Summer Music Clinic | Junior Session
Grades 6-8
Registration closed on May 15. Please contact SMC at smc@wisc.edu or 608-263-2242 if still interested!
Junior session offers an opportunity for students completing 6th-8th grade to come and play, sing, create, and learn about music at all experience levels. Students can choose one of seven paths based on what they create, sing, or play and their goals and past experience. Students have one hour per day to choose an elective to dig deeper, try an additional path, or try something new! Each path has a balance of small and large group instruction, a diverse offering of musical styles in non-performance and performance based courses, and learning of technique combined with student creativity and choice.
- SMC values the music standards of Create, Perform, Respond and Connect
- Experience the music of the world and your community through listening, participating and creating
- Grow as a musician and individual through challenging courses and music while learning skills to be an activist for your space, creative voice and talents
- Meet a community of like-minded peers with multiple and diverse artistic voices and interests and work creatively together
Summer Music Clinic was incredible! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend. It was an amazing experience, and I learned so much, both musically and personally. I improved my skills playing my instrument, got to learn new instruments, and made a lot of friends.
smc student
2025
At a glance
JUNIOR SESSION REGISTRATION
Registration opens January 12, 2026 and is open through May 15, 2026.
JUNIOR SESSION dates
June 21 – 27, 2026
junior session program fees
Residential: $1250
Daily commuter: $850
A nonrefundable $75 registration fee is also due at the time of registration.
All program fees will be due by June 1, 2026.
For Scholarship Information and Application, please visit our financial information page.
Questions?
Contact SMC at smc@wisc.edu or 608-263-2242
Interested in more arts options? Join us at the Summer Arts Clinic, a 1 week experience for high school students in Dance, Design, Theatre/Drama, and Visual Art.
Summer Music Clinic is in partnership with the UW–Madison Mead Witter School of Music
Student Daily Schedule
All students participate in daily classes in the morning and afternoon. Daily commuter students arrive for the day between 7–7:30 a.m. each day and depart for the day between 4:20–30 p.m. Residential students will participate in additional evening activities and stay overnight in a campus residence hall for the duration of the program.
Community activities
Students will take part in Summer Music Clinic activities, meet their counselors, arts and crafts, sporting activities, games, see parts of campus, community celebrations, and connect with peers from across the state, country, and world.
Guest performers
All students will have the opportunity to listen to and experience multiple styles of music by professional musicians and educators
*Sunday (first day) is a check-in day with staggered assigned check in times. The program officially starts at 4pm for everyone.
*Saturday (last day) is a performance/presentation day concluding at 1pm
***All meals and housing costs are included in residential tuition. Lunch each day is included in the daily commuter tuition amount.
Ensemble placement
In harmony with UW-Madison ensemble and arts participation practices, all performance experiences and ensemble placement opportunities will be in person and allow the student to choose their experience based on their educational needs.
All students will choose a placement audition or placement conversation at SMC registration upon the start of camp. The placement process ensures that each student is set to succeed in an SMC course that provides a balance of challenge and level appropriate repertoire for a one week program for each student.
I came into this camp annoyed, nervous, and intimidated and I’m leaving experienced, confident, and happy. This actually might have been the best week of the summer.
SMC Student
2022
Choose your Summer Music Clinic path
Choose one of the following seven path options and explore the elective options below. The majority of your schedule is built based on the path you choose.
Sample Schedules to View:
Band, Choir/Voice, Guitar, Modern Expressions, Musical Discovery, Orchestra, Piano
Explore courses in your chosen path:
All paths
All
Arts in Performance
All students gather daily for inspiring and growth filled guest performances exploring and learning about different arts in our communities.
Bright and Dark
Bright and Dark is a class that looks at sound as having a personality that expresses in bright and darker sounds. We look at voices, instruments, and play with how timbre is used to create a story through music. Come create your story with us.
Listening to and Talking About Music
Limited enrollment (100)
This workshop focuses on developing listening skills and one’s capacity to discuss different dimensions of music. Each day, we will listen to music from different cultural contexts and as identified by students. We’ll talk about each piece, contextualize them in their cultural contexts, and share our perspectives on each piece. So, come, bring some tunes to share, and let’s listen to and talk about music together.
(open to all paths EXCEPT Modern Expressions)
Musical Creativity through Improvisational Play
Limited enrollment (80)
In this class students will explore the meaning of improvisational play. You’ll broaden your understanding of improvisation and music-making through experiential learning in an affirming environment.
(open to all paths EXCEPT Modern Expressions).
Band
Band
Band*
Be a part of a wind band ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.
Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion and others
Band Brass and Percussion Sectional
Students gather in rehearsal with their band brass and percussion sections to learn and rehearse band repertoire in deeper detail together.
