2019 ESME Band Camp Summer String Intensive

The 2019 ESME Band Camp is a summer intensive chamber music program for grades 6-12, college, and post-college string players hosted at the Grand Rapids Community College Music Center. Camp faculty includes musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Students can register individually or as a preformed chamber group. Preformed groups are asked to prepare a 5-10 minute program of chamber music of their choice for the camp. Additional registration forms can be downloaded here. Read our faculty bios page to learn more about the ESME Band Camp including our scholarship programs.

• Camp sessions include small and large ensemble rehearsals, coachings, master classes, student and faculty performances and group workshops. Also included are classes on ear and rhythmic training, harmony and theory. Each ensemble works with ESME on both traditional classical and ESME chamber arrangements.
• ESME demonstrations with students focus on chamber group interaction, practice techniques, body awareness while playing, improvisation exercises and utilizing modern music exposure towards classical training
• String workshops are led daily, by each faculty member, that tie fundamentals of music and string playing together using stylistic elements of eclectic repertoire (from classical to pop to bluegrass) and include improv jam sessions with ESME and students.
• Music at the Root and Anatomy of a Pop Song are specialized classes that heighten knowledge and understanding of scales & keys, musical structure, improv, accompaniment and critical listening. Through extensive group playing and experimentation students will learn contemporary musical concepts and how they relate to any music they hear.
• Open master class for student groups is held on the last day followed by a public concert with performances by ESME, ESME Band Camp faculty and students.
• Daily Schedule: 9:00am-4:00pm (12:00pm lunches provided). Public ESME concert is on Friday Aug.16th, 3:00-5:00pm at GRCC's Linn Maxwell Recital Hall