<p>Hi! I need to find a summer music program for my son for next year. He is 8 now, will be 9 next summer. He is in the second half of Suzuki bk 4. This is a kid who just loves playing in orchestra -- can't get enough. We live in a small town, so I need to take him somewhere else for 1-3 weeks next summer. If it's a daytime, commuter program, I'll go with him -- my work is portable.</p>
<p>Someplace affordable, or that offers scholarships, would be ideal.</p>
<p>None of the camps I've found take children his age.</p>
<p>Interlochen in Michigan comes to mind. It’s not cheap, but I think there are some scholarships or financial aid. You might also try posting on the music major forum.</p>
<p>Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, also in western Michigan, is another possibility. Their camp for younger kids starts with 5th grade, which I’m guessing is age 10, but you could possibly talk to them about letting him give it a go. They also have a family Suzuki camp which might be a possibility.</p>
<p>My S, a rising senior, will be studying composition there this summer and toured Europe with their International Jazz Orchestra last summer. I’m a fan.</p>
<p>There are some wonderful Suzuki residential institutes that you could even enroll in for this summer. Depending on where you are located, Interlochen, Kinhaven, and Greenwood all have strong junior string programs. You might get some better answers on the Music Major subforum also.</p>
<p>[The</a> Philadelphia International Music Festival Summer Camp Home Page](<a href=“http://www.stringscamp.com/]The”>http://www.stringscamp.com/)
is run by members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and is residential. Daughter did a summer and her skillls improved greatly.</p>
<p>And how much do you want to spend? The sessions at Blue Lake are just over $1000 plus additional for uniforms and a minor and the session is 2 weeks. Interlochen is more expensive but has more alternatives for length of time and I believe accepts younger kids. Both are great experiences. Blue Lake is slightly more rustic camp-like (Interlochen has the academy boarding school for the school year so has more year round buildings.) Interlochen is probably more nationally known because of the academy. Both have a public radio station. Both are on small inland lakes. Interlochen is a couple hours north of Blue Lake. Both have merit based and financial based scholarships for those with need.</p>
<p>I don’t know what is affordable for you – but I send a link to a music camp in Vermont you might be interested in. I know the woman who runs it: an accomplished musician, teacher, and mom of 2 young musicians. </p>
<p>If your child is interested in chamber music, I would highly recommend Point CounterPoint as katliamom said, but not until he’s older. Suzuki programs are for a week and are with a parent, PCP is for a month and they live in cabins with other kids. It’s more like a real camp.</p>
<p>D went to Blue Lake for a couple of summers. Really liked it, esp when she was younger. As she got older the students were more intense but when she was in junior high, it was a mixture of lots of playing and lots of time to do things other than playing. </p>
<p>For her 2 weeks was perfect. She did not want to go camp for the whole summer. She liked playing but not all summer. She did receive a scholarship to Blue Lake so that made the cost a little more affordable.</p>
<p>Her playing improved so much going to camp. I thought that it was a great experience and she loved it.</p>
<p>New England Music Camp…in Maine. It’s nice because it has the music portion but also a “camp” feel and some camp sorts of activities too. Music classes are held in the mornings. My kids each went for three years. I believe that nine is the youngest age they accept.</p>
<p>You might want to post this on the music major forum here. There is great help here on the parents’ forum too, but a lot of parents ask the same kinds of questions on the music major threads and you will get a lot of suggestions there.</p>
<p>I just checked the New England Music Camp website and their youngest students are eleven…but you might want to save this info for when the time comes!!</p>
<p>My two daughters are at Interlochen now for their sixth summer. The oldest is a senior in HS and plays violin in the Interlochen Philharmonic. Youngest plays piano and is also studying creative writing.</p>
<p>I can’t express how strongly we feel about Interlochen. It’s not just a magical place to spend 2 to 6 weeks during the summer (depending on the program), it has become part of my kids’ being. There are artistic, creative, bright kids from all over the world, and the instruction is caring and thoughtful as well as world class. My kids look forward to Interlochen all year.</p>
<p>For young kids it is probably one of the few places with that high level of instruction in the arts. My youngest has been going there since she was in fourth grade.</p>
<p>They do offer lots of scholarships, especially for the truly gifted and outstanding students. Auditions are required for all music majors and it is very competitive to get in. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I would just caution that the Interlochen experience is very rustic, which was a surprise to us given the cost. My daughter was a camper last summer and her cabin had only one functional toilet for more than a dozen campers. The second toilet was never fixed. The shower curtain was in tatters, and provided little privacy, which is not ideal for a teenage girl. The food is limited in choice and quality, and she called upset one night about dirt on the salad.</p>
<p>Thanks to various people for encouragement about Interlochen.</p>
<p>I would like to suggest the following for the bathroom problems (in addition to pestering the people who run the camp): replace the shower curtain yourself, and hire your own plumber. (And this might shame the camp into doing a better job with maintenance!)</p>
<p>The least expensive option for a very young child may be to check your state’s “youth symphony” organizations- not All-State, but those that meet, practice and perform throughout the school year. These are usually associated with the larger symphonies in the area. Many hold one-two week summer camp programs with solid lessons, time for fun, and an end concert.</p>
<p>My D did Apple Hill, in NH, in high school- adored it, went twice, and would like to go back as a counselor. Benefitted tremendously in her music. Made great friends from around the country and the world.</p>
<p>A camp that costs $5,000 for three weeks (like Interlochen) should have clean, functional bathrooms. It would be different if this were Girl Scout camp for a few hundred dollars, but at that price point, I really expect that the camp will provide adequate facilities. So many other people rave about their experience at Interlochen, but I wish we had known in advance how rustic the summer cabins really are.</p>