Curious what people think about the importance of doing the well known summer music camps - Tanglewood, Aspen, etc. Are they really that important? I read a thread on another site where it was discussed and professional musicians weighed in with the results being somewhat divided - nice to have, yes you can make great connections of all kinds but not something that is going to make/break a career seemed to be the takeaway. For sure they are tons of fun and even places for wonderful growth, but they are also really expensive.
Thanks if you have any thoughts to share, especially if your child did the camps and is now either in music school or working as a professional musician.
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My kid is a professional freelance musician.
Well…first, my kid didn’t view Tanglewood as a “camp”. It was actually a serious summer music program and I do think there is a difference.
My kids also went to New England Music Camp which combined music studies with some traditional camp things…leaning more toward the music.
I don’t know if having Tanglewood on my kid’s list helped with acceptances in 2003…but he was acceoted at 6/7 places where he auditioned.
Fact is…the audition plays a much more significant part in music performance acceptances than summer festivals. BUT those summer festivals are a great way to build one’s skills.
@compmom what do you think?
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As someone in the thick of it now, these programs are a great introduction of what is expected in music programs. It has definitely helped S24 confirm what he does and doesn’t want to do for his future.
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For BA programs involving a music supplement with a music resume, I think summer programs are important (some are camps, some are not…some are even “festivals”).
For a BM program, the audition is the thing, and to the extent that a summer program contributes to that, they are important, but there are other ways to develop. Summer is also a time to meet teachers and network. And see what immersion in music life is like so it can help with decision-making.
For composers they are key in getting pieces played for portfolios.
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I’m very aware that it’s not s’mores and bonfires, lol.
Thank you so much for this response. Could you elaborate a bit on how it’s helping him make choices?
Thank you. Hadn’t thought about the immersion aspect but that makes sense as well as the networking. Do you think it’s a good way to meet teachers for trial lessons that are recommended before one auditions? Or could a student easily arrange those without attending the camps/festivals?
If your student attends BUTI, some of the applied teachers are actually Boston University music teachers. That’s where our kid met his eventual college applied teacher. The kid also was at Eastern Music Festival for two years, and one of the instrument faculty there was the department chair where he eventually went to grad school. So there are connections to be made.
At the summer music camp my kid went to, one of his teachers there was faculty at New England Conservatory. Our other kid’s teacher was faculty at a college in the Midwest.
So…yes, it’s possible to meet teachers.
In addition, at both places, there were master classes by visiting folks, some who were faculty at other colleges. It gave our kids a feel for these visiting folks as teachers.
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I would echo @thumper1 but of course there are other ways to meet and try out teachers.
@CalimeraI guess I would ask why you are asking 
Does your music kid continue lessons in the summer or do any performance? Or something else, another interest, a job, volunteering, down time etc?
My kid did a summer program after junior year of high school, then during college and grad school years. Lots of great experiences which may be the main point!
My kid is entering his fourth year at a conservatory. He has attended various summer programs starting at the age of 16.
For him at HS age (summer before junior year), completely agree that it was life changing to be immersed in music for 8 weeks and get a sense of what conservatory life would be like. He was able to meet and take lessons/master classes with a couple of teachers where he eventually auditioned. This was also beneficial as he was able to hone his school choices based on where he felt there was a good fit. But most importantly, it was when he knew that he wanted to pursue a degree in music performance.
Before his senior year in HS, he opted to take only a short intensive (2 weeks) to focus on a few particular technical and tone areas with a particular teacher. This allowed him to have enough individual practice time at home to work on all of his pre-screen/audition repertoire. Some summer programs have a fair amount of time spent in chamber and orchestra rehearsals which is great, but the student needs to decide whether to prioritize individual practice versus ensembles, especially before audition season.
My son found all programs beneficial in terms of growth and making connections. Agree that they are very expensive and one has to weigh the cost versus benefit. And I would say that the program per se does not directly increase the chance of acceptance to audition based programs as acceptance is almost exclusively based on the quality of the audition. It did help my son feel comfortable performing in master classes and lessons with a visiting professor which in many ways is like an audition.
I hope this helps!
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Financial aid is sometimes available.
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He is spending 6 weeks playing 6-9 hours a day and performing multiple orchestra and chamber pieces weekly. He is learning pieces quickly and working with different people. He is getting exposed to a music-centric education that he doesn’t get even at his precollege program. He is having a wonderful time (and wants to go back next year) but knows that this is not what he wants out of a college experience. Other kids feel the opposite, it solidifies for them that music is all that they want in the day and confirms that they want to apply for BM programs.
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Absolutely! My kid has always applied for any and all funding available, including need based and merit aid as well as any options for some work hours. Most times he received quite generous assistance. In my opinion, it is never too early for a musician to learn to seek out funding. There are many benefactors out there for the arts. And my son knows that the more funding he can secure, the more opportunities he can pursue.
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Important for development, yes. But the audition is the most important thing, by far. Someone shows up with no pedigree, no programs, nothing, has the best audition, they’re in.
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She’s done lessons and camps in the past. This year we’re doing a 4 week chamber music camp. It’s a nicely run program but not Tanglewood level and I’m wondering when it would be a good idea to attend the higher level camps/festivals. I don’t think we can do more one or two summers of them unless she can get scholarships to them. i imagine they are offered but I haven’t really looked into that yet.
I’m sure they are wonderful experiences but we may have to limit her attendance depending on costs, etc. So I’m wondering how all of that will impact her path as well. I’m sure it will all work out, just want to make wise choices.
Thank you. I figured this. In the end, no one really cares where you went to school or whether you did a summer festival.
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I just learned this! We received a generous scholarship to the summer camp she is doing this summer. I totally didn’t expect to get it but it made me realize I need to always ask moving forward.
Thank you for expanding a bit! What described sounds like heaven to my daughter And yes, that kind of program would definitely help one make some decisions!
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Thank you! This is a really helpful reply. It’s the timing of it all that I’ve been wondering about.
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He has done multiple shorter programs, he loves this one. If she wants to do them, definitely go for it. Kids seem to really enjoy them! They do offer merit scholarships and some offer financial aid. Also depending on her age and instrument she should look into NYO and NYO2 which are both free.
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