Summer Music Institute Returns for Fifth Year

For the fifth year, Buffalo State’s Music Department will host its Summer Music Institute for area middle and high school students. During two weeklong camps in July, students will study with music faculty and other professional musicians and perform in ensembles.

Both of the institute’s camps are open to students going into the seventh through 12th grades who are proficient on a string, wind, or percussion instrument and are able to perform in ensembles. The Classical Camp will be held July 10-14, while the Jazz Camp is July 17-21. Both camps are held weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Rockwell Hall and cost $200 each. Scholarships are available.

Rick Fleming, associate professor of music and director of the college’s jazz and wind ensembles, founded the Summer Music Institute in 2013.

“Since we began, the Summer Music Institute has attracted young musicians from across Western New York,” said Fleming. “It’s great because the participants not only get to spend a week on a college campus with college faculty, they also get to meet kids with similar interests from other schools.”

The Classical Camp includes large ensemble rehearsals, theory and aural perception instruction, and special seminars in conducting, computer music, and African drumming.

“This camp is an exciting opportunity for aspiring musicians,” said Fleming. “They definitely end up in a different place when the camp wraps up.”

The Jazz Camp offers big band sessions, theory and arrangement instruction, jazz improvisations, and combos.

“The students have an opportunity to study improvisation with some of the finest jazz players in Buffalo,” Fleming said. “This is a popular choice for students who want to take their playing to a new level while also learning how to express their individual interpretation of pieces.” 

Both camps culminate with a public performance in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall.

For more information, contact Fleming at (716) 878-6504 or fleminrl@buffalostate.edu. To register online, visit the Summer Music Institute website.