About Us

A unique camping experience continues this summer in Stokes Forest fusing the best of two worlds: music and nature.  Established in 1992, the Stokes Forest Music Camp continues to offer students sessions of intense music making, combined with environmental studies and recreational activities.  The Preparatory Center for the Arts, a division within the renowned John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, developed the camp’s curriculum and continues to oversee its musical activities and endeavors.  The Preparatory Center was established in 1976 to provide musical education and training for all age groups.  Through the years the Prep Center has served as a supplemental musical enrichment for some and comprehensive musical training ground for others who have gone on to pursue careers in music.  The Preparatory Center for the Arts and its programs are dedicated to providing students of all ages, backgrounds and levels of ability with the experience of learning music in an encouraging environment intended to enhance creative growth and promote a life-long understanding of and appreciation for the musical arts as well as creative expression.

The New Jersey School of Conservation provides the beautiful campus where the Stokes Forest Music Camp is held and the environmental experts who run ecology classes, hikes and activities.  It is a school within the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University and serves as the Environmental Education Field Campus for the University.  It also has the distinguished title of the oldest university-operated environmental education center in the nation.  The School of Conservation is located 57 miles from the Montclair State University campus on a 240-acre tract of land located in Stokes State Forest in Sussex County.  Over the years, the philosophy and program content at the School have evolved with the development of the environmental education movement in the United States and throughout the world.  The mission of the School of Conservation is to convey knowledge of how Earth systems operate and how human actions affect these systems. It is intended that this knowledge will cultivate the prolonged performance of environmentally responsible behaviors and the development of self-confidence to support the development of attitudes, beliefs, and values that will aid individuals and groups alike in the resolution of current environmental problems, the avoidance of future environmental problems, and the quest for sustainable development.

The Stokes Forest Music Camp is the result of the dedicated contributions these organizations bring enabling the camp to offer an exceptionally balanced program that will stimulate and inspire students long after they have returned home! 

Admission

Montclair State University’s Preparatory Center for the Arts grants admission to students between the ages of 10 and 17 who have a musical background.  Early application is encouraged!  A day program is available for qualified younger students and residents of Sussex County and nearby locations.  Please call the Preparatory Center for the Arts office at (973) 655-4443 for details or e-mail musicprep@mail.montclair.edu.

Session dates and Fees

Two week session: July 6 – July 19 — $1500
One Week session: either week — $850
          July 6 – July 12
          July 13 – July 19
Day Camper: each week — $650

There is a $75 Registration Fee in addition to tuition.

Applications are due by May 15, 2008

Stokes Music Camp Downloads
Information Booklet (PDF)
Registration Form (PDF)
Registration Form (Word)

Register Online

Musical Activities

Students enter with an instrumental, vocal, or keyboard focus.  Individual student schedules typically include a large ensemble, one or more chamber ensembles, a music theory class and electives.  Students may also opt to sign up for one to two private lessons a week per instrument at an additional fee. An appropriate theory class and chamber ensemble will be assigned based on the student's background and experience.

Orchestra/Band

The orchestra and/or band are the primary ensembles for all string, woodwind, brass and advanced percussion students.  A wide variety of representative works in the orchestral and band repertoire from baroque through contemporary will be rehearsed and performed.  Seating in either ensemble is established by placement audition on arrival day and reviewed weekly. 

Jazz Ensembles

The Jazz Ensembles are offered to provide instrumentalists and vocalists the opportunity to learn and perform representative pieces of jazz literature.  Students learn techniques of improvisation through theoretical understanding and a progressive refinement of improvisational performance skills.

Rock Band

The Rock Band provides qualified students the opportunity to learn and perform representative Rock songs. Students are exposed to various techniques of rock ensemble rehearsal through the use of listening and chart reading.  Additionally, emphasis is placed on an understanding of the historical contexts in which the various rock sub-styles emerged.

Chamber Choir

The chamber choir is the primary ensemble for voice students and is also open to all interested students. Repertoire from madrigals to musical theater favorites will be explored and performed.

Chamber Ensembles

Chamber ensembles offer a unique opportunity for students to develop skills and awareness in intonation and control of their instrument, refine the listening skills necessary in a small ensemble, as well as gain exposure to various chamber works.  Chamber ensembles are grouped according to student level. Ensembles rehearse daily under the supervision of an experienced chamber music coach. 

