Alma College String Camp

Chamber Music Camp for Pre-College Students

Alma String Day Camp is a chamber music camp for string players who are 20 years or younger. Students will learn the standard chamber music repertoire during the week.

What Is Chamber Music?

Chamber music is a type of music written for small ensembles, typically from 2 to 8 players. Each player has his/her own part, unlike orchestra music where many string players play the same part.

The Importance of Chamber Music for String Players

The majority of the literature for strings involves more than one string player. String players are almost always playing with some other instrumentalists. It is imperative for string players to learn and develop skills to play with other musicians.

By studying chamber music repertoire, students will learn:

• - how to play in tune with other musicians.
• - how to blend sound with the other players in the group.
• - to listen and figure out how their part fits into the parts other musicians are playing.
• - to be responsible on their part, and not rely on the rest of the section to cover up for them.
• - how to think critically and academically on their own instead of blindly following whatever a conductor says from the podium.
• - how to deal with individual differences in interpretations and opinions among the group.
• - great literature of chamber music which will take them to a higher level of musical maturity.

It is difficult to learn any of what is described above during private lessons and orchestra rehearsals. Chamber music gives a perfect opportunity to a string player of any level to learn and polish these ensemble skills.

Dates

Mon. August 4 - Fri. August 8, 2025

1:00pm - 6:00pm daily. There will be a concert at 7:00pm on Friday.

Location

Camp Schedule

There will be four 50-minute sessions every day from 1:00pm to 6:00pm. These sessions mainly consist of chamber music rehearsals and coachings. Depending on the number of campers and their needs, there may be string chamber orchestra and music theory sessions as well.

Private Lessons

Private lessons are available before and after the camp hours for violin and viola students. The lessons are at a discounted rate for $40 per hour. (lesson fees are not included in the camp tuition).

Concert

Friday, August 8th, at 7:00pm

Students will perform and showcase their achievement at the end of the last day of the camp. Besides playing their chamber music repertoire, students will have an opportunity to play their solo pieces at the concert. The performance is open to the public.

Requirements and Eligibility

• - Campers must be under 20 years of age at the time of the registration.
• - Camp participants are expected to be at the level of Suzuki, volume 4 or equivalent at minimum.

Camp Tuition

The tuition for the 2025 camp is $240.00 per student.

Registration

The button below will take you to a registration page at Alma College Website.

Registration Form

Contact

Please send an email to TakeshiAboViolin@gmail.com if you need more information or have questions.