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A typical image of summer music camps might involve visions of child prodigies travelling to scenic destinations to master their art. These sorts of camps certainly exist—and we’ll highlight some of the best. But they are far from all that is out there. Free and community-funded camps, adult education camps and multidisciplinary celebrations of art can also be found across Canada.
The following is a small sampling of noteworthy Canadian summer music camps. Prominent musical organizations and local community centres alike are constantly working to expand access to music education.
You can find a more complete list of recommendations in our summer camp guide.
Summer music camps for adults
While La Scena Musicale most often focuses on musicians who devote their lives to their craft, the truth for many musical individuals is that life can get in the way. The Rusty Musicians Summer Camp is a good fit for those who have not picked up their instruments in a little too long.
The Alberta-based Winspear Centre, in partnership with professional musicians from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, welcomes amateur or out-of-practice musicians to five days of intensive training. Participants practise individually and with a divided or full orchestra, and attend lectures on topics like repertoire, rehearsal techniques and teaching ideas.
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor and Community Ambassador Shah Sadikov leads the conducting skills class. Participants in this program shadow him as he conducts the orchestra.
The Rusty Musicians Summer Camp takes place in Edmonton, Alta., from July 8–12. Find more information at www.winspearcentre.com.
Free and affordable summer camps
Before his passing in 2018, Venezuelan conductor and pianist José Antonio Abreu gave a TED talk about the origins of his free summer camp. “I had received a donation of 50 music stands to be used by 100 boys in that [first]rehearsal. When I arrived at the rehearsal, only 11 kids had shown up, and I said to myself: ‘Do I close the program or multiply the kids?’” said Abreu.
Multiply them he did, creating a program that is known throughout the world simply as “El Sistema,” or “The System.” Millions of participants span more than 80 countries, including Canada. El Sistema Canada is a community-funded initiative that has provided free music education to Canadian children since 2007. They partner with organizations and programs in nearly every province across the country.
El Sistema functions primarily as an afterschool program, with continued operation during the summer months.
Sistema Toronto, Queen’s University’s Sistema Kingston and El Sistema OSM are among the programs available to students in Eastern Canada. Find local programs at www.sistemacanada.ca.
Multidisciplinary summer camps
Summer programming for children at Vancouver’s Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, located on the University of British Columbia’s campus, combines music education with related interests such as films and video games.
“The idea behind combining music with digital media and STEM-inspired themes in our camps comes from wanting to connect the different creative worlds children are already exposed to,” says Grace Wood, community engagement curator for the Chan Centre. “Our goal was to create camps that welcome children with little or no musical background and introduce music in a way that feels accessible and exciting.”
The organization’s Cue the Music camp combines music-making with stop-feature animation using LEGO creations and the free cellphone app Garageband. The Press Start camp teaches kids to compose video game scores, splitting their days between music theory in the mornings, and game coding in the afternoons.
Cue the Music takes place on July 6–10 and Aug. 10–14 for younger learners, and from July 27–31 for older kids and more experienced music-makers. Press Start runs July 13-17. Find more information at www.chancentre.com/summer-camps.
Traditional sleep-away camps
One of the best-known camps in Canada, Canadian Amateur Musicians, Musiciens amateurs du Canada (better known as CAMMAC), is reminiscent of the sort of artistic retreat that 19th-century artists took to escape city life and be one with nature. In an interview with La Scena’s Zenith Wolfe in 2024, program founder Guylaine Lemaire reinforced the benefits of a natural setting saying “music is wellness, so people have to move and be comfortable in their bodies.”
The CAMMAC Music Centre, the site of the organization’s week-long summer retreats, is located along Quebec’s Grand Lac MacDonald and features sun-drenched rehearsal rooms and age-worn cabins that instantly signal you’re at summer camp.
Music classes are taught by many of the celebrated artists who often feature on our pages, such as Flûte Alors! and Quatuor Cobalt. Each week features its own theme, ranging from “Early Music” to “The Best of Broadway and Blues.”
CAMMAC hosts eight different week-long retreats between June 28 and Aug. 23. Find more information at www.cammac.ca.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
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