Snow Pond Symphony 2016 Season

Coming Full Circle
Joel Simon
As a kid, I never
wanted to go to a
summer camp where
the focus was to learn
how to make lanyard
and tile ashtrays. I also
didn’t want to go to a
camp that my school
friends attended. I
wanted to be part of
something more. I
wanted diversity. I
wanted to spend those all-important summers immersing
myself in something different, larger than myself, in a
place that would satisfy, and further my passion for my
love of music. I wanted to surround myself with people
who sought the same things for themselves.
Summer camps are a huge opportunity to be the
self you truly want to be without any baggage, history,
preconceptions or pressures. A release. An escape. A
complete departure from the environment you are
accustomed to.
NEMC was that place for me. The many summers I
spent there not only changed my life, but also proved to
be the most profound and meaningful times of my youth.
Those summers helped craft the person I am today, and
afforded me the life that I live today with my wife and two
daughters.
One of my most recurring memories is walking down
the path to my cabin through the woods. All I heard was
music coming from 360 degrees around me. Violins,
pianos, woodwinds, voice, brass, percussion, all were
colors that painted a magnificent sonic landscape. That
music was seamlessly orchestrated with the sounds of
nature, laughter and joy.
I remember the recitals, the Saturday concerts and, of
course, the Sunday concerts at the Bowl. The campfires,
sports, POPS Concerts, putting the tire over the flagpole
in the middle of the night, raiding the girls dorms, shortsheeting
our friends beds, putting the canoe oars on
top of Alumni Hall spelling inappropriate things, all the
banquets, making out with my “girlfriends” at the “Y”...a
lot. I could go on and on. Even as I write this, I well up
with tears remembering all the amazing experiences that
took place for me there.
It was perfection. Perfection situated on a magnificent
6
campus on Lake Messalonskee. Heaven.
Many of the friends I made during those summers
of the early 80’s, I still have in my life today. Physical
distances between us have diminished due to technology
and social media, however, the love and admiration
we still share for each other is incredibly present and
brilliantly palpable.
One of the things that I find astounding, but
certainly not surprising, is that most all of the campers
I met at NEMC have all gone on to do great and
meaningful things. Professional musicians, doctors, award
winning screenwriters, directors, editors and actors,
teachers, CEO’s, CMO’s, global advertising executives,
entrepreneurs,
and of course,
the accidental,
attorney, by
default…
I always wanted
to be in the music
business but was
practical, realistic
and honest about
the odds of making
it a livelihood
to support the
lifestyle I wanted
for myself, and for
my eventual family.
Joel Simon at Reid State park when he was a
camper at NEMC.
I always had bands, and performed throughout high school
and college, but thought it would always remain a beloved
hobby and side gig.
After attending Cornell University with aspirations
of having a career in business and law, someone in the
music industry heard one of my demo tapes of my work
and gave me a shot. I never looked back. I also ended up
hiring that person to work for me many years later.
I founded JSM Music, which is a global commercial
music production leader for the world’s most influential
and compelling brands for over 25 years. Constantly
evolving and always choosing to take the roads less
traveled, JSM remains ahead of the curve by exclusively
securing the finest global creative musical talent, while
always nurturing and expanding its unique original vibe,
philosophy and creative vision. Located in our beautiful
10,000 Sq. Ft Noho Penthouse studios in downtown