What’s Happening?
June 2017: Registrations are quickly filling up and we are almost at capacity!! The schedule of ensembles and seminars as well as evening activities is now available on the website. August is fast approaching!!
February 2017: REGISTRATION IS OPEN! You can now register for our 2017 Camp Session. We’ve got some new and exciting offerings this coming year.
NOVICE AND BEGINNER ENSEMBLE – DIRECTED BY DIANE MUFFITT!
WE HAVE A THEME THIS YEAR- I’VE GOT RHYTHM! MANY OF OUR SEMINARS WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING RHYTHM PLAYING.
December 14, 2016: Final adjustments are being made to the registration process and registration will open on January 15, 2017!
December 1, 2016: Look for an announcement of our 2017 guest conductor sometime in January 2017.
November 15, 2016: Good news! We have a new Program and Music Director, Nina Andersen. You can read about her background on the Music Faculty Page. She is hard at work getting acclimated and informed about NEAMC with the help of Diane and other Music Faculty. Diane will be returning next summer too as the new Director of Novice Studies.
October 9, 2016: Our end of week concert was video taped and streamed live on Facebook. You can get to it by clicking on this link:
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=new%20england%20music%20camp%20videos
If you are in Facebook and searching, search for “New England Music Camp Videos” (be sure to put an “s” on the end of videos, because the singular gets you someplace else).
The video is the one from August 27, 2016. (at the moment, it is the top video on the page)
— The ensemble & seminar information and daily schedule (Tues-Friday) are posted. Be aware that these are still drafts and there may be some changes before camp. Course signup info will be sent out in a couple of weeks.
— The music has gone out! If you didn’t get yours, email Nina! I will be posting the ensemble & seminar information soon, so you can be planning how you will spend your time in our week. Sometime around July 27 or so I will be sending out ensemble & seminar signup sheets. Only five and a half weeks until we are all together Down East in Maine! Have fun practicing!!!!
2019 Detailed Schedule
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Below is a sample schedule
Monday - August 26th
1:00 - 4:00 pm Arrival-Registration-Unpack-Meet Old Friends and Make some New Ones!
5:00 pm Social Hour on the Lodge Patio
5:45 pm Dinner at the Lodge
7:00 pm Meet Your Faculty for Combined Piece Sectionals - Locations in Master Schedule
7:00 pm Green Tags Orientation with Cheryl - Lodge
8:15 pm Mixer for all Campers - Lodge
Daily Schedule - Tuesday, August 27th through Friday, August 30th
7:30 am Breakfast - Lodge
8:15 - 10:30 am Slot A & B Seminars for Concert Band/NQRP Band & Track A Campers
9:00 – 10:30 am Symphonic Band Rehearsal
10:45- 11:45 am Slot C for All
11:45 - 1:00 pm Lunch
12:45- 2:30 pm Jazz Ensemble and Improvisation
1:00 - 2:30 pm Concert Band Rehearsal
1:00 – 2:30 pm Slot D for Symphonic Band/NQRP Band & Track A Campers
2:45 - 3:45 pm Slot E Seminars and Small Ensembles for All
4:00 - 5:00 pm Slot F Seminars and Small Ensembles for All
5:00 pm Social Hour at the Lodge - followed by Dinner at 5:45 pm
Evening Schedule - Tuesday, August 27th through Friday, August 30th
6:45 -7:15 pm Jam Sessions –Tues – Fri evening
Irish Music, Drum Circle, Recorders , Dixieland Jam
7:30- 9:00 pm Tues, 8/27 Faculty Concert - Alumni Hall
7:30 - 9:00 pm Wed, 8/28 - Special Concert with the FLUKES (Ukulele Band) Alumni Hall
7:30 - 9:00 pm Thursday, 8/29 - Movie Night “The Mighty UKE”- Alumi Hall
7:30 - 9:00 pm Friday, 8/30 - Campers Casual Concert – Alumni Hall
Saturday - August 31st
9:00 - 12:00 pm Dress Rehearsals of All Ensembles - In The Bowl
12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch
2:30 - 4:30 pm Final Concert in The Bowl - Symphonic Band, Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble
5:00 pm Social Hours, Cookout and Lobster Dinner followed by Bonfire
Sunday - September 1st
7:30 - 9:00 am Final Breakfast – Closing Activity
9:00 am - 12 pm Pack, final swim, say our goodbyes and head for home!
