Hi, I am a high school junior and applied as a flutist for the interlochen summer camp. I got into the orchestra (I’m not sure if this is the highest ensemble) and I really want to go but I only received a 2000$ merit scholarship. The total price is 6,800$ some and I was wondering if it really is worth it to go to this camp.
On the letter it says, “The Financial Aid Committee has carefully considered your request for financial aid and I am pleased to inform you that you are eligible to receive funding.” Does that just mean the merit scholarship I received? If anyone else applied as a woodwind and got accepted, how much did you have to pay? A friend of mine (string) who attended a few years before told me she paid much less than 6k but I’m not sure exactly how much. Also, does anyone know how rare it is to receive full scholarship to this program as a woodwind? Thanks
Interlochen has both merit scholarships and financial aid. They do have full-tuition merit scholarships and all applicants are automatically considered for those (i.e. there is no separate or additional application process.) Additionally, if you want to be considered for financial aid, you need to request consideration (I think this is a checkbox on the application form.) They will ask your parents to submit tax returns to be considered for financial aid.
If the $2,000 you were given was a merit scholarship and it’s not enough for you to be able to attend, you can ask if you can still apply for additional financial aid (if you haven’t done so already). What other woodwinds have paid to attend won’t have any bearing on you; there are many (probably “mostly”) full-pay campers at Interlochen. Full scholarships are very rare. (FWIW, my son plays saxophone, attended Interlochen, and won one of the Fine Arts Awards, the only one in the jazz program to win one, but wasn’t offered a full merit for the following summer.)
One thing I can also suggest is to look around for local scholarships. Many school systems or local organizations have scholarship competitions for summer programs like Interlochen, Tanglewood, etc.
As far as it worth it ( and I agree, Interlochen is very high priced, website shows full price of $8744), what sort of conversations have you already had with your teacher? This is the person closest to your playing and most likely to assess if Interlochen will offer the kinds of opportunities that will help you grow.
Off the top of my head, I’d be sure you know the answers to the following:
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Who will your teacher be for the summer?
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Will you play in either the World Youth Symphony or the Interlochen Philharmonic for the entire summer - OR - is there a possibility of being reassigned to Wind Symphony (a band with fewer chances for solo work and the kind of exposure and challenge that orchestral playing gives a wind player)?
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Have you checked the Daily Life schedules and reviewed what the camp is like? Some older students find Interlochen too “campy” with required cabin clean-ups, etc. Others have no problem with Interlochen activities and expectations - I’m just suggesting you make sure it is a fit for you.
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Was there a reason you applied to the High School Orchestra and Wind Symphony program rather than the High School Flute Institute? The latter is much less expensive - and much shorter! - and has a different focus, but if the full summer is too expensive, maybe there’s a possibility of being admitted to the week long Flute Institute if your teacher thinks this would be valuable.
Good luck to you!
Orchestra or band (wind symphony) distinction is decided with your initial application audition. If you’re accepted in the orchestra, you’ll either be in WYSO or the Philharmonic. You’ll audition again at the start of camp for which orchestra and chair assignment.
Whether the cost is worth it is hard to say. I spent seven of my summers there growing up and, for me, it was a life-changer even though I didn’t go into music as a career. I still have friends from camp. My son attended two summers. He’s a senior this year, in the midst of college auditions. He’s met up with Interlochen friends at every audition, all over the country, and one of the instructors there was one of his recommenders. He just had his U of Mich audition today and we’re about to head out to lunch with fellow Interlochenites here for auditions.
You can always ask for additional financial aid. My daughter attended two years of camp and one year at the academy. I highly recommend that you go if you can. It is an amazing place. Both my daughter and my husband and I thought it was well worth the money!
First off, congrats. Flute is so competitive, getting merit aid to orchestra at Interlochen is a nice compliment about your playing.
What does your private teacher think of the value of the program for you? My daughter’s private teacher (oboe) recommends other programs over Interlochen. Are you in a full orchestra year-round? If not, the value of this opportunity is high. If you are, I might suggest looking into a more specialized flute program. Jeffrey Khaner does a short program at Curtis that would be excellent. Marina Piccinini may have a summer program as well, which would be another amazing opportunity. Aaron Goldman of the NSO is a phenomenal musician and a great teacher. Not sure if he does anything outside of summer music institute at the Kennedy Center (which is a fellowship program you might look at for future years, but I’m sure they’re all full on flute for this summer.)
One major downside of Interlochen is that you typically won’t know who your private teacher will be ahead of time. I’ve heard from several musicians who have taught there during the summers that they were assigned too many lessons and felt they didn’t have enough time to develop relationships with their students.
Thank you for all the wonderful answers! I took them all into consideration but however, my parents seem to not like the idea of me pursuing music even more for this summer… (They prefer something more along the lines of internships, jobs, etc) I don’t think I’ll end up going but if given the chance next year, I just might go! I appreciate the replies 
Are you planning to major in music? If not, I’d try to find a less expensive camp to go to that is just as good if not better.
However, if you do plan on majoring in music and auditioning next year, I’d go this summer. From what I understand, people meet a lot of teachers from colleges which can be helpful choosing which schools to apply to. Or you can visit a bunch of schools and get sample lessons and tour colleges. What is your goal?