Learning to Play. Learning to Listen.
Inside the Camp Warren music program where campers jam, write songs, and perform together.
As featured in Letters from Camp Magazine – Spring 2026.
Music at camp does more than fill the air with sound — it weaves connection, confidence, and creativity into daily life. Whether it’s a shy camper finding their voice in a group song or a cabin learning to listen and play together, music creates a shared language that brings kids closer. In the low-pressure, joyful environment of camp, children are free to experiment, make mistakes, and discover new strengths, all while building empathy and teamwork. The songs and rhythms learned at camp often become lifelong touchstones, carrying the feeling of belonging long after summer ends.
Camp songs, strumming a guitar around a campfire, performing at a talent show — music is everywhere at camp, but at YMCA Camp Warren, it extends deeper in its reach and impact.
Louis McGraw, program director since 2022, described the program:
Music is an activity that campers can sign up for during their session. Camp has a variety of instruments, and campers also bring their own. Music is a little different at each session, depending on how many campers sign up, their skill levels, and what the group is interested in. Sometimes all the kids in the activity work together on one performance, while at other times they break into smaller groups. At the end of the session, they perform at the music and drama night.
“The counselor’s role in this activity is to be encouraging and patient,” he shared. “They find ways to connect the group, make the kids feel comfortable, and then listen to what they want to create. The goal isn’t to learn an entirely new instrument; it’s a chance to work together, build independence and confidence, and help kids break out of their shell.”
He fondly remembered one performance during a girls' session, recalling how “everyone was into it; they were playing electric guitar and drums, and the whole crowd was just going wild! It was so fun to watch.”
The beginning of the program
The music program got its start in 2009 when counselor Khaled Allen approached then-director Meghan Cosgrove (executive director 2005-14) and suggested they start one. “I learned to play guitar because of Warren. The counselors were so musical, and there was drama, and a talent show. Music was a huge part of camp; it felt like this should already exist. I don’t think I was the most qualified person to start the program, but I got the ball rolling.”
Andy Crabb, who had been Khaled’s first counselor when he was an eight-year-old camper, heard about the program and donated several guitars, amps, and other equipment.
In 2010, Jon Mitchell took over. He built on what Khaled had started, finding ways to get everyone working together to prepare a song to perform. Some kids had never touched an instrument, and others had a lot of talent. “I remember this one camper, Griffin, he was a virtuoso! He would bring his own guitar, and he could play better than I could!” It was a challenge to integrate all the different skill levels, but he remembers after one of the first performances, hearing someone say, “Holy cow! How did you do that in a week?” — a great sign that things were going well with the program.
Inspired at camp
Griffin Konkler’s first summer at camp was in 2005, when he was eight years old. He said he “wasn’t super interested in music, but camp gives you the chance to figure things out.” The year after his first summer, he started playing guitar, and in 2006, he brought it to camp. “There wasn’t a music program at that time, but Jon Mitchell and other staff would play on the deck, between meals, and at free time. Their encouragement led me on a trajectory to practice and learn more.”
Griffin was 13 when the music program began. He remembers that year, sharing, “We had a week to write our own song to perform at the talent show. It was like a ‘man discovers fire’ moment for me — I’m writing my own music with my friends! We practiced so hard, and when we hit the stage, everyone went crazy. Afterwards, people I didn’t know came up to me to tell me it was cool. It was cool to work hard and feel like we really succeeded.”
Griffin continued at Warren as a camper and counselor-in-training (CIT), and went on to be a counselor from 2014-1818. While on staff, he led the music program, observing, “It was cool to empower kids to do rock star stuff.”
In high school, Griffin was part of different bands, and in 2021, he formed Evernorth, a band he still plays with today. They have toured in 48 states.
At one show, he saw one of the campers he had worked with. “This was a kid who really wanted to learn the guitar. He really struggled at first, but you could tell he wanted to succeed. By the end of the 12-day session, he had made so much progress and learned faster than I ever did.” When he saw me at my show, he told me, “I haven’t stopped playing since I started at camp.”
For Griffin, “one of the coolest things about Warren is how camp is willing to change and adapt itself to what the campers and staff need. It has tradition, but it isn’t rigid. Camp listens to what people want.”
At Warren, kids don’t just learn music. They learn how to listen, how to work together, and how good it feels to make something beautiful with friends.
Songs of Summer: Alumni Voices Raise Money for Camp Warren
In 2014, Reid Petit (Warren camper, staff and volunteer) was serving on the Camp Warren community advisory board. The community relations committee was tasked with finding creative ways to engage with the community and raise money for scholarships.
He shared, “Warren has always had a lot of talented musicians, so we thought we could produce an album to highlight them, engage with the community, and also raise money for camp.” Joe Cline, Claire Huber, and Reid recruited a group of 15 former staff and campers to collaborate.
“House of the Rising Son,” “Country Roads,” “Camp Warren Trail,” and “Last Day Songs” are all classic Warren songs that have been sung by staff and campers for years, so “we wanted a good sampling of those,” added Reid. “We picked a few other tunes that we enjoyed a lot. We opened the album with “General Sherman,” which was written by Joe Cline.”
Kevin Dorsey also had a home recording studio, and Reid had attended recording and engineering school for two years (plus he had some recording equipment), so they were able to record the songs. Amy Gensme (nee Pelant) did the album artwork.
Once the album was complete, word of mouth, Facebook posts, and the Camp Warren newsletter directed people to the website where they could download the album. They raised $1,400 for Camp Warren through the album initiative.
Reflecting on the music program, Reid stated, “Music is the universal language. It isn’t a competition. It’s collaborative. Warren has a long tradition of learning songs from the staff members you grow up looking up to. For counselors to be able to bring their own ideas for programming that end up being something as big as the camp music program is a testament to how Warren runs and kind of place it is.”