-time camp director, Ignoisco Miles. “You were just magnificent. You did the work … and you did your thing.
“Anywhere you go, it’s going to be great,” Cooper said. “Anything you do, it’s going to be great.”
Camp SOUL students absorb final remarks by Tyron Cooper and Ignoisco Miles.
Tags: African American Arts Institute, Bobby Davis, Camp S.O.U.L., Charles E. Sykes, Ignoisco Miles, Jasmine Dennie, Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, Soul Revue, Tyron Cooper
