Tag: Camp RicStar

RicStar Music Camp!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn day in the life, special needs child, special needs parenting15 Comments

Monday morning we headed to Lansing for Wyatt’s second year at the RicStar Music Therapy Camp. Last year Wyatt had mixed feelings about the experience, but there were some challenges thrown in our path last year as well. Wyatt was being weaned off of a medication that was making him a bit grumpier and more lethargic, he was away from his home, and with just me, since Billy had to stay home due to a kidney stone hospitalization. Then Wyatt was thrown into an experience he had never encountered before. It was a lot for him. He had a good time and made some really good gains from his time at camp last summer, but it was a struggle. I remember at the end of camp last year, Billy was free of the hospital and was able to make the final concert and when I saw him in the parking lot I just sobbed. It was relief and also exhaustion from a very emotional week for me, and for Wyatt. This year though, Billy was able to go, and Wyatt’s new medicine is a much better one for him (despite his occasional barf from nausea…)

When we walked in, Wyatt was met with smiles and warm welcoming greetings of “Hello Wyatt!” from the staff. We were whisked right into the ensemble room where Wyatt was assigned to green group, and just like that, music therapy camp was in full swing! I’m not going to lie, entry was rough for Wyatt. He cried the first two hours, threw up at lunch, but then rallied in the afternoon. He is the toughest kid, I swear. I think all of us were a little done in that first day (although I have to admit, the therapy dogs helped me through the day..) After the long drive, the early hour, Wyatt being so upset, the throwing up… we were ready to crash in our hotel room by the time camp ended that day and just veg out. And the heat! Did I mention Michigan is having a heat wave with excessive temps? We walked outside and were blasted by the flames of the sun, I am pretty sure. Lol. So we were more than ready to grab some food and just chill. Which we did.

Day two we were able to relax a bit and have a good breakfast before heading the short distance to camp. And day two was awesome. Wyatt had a blast. I cannot say this loud enough, because my momma heart was so happy. He was just so excited to be there, he was participating, he was having fun and exploring and playing and just was a part of the entire thing. Up until day two, I wasn’t sure if I had made the right choice in enrolling him again after such a rollercoaster of a time last year. I went for it anyway, since circumstances were different this year, and I am so glad that I did because this experience was so good for him, in so many ways. I saw such progress in Wyatt, how he has matured, in his interactions with other people, with being there and trying new things. He showed everyone there his personality which is huge and full of joy. I always say I call him my sunshine boy because he brings the sun wherever he goes, and this year he was full of that sun. He really liked the keyboard this year, and also surprisingly, the triangle. It was super cute that he liked the triangle, and I actually had to order one since he wanted to take the one home that he was playing.

I would like to say that we spent our last day exploring Lansing, but that was not the case. Our tired little family headed back to the hotel, where Wyatt and his dad went to the little hotel store and bought a bunch of goodies, including ice cream – Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food, which the three of us split while watching YouTube.

Day three was just as fun. Wyatt was so happy to be there. I loved that he was trying new things, unafraid, and just going for it. However, we did have to stop for a little disco nap. The entire time we were there the medicine nausea was bothering him again, right on schedule, around lunchtime. I don’t know if it was just because he was off schedule, off his routine, or what, but we would just work around it because that is what this camp does. It normalizes everything that makes our kids feel different and other in typical situations. Where in some settings Wyatt would maybe be stared at or questioned, here it was just part of another day. The camp provides everything you can think of you might need to accommodate every camper, and it just feels natural and makes me wish all situations and settings were like this. It felt freeing for me and for Billy, and if we felt that way, Wyatt must have felt it a hundred times over. It was just…acceptance. A perfect cocoon of acceptance.

The last day, Day 3, is also the big showcase where the campers all perform with their groups and parents and friends and family are invited to attend. This year Wyatt’s group was performing the Pink Panther Theme song, and Wyatt got to kick things off, with a solo on the triangle. He was adorable! Every kid did so well and you could see the pride and the joy on all of their faces.

This week was full of music. It was also full of ear to ear grins, laughter, joy, that good kind of tired, learning, exploration, and fun. We returned home exhausted (except Wyatt who took a loooonnggg nap in the car on the way home) but all ready to do it again next year. We can’t wait!

If you want to read about our adventures from last year, click here and here!

Camp RicStar – Part Two

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn special needs child, special needs parenting15 Comments

Yesterday I left off with the end of Day One at Camp – however, our day was hardly over and we (me really) still had far to go.

