Daily schedule

General Items:

A Backpack
All campers must wear comfortable clothing
Extra clothing and appropriate shoes for outdoor play
Water bottle (labeled with your child’s name)
Sunscreen and hat
Snacks and a lunch

Camp Specific:

• Guitar camp – Acoustic guitar (picks are optional but encouraged)
• Percussion camp – A pair of drumsticks and ear plugs
• Rock Band Camp – Guitar and bass (keyboard and drums provided)
• Ukulele camps – Ukulele (picks are optional but encouraged)
• Piano camp – Headphones

Note: These instruments and materials must be purchased or rented before the start of camp. Our bookstore is currently open online therefore purchases need to be made in advance.

Your child is in a caring and safe environment. We guarantee the safe supervision of your child by having a 1:8 ratio between staff to camper. Our high school volunteers are not included in our ratios and offer extra supervision. Campers will use a ‘buddy system’ for washroom breaks with a staff or volunteer. Campers are supervised at all times during camp hours.

Our camp staff are carefully selected based on their experience, skills, enthusiasm and ability to work with children. All camp staff participate in a mandatory, pre-camp training program covering topics such as leadership, motivation, teamwork, feedback, policies and procedures as well as specifics about camp programs and management expectations. 

All of our camp staff are certified in Standard First Aid and CPR C and have a clear Criminal and Vulnerable Sector Check. Our high school volunteers must complete an interview with the camp director and attend the mandatory pre-camp training.

All our camps will be eating their snacks and lunch outdoors this summer, weather permitting.

Our camps take an outdoor break mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Mini Music campers play in the grass area behind the school while the older children walk with the camp staff to Thorn Lodge Public School to play in their park. In the case of extreme hot weather, precautions will be taken to keep campers hydrated and in cool or air-conditions areas where possible. On rainy or smog alert days, we will minimize outdoor time as necessary.

Sign-in Procedures

Monday morning sign-in: All campers will be signed in in their camp homerooms. The room schedule will be posted at the front doors. Parents/guardians must accompany their child inside the building. 

For safety reasons all campers must be signed in and signed out by a parent/guardian or authorized pick-up person only. The parent/guardian may provide written consent for their child to sign themselves in and out. Please note that the parent/guardian or authorized pick-up person will be asked for ID upon pick up each day.

Late Arrivals

It is important that campers arrive each day by their designated times as programming begins right away. Should you arrive later than your designated start time, you must report to the front desk.

Early Departures

Should you need to pick up your child early please inform your child’s camp leader during morning drop-off.  Otherwise, you can contact the front desk at 905-829-2020 after 10:00am daily and they can inform the camp leader on your behalf.

Sign-out Procedures 

All campers must be signed out from their camp homeroom by their parent/guardian/authorized pick-up person. Please be on time as late fees will be enforced. As always, photo ID must be presented by those authorized to pick up campers each day.

All camps culminate in a final performance every Friday afternoon between 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Your child’s specific camp performance time will be indicated in your confirmation email. 

All camp performances this year will be live streamed via YouTube. You will receive the live stream link in the camp reminder email. Limited capacity seating will be available in Studio A. 

Purchase a professional quality video of your child’s camp performance for an additional fee of $50.00.  Merriam School of Music students will have their camp performances included in the following year’s video log (must be an active student at the time of distribution).

If your child is going to be absent, please inform us by emailing the camp director at summer@merriammusic.com or by calling the school at 905-829-2020. No refunds will be given for days when a camper is absent and missed days cannot be made up. For last minute absences from the camp due to medical reasons before the camp starts may be considered with a doctor’s note.  Once the camp starts there are no refunds. 

A refund for the days missed will be considered for any campers with proof of a COVID test with the date indicated.

A full refund will be granted before May 31st, 2024 with no penalty. Starting June 1st, 2024 a percentage of your registration fee will be refunded if you wish to withdraw from camp: 

• Over 4 weeks’ notice before camp start – 75% refund
• Over 3 weeks’ notice before camp start – 50% refund 
• Over 2 weeks’ notice before camp start – 25% refund

For last-minute absences from the camp due to medical reasons before the camp starts can be considered with a doctor’s note.  Once the camp starts there are no refunds.

A refund for the days missed will be considered for any campers with proof of a COVID test with the date indicated. 

All withdrawal and refund requests must be received in writing.

Merriam Music reserves the right to un-register a camper if he or she is deemed to be incompatible with the program. Please see the ‘Discipline’ section for further details. 

Merriam Music reserves the right to cancel or combine individual camps if minimum registration is not achieved. A full refund will be issued in the event of a cancellation due to low enrollment.

To make any changes with your original registration, please email us at summer@merriammusic.com and inform us of the changes you require. All changes are subject to availability. If you wish to add additional weeks to your registration, please go to members.merriammusic.com to register for the additional camp(s).

If your child requires any prescription medications (including Asthma Inhalers) or carries an Epi-Pen, please fill out the Medical Information section on the registration form. All prescription medications must be presented to the camp staff at morning sign in. Prescription medications must be in the original pharmacy bottle, labelled with the patient’s name and the physicians ordered dose on the bottle (e.g. pills in Ziploc bags are not accepted). Non prescription/over-the-counter medication, including vitamins and herbal supplements, will not be permitted.

