Unlike his students in Princeton and West Windsor, the young string players who studied with Paul Manulik at the CEMUCHCA (Circle of Christian Musicians of Cap-Haitian) Music Camp in Haiti this summer didn’t have video games or other devices to distract them. That made the two weeks that Mr. Manulik and his wife Lindsay Diehl spent volunteering at the camp all the more meaningful.

Mr. Manulik and Ms. Diehl are the directors of the Princeton String Academy, which they founded in 2008. Recently, they were looking for a music-related summer teaching experience in the Caribbean, a region that Ms. Diehl, who grew up in Trinidad, knows well.

“On the internet, we found this place in the colonial city of Cap Haitian that looked really interesting to me at first because of the art from there,” said Ms. Diehl, who majored in art history in college. “And Paul knew someone who ran a school in Haiti. The connections were made and we got to go. It turned out to be a wonderful experience. The kids were so enthusiastic.”

The CEMUCHCA camp is held each summer on the grounds of Saint Barthelemy School, a primary and secondary academy run by an Episcopal priest. Mr. Manulik taught youngsters and adult teachers the Suzuki Method, which applies the basic principles of language acquisition to the learning of music. Ms. Diehl, who speaks French and Creole, acted as a much-needed translator while also teaching beginning piano
and English.

Learning was a communal effort, with private lessons and practices for orchestra sections being held in close proximity. That made concentrating more of a challenge, but the students’ focus and drive impressed their teachers.

The school is near a town with dirt roads and a central water pump rather than running water. Despite the poverty, a communal spirit is constantly in play. “These kids don’t have a lot of opportunities to learn great skills in playing the violin, but they were so enthusiastic and ambitious,” Mr. Manulik enthused. “And they learn quickly. If there was any slack time, they would come up and ask me for help. They were so eager to learn. They just want to be successful at what they do.”

Other teachers at the camp came from different regions of the United States as well as Denmark, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. Some 200 students attend from all over Haiti three weeks each summer. CEMUCHCA offers music instruction year-round.

“They have very little opportunity for extra-curricular activities other than soccer,” said Ms. Diehl. Her husband added, “What is different about them is that they love just being in a group. And that is a big motivating factor.”

The couple hopes to return to the school in the future and have encouraged colleagues to go. “There is very little government support there,” said Ms. Diehl. “People are really on their own. They need help but they are so willing to help themselves.”

Mr. Manulik said, “They almost do not have a government. It’s a very eye-opening situation. But everyone we worked with was delightful. They are very light-hearted, fun-loving, and chatty. Despite the odds and the struggles, they want to do well.”