Band Woodwinds Sectional
Students gather in rehearsal with their woodwind sections to learn and rehearse band repertoire in deeper detail together.
Choir for Instrumentalists*
Limited enrollment (100)
Sing in a choir as part of your daily schedule and gain the benefits that singing can provide for you as an instrumentalists.
Instrument Small Group Learning (Brass, woodwinds, percussion)
Students work in a small group learning or masterclass setting to learn techniques, repertoire, and all they can about their specific instrument.
Choir/Voice
Choir
Choir*
Be a part of a choral ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.
All voice parts
Choir Sectional
Students gather in rehearsal with their choir sections to learn and rehearse choir repertoire in deeper detail together.
Sight Singing Strategies
Limited enrollment (36)
Work on your ability to read music quickly and easily! Practice sight singing approaches designed to help vocalists gain facility with standard rhythmic patterns and interval recognition.
Vocal Coaching*
This class is focused on you, the individual, to work on a song of your choice (pop, classical, and more) with a supportive atmosphere to help you craft your song and performance. Learn helpful techniques to bring into your daily practice with a focus on vocal health. Students are asked to bring music with them to class.
Voice Small Group Learning
Students work in a small group learning or masterclass setting to learn techniques, repertoire, vocal health, and all they can about their voice!
Guitar
Guitar
Choir for Instrumentalists*
Limited enrollment (100)
Sing in a choir as part of your daily schedule and gain the benefits that singing can provide for you as an instrumentalist.
Guitar Ensemble*
Be a part of a guitar ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course exploring music that is specifically written for this ensemble. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.
Guitar Group Technique and Learning
Students work in a small group learning setting to learn techniques, repertoire, and all they can about their specific instrument!
Guitar Listening
As musicians, listening is a crucial part of our training and development. This workshop focuses on the practice of listening with an emphasis on listening across a variety of artists and genres. Spend time listening to tracks of historical and cultural significance, with the goal of students developing a listening list by the end, with names of artists, record labels, and genres they can explore in the future.
Guitar Performance
Students learn from a teacher specializing in either Classical, Electric, or Acoustic guitar and explore a combination of listening and playing exercises to grow their knowledge, technique, and musicianship.
Modern Expressions
Modern
Let’s Create!*
Songwriter/Hip Hop Performance
You’ve sung and listened to so many songs, but have you tried writing your own? Whether you’ve composed before or not, this class will help you craft lyrics, melodies, beats, presentations, and give life to that song inside you. Tell your story! Learn to record your song!
Multimedia Class
Beat Making/ Score Creation/Track Collaboration
This class focuses on telling stories without saying a word. This session revolves around making contemporary musical compositions and the different ways that it happens. Become your own activist!
Music Business and DJ*
Limited enrollment (12)
Learn both mixing and basic turntablism— all using professional, industry standard equipment. This course bridges traditional music theory with the latest DJ technology and techniques. Featured instructor is touring DJ Pacal ‘DJ Pain 1’ Bayley. Learn how DJ skills relate to music business skills.
Sound Design for Content Creation
Use music and sound to tell a story! In this class, students are given a choice of a short animated film that they’d like to craft a soundscape for. Over the week, we’ll record unique sound effects, create musical scores, and edit it all together to bring these short stories to life!
Musical Discovery
Music
Choir for Instrumentalists*
Limited enrollment (100)
Sing in a choir as part of your daily schedule and gain the benefits that singing can provide for you as an instrumentalist.
Listening to and Talking about Music
Limited enrollment (18)
This workshop focuses on developing listening skills and one’s capacity to discuss different dimensions of music. Each day, we will listen to music from different cultural contexts and as identified by students. We’ll talk about each piece, contextualize them in their cultural contexts, and share our perspectives on each piece.
Instrument Exploration
Choose from percussion or piano/singing to explore a music path for you! Learn the basics of an instrument or your voice and explore what interests you so that you can continue on your own at home! Instruments are provided for this class.
Ukulele Jam*
Learn numerous chords, strum patterns, and riffs on ukulele so you can accompany yourself and others on songs you know, love, and create. You’ll learn through playing and creating songs in a non-formal context. We will host a ukulele jam session at the end of the class so we can teach, lead, and make music with friends, family, and community members.
Noise, Silence, and Everything Else
This class explores volume. How do we experience volume? How do we express volume? How do we live with volume? How does this connect to our music listening and making? Explore these questions and more in noise, silence, and everything else!
The Rhythm of Life
Come and explore Beat and Rhythm, looking at it across music and where it is embedded in everyday life. This class regularly incorporates body percussion fun!