Music Theater Production

Each year the camp presents a musical at the end of the first week.  The musical is an abbreviated version of a representative music theater work.  The production offers students the opportunity to participate in all aspects of rehearsing and presenting a show.  Auditions are held on arrival day of the first week.

Theory Classes

Every student is required to participate in a theory class.  Students are exposed to the essential principles and practices of music construction.  Through reading, analysis, composing and a progressive refinement of aural skills, the student is given a comprehensive approach to the understanding of music. 

Concerts

The evening concerts which span the two-week session include performances by faculty, students and guest artists.  Concerts include solo and chamber performances, a music theater production and lecture-recitals featuring professional musicians.  At the end of the two-week session all of the various performing ensembles perform in concerts.  These performances are free and open to the public.  Contact the Preparatory Center for the Arts office for more information:  e-mail musicprep@mail.montclair.edu or phone (973) 655 – 4443.

Masterclasses

Students have the opportunity to attend masterclasses given by guest artists.  Selected students will have the opportunity to perform solo and/or chamber works during the mastercalsses.   Guest artists may also be available for private lessons and chamber ensemble coaching.

Private Instruction and Composition

Private lessons on any instrument may be arranged at a nominal cost. In the lesson, students are encouraged to expand technique, repertoire and performance skills necessary to their development as a musician.  Private composition lessons may also be scheduled.  These lessons serve as an exploration into the various aspects of the craft of music composition.  Students may sign up for one to two private lessons a week per instrument.

Environmental/Recreational

An integral part of the Stokes experience is the unique opportunity for students to explore, understand and appreciate the environment through various nature studies. A School of Conservation environmental expert will guide students along the Appalachian Trail that runs through Stokes Forest.  Lake Wapalanne provides a beautiful setting for canoeing, row boating and simply enjoying the rustic setting and wildlife.  Students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of recreational activities including hiking, boating, dances, arts and crafts, daily sports, campfires and cookouts.

Facilities

The campsite is located on the New Jersey School of Conservation property in the heart of Stokes State Forest just off of route 206 in Sussex County, New Jersey.  The facilities include twelve heated cabins, each cabin accommodating up to twelve students and two counselors.  Campers are placed in cabins of appropriate age level. Campers dine in the Big Timbers Dining Hall, where the cooking staff is known for their delicious food and homemade baked goods.  Kittatinny Hall includes a library with a large collection of books on conservation and wildlife, as well as a theater for movies and chamber concerts. The camp store, known as the Trading Post, is open each day for students to purchase miscellaneous items such as snacks and bottled water.  Lake Wapalanne offers a boat and canoe dock as well as the beautiful Rainbow Bridge.  Also located on the campus is a frontier town, craft house, nature center, astronomy center, climbing wall and archery range.  Well marked trails include a geology trail and a natural history trail.

.Medical

An infirmary is maintained on the premises with a nurse on call twenty four hours a day.  In the event of serious illness or emergency, students are taken to the nearby Newton Memorial Hospital for treatment by the resident physician.  All medical expenses and insurance are the responsibility of parents or guardians. 

Faculty/Staff

Stokes Forest Music Camp
Lou Kosma, Artistic Director
Christopher Hoffman, Director of Students
Letitia Stancu, Assistant Director of Students

Artist Faculty/Staff
Sophia Anastasia, Flute
Donald Batchelder, Trumpet
Katherine Bolcar, Voice, Choirs
Patrick Breiner, Saxophone, Jazz Studies
Richard Derbyshire, Saxophone
Dominick Ferrara, Symphonic Band, Woodwind Ensemble, Bassoon
Richard Grimes, Percussion
Fadwa Hayes, Cello
Janet Lemansky, Jazz
Mel Nasciemento, French Horn
David Singer, Clarinet
Joseph Smith, Piano
Kimberly Syvertsen, Assistant to the Artistic Director, Violin
Lester Vrtiak, Composition
Paul West, Guitar
Yen Yu, Violin

Preparatory Center for the Arts
Marla Meissner, Director
Letitia Stancu, Administrative Assistant