Summer Music Camps

Summer Music Programs

Girl playing violin
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The warmth of summer is upon us and parents are thinking of ways to keep their young ones, or even high schoolers, occupied. What better way to spend the summer than going to music camps or attending music programs? Not only will it be fun, but it will also be educational as well. Here are several summer music camps, as well as some adult summer programs, that may be of interest.

  • Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music - Their annual Summer Chamber Music Workshop held in southern New Hampshire offers musicians of all ages and skill levels the opportunity to study and perform chamber music under the guidance of renowned faculty and supportive peers. Over the course of each ten-day session, students receive personalized coaching, perform in chamber groups, and participate in community activities. Unique to the workshop is the Playing for the Peace initiative, a program that brings international musicians to Apple Hill.
  • Assai! Performance Institute - Offers a two-week solo performance camp for advanced string students in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Assai! presents students with the opportunity for intensive solo study, inter-disciplinary classes to become complete communicators and lots of performance.
  • Benefic Chamber Music Camp at Ball State University - A week-long chamber music camp for string and wind students ages 15 to 20. Activities include daily chamber music coaching, private lessons focused on mastering assigned chamber music repertoire, Guest Artist Masterclasses, Faculty Concerts, and Students Chamber Music Performances. Camp takes place at the Music Instruction Building that features the state-of-the-art Sursa Performance Hall.
  • Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp - Located in Michigan, USA, this is a music camp which offers art, dance, and theater programs. Call them for inquiries or for a free catalog.
  • Camp Ballibay for the Fine and Performing Arts - Located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Camp Ballibay offers a variety of programs for children ages 6 through 16. Programs include theater, visual arts, music, dance, and more.
  • Camp Encore/Coda - Located in Southwestern Maine, this camp offers various programs and activities to campers finishing grades 3 to 6, as well as campers finishing grades 7 to 11. Classical, jazz, pop, rock & roll, and American Theater music are included in their music program.
  • chamberSTRINGS Summer Music Workshop - Open to string students ages 8 to 18 of all levels of playing ability. Applicants are required to submit an audition recording for appropriate placement.
  • Comox Valley Youth Music Centre - Offers instruction in classical, jazz, voice and musical theater. Programs run two to four weeks in the month of July; students range in age from 7 to 22.
  • Corciano String Quartet Retreat - This June music program will be an opportunity for chamber ensembles of any level to deepen their playing with a week of one on one coaching with London's esteemed Fitzwilliam String Quartet. It is organized jointly by the Fitzwilliam Quartet, Filippo Protani Liutaio, and the Comune of Corciano.
  • Corfu Rock School - A three-week summer Music and Adventure Camp for kids ages 12 to 17 years old. Participants will travel to Arillas on the Island of Corfu, Greece for a musical and cultural adventure.
  • Cornish College of the Arts - Offers various one-week and two-week summer programs such as music, dance, and theater. The summer chamber music program is open to students ages 12 to 18. The jazz program is for ages 12 and older. For ages 14 and up, they also have programs for songwriting, voice, producing music, and working in a band that performs on stage and records in a studio.
  • Credo Chamber Music - Offers two summer programs and mission trips. The three-week festival takes place at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and in Chicago, IL is open to advanced string and piano students age 13-23. The one-week program for flute players ages 14 and older takes place in Elmhurst, IL. All programs are taught by a highly-acclaimed faculty.
  • Flathead Lake Music Camp - Offers a high school band camp and choir camp for middle school, junior high, and high school students. Scholarships are also available.
  • Illinois Chamber Music Festival and Summer Music Program (SMP) - Comprises two chamber music camps for around 100 students at the junior high and high-school level. This year, the Chamber Music Festival and Camp will be in July and Cello Camp will be part of the integrated program.
  • InterHarmony International Music Festival - The festival will be held in Birklehof, Germany; and Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany and is primarily for strings and piano students. Participants are given the opportunity to spend up to four weeks in Europe studying with an internationally renowned faculty.
