Music Institute of Chicago Sets Summer Music Camps & Classes

Music Institute of Chicago is offering a wide range of camps and festivals for a music-filled summer. Children and adults have the opportunity to work with the Music Institute's award-winning faculty and ensembles in residence at its campuses in Downtown Evanston (1702 Sherman Avenue), Evanston East (1490 Chicago Avenue), Lake Forest (40 East Old Mill Road), and Winnetka (300 Green Bay Road).

2016 Camps
Musikgarten programs offer joyful and stimulating musical play for children from birth to age seven. Summer session begins June 14, with classes including Family Music for Babies (birth-18 months), Family Music for Toddlers (16 months-three years), Cycle of Seasons (three to five years), Music Makers - At Home in the World (four to six years), and Music Makers - Around the World (five to seven years).

Jazz Studies provides students of all ages and levels opportunities to explore jazz through camps, private instruction, combos, and improvisation classes. The Art of the Jazz Band Camp has two sessions: grades seven to nine runs June 13-17, and high school age through adults runs June 20-24.

Piano camps feature members from the Music Institute's 45-member faculty, one of the largest community school piano departments in the nation. Piano boot camp for ages 10-17 runs June 13-17; adult piano camp runs June 16-19. In addition, the Chicago Duo Piano Festival, which includes coachings, master classes, lectures, student recitals, concerts, and more, runs July 8-17.

Organ (eight years old to adult) and harpsichord (16 years to adult) classes are taught by instructors at the only regional community music school, and one of few in the country, to offer them. The Music Institute has two historic pipe organs, a 1914 E.M. Skinner organ in Nichols Concert Hall and a 1936 Kimball pipe organ. There is also a two-week internship in pipe organ building, maintenance and restoration beginning June 14.

Guitar boot camps for ages nine to 11 take place June 20-24 in Lake Forest and July 18-22 in Winnetka.

Woodwind camps include a Chamber Camp for Winds with Quintet Attacca for ages 11 to adult June 13-17, an Oboe Boot Camp for ages 10 to adult June 20-24, and a Woodwind Samplers in Clarinet and Saxophone for ages nine through 12 beginning June 14.

Brass camps include Brass for Beginners Boot Camp for ages nine to 11 June 20-24 and All Brass Boot Camp July 7-28.

Musical Theater summer programs include weekly SmashUp! Camps for grades K through three June 6-August 19 and the Broadway Bound Workshop for grades four through eight June 6-17 and June 20-July 1. In Broadway Bound, students learn the fundamentals of acting and musical theater, dance, and singing, including audition technique. Each day features acting, dance, music, and supplemental activities. Each two-week session culminates in a revue of scenes and songs from favorite Broadway and Disney musicals.

The Chicago Suzuki Institute July 2-10 at Trinity International University in Deerfield is a concentrated week of master classes, group instruction, short-term teacher training courses, concerts, and musical enrichment for Suzuki violin, viola, cello, and piano students, parents, and teachers. The Music Institute also offers Introduction to Suzuki classes beginning June 14.

Adult ensembles offer opportunities for adults learning instruments for the first time, returning after a long hiatus, or just looking for a way to brush up on their musical skills. Ensembles include New Horizons Band, Golden Years Swing Band, Community Symphony, and Quartet Strings.

Music Institute Chorale hosts a summer sing-along of Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah July 20 at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston, conducted by Frank Winkler.

Registration is open now. Individual links provide additional details and registration information, or visit musicinst.org/summer-camps-and-festivals.

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