Anyone have experience with Idyllwild, Interlochen or other year round (e.g, not just summer program) boarding programs for a serious high school pianist who has limited options at home?
The short answer is no. But, when my son was still in MS he was advanced enough in his instrument that he was attending adult master classes and camps. We spent a week at Interlochen. It was idyllic. Have they visited both?
Not for piano but I know one person who had a great time at Interlochen boarding school. My kid liked the summer stuff there (did two summers) which is pretty universal, but thought I’d pass along the data point about a happy boarding student. That being said, I know through a long grapevine that there have been students who didn’t thrive at interlochen (the one i remember hearing about was doing a PG year and left in the middle).
I know Interlochen has many students with insufficient financial aid to easily attend their programs. I hope that financial aid is not a concern for your child.
Search up the several go fund me campaigns of admitted students.
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I know a dancer who attended Interlochen with a great FA package. The dance program is great, I don’t know about music but would think it must be as well.
It might be worth looking at boarding schools in or near larger cities such as Boston, NYC and Philadelphia, as some of them have very strong musicians (good enough to go to college conservatories) and are both supportive of students heading into the city for lessons at local conservatories and manage to get some strong teachers to do lessons for credit on campus.
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There are a number of “influencers” (for a lack of a better word) who my kid follows on Instagram. Two are doing their senior year at Interlochen and the other graduated last year and is a first year at Juilliard. I’ll PM you their handles. If you or your child is on IG, you could follow and DM them. Neither is a pianist, but I’m sure they could connect you to a current piano student.
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My son graduated from Interlochen a few years ago. I’ll send you a PM.
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thanks for chiming in. and uh oh…do you have any idea through the grapevine why kids don’t thrive there – e.g, are they not getting the attention from faculty or more academic/social stuff? thanks again
not yet – still trying to understand if the boarding program is really better for prepping for college/conservatory vs. just finding a great teacher to mentor… thanks for the info though!
wow - good heads up! that is wild about the go fund me campaigns! thanks
thanks! I’m a bit worried about balancing school and piano during jr/sr year. I thought if he were in a combined program it would be easier to manage the stress ? I suppose maybe if it were not too too rigorous academically but not sure that’s something to aim for lol.
I’m afraid I don’t have details (my sibling had a coworker that sent a kid for a PG year doing music…if I had to guess it was a major transition to be away from home (which was a big city), but there’s also the question of why the kid was needing to go the PG route in the first place). What I can tell you is the kid I do know personally has thrived in terms of teacher and counselor and peer support…the family raves about it.
so many factors I’m sure – the being away from home, the stress of the art, the stress of the academics, the rural environment and so on and so on. I really appreciate it. If you feel comfortable def. pm me the contact info of the family who raves 
thanks again
I don’t think so, and, if it’s early still, I’d strongly consider what your student is getting into in the first place.
My son, after spending considerable time with the best musician on his instrument in the world and essentially being cautioned that it’s a brutal way to make a living, decided to be an engineer. He made the pivot at 13, after he was told, and I quote “life is way more satisfying for a brain surgeon that is a really good hobbyist player than it is for a professional musician trying to be a hobbyist brain surgeon.” 
I told this story to a friend whose son, a little older, took the music path. He said his son is getting an international orchestra job, but then went on to ask “when can you be one of the top 75 at something in the whole world and be paid like a barista?” Following with an acknowledgement that the choice to go into engineering was the better move.
Another very good friend went to Berklee. Now he’s a salesman in an unrelated industry.
My son still plays, even working up new pieces. He’s in his mid-20’s, and works with sound.
sigh I totally hear you. I’ve had these discussions with mine. For now he is really set on going for it and claims he understand the tradeoffs…stay tuned … and thanks for sharing your story
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Look deeply into their academic offerings and lax graduation requirements. The school is very arts centric and does not have the academic rigor many kids need or want for possible (probable) alternate careers. Your child may want to do summer enrichment elsewhere to keep a strong academic profile.
I will reiterate the FA component. If your child needs significant aid, or any aid, apply very early and see what they offer. They generally only cover a portion of demonstrated need leaving a gap. Some parents are in a “sweet spot” where they can juggle a few things and meet the gap, but many others cannot attend. I know MANY kids that have been in this situation. They have a huge endowment, but are much less generous than similarly endowed schools with FA.
On the bright side, the music instruction and connections cannot be beat!
This is so helpful - are you speaking of a specific school or all the arts boarding schools? Interlochen seems to send kids to a lot of good colleges according to their matriculation web page. Not sure about the others.
And thank you for the FA warning - will definitely run the numbers and double check them!
Did your child end up attending an arts boarding school?