26 Summer Music Programs for High School Students in 2026

What’s Covered:

• 26 Summer Music Programs for High School Students
• How Impressive Are Summer Programs in High School Admissions?
• Other Ways to Spend Your Summer 

 

Are you looking to practice your pitch or come a step closer to mastering your favorite instrument? If so, summer music programs may strike a chord with you. Participating in one of these programs will allow you to dive deep into various musical subjects, which will help you prepare for advanced music courses, learn about career opportunities in music, and explore passions ranging from a cappella to the oboe.

 

The cost of summer music programs can range from completely free to a significant investment. Below is a list of 26 summer music programs, with a focus on high-quality and low-cost options.

 

26 Summer Music Programs for High School Students 

 

1. National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America

 

Dates: July 18–August 12

Location: Purchase College

Application Deadline: December 4

Cost: Free

 

Widely regarded as the most prestigious summer music program in the US, NYO-USA offers high school instrumentalists between the ages of 16 and 19 the opportunity to perform and study music in the nation’s top orchestra. A worldwide tour of some of the most famous concert halls (including Carnegie Hall) is also a part of the program.

 

NYO-USA lasts over three weeks and is completely free—tuition, room, board, and incidentals are all paid for. Students must navigate a comprehensive audition process designed to identify the brightest young players in the nation to participate in this program.

 

2. Rafael Méndez Brass Institute

 

Dates: July 19–25

Location: University of Denver

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $995

 

The RMBI program provides young musicians with an unparalleled opportunity to receive performance and career development advice from world-renowned brass artists. The program takes the form of a seminar that features presentations, faculty recitals, and an open discussion with brass artists.

 

To ensure proper placement in an ensemble, students must submit an audition recording with their application. A recommendation from a reference who knows their playing level is also required.

 

3. Lamont Summer Academy

 

Dates: June 17–July 1

Location: University of Denver

Application Deadline: March 15

Cost:

• Commuter: $2,000
• Residential: $2,550

 

Lamont Summer Academy offers high school students ages 13 to 18 the opportunity to enroll in one of two programs: Classical or Jazz and Contemporary.

 

Classical program students can perform in:

 

• Chamber ensembles
• Orchestra
• Modern/contemporary ensembles

 

Jazz and Contemporary students perform in:

 

• Combos
• Big band
• Modern/contemporary ensembles

 

Lamont provides financial aid to students who demonstrate merit and need—nearly 70% of participants receive support.

 

4. Boston Conservatory at Berklee High School Composition Intensive

 

Dates: July 13–24

Location: Berklee College of Music

Application Deadline: June 1

Cost: $3,742

 

Join the Boston Conservatory for a rewarding and challenging two-week intensive program teaching music composition. High school composers between the ages of 15 and 19 are invited to the Berklee College of Music for individualized lessons from renowned faculty and instrumentalist performers.

 

Classes cover the essentials of composition, including how to write quickly and effectively, rehearsal techniques, and communication skills. The program teaches through engagement, allowing each student composer to develop a robust portfolio of their own works.

 

5. Interlochen Arts Camp

 

Dates:

• One-week Intensives: June 20–26
• Six-week Art Camps: June 28–August 9

Location: Interlochen Center for the Arts; Interlochen, Michigan

Application Deadline: January 15

Cost: $2,050–$10,350

 

Interlochen offers a variety of one-week intensive programs for high school students, as well as advanced programs lasting up to six weeks. The program offerings cover all mainstream orchestra instruments and voice styles. Each intensive features world-renowned artists and personalized master classes, workshops, and practice opportunities.

 

Need- and merit-based financial aid is available for all Interlochen summer programs except their one-week intensive camps.

 

6. MPulse Performing Arts Institutes

 

Dates: Varies

Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Application Deadline: Varies

Cost: $750–$5,990  

 

If you’re looking to strengthen your instrumental fundamentals and enhance technical skills, MPulse could be just the program for you. These programs run one to four weeks and are designed for domestic and international high school students interested in pursuing music at the undergraduate level. Some offered tracks include:

 

• Clarinet Institute
• Girls in Music and Technology
• Jazz Institute
• Tuba and Euphonium Institute
• Harp Institute

 

A limited number of need-based and merit awards are available, along with the Watson Scholarship for Michigan residents.

