Summer Programs 2008

<p>Egads. I had just started this thread here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/530973-potential-issue-those-flying.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/530973-potential-issue-those-flying.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Our D, a viola player, is in her last week in Arezzo in the Oberlin in Italy program. My wife and I visited last week and it was an amazing trip. The program, from our perspective, is great. Between chamber music and opera, they played a ton. We got to see Figaro in Cortona(!) and it was (sorry to wear this word out) amazing. I can't imagine a more beautiful setting. The program was not without a few hiccups. There were some housing complications and she felt it was a little chaotic at times. But in comparison to everything else, these were minor, minor issues. </p>

<p>They went on side trips to Florence and Sienna, among other places. They performed in a few other Tuscan towns. In Cortona they had a pretty good turn out on the night we went. Amazing.</p>

<p>She enrolled in the Italian classes that the program offered and can actually get by in Italian now. My wife and I were -- are -- amazed by the whole thing. Our daughter getting the dessert run down in a restaurant in Italian. Words fail me... Amazing. </p>

<p>Our D was forced way out of her comfort zone and is so much the better for it. For those who might consider this program in the future, I can't say enough good things about it. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.</p>

<p>wow. Is it too late for me to take up viola? Sounds ... um ... amazing, tomdug!</p>

<p>And to think my daughter'c camp is in Fredonia(NY).....</p>

<p>I second the recommendation of Oberlin in Italy. Daughter participated in it a couple of years back and had a great time. That was the summer that Italy won the World Cup and the entire town stopped to watch each match and would throw a huge party after each victory. It is a great cultural immersion program with about half time devoted to music, morning language classes on weekdays and the rest of the time spent enjoying Italy. The Italian teachers go around town before the students arrive, asking shopkeepers who know some English to speak only Italian with the young American tourists for the next month.</p>

<p>I imagine the housing problems had something to do with this being the first year that the program was held in Arezzo and things should improve as they find out which places work and which do not. There will probably always be some amount of chaos, but learning to deal with it is part of the experience.</p>

<p>DS got back from his week at the Roanoke Island Festival in Manteo. This is a festival that is staffed by North Carolina School of the Arts students (and alums). DS played in the jazz ensemble....four concerts in the week. I have to say...kudos to NCSA for having this summer opportunity for their students. DS said the concerts were very good, and well attended. All expenses were paid by the college for the week. Not a "competitive festival" but a great summer music experience.</p>

<p>My d is almost halfway through her stay at Interlochen. She absolutely loves it. She is there for the six week high school music, playing flute. Her only complaints have been that it is quite chilly at 6:30 in the morning and she is so busy playing in groups and lessons, it is hard to get a good practce in!! Being too busy is a good thing for her. This has been an incredible experience for her. The campus is absolutely beautiful, the kids are great and the staff has been incredible. She is amazed with the WSYO...incredible talent. She has no regrets about choosing this over her other acceptances. We are looking forward to seeing her this weekend. She is looking forward to "real" food, a very long, hot shower since we get to have her stay with us a night.<br>
My husband and I hadnever been to this area of Michigan before dropping her off in June. While it is not Italy...(wow...to summer in Italy would be fabulous!), it is truly a resort community. Absolutely beautiful. I have no doubt that the winters are brutal, but the summers seem to be wonderful....the chilly mornings warm up to mid seventy's to low 80's.<br>
It is good to see that many kids are having a great summer. I do look forward to more posts.</p>

<p>S is at Interlochen too, high school piano. He finds it intense and stimulating. He is the WYSO pianist for three weeks, so his placement audition must have been strong. (He didn't know beforehand that there even was a WYSO piano spot.) He loves the WYSO rehearsals and music selections.</p>

<p>One disappointment is that his teacher left after two weeks, apparently due to some kind of family emergency. S has his first lesson with replacement teacher today.</p>

<p>What are we going to do if he comes back and says he wants to do this for the rest of his life?</p>

<p>catbird-
I have heard the piano majors are amazing! Yes, intense it the word that my d uses too. But, she loves intense. I have a note about her first day of classes and she said, "It was incredible! I played from 8am to 7 pm! I am so tired by look forward to tomorrow!" She actually had to drop her composition course so she could have some practice time.<br>
Congrats to your son. I would imagine it is an great honor to play with the WYSO. Have you or will you be going for a visit?</p>

<p>
[quote]
But, she loves intense.

