Free summer camp to give local kids the chance to learn music at The Juilliard School

Kids from kindergarten to 12th grade will have the chance to learn music at the world-famous The Juilliard School this summer, thanks to The Harmony Program hosting a free camp.

Greg Thompson and News 12 Staff

Mar 14, 2024, 10:48 AM

Updated 249 days ago

Share:

Kids from kindergarten to 12th grade will have the chance to learn music at the world-famous The Juilliard School this summer, thanks to The Harmony Program hosting a free camp.
The Harmony Program is a nonprofit that brings music education to children around the city who would not have access to it otherwise, like clarinet-player Emanuel Villanueva from Brooklyn, who says he likes it because, "you learn different things. Even though it's not like school, you still learn things. It's like a more fun school."
Dehbra Felipe from the Bronx has been playing the viola with the program.
“You don't have to be that nervous, because the staff members, and everyone that you're surrounded with, they're just going to support you. So they really can help you improve in like a few weeks,” Dehbra says.
The summer camp will last three weeks, and the founder and executive director of The Harmony Program, Anne Fitzgibbon, says that hosting it at Juilliard "sends a message to our young people that they are a part - and a welcome part of a huge community of musicians in this city."
Instructors from the program will lead six ensemble groups of instrumentalists and vocalists at different levels based on skill and experience, with guest performances from local professionals sprinkled in.
"Whether they're beginners, or elite musicians, it really opens their eyes to how far they can go," says Fitzgibbon.
Both Dehbra and Emanuel say the opportunity is not lost on them.
Applications for the summer camp are being accepted through March 31.