 

7. Pop Star: Recording Artist at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA)

 

Dates: June 28–July 11

Location: The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (New York, NY) and AMDA College of the Performing Arts (Los Angeles, CA)

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost:

• Residential: $4,300
• Commuter: $3,263

 

This two-week residential program provides students with a pre-college experience while allowing them to explore a variety of vocal styles and focus on the one best suited to their strengths, including:

 

• Contemporary
• Jazz
• Gospel
• A cappella
• Blues
• Soul
• Country
• R&B

 

Students will leave the program with a better understanding of music production, a demonstrated ability to audition, and knowledge of the standard expected in the music industry for preparation, communication, and professionalism. The program culminates with a final performance for family and friends.

 

8. The Sphinx Performance Academy

 

Dates:

• Spa at Boston Conservatory at Berklee: June 15–28
• University of Colorado Boulder: July 20–31

Location: University of Colorado Boulder & SPA at Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: Free

 

This intensive chamber music and solo performance program provides high school students with the opportunity to enrich their classical music education. The curriculum entails personalized mentorship, string quartet coaching, masterclasses, career advising, and recitals.

 

SPA is entirely free of cost for all participants. The program is open to U.S. citizens and legal residents between the ages of 11 and 17 who play the violin, viola, cello, and bass.

 

9. Stanford Jazz Institute

 

Dates: July 26–31

Location: Stanford University

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $3,100

 

High school students can explore music and mentorship at this one-week jazz institute. Led by celebrated artists, working musicians, and educators, participants engage in masterclasses and perform in small ensembles.

 

Students develop skills in arranging, composition, and improvisation, applying them daily in ensemble rehearsals to grow as both soloists and collaborators.

 

10. Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)

 

Dates: Varies

Location: Boston University

Application Deadline: January 25

Cost: $4,055–$10,205

 

BUTI hosts several programs for musically talented students between the ages of 14 and 20 in Lenox, Massachusetts, just down the road from the Tanglewood Music Center—the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Students will build fundamental techniques while participating in masterclasses, lessons, courses, and performing. BUTI offers programming in a broad spectrum of fields, including:

 

• Composition
• Harp
• Percussion
• Piano
• Strings & Guitar
• Voice
• Winds & Brass

 

Scholarships ranging from $500 to full tuition are available.

 

11. GRAMMY Camp

 

Dates:

• Nashville: May 31–June 6
• Miami: June 23–27
• Los Angeles: July 12–18
• New York: August 2–8

Location: Nashville, Miami, Los Angeles, New York

Application Deadline: February 28

Cost:

• Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York: $3,000 for the week-long residential program
• Miami: $2,000 for the five-day non-residential program

 

GRAMMY Camp is a week-long, residential program—except for the Miami program, which is five days and non-residential—for high schoolers in grades 9-12 interested in pursuing a music career. The camp’s programming is divided into specific “career tracks,” including:

 

• Singer/Songwriter
• Songwriting
• Vocal performance
• Instrumental performance | Pop
• Instrumental performance | Jazz
• Musical theatre
• Music business
• Music production

 

The program is led by music and industry professionals who provide campers with real-world insight into career paths. Need-based financial assistance is available to qualifying students.

 

12. Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

 

Dates:

• Session 1: June 24–July 5
• Session 2: July 8–19

Location: Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Twin Lake, MI)

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $1,875–$1,975

 

For more than five decades, students have engaged in a unique residential experience and inspired budding young artists. Two-week sessions are available to high schoolers in grades 9-12. A variety of programs are available for students with an interest in music, including:

 

• Band
• Choir
• Harp
• Jazz
• Orchestra
• Piano

 

In addition to working on their art, students are encouraged to make new friends, build a community among campers, and have a great time.

 

13. Illinois Chamber Music Festival

 

Dates: July 12–31

Location: Illinois Wesleyan University

Application Deadline: April 20

Cost: $960 (tuition) + $965 (room and board)

 

This program is for talented high school and college chamber musicians—the camp is aimed at strings, piano, winds, and harp. Throughout the program, students take part in masterclasses, rehearsals, and performances by faculty and students. Other available activities include courses like music history, music theory, musical theater, and conducting.

