Bonding Through Music at Bereaved Siblings Camp

The Cardinals are some of the busiest campers. As the youngest group of boys at camp, they zigzag from one end of the field to the other and swim and play all hours of the day. Their week of camp is filled with as much outdoor fun and activities as possible.

This year, Oscar came to overnight camp for the first time and was a part of the rumbunctious Cardinals group.

The nervousness of a week of unknown new adventures bubbled up to the surface for Oscar. But his nerves soon subsided after he met his cabinmates and they quickly took him under their wings. From reaching the top of the rock climbing wall for the first time, to paddleboarding out to the middle of the lake, Oscar’s week at camp was filled with lots of “firsts.”

When the group stepped into SLAM, the music centre at camp, it became apparent that music was not Oscar’s first time. A different energy came over him.

His bounciness lessened, and a calm, focused strength emerged. Sitting at the piano, he played a couple of notes and right away he wanted to share what he knew.

As he taught the correct finger positions to his counsellors, he shared that his brother introduced him to piano, which they played together. Oscar lost his older brother almost two years ago to cancer, and music is an activity that Oscar uses to express himself and keep connected to his late sibling.

While it was a moment of reflection for all his cabinmates and counsellors in the room, Oscar was purely happy—happy to be doing something his brother loved, continuing to learn new instruments, and feel connected through music.