Asthma Inhalers and Epi-Pens will be carried by your child. If you wish to discuss your child’s medications or medical conditions in advance, please contact the Summer Camp Coordinator. Camp staff are not permitted to administer any medication except for Epi-Pen and/or inhalers with permission from the parent.

Merriam Music Inc. reserves the right to decide whether the camper should continue in the program or not when he/she is under any medical condition or special care needs. The decision will be made based on the available staff resources. You will be notified for any further arrangement.

If your child is injured, you will be contacted following notification of the appropriate emergency personnel. Camp staff will administer first aid and complete an incident report. In the event that neither the parents nor the emergency contact can be reached, the camp staff and supervisors will make decisions regarding further medical care, including admission to the hospital and necessary treatment. A waiver form was included in your confirmation email to allow the Camp Director or Camp Staff to authorize all procedures (including admission to the hospital and necessary treatment) in the event of an emergency. All of our camp staff are CPR and First Aid trained.

If your child should become ill while at camp, you will be notified.  We will ask you to pick up your child if they show one or more symptoms compatible with COVD-19 (e.g. fever, cough, difficulty breathing, etc.). For the well-being of everyone, we ask that campers stay home if they are not well.

At Merriam Music, we are very concerned about food and other allergies that affect our campers and staff, particularly where exposure to certain foods can be life threatening. Please inform the camp staff of your child’s allergies and/or dietary restrictions upon registration.

Please note that the school has a ‘NO NUTS’ policy in effect.

Please remember to pack lunches and snacks that will not spoil and a refillable water bottle as campers will be outdoors and active throughout the day. Please remind your child that they are not to share any food with other campers. Adult supervision is provided for all campers over the lunch period and during breaks.

During the 2nd half of their lunch break the campers have the opportunity to enjoy a movie on our large screen in Studio A. It’s just like being in the theatre! 

Pizza Lunch (March Break and Summer Camps)

This option is available everyday from Monday to Friday. Campers will receive 2 slices of either cheese or pepperoni pizza for $5.50/day

Subway Lunch (Summer camps only)

A healthy Subway sandwich lunch is available on Tuesdays and Thursday ONLY. Options: 6 inch sub = $7.50, 12 inch sub = $10.50

*Gluten-free options available. All lunch options must be pre-paid upon registration.

REMINDER: Our camp is NUT-FREE 

We have campers and staff members with nut allergies so please do not pack nut products. If nut products are brought they will be discarded immediately.

Campers are asked to leave all valuables at home as Merriam Music will not be responsible for any lost or stolen items while at camp . Please label all clothing and belongings. Any items unclaimed by the end of the summer will be donated to charity.

Campers MUST leave the following items at home for safekeeping: Video games/electronics, money, toys from home, and anything you value and do not want others to use or get lost.

For the safety of all our campers, the camp offers a low camper to staff ratio. All camp staff and camp high school volunteers are required to wear their camp ID badges for easy identification. All of our camp staff are trained in First Aid and CPR C. All camp rooms are locked when not in use.

Behaviour Guidelines
It is the goal of Merriam Music to provide a healthy, safe, secure and respectful environment for all campers and staff. All campers are expected to follow the behaviour guidelines and interact appropriately in a group setting. Please review the following Behaviour Guidelines and Program Rules with your child(ren). Your co-operation is greatly appreciated and will help provide a safe, fun, and respectful environment for all campers and staff.

Camp Behaviour Guidelines and Program Rules

●  Campers are expected to participate in all camp activities, follow the directions of the camp staff and stay with their camp group at all times.

●  Campers must be respectful, honest and considerate of other campers, staff, volunteers and guests.

●  Campers must be respectful of Merriam School of Music property, property of other campers, staff or guests.If a child does not follow the behaviour guidelines, the camp staff will take the following steps:

1. 1st occurrence – Staff will redirect the child to more appropriate behaviour.
2. 2nd occurrence – The child will be sent to see the Camp Coordinator or School Manager to be reminded of the behaviour rules and parents will be notified by way of an incident report or phone call.
3. 3rd occurrence – Parent will be contacted immediately by the Camp Supervisor and asked to pick up their child.Merriam Music Camps reserve the right to ask a parent to pick their child up early, temporarily suspend the child from the camp program or expulsion from the program in extreme cases with no refund.

The following are zero tolerance behaviour and will result in the immediate suspension from the camp program with no refund:

➔  Using profanity, vulgarity, obscenity or acting in a lewd manner.

➔  Use of alcohol or drugs.

➔  Verbal or physical abuse of other participants or staff.

➔  Stealing or damaging Merriam Music property or personal property of other campers or staff.

Electronic Mail

If you have any questions or concerns and would like to email the camp coordinator, feel free to do so at:  summer@merriammusic.com

Contacting Your Child During Camp

If you have an emergency and need to contact your child during the camp, call the number below and follow the menu prompts.

(905) 829-2020