 

14. Intermuse International Music Institute and Festival (IIMIF)

 

Dates: June 19–28

Location: Mount St. Mary’s University

Application Deadline: March 22

Cost: $2,600

 

IIMIF aims to elevate the musicianship and artistic confidence of high school and college violinists, violists, cellists, and pianists. The program provides participants with lessons, masterclasses, coaching, and daily stretches for musicians. IIMIF welcomes just 25 in-person participants to its campus at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, per year. Need- and merit-based scholarships are available.

 

15. UNCG Summer Music Camp

 

Dates:

• Session 1: July 12–17
• Session 2: July 19–24

Location: UNC Greensboro

Application Deadline: Rolling

Cost: $520–$655

 

For more than 40 years, UNCG Summer Music Camp has provided young musicians with programs in band, mixed chorus, orchestra, and piano. The largest university-sponsored music camp in the country, UNCG Summer Music Camp welcomes more than 1,600 students to its campus each summer. This program focuses on ensemble performance and concludes with a concert for friends and family.

 

16. Idyllwild Arts Summer Program

 

Dates: Varies

Location: Idyllwild Arts

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $1,125–$4,850

 

Idyllwild Arts Academy, the country’s premier residential arts high school, offers several programs that will interest young musicians, including:

 

• Jazz in the Pines Student Clinic
• Songwriting Intensive
• Lead Vocalist Workshop
• Instrumental Artist’s Intensive
• From Song to Studio: Music Production for Songwriters
• Musical Theatre Intensive

 

This program provides students at all levels with focused, practical, hands-on experience in a supportive and creative environment. Need-based scholarships are available along with a limited number of merit-based awards and scholarships for students with Native American tribal affiliations.

 

17. Young Musicians Program

 

Dates: June 27–August 2

Location: The Walden School

Application Deadline: March 30

Cost: $10,100

 

This five-week summer music program bills itself as part school, part camp, and part festival. The program is open to young musicians ages 9 to 18 and is held at the Walden School, tucked in the pastoral Monadnock region of New Hampshire—mountain hikes and swims in quiet lakes are just some of the activities students can engage in outside of music studios.

 

Participants will receive daily instruction—three classes and a chorus—to develop their musical and creative skills and work on improvising and creating original works. By the end of the program, students will have completed at least one composition.

 

18. Meadowmount

 

Dates: June 20–August 7

Location: Meadowmount School of Music

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $5,450–$9,545

 

For eight decades, young musicians have come to the Meadowmount School of Music to train for music careers. This seven-week program admits roughly 200 violin, viola, and cello players between the ages of 13 and 30 annually.

 

Students take part in masterclasses, music coaching, rehearsals, and studio classes. Recreational activities like basketball, table tennis, and board games are offered along with special events like hiking and sightseeing trips.

 

19. Chicago Chamber Music Workshop

 

Dates: June 29–July 18

Location: Midwest Young Artists Conservatory

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $2,400

 

Chicago-area string and piano students in grades 7 through 12 will want to check out this three-week program in which they’ll explore new ideas, unlock hidden talents, and learn new skills while surrounded by a group of supportive, similarly skilled peers.

 

20. Manhattan School of Music (MSM) Summer Program

 

Dates:

• Musical Theater: July 6–31
• Instrumental and Composition: July 13–31

Location: Manhattan School of Music

Application Deadline: February 1

Cost: $3,300–$4,400

 

Musicians between the ages of 8 and 17 will receive instruction and gain performance experience in a conservatory setting in this summer day program. Students in this intensive program will receive a private lesson each week, take a daily music theory class, and participate in one elective.

 

21. Philadelphia International Music Festival (PIMF)

 

Dates:

• Session I: June 20–July 3
• Session II: July 18–31

Location: Valley Forge Military Academy and College

Application Deadline: March 25

Cost: $2,175–$3,950

 

This program immerses music students from ages 11 to 19 in music education and performance training under the guidance of members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Students will take private lessons, masterclasses, and play in recitals while exploring a variety of musical topics.

 

PIMF offers six unique summer programs:

 

• Symphony Orchestra
• Solo Performance Preparation
• Piano Studies
• Chamber Music Intensive
• College Audition Preparation
• Viola Intensive

 

22. Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Music Program

 

Dates:

• Three-week program: June 21–July 11
• Six-week program: June 21–August 1

Location: Carnegie Mellon University

Application Deadline: March 1

Cost: $5,999–$11,640

 

High school students can gain firsthand insight into what it’s like as a college music major through Carnegie Mellon’s pre-college summer music program—it’s modeled on the first few weeks of the university’s undergraduate school of music curriculum.

