<p>I just got back about 2 weeks ago from Eastman's Music Horizons program.</p>
<p>It was pretty much AMAZING, with a few small exceptions.</p>
<p>Dorms were much nicer than those at Shenandoah Performs (I went to SP for two summers). Not luxury or anything, but definitely not bad for college dorms. The cafeteria food was pretty decent if you ask me, although a few kids were iffy about it. There was also an inexpensive restaurant nearby and the most awesome coffee/sandwich place EVER. I think all of us blew nearly all our spending money there... it's called Java's. If anyone's ever up at Eastman for any reason, you MUST go there.</p>
<p>As for the music part, it was definitely the best experience I've ever had at a program like this. However, it is VERY different from most music camps. We had placement tests in the first few days and individual interviews/auditions with the camp's director. From that, we were placed in classes and chamber groups. (Yes, classes. With grades, homework, and even at one point a 6-page paper.) Everyone took theory and sightsinging/eartraining, and at least one history class. Most people took secondary piano or secondary voice as well. We were also in a chorale that included everyone in Horizons, which was really fun. The best part for me though was the lessons, and that varies by instrument. I'm a clarinet player, and all the clarinets were taught privately by Robert DiLutis, who is easily the best teacher I have ever worked with. I learned SO much in those 3 weeks, and he also organized a clarinet choir and helped me find and buy a new instrument (I was still playing a student-level clarinet). I know some of the other instruments and vocal concentrations had amazing teachers, but some also had teachers that were inconsistent about scheduling lessons or were difficult to work with (my roommate was a violinist and didn't get a lesson until almost 2 weeks into the program).</p>
<p>The social aspect of the program was a little disappointing to me, but that was no one's fault but the kids' themselves. I arrived hoping to find that most kids there were very mature, type-A, artsy, driven pre-college types. As it turned out there were kids like that there... but there were also a core of very typical "immature high school student" types who were consistently doing stupid things and getting ALL the campers in trouble. As a result, we got privileges taken away (like the use of the dorm computer lab, THAT was quite a loss when one's teacher communicates only by email...) as punishment for misdeeds that only 2 or 3 people out of 69 actually took part in. Also, I've heard that in previous years Music Horizons has organized multiple field trips for the kids to Renaissance Fairs, etc... not so for us. We only went to one concert at a venue outside Eastman, and then after that were told that we were impolite and badly behaved (even those of us that sat quietly and listened and did nothing else), so we didn't go anywhere else.</p>
<p>That said, there were some great kids there. I made some really good friendships, but it just took awhile for the goodhearted kids to come out of the woodwork. It was a shame that we had to deal with the consequences of an irresponsible few, but it's really not the camp's fault. I'd still recommend the experience wholeheartedly... but I'd suggest calling ahead to figure out who your private teacher will be, just in case.</p>