In June of 2013, the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music at the College of Performing Arts (CoPA) at Chapman University will offer its second annual Choral Music Camp to 9th through 12th graders, led by Dr. Angel M. Vázquez-Ramos, assistant professor of choral music education. This is a rigorous, week-long camp which runs from 9am-9pm daily, with meals provided and a full slate of learning and social activities. The camp includes mixed, women’s and men’s choirs, in addition to a number of electives, such as class voice, swing dance, audition preparation, and sight singing for singers. Ensemble sessions will help students explore making music in a smaller setting with new friends.  The tuition costs to attend the Choral Music Camp are $360 per student, and CoPA will be providing scholarships to encourage students from all economic backgrounds to participate.

The Choral Music Camp offers high school students the rare opportunity to be guided through a personalized creative process. Each participant is matched, one-on-one, with a faculty or student mentor to receive instruction, develop their craft, and ask questions. Participants are also divided into ensembles, helping them explore music-making, peer interaction and intense artistic collaborations in a small group setting. New for this year, we are offering a special class to focus students on how to prepare for college auditions and how to apply to music schools. The weeklong program concludes with each ensemble performing in a free public concert held in Chapman University’s Salmon Recital Hall.

The Choral Music Camp is a tremendous opportunity for high school students to receive first-rate musical training, and to encounter the university as a place where they can turn their passion into a vocation. The camp also serves as a springboard to engaging these students through their participation as individual performers, collaborating with students from different backgrounds with the ultimate goal of working together as artists – followed up with concrete opportunities to keep them engaged and active in the performing arts at the university level. Finally, because of the lack of consistent access to music and the arts through public schools, the program seeks to add a vital artistic component to the student’s overall education.

For more information and to apply, visit http://www.chapman.edu/copa/music/summercamp/index.aspx.