Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum / CFJC Today

By Curtis Goodrum

KISSM

Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music prepares to ‘break a leg’ July 23 and 24

Jul 18, 2025 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS – The Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music (KISSM) is just over halfway through its summer camp. The program has been running since 1978, making this the 47th year of the music camp.

Last year, the Kamloops United Church interior was all heavily damaged due to a fire and included in that August fire were many of the instruments and materials belonging to KISSM.

“We lost quite a lot of expensive items that need to be replaced and we have started a fundraising campaign,” said Jaymi Daniels, the music director at KISSM. “We are slowly replacing those pieces as we can but there’s still so much more to buy.”

The show must go on, as they say, and this year KISSM has two shows and multiple band performances that will take place at the Sagebrush Theatre.

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“This year we have Legally Blonde the Musical and Disney’s Dare to Dream. So, two levels of musicals. Very exciting. That’s happening next week. One on Wednesday, one on Thursday. All of our tickets can be bought at the live box office,” Daniels added.

“Legally Blonde is a super high-energy musical. It’s crazy, go, go, go all the time. There are many big dance numbers,” said Esme Morris, an ensemble member.

With only three weeks to memorize choreography, musical numbers, and their lines, students have to be creative.

“If you don’t say your line properly, you won’t lead into the song because it’s lines and then song and then lines and then song,” said June Herbert, a cast member in Dare to Dream the Musical.

“Definitely with like, shows that are a lot shorter, it’s a lot harder to memorize, usually in the process of a show, you don’t have to do so much outside work with this, you have to put in a lot of extra effort to make sure you have everything memorized,” said Seren Williams who plays Warner in Legally Blonde the Musical.

It’s pretty difficult because there are many numbers. I mean, we’re not in many of them, but it’s hard to learn most of the choreography because it’s like if you are in one, it’s like you’ve got a lot of choreography and you need to memorize it,” Alexandria Hapkelively, a cast member in Dare to Dream The Musical.

For many students who come back, it isn’t just about the band or musical theatre, but for the friends they make throughout.

“I feel like I can be myself, like, really be goofy and out there and weird and stuff, and no one cares. Like everyone’s weird here,” said Morris.

“KISSM rocks. I’ve made so many amazing friends here, and it’s so cool that you get to, like, have these three weeks of summertime to not just, like, sit at home. You, like, do stuff,” said Williams.

Information for donating to KISSM or looking into their summer camps can be found on their website.