At Cazadero Music Camp, students’ lives are transformed. Through immersive musical instruction, deeply personal experiences, and chances to connect with nature, Cazadero makes students into better musicians and better people. Cazadero Music Camp was founded in 1957 by former Berkeley High School Band teacher Bill Lutt, to get more students interested in music. The first-ever Cazadero summer camp had only around 60 students, but word got around quickly about the music retreat. By 1961, over 300 campers attended. Despite being founded nearly 70 years ago, no other Cazadero-like summer camp for disciplines such as engineering or art has been created by the City of Berkeley. Because of the real positive impact that Cazadero has on so many young aspiring musicians, Berkeley Unified School District should invest in creating similar summer camp retreats for other disciplines. Creating these new retreats will help nurture a passion within youth to pursue their interests.
Cazadero is one of the best opportunities for many Bay Area students interested in pursuing music as a hobby or profession. “It really just makes you a better musician overall. You don’t necessarily realize when you’re there, but when you come back to people that heard you before you went, they just hear the huge difference in how you play,” Vikram Bisarya, a BHS sophomore, said.
The outdoor experiences and close personal bonds made at Cazadero are also essential in what makes the camp so amazing. “I really enjoy going there, learning a lot, and meeting new people, because I share a deep passion for music with the people there. We sleep on outside decks. There’s this deck we have that we sleep on with a whole group of people and a counselor, and we get to fall asleep under the stars at night, it’s magical,” Bisarya said. These unforgettable memories should be shared with students pursuing various interests, not just music. “I think if you had a similar camp for other activities, people would get to experience real hands-on exponential growth in that field, and that would be a great thing for people to have. I want people to feel the joy I feel at Caz,” Bisarya said.
Unfortunately, a major concern in the building of camps like Cazadero is the cost. Not only would it cost enormous amounts of money to construct another camp, but amidst the recent seven-million-dollar budget cut by the BUSD School Board, the funding needed would be challenging to receive. However, nothing should get in the way of the intimate connections and invaluable learning that students gain from these camps. “Your network gets extended because of Cazadero. Nothing should prevent students from gaining what there is to have at Caz,” Bisarya said. BUSD could attempt to utilize money from extracurricular education grants to generate enough funds to start at least one other retreat like Cazadero.
One example might be an engineering retreat. It would be a similar experience in the woods but with engineering-related projects. With a blend of science, creativity, and raw materials, students could use their innovation to create products that benefit others. The fun elements of Cazadero would remain, but with a building oriented twist. Students would still sleep under the stars and hang out by the creek and pool, but there would be new complexes and structures for building things.
Cazadero Music Camp showcases how hands-on experiences can transform students’ lives. Berkeley must consider developing similar programs for fields like engineering, visual arts and dance. By prioritizing camps and retreats, we can ensure that more students have access to enriching opportunities in a broad range of disciplines.