This One Time, at Band Camp: Adults Were the Campers

As a high school student in the 1970s, Lori Guess looked forward to packing up her oboe for a summer music camp in Sidney, Maine. The lakeside location and loon calls appealed to her, and it was a chance to connect with kindred spirits. Decades later, she's still going to camp there: A separate band program was created for adults in 2013, where she felt encouraged to take up another instrument: trumpet. "I was thrilled, because I love this place," said Guess, 71, a retired lawyer for the Department of Defense who plans to return to the New England Adult Music Camp in August. Whether they're looking to make friends, improve their skills, or just take some time out for themselves after sending their own kids to camp and college, adults can find a variety of summer music programs across the US, ranging from electronic, folk, rock 'n' roll, and jazz to chamber and opera, per the AP.

For many campers, it offers a way to relive the nostalgic musical experiences of their youth and make new social connections. "Emotionally, making music is good for the soul," said Carole Lieberman, a California-based forensic psychiatrist who has played multiple instruments herself. "It makes you feel creative, allows you to provide the music you like for yourself, and can boost your spirits." Plus, "cognitively, research demonstrates that learning to play a musical instrument and playing it helps your brain make better neurological connections. It can help to ward off dementia."

The camps cover a range of playing abilities. Some listings specifying beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels can be found in camp guides put out by groups such as Musical America Worldwide and the Instrumentalist. In addition to putting on concerts, the camps also have their own traditions. For example, at a camp offered by Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, everyone gets together on the first night for a family dinner, while the Midsummer Musical Retreat in Walla Walla, Washington, has a camper-created sketch comedy night. Campers often have access to other activities such as kayaking, yoga, or cocktail hours.

Camps also can offer special sessions covering certain genres or instruments such as jazz, drum circles, klezmer, German band, and ukulele, as well as host talks about topics like performance anxiety and music theory. For Guess, playing music is about being "in that zone" with other musicians. "When you're playing music together, you rise above all the pettiness of life," she said. "And it's just the most spiritual thing I can think of." More here.