Students at the 2014 High School Music Academy are conducted by Director of Bands Don McKinney.
Put yourself in the shoes of a high school or middle school student. At that age, college seems like a distant adventure. You can only imagine sleeping in a dorm room. And the independence of living on your own is almost inconceivable.
So the chance to essentially be a college student for a few days鈥攏ow, not in a few years鈥攚ould be hard to pass up, right?
Of course, says Dr. Sarah Stoneback, co-director of the CU-Boulder Summer Music Academy. That鈥檚 what has made the band and orchestra camp program so successful for the past ten years.
鈥淚t fills a need for these students. They get to spend time on a college campus, really getting to know the university and the College of Music,鈥� says Stoneback.
For the next two weeks, more than 200 high school and middle school students will take over Imig Music Building around the clock. Master classes and chamber ensemble rehearsals in the morning; listening labs and orchestra practice in the afternoon; dances, talent shows and bowling in the evening. It's the fourth year for the high school program, and the tenth for the middle school program.
The camp is meant to give passionate young musicians a glimpse into what it鈥檚 like to be a music student at the state鈥檚 flagship university. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredibly creative, inspiring, motivating experience for them,鈥� says Stoneback. 鈥淚t keeps these exceptional students involved and working in the summer."
鈥淚t鈥檚 unique for aspiring musicians,鈥� adds Lexi Carlson, who returns this year for her fourth stint as a counselor for the high school camp. 鈥淚t does a really great job of combining musical rigor with fun.鈥�
Helping to motivate students during the high school camp are several College of Music faculty, including Gary Lewis, Christina Jennings, Mike Thornton, Peter Cooper, Mike Dunn, William Stanley, Terry Sawchuk and Don McKinney.
鈥淥ur faculty are really good at opening up their time for these campers,鈥� says Stoneback.
Ciara Glasheen is this year鈥檚 head counselor for the high school camp. She says seeing students work with faculty is one of the highlights of the program. 鈥淢ost have never had this chance until now. They get to work with some of the best professionals in their field.鈥�
For the听middle school camp, faculty will step aside and let music education students鈥攎ostly undergraduates鈥攖ake the reins. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an excellent opportunity for our students to get real classroom experience and put what they鈥檝e been learning into practice,鈥� says Stoneback. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 really amazing what they can provide. They have a great ability to communicate on a different level.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to see them coming up with new ideas and injecting new life into the program,鈥� says Dr. Matt Dockendorf, Assistant Director of Bands and Co-Director of the academy. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e involved in planning and sectionals and master classes. They鈥檙e thinking about the whole process, and that鈥檚 something we鈥檙e always teaching our music ed students.鈥�
The intensive days are followed by laid-back evenings, which Carlson says makes the week a great relationship-building experience for the students, as well. 鈥淭hey spend plenty of time making music in a chamber ensemble setting, but then they get to spend the evenings doing scavenger hunts and bowling and all that,鈥� she says.
In addition to the benefit for students, the academy benefits the College of Music. For the first time this year, local and national donors鈥攕uch as Rocky Mountain Music Repair and Conn-Selmer鈥攁re sponsoring elements of the program.
That creates a community connection that Stoneback says is invaluable. 鈥淚t allows for more collaboration with Boulder, the rest of Colorado and even other states. And it encourages local band and orchestra directors to reach out to us in the future.鈥�
Additionally, the academy grows the national reputation of the College of Music; students from as far away as Massachusetts and Florida will be in attendance, along with one student from overseas.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see that the word is getting out, which will help us expand in the future,鈥� says Dockendorf. 鈥淭here are many camps across the country, but if we can provide a good experience, the students can go back and say they had a great time at CU.鈥�
The mutually beneficial relationship, in the end, comes back to the music. 鈥淲e get to share our passion with these young musicians, and they get to meet other like-minded kids who are looking for more out of their musical careers,鈥� says Stoneback. 鈥淎nd at the end of the week, everyone is a better musician because of it.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to see them come in at the beginning of the week relatively inexperienced, and then before they leave you get to hear the result of all their hard work at the concert,鈥� says Glasheen.
The High School Music Academy is June 14-19 and the Middle School Music Academy is June 21-26. The Jazz Academy starts July 5. For more information on the events,听visit the bands page.
