Our music program is all about chamber music!

Chamber Music Groups

All campers will play for the faculty on the first full day of camp before being placed in chamber music groups. Students should select two or three minutes of music that will, both musically and technically, show their highest level of achievement. Pianists will be asked to play excerpts from their assigned chamber pieces – no solo pieces. We cannot overstate how important it is that this audition be well prepared and that the music selected be of the appropriate level.

Based on this on-campus audition, each camper is placed in one or two chamber groups. An assigned faculty coach picks an appropriate piece.  Pianists will have already been given a piece to prepare. The group begins to work, rehearsing six days a week.  Half of the time they will work with their coach and half of the time they will work independently.

Once the piece is ready, the ensemble will perform for the entire camp in an appreciative and supportive environment. After that first piece has been mastered, the musicians will move on to the next challenge – a more difficult movement from the same work, or a brand new piece.

Student Concerts:

During our longer sessions, we have camper concerts on certain Sunday afternoons at 3:30 in our Rec Hall to which families and friends are welcome to attend. Chamber groups perform as soon as their coach approves their preparation. Parents may arrive 30 minutes before the afternoon student chamber concert, enjoy the concert and then take campers out to eat returning campers by 7:30 pm for evening activities.  Note:  there is no Sunday student concert during our two week session.

Private Lessons and Practicing

One thing that sets Point CounterPoint apart from other music camps is the amount of personal attention in the form of private lessons and coachings that each camper receives.   The personal and nurturing attention of Point CounterPoint faculty in the informal setting on Lake Dunmore often creates a special bond between student and teacher. Every camper has two scheduled practice periods daily; many also choose to spend a portion of their free time practicing.

Music Theory and Music Studies

Campers meet regularly in small music theory classes with other campers at their own level to work on basics like intervals, key signatures, and rhythm, or advanced topics like harmonic analysis.

All-camp music studies classes feature varied topics such as “How to rehearse without a coach,” “Shostakovich’s Russia,” or to attend a Master Class with a guest musician, or a preview of an upcoming faculty performance. Always popular with the campers is a faculty panel which shares insights about their own musical studies and careers.

Faculty Concerts

During each summer camp session, our faculty performs public concerts as The Point CounterPoint Chamber Players at a variety of local venues. Their presentations of major works of the chamber music repertoire excite and motivate campers in their own musical growth. This popular series builds an intimate awareness of the discipline and joy of professional music-making.

Session Final Camper Concerts

At the end of each session on the last Saturday, campers perform in a  final concert at 1pm at the Salisbury Congregational Church. This is a rewarding experience for the entire camp community.  We depart from the church, looking forward to the next summer.

Sample Final Camper Concert

Below you can find a sample end-of-the-session camper concert program from prior years. Campers look forward to sharing the results of their hard work during camp with their families and friends on the last day of camp.