Foster Music Camp at EKU to celebrate its 75th season

March 4, 2010

Anonymous Special to the Register The Richmond Register Thu Mar 04, 2010, 10:01 AM EST

RICHMOND — The nation’s second oldest music camp will celebrate its 75th season this summer at Eastern Kentucky University.

Founded in the midst of the Great Depression, the Stephen Collins Foster Music Camps — with numerous camp options throughout June for middle school and high school students — continue to draw young musicians from throughout the nation and even internationally.

This summer, the Camps run June 6-26, and include public performances. Special events, including participation by Foster Camp alumni, are planned to mark the 75th anniversary.

The Middle School Band and Strings Camp, designed for students with 1-3 years playing experience, will be conducted June 6-11. Students will benefit from experiences in concert band, full symphony orchestra, daily instrumental skill classes, daily small ensemble, band and orchestra concerts and small ensemble concert.

The Middle School Vocal Camp will also be conducted June 6-11.

Piano Camp I, for students in fifth through eighth grades, is designed for beginner to advanced keyboard students. The schedule is highly structured, with classes and lessons designed to improve skills and open new horizons. It, too, will be June 6-11.

Piano Camp II, for students in grades 8-12, will follow from June 13 through June 19.

World Percussion Camp, June 13-19, is designed for percussion students of all abilities grades 8-12 and will focus on various percussion techniques and studies from around the globe. Students may combine this camp with the last week of High School Band Camp for a discounted rate.

Guitar Camp, June 20-25, is geared to students ages 13 and up from all backgrounds. Participants will enjoy a week of dedicated guitar study and will learn fingerboard visualization, theory, harmony, rhythm and guitar-specific music technology. Notation skills are encouraged but not required. Performances will include various styles of music, including original compositions if applicable. Group sessions and ensembles will be formed according to age and ability.

High School Band Strings Camp will be conducted two separate weeks — June 13-19 and June 20-16 and also as one two-week option June 13-26. This camp provides an array of musical experiences that can assist the high school musician about making decisions about possible careers in music or simply expand their musical horizons and provide enrichment for future encounters in music.

High School Vocal Camp, June 20-26, is designed for high school-age singers, including those entering the ninth grade as well as those who graduate this Spring.

For the Middle School Band and String and Vocal camps as well as Piano Camp I and Guitar Camp, the resident cost is $365 and commuter cost is $275.

The resident cost for the Piano II, Steel Drum and High School Vocal camps is $385, with commuter cost of $290.

The resident cost for the two-week High School Band and Strings Camp is $615, and the commuter cost $375. For pricing and availability of the one-week High School Band and Strings Camp, email info@fostercamp.org.

Discounts are available for early registrants, and for members of all-state bands, orchestras and choruses in Kentucky and adjacent states. Group discounts are also available. For more information about all the camps, pricing and discounts, visit fostercamp.org or e-mail Ben Walker, camps director, at bwalker@fostercamp.org.

Scholarships and, for the first time, financial aid are available to campers. More information about both is also available at fostercamp.org.

Also, for the first time, the Robert W. Hartwell Scholarship for Musical and Leadership Excellence, in honor of the long-time EKU bands and Foster Camps director who passed away in 2008, will be awarded at the conclusion of the camps this summer.

Only the famous Interlochen Music Camp in Michigan has a longer history in the U.S. than EKU’s Foster Camp. Many young musicians return year after year to the Richmond campus.

The camp’s first director, in 1936, was Henri Schanbl, a former member of Kaiser Wilhelm’s personal band. Other directors through the years have been the camp’s founder, Joseph Van Peursem, 1940-63; Nick Koenigstein, 1964-67; Dr. Hartwell, 1968-99; and Dr. Joe Allison, 2000-07, before Walker took the reins in 2008.

From 1948 to 1964, a certain canine was on hand to greet the campers. The music department’s mascot, Mozart, was buried in a grave immediately behind the outdoor pavilion used for many concerts and named for Van Peursem.

Students in all camping options are housed in air-conditioned residence halls under the supervision of counselors selected and overseen by the camp administrator. Meals are provided in Powell Cafeteria. All rehearsals and other musical activities are held in the air-conditioned Foster and Campbell buildings. Planned recreational activities are provided on all evenings a musical event is not scheduled.

Campers are urged to complete their applications early to assure their place in the camp of their choice. Applications are available on the Camp’s web site, fostercamp.org.

For more information, call the EKU Department of Music, 622-3266.

Text Only

Religion and Education

EKU tuition, dorm fees going up 5 percent
Eastern Kentucky University students will be paying 5 percent more for both tuition and residence hall rooms after the board of regents approved the rate hikes Thursday.
Full-time students are paying $3,480 per semester for tuition this spring. In the fall, that figure will rise $180 to $3,660.

April 27, 2012
Pieces of the past
The secrets hidden in a time capsule at Union City Baptist Church saw the light of day Saturday for the first time since Dec. 13, 1953.
The time capsule was placed in the church’s marble cornerstone 50 years ago at the dedication of extensive remodeling and addition of a baptistery and a basement to the church building.

April 2, 2012 3 Photos
A day of worship is a day of refreshing
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

February 25, 2012 1 Photo
EKU provost named first male president of women’s Catholic university
A long-time administrative figure at Eastern Kentucky University has made history by being named the first male president of a Baltimore Catholic women’s college.
James Conneely, EKU’s Associate Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs since 2003, will preside over Notre Dame of Maryland University beginning July 1.

February 24, 2012 1 Photo
Christmas on Sunday prompts many church schedule changes
With Christmas falling on a Sunday, many local churches are planning Christmas eve services on Saturday night and altering their Sunday morning schedules.
All but one church contacted in a random sampling by the Richmond Register are canceling Sunday school on Christmas day.

December 23, 2011
Whitlock to leave school board Dec. 31
Doug Whitlock, the Eastern Kentucky University president who currently chairs the Madison County School Board, announced Thursday evening he will be leaving the school board Dec. 31.
Whitlock said time constraints prompted his decision. His first commitment is to his contractual position at the university, attempting to do both jobs would prevent him from doing justice to either obligation, he told the school board.

November 11, 2011 1 Photo
Rockin' reward rally
Martha Scarberry, vice-principal of B. Michael Caudill Middle School, crowd surfs with students Thursday morning during the school’s 1980’s rock star-themed Renaissance Reward Rally. The rally, featuring teacher skits, games, music and prize drawings, rewards students who have good grades and good attendance and have demonstrated good behavior.

November 4, 2011 3 Photos
EKU uses grant to help children with autism and their families
A series of grants from the WHAS Crusade for Children has enabled Eastern Kentucky University to enhance a program designed to assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families.
The University recently received $4,068.75 from the Crusade, the third consecutive year the Louisville station has assisted the ASD program, which was begun many years prior to the grants.

October 7, 2011
Church hosts fall festival on Saturday
Rosedale Baptist Church will host a fall festival Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring a kids carnival, food and refreshments, festival sale and open house.

October 7, 2011
District finding ways to improve student growth
After last month’s release of Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) scores and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) progress report, three Madison County Schools were labeled as NCLB Improvement Schools after falling short of their proficiency goals.

October 6, 2011
More Religion and Education Headlines

Religion and Education

Search Results

Foster Music Camp at EKU to celebrate its 75th season

A recent health ranking listed Madison County as the 20th healthiest county in the state. It measured factors such as exercise, access to health care and smoking. Do you smoke cigarettes?

Site Map