Just got an email from Marrowstone last Monday (where my kid has gone for the last three years) and they are still looking for clarinets (along with percussion and harp). https://marrowstone.org/apply/
It’s up in Bellingham, Washington - near the Canadian border. It’s a very well organized and chaperoned program on the campus of Western Washington University. They have a good repertoire this year: https://marrowstone.org/about/2019-repertoire/.
Agree with @compmom. Last I checked a few days ago, Interlochen (6 weeks) may still be accepting clarinets. (Application still shows open).
There are a bunch of week-long Texas camps.
https://bronsonclarinetstudio.mymusicstaff.com/Blog?Month=2016.3.1 is a place to start.
The national ones will be better for a kid aiming for a conservatory, but a string of week-long local ones is better than nothing.
My apologies… I thought the discussion was on programs for the summer before college. D did do a week-long camp last summer (got a significant discount as an all-state musician) and enjoyed it. She is COMPLETELY booked up this summer with travel and band related activities but this is still good to know about. Hopefully some of these programs go through 12th grade so she can keep her skills sharp for college.
My D (VP BM) went to Italy for a summer program before her first year of college (college credit offered). But she had to commit to the summer program BEFORE we had admission results for undergrad, so IF we’d known she was going to get some great admits, we may have delayed that program for a subsequent summer. It is traditional for VP majors to “take a summer off” after Freshman year, while they are solidifying technique with a new teacher (we didn’t know this, lol), so she did stay home last summer! She’s off again for a month this summer at a festival, this time with a role!
D is doing two short Intensives. One is two weeks and the other is five days. She has never done any major summer programs and it didn’t keep her from getting into a top conservatory.
During undergrad years, programs and festivals can be important for making connections with faculty and peers, particularly for those going to grad school.
The year after high school graduation would seem to be less important since the musician has already been accepted, as long as there are ways to maintain during the summer with a teacher, practice, maybe performance.
I took the question to be more about the emotional component of being home for a last summer and being emotionally ready to leave in the fall. It is a big transition and takes psychic energy. If a young person comes home from a program and then has to leave in a week, it can be stressful. For some, it’s fine, for some, it’s not!
My S is working full-time as a counselor at a summer camp — he needs to save money. First time he hasn’t done a summer program, but I think he is looking forward to a break.
Summer after h.s. graduation: D is taking summer gen eds online, working in town, and doing a one-week string quartet intensive at the local university in July (with visiting chamber music series artists); also a wedding gig (with quartet); oh, and she’s practicing/preparing new repertoire for her new teachers this fall!