Tucked away in the southern end of St. Mary’s County is a gathering of young budding artists, theater performers and musicians who have spent the past two weeks honing their skills at Camp Eugene W. Brown.

These are not your everyday summer camp-attending youths. They are talented, some would say even gifted, children across all age groups that are being tutored and mentored by some of the finest artists, musicians and theater mavens in the greater Washington, DC area.

The Teen Arts Performing Camp is in its second year and is hosted by the Camp Brown Boys and Girls Club facilities in Scotland.

Tony M. Small is an award-winning composer/playwright and songwriter who loves to teach children to enjoy and excel in the arts.

“We’re still in a pilot program. It really takes three years to launch a successful program such as this,” said Tony Small, Regional Artists Director of the Greater Washington Area Boys and Girls Clubs.

Small, standing before an assembly of camp goers is all smiles as he hears the progress the children have made on the two weeks of the program.

“When they get here, most can’t harmonize or have never sang, acted or performed,” said Small. “But by the time they have sat through and participated in the intense workshops given by some of the most talented musicians around, they are doing great.”

The camp takes advantage of interns and graduates from Julliard, Peabody and Duke Ellington to help mentor and teach the children attending the camp. “We offer them a small stipend, but we could not afford these great teachers and mentors if they weren’t here for the children,” said Small.

The TAP program concludes this Friday, June 26 when the budding performers give two performances in The Arc performing arts center located at 1901 Mississippi Ave in Southeast Washington, DC at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The TAP Camp is affordable as summer camps go. The tuition for the two weeks is only $300 and for students that need financial help, assistance is available.

For those interested in attending next year’s TAP Camp, applications for next year will be available online: www.bcgw.org/club/Camp and press Camp Ernest W. Brown. The next step is to confirm the slot by emailing name, contact numbers (home and cell), age and discipline (dance, theatre, voice, rap, stage set design, graphic arts) to: Tsmall@bgcgw.org (Tony Small, Regional Artistic Director). Those wanting additional information may contact Wendy Heidrich at the Arts Office at: (240) 450-3252.