“Summer music camps in the United States were hit fast and hard by the economic realities of the virus this spring,” writes Linda Holt in Monday’s (9/21) Bachtrack.com (U.K.). “With their programs pretty much finalized by the time the pandemic appeared, these camps had to go back to the drawing board quickly, and in some cases, completely revisit budgets and revise pedagogical goals while sticking to stringent virus-prevention guidelines from their states and county boards of health. For its part, Philadelphia International Music Festival and Camp (PIMF) … developed new websites, added online programs and went entirely virtual, a pattern seen across the country as many summer music schools met the Covid-19 challenge…. While [students] missed in-person contact with teachers and fellow students, [they] said … virtual camp was stimulating and a great learning experience.” In addition to PIMF, the article reports on the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado and Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Michigan. Aspen President and CEO Alan Fletcher stated, “All the students I heard from said, ‘Thank you, we’re so glad you’re doing this.’ But at the same time, they also said, ‘…We really do want to be together, work together, learning live.’ I find that encouraging.”
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