2022 Schedule and Seminar Information will be finalized in June.
ENSEMBLE AND SEMINAR DESCRIPTIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!
The 2022 camp schedule will be similar to our 2021 schedule. 2021 Ensemble and Seminar Description, 2021 Weekly Overview, and 2021 Full Week Schedule remain available for you to browse. Both the schedule and the description will be slightly different in 2022, but these documents will give you a basic idea of what to expect. Please check back in June for 2022 updates.
Below is a basic list of sessions included each year. Read on!
SCHEDULED ENSEMBLES
(Participants will sign up for these ensembles prior to arriving at camp)
SYMPHONIC BAND: Symphonic Band is for our intermediate/advanced players who want to work on more challenging repertoire (grade 3-4.5) Daily.
CONCERT BAND: Concert band is for our novice/intermediate players who are looking for the joy of making music in a band, but with easier music. (grade 1.5-2.5) Daily.
NOT-QUITE-READY-PLAYERS’ BAND: In this very successful program for the beginner and early novice player, Diane Muffitt will continue working with those who are “not quite ready” to play in concert band helping the players have a better understanding of how to negotiate and understand their instruments and what is happening in the band rehearsal. For more information, please click here.
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED JAZZ ENSEMBLE: This group is for musicians with some jazz experience. No knowledge of improvisation is necessary. Daily with Bill.
NOVICE SWING BAND: This group is for musicians on any instrument, who have limited jazz experience, including those of you who have never played any jazz before! Daily with Matt
KLEZMER!!! Would you like to play some upbeat, old-world modal music that reminds you of joyous-but-trying times of Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus? This ensemble will feature Eastern European instrumental music of pre-Israeli Jewish culture that was meant (mostly…) for celebrations. OF COURSE, as is the tradition, we will throw in some sorrowful music as well; laughing through tears is what life often really is about, is it not? Absolutely no experience or knowledge of the music necessary to enjoy this kind of ensemble that will be taught in depth as we learn tunes by ear and with sheet music. You will also learn a few of the dances that go with our tunes so (hopefully) we will get that audience up on their feet as well! All instruments welcomed but flutes, clarinets, trumpets, trombone, and percussion particularly encouraged. (And, if you have brought your stringed instrument along to jam, join us! Adrianne says, “Even though my main instrument is flute, I’m a die-hard violist myself, so I know the feeling!”) Daily with Adrianne.
LIKE INSTRUMENT ENSEMBLES: We will have large group, similar instrument ensembles which will meet daily under the guidance of our specialists. Small groups may be organized with help from two of our faculty members, daily. (Those in Spouse/Friend Track A are welcome to be part of the ensembles.)
CHAMBER MUSIC GROUPS: Campers will have the opportunity to pre-register for participation in a mixed instrument chamber group. Music will be provided by faculty upon request and faculty will be available to coach groups.
JAM SESSIONS
(Participants may drop in as desired)
DRUM CIRCLE: 30 minutes, after dinner. Drop-ins are welcome; come when you feel the urge to drum. Tuesday & Thursday after dinner, with Dan Foote
IRISH JAM: Let’s get Irish for a wee bit! Sessions of fun easy tunes! Bring your flute, whistle, fiddle, bodhran, accordion, guitar or even a non-traditional instrument! Let’s get our jigs and reels on! Drop in whenever you feel Irish. Daily, after dinner, with Adrianne.
OTHER JAM SESSIONS: Last year we had a Celtic flute jam after dinner, a jazz jam after evening activities and other jams at various times of the day. How about a ukelele jam? Rock band jam? Recorder ensemble?
Put your name on everything!
BEDDING AND LINENS
- Sheets – size determined by where you are staying (you should soon receive an email indicating the size of your bed in your lodging). Blankets (night temperatures often dip into the low 50s, upper 40s). Electric blanket, if you prefer
- OR bring a sleeping bag instead of, or in addition to, sheets and blankets
- Pillow and pillow case
- Towels & washcloths
- Optional: a towel for waterfront activities
- Optional: a mattress pad if you want a little more comfort. These are cabins and dormitories! All beds are the old style, thin mattress – no super thick ones (except some in the cabins – they may be thicker)
CLOTHING (below are suggestions – bring what is best for you)
- We will be casual, so whatever is comfortable for you, shorts, jeans, chinos, tee-shirts, golf shirts, open collar shirts… Do bring a mix of warm weather and cool weather attire.
- On Thursday, we will have a "Wear your home band attire or any other musical garment" day. Obviously this is optional, but if your band has a shirt or you have a trumpet tie/scarf or a music tee-shirt, or a pair of pants covered in French horns, consider bringing it to wear on Thursday!
- Sweatshirt/sweater/vest/jacket for potentially chilly evenings.
- Foot wear: sneakers or whatever is comfortable for your feet is fine for most days. A pair of waterproof shoes/boots is a good idea for when we have rain
- Concert Dress (see below)
- Rain jacket, rain hat and/or umbrella
- Swimsuit if you plan to swim
- Don’t forget your PJs!
CONCERT DRESS
- White shirt/blouse and long black pants or black skirt. If you wish, you may wear a splash of color, such as a scarf, tie, pin, belt…
- Nice shoes, we prefer black, but don’t go buy new shoes for this! Ladies, no tall heels – they sink into the ground, are dangerous walking over the roots and they thump on the floor of the stage.
- No tuxes and no fancy dresses, please.
OTHER ITEMS YOU MAY WANT
- For our Canadian and International campers - Passport!
- Water bottle
- Sunscreen
- Bug repellent
- Flashlight (definitely bring!)
- Camera
- Tissues
- Other toiletries
- Medications and/or supplements
- Hangers for the closets - there are a few, but not many (varies depending on lodging)
- We recommend that as much as possible, you leave your electronics at home and unplug for the week. That said, do what you need to do; there is Wi-Fi available in some areas of the camp if you need it. Cell phone signal is inconsistent.
MUSIC SUPPLIES
- Your instrument (well, if that isn’t on my list, I might walk off without it!)
- Music Stand
- Reeds (bring extras!), oil and other instrument necessities. We do not have supplies for purchase.
- Brass players, bring a straight mute. If you plan on being in the intermediate/advanced jazz ensemble, you should also bring a cup mute, and intermediate/advanced jazz trumpets bring a Harmon mute.
- Percussionists, bring at least the following: snare sticks, a practice pad, a pair of timpani mallets (general), a pair of hard rubber xylophone mallets and blue yarn marimba mallets. Bring any other sticks you have, too. It is wise to get a stick bag or create something to carry it all in. And put your name on it (and each stick/mallet).
- Put your name on your case, mutes, etc.! It is a good idea to jot down your instrument serial number and keep it in your case on the off chance that you set your instrument down next to someone else’s and they get mixed up.
THE ITEMS BELOW ARE OPTIONAL:
- An instrument stand is a convenience if you have one, but not necessary.
- Music Stand Light - If you have trouble seeing well when there isn’t a lot of light, get one of the small, portable, stand lights.
- A music case or bag or backpack is nice to keep your stuff together and for easy transport; you might also want a plastic bag or something to put it all in when it rains.
- Money (Cash) for drinks and snacks at the Lodge Camp office, extra drinks during the evening social hour (one drink & snacks are free to those purchasing meals), a lobster if we manage to get an evening with optional lobster on the menu, any outings off camp, and souvenirs, a boat cruise on the lake.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
- We have a great swimming area and there are canoes to borrow as well, or you may bring your own boat.
- There are tennis courts, soccer fields, basketball courts, softball diamonds and other sports on camp. Equipment is available, or you may bring your own. There is golf not too far away (off camp).
- Coffee, tea, fruit, etc. will be available all day to those on the food plans. If you require special snacks, bring them.
NEAMC is located on the campus of Snow Pond Arts Center at 8 Goldenrod Lane in Sidney, Maine, 04330
From the North:
- Take Route 95 South to exit 127 (ME-11/ME-137 toward Waterville/Oakland).
- Turn right on ME-11S/ME-137W/Kennedy Memorial Drive.
- After 0.7 miles, turn left onto Country Club Road.
- At the end, turn right onto Webb Road.
- After crossing over Middle Road, turn left onto ME-23S/Snow Pond Road.
- NEMC will be on your right after approximately 3.2 miles.
From the South:
- Take Route 95 North to exit 112B to merge onto ME-11 N/ME-27 N/ME-8 N/Civic Center Drive/New Belgrade Road toward Augusta/Belgrade.
- After 4 miles, turn right onto ME-23 N/Pond Road.
- NEAMC will be on your left after approximately 7.2 miles.
Music Lessons