At the end of the school year, most students look forward to summer jobs, beach trips or relaxation, but for students who play instruments or sing, summer is an opportunity to continue the work they’ve done over the school year.
Through various summer camps, students refine their technique and expand their skills. At these camps, they also connect with other students of similar ages and instruments, and are able to share things ranging from practicing tips to life advice.
Junior Elena MacFadden, who attends Interlochen Center for the Arts in the United States and Curso Música Zamora in Spain for trumpet, said that through summer ensembles, she’s been able to improve her skills with a group that shares similar experiences.
“The camps I attend are intensives for improving your musical ability. You learn how to overcome certain difficulties,” MacFadden said. “Doing it, especially as a group, with a bunch of other people that you can connect with, is a really fun experience.”
According to Sophomore Peter Clark, while standard summer camps have some benefits, what drew him to the percussion workshop at Berklee College of Music was the exclusive focus on music.
“I don’t really have any friends who go to any music camps. I’ve been with friends to camps that have some music in them, but I really wanted to attend somewhere where music is the whole focus. That is what motivated me; I’ve never done it before, so I’m curious about it,” Clark said.
Clark is attending a music camp for the first time.
“It will be nice to get advice from teachers about my technique and how it can be improved. And I’m also excited to meet other percussionists my age because I think I can learn a lot from them,” Clark said.
Junior Ethan Chen, who plays the piano, is not attending a music summer camp, but said he chose to spend his summer volunteering at Brookline Music School to see what teaching music could be like.
“I spent most of the summer organizing libraries, helping move things around like the grand piano and the humidifiers and teaching,” Chen said. “Towards the end, I spent a couple of weeks teaching kids music, where they were just playing with the instruments.”
MacFadden said she learned more than practice habits and skills.
“I’ve learned techniques on how to treat yourself better. I think ‘mindset’ is definitely something that I hear over and over again at these camps,” MacFadden said. “They’ve really stressed how you treat yourself, how you treat your body, and how you treat the people around you.”
Chen, who’s also in a band with classmates called Babyshowers, said he wanted to prioritize music this summer.
“I would say that it was a pretty rewarding experience. I would really recommend something like this to kids who like music and are passionate about it,” Chen said. “For me, I feel like doing STEM was definitely important, but I also really enjoy playing music.”
MacFadden said she highly recommends these for both musical skill development and fostering friendships.
“I think it’s probably one of the best things you can do with your life, because not only do you get to spend a week doing something that you love, you get to meet people that want to do the same things that you love,” MacFadden said. “When you meet these people, you make connections that last years. When you find someone that you have something in common with, it’s a really special thing.”
