There’s an old Swedish proverb: A life without love is like a year without summer. Find the right summer music camp, and you may be tempted to flip the phrase: A life without summer camp is a year without love.

“Summer music camp is the best place to fall in love,” says Jon Feller, Chicago-based violin instructor, founder of the Andersonville Suzuki Academy, and faculty member at the Bowdacious String Band Summer Camp in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. He is referring, of course, to a love affair with music and the thrill of making it.

“You’ll experience musical possibilities you never knew existed,” he adds. “It’s so invigorating to be with all these like-minded people. There’s a sensitivity between musicians and this connection often turns into lifelong friendships.

Really, the best times I ever had were at music camp.”

Fortunately for string players, summer camp is a broad term encompassing a diverse range of skill levels, intensity, music styles, and time commitments, so you can be sure there’s a camp for you! One thing, however, remains constant from camp to camp—they all provide a memorable experience that’s sure to energize your relationship to music.

With so many music-camp options, selecting the perfect warm-weather experience can be confusing. Here are four questions that will help you narrow the playing field.

Are you a serious musician who wants to make a ton of progress this summer?

This is the big one, explains Ronda Cole, internationally renowned violin teacher, head of the Suzuki Violin Program at the University of Maryland School of Music, and director of the Suzuki Summer Institute for children and parents, Washington, D.C. “You need to ask yourself, ‘Do I expect to come out of this as a better developed player or do I want a range of activities that includes music?’ If you’re serious about advancing your skills, then you want a camp where you practice your brains out and really end up in a higher place. You can accomplish a year’s worth of progress in one summer because you don’t have to deal with other things. You’re not exhausted, over-scheduled, and concerned about homework.”

Cole suggests that anyone seeking this “higher place” should consider camps that include at least three to four hours a day for practice. These camps are often geared toward musicians seriously considering a career in music, or at least someone who’s been bitten by the music bug and already practices many hours a day. “This person knows where he or she wants to go and summer camp is one more step toward that goal,” Cole says.

If this sounds like the sort of camp for you, but you can’t decide between options, then consider the camp faculty. For instance, if you’re interested in studying with a specific professor at a particular college or university, find out if this professor is on staff at a camp. If so, then you’ve solved the dilemma.

Are you dedicated to your instrument and want inspiration along with camaraderie?

If you love music, love playing music, and love talking about music with other musicians, but don’t see a career in music, then look for a camp with a diverse schedule of music-related activities. Some camps offer lessons along with opportunities to participate in quartets, orchestras, jazz ensembles, chamber groups, choirs, and sometimes even rock ’n’ roll bands. Students play violin all day, but they don’t spend a lot of time practicing. As Feller puts it, “The idea here is to expand your horizons. Not only music, but also artistic, creative, and social horizons.”

While this sort of camp might frustrate the career-minded musician, it’s not fluff. “Spending time within a society of string players validates so much of what you’re doing at home!” Feller explains. “A light goes on. ‘Oh, this is why I do it—to make music with other people.’
“Camps are often a wake-up experience.”