This year Alaska String Camps is offering two different sessions tailored to specific age groups, ensuring an appropriate blend of fun and learning. In addition to orchestra rehearsals, campers receive music instruction in small groups. Each camp culminates with a family concert on the final evening. Determine which camp is right for you at the bottom of this page.
Recreation activities typically include swimming and boating in the lake, volleyball, kickball, and hanging out in the playground area. Organized cabin competitions include a unique relay race, capture the flag, a skit night, and the clean cabin award. The teaching staff presents a fun and inspiring concert, and sometimes there is opportunity to sing around a campfire with s'mores, or dance.
Housing is in comfortable rustic cabins which typically hold eight to ten campers and two chaperones--usually a parent and a high school or college assistant.
Meals focus on nutritious foods that young people enjoy. Breakfast, lunch and dinner plus an afternoon and evening snack are shared daily.
Elementary
3 Days, $420
Elementary Camp is for students who have completed grades four, five or six with at least one school year of playing experience and/or private lessons on their string instrument. For three days and two nights students enjoy orchestra rehearsals, fiddling, music theory, and small group lessons with a professional violin, viola, cello or bass specialist.
Located at Camp Maranatha in Big Lake, Alaska
Intermediate
4 Days, $525
Intermediate Camp is for students who have completed grades seven, eight, or nine with at least one school year of playing experience and/or private lessons on their string instrument. Students enjoy four days and three nights of orchestra rehearsals, chamber ensembles, music theory, improvisation, and small group lessons with a professional violin, viola, cello or bass specialist.
Located at Camp Maranatha in Big Lake, Alaska
What about High School?
In the past we have offered a high school camp for students grades 9-12. As we get things going again after our pandemic absence, we are only able to offer two camps this year. For this reason, we have expanded our intermediate camp to accommodate 9th grade students. We hope to bring back our high school camp in the future as it is very popular. If you have a high school student who is really interested in a string camp experience this year, please contact us as we might have a very small number of volunteer opportunities available for qualified older students to help with our younger camps.