  • Interprovincial Music Camps - Some of the best music camps in Ontario, Canada, They offer several summer music programs in various genres such as instrumental, rock and theater.
  • Interlochen Center for the Arts - Located in northern Michigan, this camp offers a variety of programs to students in grades 3 to 12.
  • Jazz Vermont - This is a band camp for adult musicians playing at an intermediate level.
  • Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music - Offers different music programs in British Columbia, Canada. Among others, they have the Micro Music Makers which is for 5 to 6-year-olds, the Mini Music Makers for 7 to 9-year-olds and Music Makers 2 for 10 and 11-year-olds.
  • Music Camp At Frenchwoods - They offer a variety of music programs to kids 7 to 17 years old, from one-on-one lessons in voice and instructions on every musical instrument featured in a symphony orchestra. They also have a concert band, a jazz program, and a rock and roll camp.
  • NashCamp - Offers programs for songwriters, bluegrass, and banjo players.
  • National Music Camp of Canada - Located in Lake Couchiching, north of Orillia in Canada, this camp has various programs for students in grades 3 to 12. Music programs include Band, Orchestra, Beginning Instruments, Beginning Strings, Acoustic/Classical Guitar, Jazz and more.
  • New England Music Camp - Campers may design their own programs, from music to various outdoor activities.
  • Oklahoma City University's Performing Arts Academy - Offers comprehensive, pre-college summer training for students who want to excel in their field of study. They offer intensive instrumental programs in strings, brass, and percussion. They also have programs for classical/opera voice performance as well as junior high and high school musical theater programs.
  • Point CounterPoint Chamber Music Camp - Offers a 1-week program from ages 8-13 in August, two-week sessions from June through August for ages 11-18, and a two-week session abroad for ages 14-18. The focus is on chamber music.
  • Rock Camp USA - Offers two types of programs: the Opening Acts Camp (ages 8 to 16) is for participants with little to no experience, while the Headliners Camp (ages 11 to 19) is for those who meet specific skill-level requirements on their instruments. Each camp is two weeks long and culminates in a live performance.
  • Sarteano Chamber Choral Workshop - In Italy, a workshop for singers ages 15-20, who are looking for a strong chamber ensemble experience. The program is a collaborative experience led by Simon Carrington, Bronislawa Falinska, and Brian O'Connell. The program includes daily sessions involve the Rohmert Method of Functional Voice training, recreational and educational field trips, and a gala dinner.
  • School of Rock - Designed for kids ages 9 to 18 of all levels, they offer annual one and two-week summer rock music camps from June to August at participating locations throughout the United States. Camp days and hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Participants will learn the nuts and bolts of live performance, lessons, and clinics on the key instruments of rock and learn to perform together as a band.
  • Summer Music Programs - A summer music camp for 11 to 17-year-olds held at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA.
  • UNC Greensboro Summer Music Camp - Offers two one-week camps for the band, mixed chorus, orchestra, and piano.
  • Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts - Located in Huntington, Long Island, New York; Usdan Center was founded in 1968 and is open to young learners from Pre-K to 12th grade. With 4-week and 7-week programs, students can enjoy programs in five arts disciplines, as well as chess, nature, and recreational arts. Catering to students in the New York area, Usdan offers open houses to learn more.
  • Walden School Summer Music Program - Has a 5-week summer camp for 9 to 18-year-olds playing at beginner to advanced levels.
  • West Coast Amateur Musicians Society - CAMS is an organization for amateur singers and instrumentalists based in British Columbia, Canada. They offer a week-long music camp every July.
  • West Virginia University School of Music Workshops and Camps - A comprehensive camp offering opportunities in harp, choral, percussion, and more. For ages 14-18, these camps offer a variety of activities including rehearsals, lessons, master classes, and special concerts, all supervised by the outstanding faculty and staff of WVU's Division of Music.
  • Wintergreen Summer Music Festival and Academy (Wintergreen, VA) - A three-week classical festival of orchestral and chamber music on the crest of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. There is also an academy for wind players, string players, and composers.