[/quote]
Hmmm... sounds like a little matchmaking might be in order. :D</p>

<p>We don't get to visit-we're already spending so much him relative to his siblings that it's hard to justify extra $$ for traveling. Maybe next year he can try for BUTI which is a lot closer.</p>

<p>Two intense musicians......Yikes! :D I understand about trying to keep things somewhat equal. Sometimes it is just too hard. My older d is performing in Maryland for the summer, so we are experiencing early empty nest. I do not like it. So, our weekends are seeing performances, which is very enjoyable. D in Maryland is just two hours away. Much closer than Interlochen!!
We all thought younger d would have a tough decision chosing from BUTI and Interlochen. We love Boston. But, Interlochen has been her dream for quite some time. You must follow your dreams, right? Who knows, they may be in Boston together next year!</p>

<p>DS is in the 6 week vocal program. There are about 80 high school age individuals in the program, 30 guys and 50 gals (great for the guys!). He is now about a week and a half into the program. It is pretty intense. They have classes in diction, music theory, music history, group voice, and then are working on an opera scene and preparing a piece for recital at the end of the session. I went to one of the three initial recital programs and it was very impressive -- the kids are impressive and the organization that got everyone through almost thirty songs in a reasonable time period was also impressive. I also saw the tail end of a master class, which was fascinating. (The young ladies were advised to not wear spikey high heels so they were more grounded and able to breathe correctly...) </p>

<p>DS has also been thrilled to be able to go to the Tanglewood programs. This weekend they heard a concert presentation over two days of the Berlioz Les Troyens (The Trojans), which is a monster 4 1/2 hour production, and rarely staged or performed. James Levine conducted, but the newspaper today announced that he is out for the rest of the season for surgery on a cyst on a kidney -- let us hope that he is OK. </p>

<p>The campus is very cool. The kids can practice in little outdoor cabins that are scattered around, some with doors, some open to the outside. And others just practice in the great outdoors. It is wonderful to walk around and listen to everyone being musical.</p>

<p>We are looking forward to hearing the Wind Ensemble and the Vocal Program chorus perform the Honegger King David in French in Ozawa Hall. Should be quite something.</p>

<p>Oberlin in Italy:
Just want to add to tomdug's comments; our daughter just returned from an absolutely fabulous experience in Arezzo, and our only regrets were that we didn't have the opportunity to visit her there. She was very sorry to leave, loved the music and the Italian classes and the side-trips, and the many new friends she made. Great recommendations for the future, and extra thanks to bassdad for past recommendations.</p>

<p>Checking in about summer programs. S2 is several weeks into MAW. His expectations were a bit lower this year - he was sure it couldn't possibly be as good as last year! However, he says he is having a good summer. He is getting some good instruction - feels that it is even better than last year. He is having ample time to get used to his new horn. The annual concerto competition was this past week. He advanced to finals, but did not win. But the final round involved a day long competition, with each contestant performing their entire concerto with piano accompaniment, in front of a paying audience. So he was satisfied with the opportunity to perform. He tuaght himself this particular concerto in his first two weeks of MAW, and the competition was the first time he'd played it all the way through in a big room. He ended up with some fatigue problems due to that, but was impressed with how well his horn sounded even when he was tired and missing notes. He had to work much harder to keep the tone even with his old horn, so this is making him happy.</p>

<p>D just got her music in the mail from Britt. She will be in a quintet rather than a quartet (even though it is called the Quartet Academy.) Guess they had an extra violist! Ironically, she was in a Quintet during the school year, and the two pieces they played were a Mozart and a Brahms, and this quintet will also be playing a Mozart and a Brahms. Fortunately, I believe they are different pieces. And D is reversed on which one she is playing first violin, and which she is playing second violin on. She also got the names of the other members of her group, and ironically, one of the violists is from Atlanta! She is getting excited about going to Oregon.</p>