We left camp exhausted and ready to get to the house I had rented on VRBO and just relax. I had picked this house because it’s main selling point that they advertised was that it was CLEAN, and the yard looked fantastic – big and grass neatly mowed perfect for playing in, and bonus, was handicap accessible. However, when I arrived, I was instantly taken aback. It looked abandoned and sad and uncared for. I pulled into the driveway, left Wyatt in the locked car, and surveyed the yard, which was like overgrown field. I went up the uneven wheelchair ramp, and the door we were supposed to use was covered in some indeterminate substance and looked absolutely filthy. I just could not deal at this point in time because…. Billy had also called me and had been to urgent care and was probably heading to the hospital. I was literally at my emotional edge. I looked at my child in the car, decided I didn’t want to even go into the house at all, because either I left him alone in an unknown neighborhood in the car (and for some reason I kept thinking about Cujo), or went through the whole process of getting him and his wheelchair into the house to maybe just have to leave anyway. So I went back to car and immediately made hotel reservations. We ended up 2 minutes from the music hall, at the Towneplace Suites by Marriot. I am such a rental house person that it has been forever since I was in a hotel, and this one was like a godsend. It was sparkling clean in our room, spacious, quiet, and even had a kitchen. I think it is probably a business traveler hotel but Wyatt and I were there too, and it was perfect. Comfortable, safe, clean. I could not recommend that hotel more.

Later that night I did get a call from Billy – he was going to the ER. Hours and hours later, we finally learned what was going on with him. A kidney stone! I had been a ball of nerves because I was so far away, so his mom was checking in on him, which made me feel better. However, this also meant he would not be making it up to Lansing to meet us the next night as planned. As long as he was feeling better, we could all deal- well the adults at least. Wyatt really missed his dad which is understandable, and was just another part of Wyatt’s emotional state while we were there.

The morning of Day Two arrived and I felt like I had been through the wars already. But we packed up and headed out, although luckily we got to spend more time sitting around first, and I could have coffee.

Day Two was much like Day One. Wyatt had his good moments, and not as good feeling moments. But he was growing and stretching and that was good. We were both out of our comfort zones and it does you good sometimes to step outside those. I ended up leaving with Wyatt an hour early, he was just so fatigued I couldn’t bear to ask him to go much longer. I talked to the director, and we decided that Wyatt and I would arrive the next day in the afternoon, for rehearsal for the big performance and then the performance.

Wyatt and I spent some quality time playing and reading in the hotel, and then we both went to bed early. I was asleep by 9:15! The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast, got ready slowly, and after a fake nap from Wyatt which I had been hoping for a real one, we headed to the music hall.

Wyatt rocked rehearsal. Like nailed it. He did awesome and amazing. However, once Billy and his parents arrived, that was over. He was done. He didn’t want to participate in camp, and didn’t want to sing in the concert. He ended up going up for his group’s turn but halfway through the song, just sobbed. Yep, my kid was the crier in the concert. After his group was done, I walked straight outside and sobbed myself. It was a long three days, stressful at times, fun at times, highly emotional for us both. But we did it, we made it, and we grew from it, because Wyatt has been a nonstop chatter machine since we got home. Music stimulates all areas of the brain, and I can see how this intensive therapy really seemed to light a fire in him that I haven’t seen for a while. He is curious, mischievous, exploring, and is just using so many words!! I really do attribute this to our time at camp!

As for Billy, he is doing better. He is not back to normal yet and won’t be until that kidney stone is gone, but at least we know the issue and have a plan and things are feeling less painful for him.

And today, it is Friday, thank goodness. Pizza, movies, and then some relaxing family time this weekend as well.

I would definitely recommend this camp or music therapy to anyone thinking about either. Despite our struggles, it was a growing experience for Wyatt, that pushed him in good ways, and I feel that I have seen some very positive gains even from our short stint!

Camp RicStar!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn special needs child, special needs parenting18 Comments

I don’t even know where to start talking about this! Our last three days have been just so much, so full of everything – laughter, singing, dancing, learning, growing, challenges, and tears.

Let me start by telling you what it is. Jeanie from The Marmalade Gypsy told me a few years ago about this camp, and I knew as soon as she told me about it that it was something I wanted Wyatt to do. He has always loved music and singing and playing instruments but then Covid hit, and we all know what that did. It was created by Judy Winters, to honor her son Eric. Judy sounds like an amazing woman and mother, and I had the honor of meeting her yesterday very briefly before the performance.

