<p>Hi,
If you remember from last spring, my son was ended up on the waitlist at Oberlin conservatory and is now attending his safety school. However, he would like to participate in a summer festival this year in order to improve his technique and scope out the talent range of his peers. Do you have any suggestions regarding appropriate programs for his skill level? He still doesn't know whether he wants to pursue music professionally, so this might be a great opportunity for him to get a taste of what the competition is like. Money is also an issue, so scholarship availability is a must.</p>
<p>You could look into the New York Summer Music Festival (nysmf.org).
It's held at the SUNY-Oneonta campus.
It's run by administrators from Curtis, and attracts faculty from the Philly-NYC music schools. The emphasis is to get the students onstage, performing, so there are ensemble performance opportunities running the whole gamut of musical abilities.
Our daughter went for vocal last summer, for 2 weeks, and LOVED it. We will be sending her again, either for 4 or 6 weeks, she got so much out of it. I am as frugal as they come, and found their pricing extremely reasonable, especially in comparison to some of the other programs out there. Your son might try applying for a work/study position there, to help with the finances. It's all in their 2008 brochure, which is just out.
Our d's roommate was a violinist who came from Cally for a 2-week program, and she was a repeat attendee. Especially among instrumentalists, there is a big contingent that comes from overseas, if that's any indication of quality.</p>
<p>Peabody</a> Institute - Career Counseling and Placement: Summer Festivals</p>
<p>Here's a link to a Peabody site with lots of summer festival suggestions. Some have limited costs, but you'll need to search through them to figure out the various requirements. Some have live auditions in different cities around the country and others have taped auditions. Some are more competitive than others. Your son should ask his teacher for recommendations as well.</p>
<p>A back-up plan might be to apply to places like NYSMF or Interlochen to work as a counselor. Many college students do this and can work on their music and/or arrange extra lessons while working as well.</p>
<p>Take a look at <a href="http://www.stringscamp.com/stringscamp2.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.stringscamp.com/stringscamp2.html</a></p>
<p>The program is shorter and less competitive than places like Aspen or Tanglewood TMC, but still has very good teachers and opportunities.</p>
<p>There is a substantial listing here Strings</a> Magazine: Summer Study Guide and here The</a> Strad</p>
<p>You don't specify whether the focus is orchestral or chamber.</p>
<p>The idea of working as a counselor is excellent- I was looking at nsymf and counselors receive the same musical benefits as a camper...are there any other programs similar to this? He's also more interested in chamber than orchestra, if that helps. Thanks for the replies!</p>
<p>One more plug for NYSMF: if you get your application in before Dec 31, 2007, you'll save an additional $100 on tuition. Not much, but every little bit counts ...</p>