 

Participants sit for private studio lessons, perform in ensembles, and take music support classes to enhance their skills individually and as members of an ensemble. The program is open to current high school sophomores and juniors with a strong interest in music.

 

23. Lawrence Summer Music Institute

 

Dates: July 5–12

Location: Lawrence University

Application Deadline: June 1

Cost: $950 (tuition), $655 (lodging and meals)

 

This week-long summer program for high school musicians provides an immersive environment and inspiration to develop their craft. Participants in the program will build their classical and chamber music skills through activities like private lessons, group coaching, workshops, and performances.

 

The Lawrence Summer Music Institute is capped at just 30 students and features a small 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio, ensuring participants receive abundant personal attention.

 

24. USC Pre-College Musical Theatre Program

 

Dates: June 22–July 17

Location: University of Southern California (USC)

Application Deadline: May 8

Cost: $8,130

 

This collaborative, interactive, conservatory-style summer program exposes high schoolers between 9th and 12th grade to the foundational aspects of musical theater: songs, movement, and acting. Participants will practice dancing, singing, and acting while also preparing to audition for universities throughout the program.

 

25. Brevard Music Center High School Orchestral Institute

 

Dates: June 21–August 2

Location: Brevard Music Center

Application Deadline: February 15

Cost: $9,400

 

The High School Orchestra Institute is the Brevard Music Center’s premier summer program. Participants receive intensive summer training and deliver performances directed by Keith Lockhart, Conductor of the Boston Pops and formerly Chief Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in London.

 

Students rehearse and perform extensively in ensembles in the program and may also perform solos and chamber concerts. They’ll also engage in workshops, private lessons, masterclasses, and rehearsals with world-renowned musicians.

 

26. Wartburg College Meistersinger Music Camp

 

Dates: June 14–19

Location: Wartburg College

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $455–$555

 

Wartburg College hosts a camp where high school musicians can grow in a range of ways, through both group rehearsals and individual coaching sessions. When not receiving mentorship on how to expand your skills with your voice or instrument, you’ll get to experience what life is like as a Wartburg student, as you spend time exploring the campus and potentially even sleeping in the residential halls, if you choose the residential version of the program.

 

How Impressive Are Summer Programs in College Admissions?

 

The freedom of summer presents an opportunity for growth outside the high school classroom. Colleges want to see that you make use of it. Extracurricular activities are a particularly important way to demonstrate your passions to college admissions officers.

 

Admissions committees want to understand how your summer activities are both impressive and distinctive. Extracurriculars are often evaluated across four tiers: Tier 1 represents the most exceptional and rare accomplishments, while Tier 4 includes activities that are more common. Ideally, your profile should feature at least one Tier 1 activity, a strong foundation of Tier 2 and Tier 3 involvement, and as few Tier 4 activities as possible.

 

Summer programs most commonly fall into Tier 3 or 4, though several, such as NYO-USA, can fall into Tier 1 or 2. These programs are more selective, and a defining characteristic of the best ones is that they provide high-quality programming for free.

 

Curious how a summer program or extracurricular activity will impact your chances of admission? CollegeVine’s free admissions calculator can calculate your odds of acceptance using your academic profile, and it can also share areas in which you can improve. In addition to sharing your chances of acceptance at certain schools and universities, our free chancing engine will also share a list of schools that match your needs and profile.

 

Other Ways to Spend Your Summer 

 

Though summer break provides you with the most time to explore your passions, it’s not the only time. Colleges want to see that you are curious about the world around you at heart and are constantly seeking new learning opportunities.

 

Instead of participating in a program, you could create your own. Writing a book or mobilizing a team to solve an issue in your local community are examples of independent efforts that look impressive to colleges.

 

You can show further initiative by taking on internships and paid jobs. Both demonstrate initiative, a career direction, and key life skills such as time management and responsibility. Since most internships are reserved for college students and graduates, it can be a challenge to find opportunities for high school students. To help with the search, visit CollegeVine’s internship blog page to view internships in your city, state, or area of interest!