No Need to ‘Shake it Off’

Parish Episcopal, Greenhill host camps for creative young Swifties

Young Dallas Swifties didn’t face a cruel summer thanks to local camp programs with a new focus: Taylor Swift. 

From koi fish guitars to sing-along sessions, children had their pick of activities to celebrate their love for the singer. 

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has boosted her fame so much that campuses such as Parish Episcopal School and the Greenhill School have caught on to her big reputation. 

Parish art teacher Melanie Brannan “wasn’t even a Taylor fan until the kids started singing her songs,” but hosted a Swifties Only! Art Camp this summer after becoming one due to her students. 

The camp for third through seventh graders was a best-seller at the school, selling out almost immediately. 

Campers worked on five projects throughout the week, while listening to Swift’s music and watching her Era’s Tour documentary, naturally. All the projects were Swift-themed, such as a mini koi fish ukelele based on the artist’s own guitar. Campers also painted silhouettes of the artist, Taylor Swift portraits, and, of course, made friendship bracelets like those you would trade at her concerts.

Brannan said it was “one of the best camps (she’s) ever taught,” even with it being the first year of the camp. 

Another inaugural Taylor Swift camp, Taylor Swift Rocks, was hosted by Greenhill. This camp, although not art-centered, was just as Swift-focused. 

The camp was structured so that every day was a new group of eras. Campers could come dressed accordingly, make crafts according to the era, and watch the era’s concert movie to truly immerse themselves. 

Throughout the week, the campers choreographed a dance to perform at the end of the week. Camp leader, Shayna Durrin said, “The kids got really into it.” 

One of their favorite crafts from the week was a T-shirt with one of Swift’s sayings on it — such as she wears during the Red Era of her concert. Durrin said that she’s “personally not that crafty” so “the kids were loving it, but I was panicked.” 

Many campers wore their shirts or other Taylor-themed outfits throughout the week, especially on the final day when they performed their choreographed dance. Durrin said campers went all out with costumes and took the choreography very seriously.

Similar to Brannan, Durrin agreed that she “could see (herself) teaching the camp again,” because of how much fun and how successful it’s been in its first year. 

Although these camps are new, the hype surrounding them shows they’ve been a long time coming. 

And most importantly, with the amount of excitement and activities in the camps, I’m sure this Taylor Swift summer has been one the campers will remember all too well.