Each day on campus is an involved, interactive experience. Beginning with classes at 9:00 a.m., each student starts right off with instrument in hand. The morning consists of class time, interacting with teacher and fellow students, until lunch. After lunch, things begin to shift to alternate classes, specifically the scheduled rhythm section classes and Special Interest Clinics for the Core courses. Also during the afternoon, the Guest Artists Clinics are scheduled. Seminar and Summit classes continue throughout the day. Classes finish around 4:30 p.m., which gives students and faculty a period of time to relax and take a breather. During this time, students are welcome to set up rehearsals and/or jam sessions. These can be for pure enjoyment or used for rehearsing for student concerts, which are scheduled in the evenings toward the latter part of the week.
After dinner, there is time to digest and prepare for the evening’s activities. At 7:00 p.m. the students in the Core courses have ensemble rehearsals. Between 8:00-8:30 p.m. the evening concerts begin. These finish up around 10:30 p.m.
The first part of the week during the evening features the Faculty Concerts, giving everybody the opportunity to hear each instructor perform. The rest of the nights are devoted to Student Concerts, beginning with an “open mic night” design, which students sign up for during the afternoon. These are more of an independent nature. The end of the week’s evening shows are reserved for the Core class ensembles, which are designed in a more structured fashion directly from each class. Sound checks for the concerts are held late afternoon and early evening.
At the conclusion of each night’s concerts, students under 18 head to their respective dorms for 11:00 p.m. check-in. The week comes to an end on the final day at around noontime. Classes wrap things up and everyone checks out, turns in their keys, and off they go!