Discover your passion and choose your adventure at summer music camp!
Activity Selection Process
Step 1: Choose Your Large Ensemble
All campers will participate in a large ensemble with two 1-hour rehearsals each day. Students should select the most appropriate genre for their interest, age group, and experience level in band, choir, or orchestra.
Step 2: Indicate Elective Preferences
Each day at camp, students will also participate in music electives selected from a variety of performance activities and academic music classes. You may indicate as many elective options as you wish on your camp application, but the daily camp schedule will only allow two 1-hour elective time slots. To help us place you in your preferred activities, the camp application will invite you to identify your top three elective options.
Step 3: Private Lesson Option (additional $25 per lesson)
For students seeking one-on-one specialized instruction, a 30-minute lesson with applied music faculty is a popular option. Lessons are available on voice and all ensemble instruments, plus piano and guitar.
LARGE ENSEMBLE OPTIONS (Band, Choir, or Orchestra)
Concert Band
Join the band! Each ensemble will rehearse a variety of music styles and wind band repertoire appropriate to your ability and experience level. Daily rehearsals lead up to a performance at the Grand Finale Concert. Seating is limited to available instrumentation for each section of the ensemble.
Beginning Band
Intended for students with at least one year of experience playing a band instrument.
Junior Band
Intended for students in grades 7-8 with two-three years of experience playing a band instrument.
Senior Band
Intended for students in grades 9-12 with three or more years experience playing their instrument.
Choir
Everybody sing! The camp chorus will rehearse a variety of music styles and choral repertoire appropriate to students’ ability and experience levels. Daily rehearsals polish your ensemble skills leading to a performance at the Grand Finale Concert. In addition to combined camp chorus numbers for all ages, selected repertoire will provide small choir experiences for students in grades 6-8 and 9-12, as well as male and female singing groups.
Orchestra
Celebrate the classics! Each group will rehearse a variety of music styles and orchestral repertoire appropriate to students’ ability and experience level. Daily rehearsals polish your ensemble skills leading to a performance at the Grand Finale Concert. Seating is limited to available instrumentation for each section of the ensemble. Music teacher recommendation is required. Wind and percussion instruments in full orchestra by audition only.
Beginning Strings
Intended for students with one year of experience playing a string instrument.
Junior Strings
Intended for students with 2-3 years of experience playing a string instrument. Or, students with less experience than this may apply for this ensemble based on the strong recommendation of their music teacher.
Senior Strings
Intended for students in grades 9-12, or with three or more years experience playing a string instrument.
ELECTIVE OPTIONS
The camp schedule includes two 75-minute elective time slots. To help us place campers in their preferred activities, the camp application will invite parents to identify their top three elective options. Advanced or senior level electives may require campers to provide an audition video by May 31. Instructions for audition videos will be included in your application response.
The following electives are available to all campers: Rock Bands, Drumlines, Conducting, Composition, and Music Appreciation.
Due to the Grand Finale Concerts on the last day of camp in three separate simultaneous locations (Bands, Strings, Choirs), certain electives are only available to certain large ensemble campers.
JAZZ BAND (Band campers only)
Beginning Jazz Band
Learn the basics of what you need to play jazz as you perform beginning jazz works, learn jazz rhythms, and beginning jazz improvisation. This group is intended for band students without prior experience in a jazz band. Daily rehearsals conclude with a gig at the Grand Finale Concert. Open to students playing saxophone, trumpet, trombone, drum set, piano, guitar, or bass.
Junior Jazz Band
Build on the basics of what you need to play jazz as you perform beginning jazz works, learn jazz rhythms, and beginning jazz improvisation. This group is intended for band students with 1-2 years prior experience in a jazz band. Daily rehearsals conclude with a gig at the Grand Finale Concert. Open to students playing saxophone, trumpet, trombone, drum set, piano, guitar, or bass.
Senior Jazz Band
Hone your jazz skills on intermediate-advanced arrangements, learn advanced jazz rhythms, and enhance your improvisation skills. This group is intended for band students with 2+ years prior experience in a jazz band and/or high school band experience. Daily rehearsals conclude with a gig at the Grand Finale Concert. Senior Jazz Band features enrollment for standard jazz instruments with students who have completed grade 9-12 (saxophone, trumpet, trombone, drum set, piano, guitar, bass).
ROCK BAND (available to all campers)
Learn the essentials of how to play rock and roll. Groups will focus on transcribing cover tunes, rock history, standard chord progressions, basic theory, and gig promotion. Daily rehearsals conclude with a gig at the Grand Finale Concert. Prerequisite: Students must sing or play a rock instrument (singer, guitar, bass, drums, or keyboard).
- Junior Rock Band: For students with one to two years experience performing on rock instruments or vocals.
- Senior Rock Band: For students with three or more years experience performing on rock instruments or vocals.
Amps, keyboards, mics, drum set, and sound equipment are provided. Campers must provide their own electric guitar or electric bass if they select those roles.
DRUMLINE (available to all campers)
Build your marching drumline skills on bass drum, snare drum, tenor drums (quints or quads), and cymbals.
- Junior Drumline: For students in middle school or zero years experience performing on marching snare, bass drum, tenor drums, or cymbals.
- Senior Drumline: For students in high school with one or more years experience performing on marching snare, bass drum, tenor drums, or cymbals.
MUSIC THEATER SCENES (Chorus campers only)
Do you love to sing AND act? Apply for Musical Theater as your camp elective! We will stage several scenes from popular musicals (we’re considering Dear Evan Hansen, Newsies, Shrek, and The Lion King among our choices), and perform them for the grand finale concert at the end of camp.
CHAMBER STRINGS (String campers only)
Explore classic works of music in small chamber music settings coached by OWU Summer Music Camp string staff for duets, trios, and quartets.
CONDUCTING (available to all campers)
Hone your skills as a conductor! Campers in the elective will learn and refine the fundamentals of instrumental conducting techniques. (8th grade and above only)
COMPOSITION (available to all campers)
Create and compose original works of music taught by a professional composer. (for all campers)
MUSIC APPRECIATION (available to all campers)
Rock History, Classics, and More! Learn the stories behind the songs and hear the great works of music that changed the world. (for all campers)
PRIVATE LESSONS (available to all campers)
- Alto Saxophone
- Baritone Saxophone
- Baritone/Euphonium
- Bass (electric or string bass)
- Bass Clarinet
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Clarinet
- Flute
- Guitar (electric or acoustic)
- Horn
- Oboe
- Percussion
- Piano
- Tenor Saxophone
- Trombone
- Trumpet
- Tuba
- Viola
- Violin
- Voice (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass)