1,200 Students Call the University of Arkansas Home for Summer Music Camp
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The department of music at the University of Arkansas is in the midst of its 55th Summer Music Camp. The annual event brings more than 1200 potential U of A students to campus each year over two weeks of intensive musical training.
“Music Camp is a bridge between the instrumental music experience in the public schools and the experience they will have in college,” said Chal Ragsdale, professor of percussion and camp director. “Students interact with university faculty in a personal yet rigorous setting that provides the same amount of music rehearsal in one week that would typically take six weeks in their home school.”
These current junior and senior high school students, enrolled in band and orchestra programs in their hometowns, audition for placement on the first day of camp. After being assigned to the appropriate ensemble, they spend a week in master classes and rehearsals preparing for performance. Each week closes with a concert for family and friends at the Walton Arts Center.
“Our Music Camp students often become music students at the University of Arkansas,” said Ronda Mains, professor of music and chair of the department. “They have an opportunity to see the campus, experience dormitory life, eat in the dining halls and interact with faculty. They develop a deeper and deeper connection to campus and to our faculty as they return each summer.”
These dedicated young musicians are often up before dawn and can be found practicing at various locations around campus, but they also are given many opportunities to socialize throughout the week. They have time for activities such as basketball and swimming during the day and to attend concerts or dances in the evenings.
“Music Camp is a community,” said Ragsdale “Students who start the week as strangers forge friendships and artistic bonds that last for decades.”
More than 100 camp staff members serve as teachers, conductors, administrators, counselors and equipment crew, and coordination among various campus units is essential for the annual event’s success. Many members of the camp’s staff are alumni of both the University of Arkansas and Summer Music Camp and credit their camp experiences as a driving force for their decision to attend the university.
“Our students look forward to Music Camp all year,” said Jana Gorham, director of bands for the Owasso, Oklahoma School district and a music department alumna. “They come back summer after summer because of the musical and social experiences. They spend a week being challenged as young musicians, making friends from throughout the region and feeling like college students. They love it.”
“These students have a great time, but they also receive instructions from experts in their individual instruments,” said Ragsdale. “This gives them more confidence in the mixed instrument setting of a band or orchestra. Our goal is to help them become leaders in their hometowns, schools and music programs.”
Topics
Contacts
Chal Ragsdale, professor, department of music
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
479-575-5838,
ragsdale@uark.edu
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