Today, I recorded with young singers age 6-14, the songs and some of the dialogue to LOST! and LOOK BEFORE YOU EAT. This was the last thing on the agenda of our three-week musical theater summer camp, and we had our performances the night before. Recording with such a gaggle of kids of requires some patience, frequent breaks, and the reward of ice cream cake, but by far the most interesting part of the session was watching the kids listen to the recordings of themselves singing.

For the elementary-school-age kids, the first reaction while listening was a twittering of laughter and restless movement. Some sang along quietly or mouthed the words. But as playback continued, these reactions amplified -- those singing along sang louder, and those moving around did the full choreography for the number. Later in the day, the middle school-age kids had the same reaction -- though without the initial laughter -- of singing and dancing along to their own recorded voices.

I had two main reasons for wanting to make these recordings. First, I'm a pack-ratty archivist about my work, and I wanted a record of these shows in their first instance. Second, I knew the kids would enjoy some sort of second performance of the songs -- working so intensely for three weeks, it's hard to let go after just a single performance.

But I underestimated the experience for the kids. For them, making the recording goes beyond the desire for posterity, and beyond feelings of post-camp post-partem. Watching them listen to the playback, I saw that it's a chance to relive, with their entire bodies, the experience of the show. Since they all seemed to have a good time, I hope that experience stays with them for quite a while.