A.  MADCAP Chamber is a camp for string players (violin, viola and cello) between the ages of 10 and 17 who want to play chamber music together for a week - or two weeks - in the summer. Students who have never played chamber music before are welcome as well as students who already have experience with chamber music.

A.  Unlike orchestra or band music, chamber music is written for a small number of players and each player has his or her own individual part to play. There is no conductor in chamber music. The players learn to use body language to start and stop the music. Groups, also called ensembles, need to rehearse and make musical decisions together as equals. At MADCAP Chamber, each group has its own professional coach to help with the process.

A.  Each group has two to three different pieces to learn which they receive a month ahead of time. This way each of the players can learn the music in advance. When possible, each player in the group will be assigned a "first" part for one of the pieces in order to get the experience of being the group leader. Usually there is a "classical" piece by a composer like Mozart or Haydn as well as music from other sources - folk music, Klezmer, ethnic music, fiddling music, Celtic music and so on.

A.  Strings - violin, viola, and cello. For a time, winds and brass were also accepted at MADCAP Chamber, but the camp is once again just for strings in 2007.

A.  I'm sorry. We are not able to accommodate piano students at this time, but if he's interested in jazz, he could apply to MADCAP Jazz.

A.  MADCAP Jazz is a camp for students, 10 to 17, who play standard and non-standard jazz instruments or who want to sing jazz. It involves big band-style playing as well as smaller combos. Students who have no prior experience with jazz are welcome as well as students who have already done a lot of jazz playing.

A.  Standard jazz instruments - saxophone, trumpet, trombone, bass, guitar, piano, drums and percussion as well as strings - violin, viola, cello and double bass. Our faculty covers the gamut!
Other instrumentalists are also welcome to apply since jazz can include a broad range of instruments.

A.  No, you don't have to improvise as there will be plenty of work on jazz style in written music, but you'll probably want to give improvising a try. Students who want to work on their improvising skills will be given ample opportunity to learn and display their progress during the camp week.

A.  A MADCAP audition is intended to be pleasant and interesting and should be a valuable experience for students. The person listening to the audition will be friendly and helpful. The purpose of a MADCAP audition is not to exclude students unless they are clearly not ready to participate. The purpose of the audition is to understand each student's current level of skill in order to place the student in a group and assign music at the correct level for the student's growth and enjoyment.

A.  Your child should play a piece of music she knows reasonably well which clearly demonstrates her current level on the instrument. It would not be a good idea, for example, to play a brand-new, unfamiliar piece, or a piece from a few years before which is now very easy for the child because the auditioner will not get a clear idea of what your daughter can do. We need to know each child's current level of skill to assign appropriate music and to place the child in a congenial group. We also rely on the information coming from the teacher's recommendation which gives additional details to help us place the child appropriately.

A.  First, the child should be at least 10 years old by the time of the camp and want to participate. If his or her teacher thinks s/he is ready, we will probably agree. Usually, children need to have played their instrument at least one year and be a "strong beginner," capable of playing music at their own level with a reasonable degree of fluency. If a child always plays haltingly, does not read music or is generally uncertain of their notes, does not count or has serious problems with intonation, it would be better to wait another year to apply to MADCAP. When in doubt, apply and audition. Auditioning is a valuable experience in an of itself.

A.  Yes. MADCAP will consider students who are not quite 10 years old on a case-by-case basis. The student should apply and audition on the regular audition dates.

A.   Every day you'll have a coaching session with your group and your coach. That's a hardworking but fun time. You'll see your pieces improve every day and by the end of the week, you'll be amazed at how good you sound and how well you know your music - not only your own part, but everyone else's as well. This is very important in chamber music.

Also, every day a guest instructor will come in to teach a music class. The classes will be on a variety of fun and interesting topics. This year the classes will include:

1. A demonstration of music and instruments from India by an amazing musician originally from Gujarat, India.
2. A guide to the great violinists of the 20th Century. How many amazing players there have been! Knowing more about them is inspiring, eye opening and ear opening!
3. Bow rehairing! How is it done? What do you need to know about it and what is just plain interesting to know?
4. How does the chamber music world work? How does a person get an organization going to put on concerts, commission composers and more?
5. and last but not least, campers get on the dance floor to learn the steps to music we often play as musicians but rarely experience as dancers.

The 3rd hour of each camp day will be a master class. This is like a big, group coaching session. Each group will take turns playing what they're learning, and you may get to play more than once. This is not a concert, but an opportunity to hear how everyone's doing and what everyone's learning. The kids and teachers all contribute their thoughts and ideas during the master class. Your parents can sit in on this class if they like. Lots of parents enjoy it.

A.  It can be difficult to judge how hard music is by your part alone. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your music is easy if it doesn't have a lot of fast notes or advanced technical passages. That's only one type of "hard" music. There's much more involved in playing an "easy" piece well than you're probably thinking. Get out your metronome and see how well you're able to count correctly and play with rhythmic discipline. Play with a beautiful sound and vibrato. How's your intonation? What about the musical expression? Playing even a simple piece of music well in an ensemble is a true challenge, whether for children or for professional musicians. If the notes themselves are not a big struggle, it will be easier to concentrate on other important aspects of ensemble playing which will make your group sound fantastic.

A.  You'll find out when you get there. Most of the groups are pretty close in age. Some have a couple years' age difference. Some of the groups are all-boy or all-girl, but most are mixed. You'll get to know your group members pretty well during the week and you'll also have a chance to get to know other kids during the music classes, snack time and master classes.

A.  You'll find this out also when you get there. Every coach is different, just like each person, but they all are striving for the same high musical standards and enjoy working with kids. All of the coaches are very experienced musicians, dedicated teachers and fun, nice people. If you have been to MADCAP before, we do try to give you different coaches than you've had before, when possible. If you attend both weeks of MADCAP, we try to give you different coaches each week.

A.  Yes, the guest instructors will be the same each week and their presentations will be similar. If you attend both weeks of MADCAP Chamber, however, you will get more out of the guest classes the second time around. There's a lot to learn!

A.  This is a common concern. Music is a social art. We play with all kinds of people and we strive to get along and work well together, no matter what. If you do the best you can and prepare well, you'll have every right to be proud and contented, whether you're the "best" or "worst" in your group. When we concentrate on the music more than "how we compare to everyone else," that's when it's the most fun.

A.  The audience is made up of the campers' family and friends and the atmosphere is festive and happy. Most groups play one piece, their favorite out of the several they've been learning. Each group also decides on a name for itself and decides what to wear for the concert. That's also interesting and entertaining!

A.  Street parking. It's not hard to find but you do need to keep an eye on the street sweeping schedule posted on the signs to avoid getting a ticket.