Camp Bernstein, Blue Lake’s Junior Camp, is ideal for personal and individualized instruction for young musicians. A special program for band and orchestra students, it features an atmosphere which promotes positive social relationships, building selfesteem, and rapid musical growth. And as with all Blue Lake programs, Camp Bernstein’s primary goal is to send campers home motivated and with new enthusiasm.

Camp Bernstein’s programs are carefully structured to provide students with a warm and nurturing learning environment. In order to establish a close relationship between student and teacher, Camp Bernstein cabin counselors, who are typically arts education majors in their later, more advanced years of study, are involved in the junior campers’ instruction as well as recreation and basic supervision. The Camp Bernstein conductors and staff both help to promote a friendly and fun atmosphere for learning about music and other fine arts.

A camper’s typical day at Camp Bernstein features many group activities, an unhurried schedule, and time for recreation and free time. Daily full ensemble rehearsals and sectional/technique classes provide campers with significant musical growth over the twelve-day session. In addition to daily recreation and free time, Bernstein campers participate in minor classes, including Art, Theater, Choir, Jazz Studies, History of Music, or Nature Studies. These required courses introduce campers to a wide variety of creative processes through small projects, games, group activities, and lessons and will be selected on opening day.

Concerts, recitals, talent shows, skit nights, camp fires, dances, cabin parties, and cookouts fill the campers’ evenings with fun and excitement. Throughout the session, Camp Bernstein also takes field trips to Central Camp to hear a variety of performances in Blue Lake’s Stewart Shell.