OHIO Summer Music Academy 2025
Join us June 22–28, 2025!
Includes the following concentrations:
- Band Camp
- Contemporary Music and Digital Instruments (CMDI)
- Piano Intensive
- Strings Intensive
- Voice Intensive
The Ohio University School of Music welcomes students to our Summer Music Academy!For more than 20 years, young musicians and vocalists have been coming together on our Athens, Ohio campus to enhance their musicianship, develop their performance skills, and collaborate with fellow high school musicians from the region and beyond. Along with our award-winning faculty, the program welcomes distinguished musicians and performing artists to work with students and share their experiences in the field. Students in all areas enroll for college credit, receive individual instruction and participate in group practice sessions and seminars each day, though individual schedules may vary. All students attend and participate final concerts by each group scheduled on Friday or Saturday of the camp week.
The OHIO Summer Music Academy includes the following five streams:
OHIO Summer Music Academy: Band Camp
The OHIO Summer Music Academy Band Camp is an immersive experience designed for intermediate to advanced high school brass, woodwind, and percussion students who, with our distinguished faculty and guest clinicians, want to enhance their musicianship, develop their performance skills, and collaborate with high school musicians from the region and beyond. Daily classes include both large and chamber ensemble sessions and master classes as well as seminars on various topics such as music theory, rock composition and electronics, instrument repair and maintenance, acoustics, improvisation, and music leadership with members of the Ohio University Marching 110.
All brass, percussion, and woodwind students rehearse and perform with the wind ensemble. This group also performs with the Athens Communiversity Band as part of the “Under the Elms” concert series - an outdoor summer concert series that has been an Athens tradition for more than 70 years!
Participants will perform in a culminating finale concert on Saturday with the Summer Music Academy Wind Ensemble.
OHIO Summer Music Academy: Contemporary Music and Digital Instruments
Ohio University’s Contemporary Music and Digital Instruments program offers an opportunity for students to combine popular music and technology to create their own musical works. Composition and performance is taught through hands-on experiences with a wide range of digital instruments including loopers, MIDI controllers, digital audio workstations, beat making software, and synthesizers. Students benefit from individual and group instruction, as well as seminars that explore a wide variety of musical styles.
CDMI participants create, rehearse, and perform in ensembles along with participants in other instrumental streams. The size and makeup of these ensembles is determined each year based on CDMI academy participants, and the groups perform at a concert at the conclusion of the academy.
OHIO Summer Music Academy: Orchestral Strings
String players rehearse and perform with an orchestral chamber ensemble as well as smaller chamber groups while being coached by Ohio University faculty. The experience culminates in a public performance on Saturday.
OHIO Summer Music Academy: Piano
The OHIO Summer Music Academy Piano program provides students with the opportunity to study piano in a stimulating and nurturing learning environment under the guidance of our distinguished artist faculty and guests. The program also provides participants with both individual and group instruction, supervised practice time, master classes, ensemble study, performance opportunities, and seminars on a variety of topics (i.e. jazz piano, organ, practice strategies, careers in music, etc.).
In addition to solo work, students have the opportunity to participate in various chamber ensembles (piano duet, piano string quartet, etc.) determined each year based on Music Academy participants.
Piano academy participants perform in a finale concert on Friday evening.
OHIO Summer Music Academy: Voice
High school students interested in voice performance work directly with our distinguished vocal music faculty and guests to build their voices and develop their singing techniques. Vocal music students will explore choral music, contemporary a capella music, vocal music recording, and live stage performance in addition to explorations of composition, music theory, and studies of extraordinary vocal performers.
Vocalists rehearse and perform with a vocal ensemble. The size, makeup, and repertoire of the ensemble is determined each year based on vocal academy participants, and the group performs at a concert at the conclusion of the academy.
Daily Schedule
In addition to ensembles groups and master classes, academy participants have a choice of various classes to attend. Topics may include: music theory, rock composition and electronic music, instrument maintenance and repair, acoustics, improvisation, and music leadership topics with members of the Ohio University Marching 110.
Students are invited to participate in a variety of evening activities including faculty concerts, student performances, and a variety of recreational activities. Students who are commuting to the program are also welcomed to join in the schedule of evening activities and may visit local restaurants and the dining hall with the group if desired on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Please note: For security purposes, only students registered to stay in residence halls may enter residential buildings. Some recreational activities such as movie nights or craft nights may take place inside the residence halls and would be limited to those students in residence.
Program Fees - subject to change
| Program Fee Information | Cost |
|---|---|
| OHIO Summer Music Academy – June 23-28, 2025 Program fee for each area of the Summer Music Academy |
$385 |
| Housing and Meal Plan Fee – June 22-28, 2025 Sunday–Saturday, 6 nights accommodation in university residence halls including all meals |
$405 |
| Total Cost, Commuting Participant: | $385.00 |
| Total Cost, Residential Participant: | $790 |
Optional Additional Fees
| Additional Purchases | Cost |
|---|---|
| Daily commuter parking pass – one week | $15.00 |
| Overnight parking pass – one week | $35.00 |
| Recommended cash for student incidental purchases | $25.00–$50.00 |
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Financial aid and merit scholarships are available to assist with Program Fee (does not apply to Housing and Meal Plan Fee). To apply, upload your financial aid and/or merit scholarship application along with your registration.
For merit scholarship applications worth up to 25% off your Program Fee, you may upload or link to a 2-minute video of the applicant performing a solo or an excerpt of a solo. Upload can be done during the registration process or sent by email to summerarts@ohio .edu no later than April 30, 2025. Only one discount will apply.
Staff, Faculty, and Alumni Discount
Children and dependents of Ohio University staff, faculty, and alumni receive a 10% discount on the Program Fee. Enter employee name and department or enter your degree program completed and year of graduation at registration to receive your discount. Only one discount will apply.