<p>Our D is at New York Summer Music Festival (NYSMF) for 6 weeks. They have three 2-week sessions, and we just got back from Session 1's concert cycle. D has progressed so much, we are so proud and happy! She is a vocalist, who does well at classical, but doesn't feel it's a genre that speaks to her ... so she is there to hone her jazz-singing chops. They have a terrific instructor named Brenda Earle, out of NYC, who seems to get a lot out of the kids there. Our D is in the Jazz Choir, and in a Jazz Combo, and is also taking private lessons with Brenda.</p>

<p>We've already started looking at colleges (she's a rising HS junior), and had come away from our visit at UNT taken aback at the emphasis both intructors we spoke to put on how important improvisation is in the audition process. We had no idea where our daughter was going to learn that, and niether did she ... but there she was, onstage Thursday night, scatting, and stretching notes, trading fours and playing with phrasing ... wow! Yes, it's Mom talking; but she was really good. </p>

<p>She was also involved in the Select Choir and Madrigals singing ensemble. Those were okay, but the conductor didn't get the best out of the kids, I'm not sure why not, as they seemed to like him quite a bit. This session the conductor will be a guy out of Westminster Choir College, and he did a great job last year, so we'll be looking forward to that. </p>

<p>Anyway, a very happy customer.</p>

<p>Happy here too with Eastman's Summer Jazz two week program. S2 returned home Saturday feeling as though he had great instruction in both master class and his combo/big bands. Instructors were very accomplished Eastman professionals, and he felt as though his playing really improved. He met a number of like-minded students he hopes to keep in contact with during the college application/audition cycle. All positives here.</p>

<p>I'm happy to reply that my D's experience in the Washington Opera's Opera Institute for Young Singers was fantastic. They worked her buns off between the voice coaching, opera history classes, Italian diction, movement, yoga, stagecraft, preparation for performances of opera scenes and art songs, extra masterclasses, and even essays to write for homework, but she improved as a singer more than I could have imagined in three weeks. She also loved the experience and made some very good friends from across the country.</p>

<p>I have to say that, given the cost of a little over $700 per week including room and board, it has to be one of the best educational bargains around.</p>

<p>My husband and I just returned from a visit with our d at Interlochen. This place is truly magical. We made it just in time to see her performance with the band on Friday night. The performance was incredible. We said a quick "hello we love you" to our d, who was then off to another performance. We then walked the campus, listened to extremely talented kids practicing and performing...music is everywhere at Interlochen. Not only music, but art also. We were able to spend a few hours with d the next day, then went back to campus for the WYSO concert. Words cannot describe this concert. It truly was one of the best orchestras we have ever heard...or seen. Any of you with s or d's in this group, be very proud, and congradulations. The performance brought many of us to tears. Not to take away from any of the other groups!! They were all absolutely incredible!! Then we sat through d's rehearsal on Monday morning. They sight read through all of their new music, and the sound was amazing...and it was the first time through! D keeps saying that most in her section are pretty close in ability. Everyone is, as she says...really amazing. She loves it and cannot believe it is halfway through. She has said many times she does not want to leave. I have to say that with the breath taking beauty of the area, doing what you love to do, being with amazing kids, I can understand how she feels. She enjoys lessons, masterclasses, rehearsals, ensembles, section rehearsals and practicing...well, she did say the practice huts are a little buggy. She plays all day and goes to performances at night. She said performances start on Wed and go through the weekend.<br>
My husband and I walked down to the lake after saying goodbye and dropping her off at her cabin....with Outback dinners for her cabinmates :D! The weather was beautiful, a boat or two on the lake, kids sitting along the lake, ensembles practicing...it was very hard for us to leave and come back to reality.</p>

<p>Interlochen is an amazing place. My S was there for two summers in 6th and 7th grades. The only problem (and it was pretty big for him) was the distance of the boys' cabins from everything else - it is close to a mile I would guess. They had to go back and forth a few times a day. He has orthopedic issues and the amount of walking was painful for him. I hope they've improved the boys' cabins since then (it's now about 10 years) because they were pretty dreadful then even though situated directly on that beautiful lake.</p>

<p>All that said, he had a unique musical experience there and loved it and the friends he made there.</p>

<p>Yes, the boys do have quite a walk to campus. My husband and I noticed that they had a crossing guard for the boys to cross the street to get over to their division!</p>