From the website:

The Eric ‘RicStar’ Winter Music Therapy Camp was created to honor Eric Winter, a 12-year old CMS music therapy client with cerebral palsy who had a passion for music and a dream of starting a music therapy camp. Shortly after his passing in 2003, Eric’s parents, Dick and Judy Winter, along with Cindy Edgerton, CMS’ Director of Music Therapy Clinical Services, made the dream a reality and founded RicStar’s Camp. Eric’s parents continue to honor their son as advocates for individuals with special needs, with his mother, Judy Winter, leading the way as an author, speaker, and nationally recognized voice on special needs parenting issues.

Also: [This] is a one-of-a-kind, inclusive day camp that provides opportunities for musical expression, enjoyment, and interaction for all persons with special needs and their siblings.

This was the year, I decided. I signed Wyatt up, exchanged a few emails with the Camp Director Cindy, who is also the Director of the Music Therapy Department at MSU, where this camp is held, made plans, and made some reservations to stay in Lansing. And I just realized this post may get long and become a two parter!

I knew going into this that Wyatt would love it but that it would also be tough for him, but I thought, we are doing this anyway, and we will just play everything by ear and be flexible and follow Wyatt’s lead which is just what we did.

So. Monday morning Wyatt and I drove up to Lansing in the wee hours of the morning (7 am), directly to the MSU Community Performance Hall where camp is held every year. We got there, tired but excited, and slightly nervous if I must be honest. Or at least I was. Wyatt was fine. We got all checked in and waited for everyone to get there. Wyatt was green group, and it was a small group of kids ranging in age, with his age being maybe the oldest in that group (there were a few other kids around his age, and a few younger).

The days are divided into five sessions, with a half hour lunch. Each session focuses on something different, and this year they had sessions such as Play a Song, where the kids got to play instruments and sing, percussion, blues and beats, guitar jam, a parachute, music and movement session, and musical theater. I knew this was going to be a long day for Wyatt, and stretch him and challenge him, but we were going to give it our all, along with the support of the many understanding therapists and counselors and volunteers, all of whom were simply amazing.

I say this was going to be a challenge, because for Wyatt, this is like all of his therapies, occupational, physical, and speech all rolled into one in every session, for five hours. It was going to be fun for Wyatt, but also WORK. It was going to be hard, it was going to be tiring, but also in a playful fun way. Wyatt has a motor planning disorder, which means that for him the signal between his brain and his body sometimes gets confused or lost altogether, which can create frustration for him. And even when they connect, it is due to work on his part to make it all fit together. For example, in percussion one afternoon, the kids sat in a circle with a paddle drum (which has made our Wyatt wish list!) and sang The Ants Go Marching while passing drum mallets around. For every ant added (1 by 1, 2 by 2, etc) another mallet was added. So Wyatt had to watch for a mallet to be passed to him, hit his drum once, then pass it on, while singing and watching for another mallet. For Wyatt to do all of this processing at once and make his body respond the way it should was huge, and kiddo knocked it out of the park. All of our days were like this, with struggles and gains, but this one, this one was a huge win. We are going to do similar things here at home, because attending with Wyatt, I was able to learn as well, about music therapy, how much it affects the entire brain, his body, and learn as well different things I could do with him at home.

Wyatt ended up needing a nap at lunch time. He was just worn out. He took a little disco nap in the car with me, then we rejoined his group. He was still tired out but was able to participate.

We had musical theater the first day, where Wyatt volunteered to be Lord Farquaad, the villainous king. We also had guitar jam, which Wyatt never ever ended up liking. The only reason I can think of is that it was a) difficult and frustrating, and b) the music was sort of slow and bluesy, and slow saddish sounding music makes him cry, no matter where we are, even when they are in cartoons.

It was the one session everyday that Wyatt just didn’t even try much, and would just cry instead. It broke my heart so we usually ended up taking a break once the tears started. (if any special needs educators or therapists out there read this and have an idea about this, I would love to hear! It happened no matter what time of day)

In the afternoon we had Play a Song, which Wyatt LOVED! He sang his little heart out. In the application we had to list songs our children like and the very first song they did was one of Wyatt’s favorites, Howl by the Okee Dokee Brothers. Play a Song was a mix of these songs so sometimes they were songs we didn’t know, but that was ok, Wyatt enjoyed it anyway. Then they sang Let It Go from Frozen and Wyatt really let it go! He was singing with all his might, and doing the arm motions and was so loud (they decided my child did not need a microphone, he was loud enough without it). The therapist in charge was like, Wyatt you are the perfect embodiment of Elsa! Listening to him sing and just be so filled with joy brought on the first moment of happy mama tears, let me tell you.

From there we moved on to percussion and then more percussion with beats booms and blues. Wyatt really enjoyed playing the drums.

And that was the end of Day One!

I will post more tomorrow – I still have so much to share, and I want to share it all for anyone out there who is considering this camp or even music therapy!