Summer may be winding down, but here at Charlotte Academy of the Arts we’re still glowing from the creativity, laughter, and growth we watched happen week after week. Our camps brought together kids of all ages for one purpose: to explore the arts in a way that builds real confidence and real friendships. Looking back, this was one of our best summers yet.
Our themed camps gave kids and teens the chance to dive into worlds they already loved and discover new ones along the way. This year’s lineup included favorites like American Girl Camp, High School Musical, Bluey, and Pokémon Art, along with the magical Wicked Wiz of Oz Creative Arts Camp. Each week had its own personality, its own props and costumes, and its own kind of magic, but they all shared the same goal: helping kids express themselves through visual art, music, drama, and movement.
Whether campers were sketching, painting, singing, or building a scene from scratch, the emphasis was always on creativity first. Camp is a device free zone, so instead of screens, kids had paintbrushes, instruments, scripts, and each other. That unplugged environment gave campers space to actually play and imagine, which is where the best creative breakthroughs happen.
Our musical theatre and music camps gave kids a chance to sing, act, and dance their way through the summer. The highlight of the season was our full musical theatre production of The Little Mermaid JR, where in just 5 days campers learned choreography, songs, and blocking, and grew into their characters one rehearsal at a time.
There’s something special about watching a student who was shy on day one perform on stage, under the lights, for a live audience on day five. That transformation doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because our teaching artists create a space where kids feel safe to tackle something incredible, like staging an entire show in such a short period of time. By the time the curtain rises, kids aren’t just performing a show, they’re proud of something they built together.
Every single camp, no matter the theme, ended with a showcase where campers got to shine in front of friends and family. These moments matter. For a lot of kids, standing on stage or presenting their artwork is the first time they’ve felt truly seen for something they created themselves. Parents tell us again and again how meaningful it is to watch their child’s pride in that moment.
One CAA parent put it perfectly, sharing that the end of camp performance is always so well done and gives kids a real joy of accomplishment. That mix of hard work and celebration is exactly what we aim for every single week.
None of this happens without our incredible teaching artists. Passionate, experienced, and genuinely invested in every camper, our teachers know how to bring out the best in kids, whether that means helping a camper bring a character to life or trying their first song on a musical instrument. The guidance of our teachers, paired with a culture of kindness and encouragement, is what makes CAA camps feel like more than just an activity. They feel like a community.
“Our musical theatre directors poured their entire heart and energy into every show, their vision carried all the way down from the rehearsal space to the details in the costumes and wigs, lighting and sound,” said Regina Ziliani, owner of Charlotte Academy of the Arts. “And some of our summer camp teachers grew up right here at CAA, from students, to camp counselors, to now helping teach the very camps that shaped them.”
Ask any camper what their favorite part of the week was, and alongside the costumes and paintings, you’ll almost always hear about the friends they made. With campers coming in from Matthews, Mint Hill, Indian Trail, Weddington, Harrisburg, and beyond, camp becomes a place where kids meet friends they might never have crossed paths with otherwise. Kids find themselves side by side painting a prop, learning a dance combination, or singing in harmony together. Many of our campers return each summer to spend time with friends they’ve made at camp the previous year.
Families have shared how much they value having siblings and friends grow up together in our camps. Many of our teens at Charlotte Academy of the Arts started in summer camp together, then came private lessons and musical theatre productions. We love seeing those lasting bonds develop!
As we wrap up another unforgettable summer, we’re already looking forward to next year’s camps and themes. If this summer’s stories have you dreaming about what your camper could create, learn, and discover next year, we’d love to have them join us. The arts are a year round thing for us! At CAA every family member can find classes, workshops, and more in Music, Theatre, and Dance.
Thank you to every camper, parent, and teacher who made this summer at Charlotte Academy of the Arts one to remember. Here’s to the friendships made, the confidence built, and the creativity that’s only just getting started.