Orchestra
Orchestra
Choir for Instrumentalists*
Limited enrollment (100)
Sing in a choir as part of your daily schedule and gain the benefits that singing can provide for you as an instrumentalist.
Instrument Small Group Learning (Strings)
Students work in a small group learning or masterclass setting to learn techniques, repertoire, and all they can about their specific instrument.
Orchestra*
Be a part of a string orchestra ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.
Instruments: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Other
Orchestra Sectional
Students gather in rehearsal with their orchestra sections to learn and rehearse orchestra repertoire in deeper detail together.
Piano
Piano
Choir for Instrumentalists*
Limited enrollment (100)
Sing in a choir as part of your daily schedule and gain the benefits that singing can provide for you as an instrumentalist.
Piano Ensemble*
Limited enrollment (14)
Be a part of a piano ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course exploring music that is specifically written for this ensemble. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach. Instruments are provided for this course.
Piano Group Technique and Learning
Limited enrollment (14)
Students work in a small group learning setting to learn techniques, repertoire, and all they can about their instrument! Instruments are provided for this course.
Piano Listening
Limited enrollment (14)
As musicians, listening is a crucial part of our training and development. This workshop will focus on the practice of listening with an emphasis on listening across a variety of artists and genres. We will spend time listening to tracks of historical and cultural significance. Our goal is for students to develop a listening list by the end of the workshop, with names of artists, record labels, and genres they can explore in the future.
Piano Performance
Limited enrollment (14)
Students learn from a teacher specializing in multiple piano genres and explore a combination of listening and playing exercises to grow their knowledge, technique, and musicianship. Instruments are provided for this course.
Electives
All students choose one period C elective from the following courses:
- Acting for Musicians*
- Brazilian Drumming*
- Dance for Musicians*
- Drumline*
- Fiddle Band*
- Gospel Choir*
- Jazz Ensemble*
- Learn to DJ*
- Mariachi Ensemble*
- Musical Making
- Music Theory
- Musical Theatre*
- Spoken Word/Rap*
- Vocal Coaching*
Limited Enrollment 36
All of the art forms are connected to one another, and we become richer and more authentic musicians when we experience different art forms. Learn about acting through physical movement, character representation and interpretation, and more, as it relates to your skills as a musician.
Limited enrollment 25
This class will explore some of the major drumming styles from northeast and southern Brazil. Students will use authentic instruments and techniques, including the basic body movement and singing! This style of drumming is accessible to all, no previous drumming experience required. Instruments are provided for this course.
Limited enrollment 36
All of the art forms are connected to one another, and we become richer and more authentic musicians when we experience different art forms. Learn about dance through physical movement, character representation and interpretation, and more, as it relates to your skills as a musician.. A variety of dance styles will be explored in this course including Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, and Afro styles.
Limited enrollment 18
Be part of a drumline! All experience levels welcome. Be a part of a traditional marching drumline ensemble. Focus will be on strong percussion technique and presentation. Instruments are provided for this course.
Limited enrollment 18
Explore the world of fiddling! Learn and build on skills of improvisation, reading chord charts, tablature, learning by rote/ear, and writing and arranging for different string instruments. Multiple musical styles are explored!
Be part of a Gospel/Praise Choir! This music originated in the evangelical churches of black populations in the southern United States. Containing elements of jazz and blues, it often takes the form of a call and response between the preacher, who sings or declares a line, and the congregation, which sings an affirmative reply.
Be a part of a jazz ensemble! A diverse, challenging, somewhat improvisatory, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.
Instruments: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Drums, Vibraphone
Do not register for this if you are in the Modern Expressions path. This course is built into the path.
Learn both mixing and basic turntablism— all using professional, industry standard equipment. This course bridges traditional music theory with the latest DJ technology and techniques. Featured instructor is touring DJ Pacal ‘DJ Pain 1’ Bayley.
A mariachi ensemble is a group of singing and playing musicians interpreting the folkloric music of Mexico. Mariachi music is a distinct type of traditional Mexican folk music that combines brass and string instruments. The music is accompanied by a distinctive singing style in its harmonies. Ensemble instrumentation is violin, trumpet, nylon-string guitar, vihuela, guitarrón, harp, and voice. All group members sing the vocal chorus parts, and in many pieces vocal soloists are featured. No prior mariachi experience required.
Limited enrollment 15
In this workshop class, you’ll work on being a musical maker and explore maker culture as you design, code, hack, and build new music controllers and instruments. Maker culture is a do-it-yourself and community-embedded movement that focuses on learning-through-doing in order to create, iterate, and tinker with ideas and objects. You’ll make musical controllers and instruments out of reclaimed and recycled components, design and code controllers for yourself and others to use to make music, and work with others to be a creator, learners, and teacher with your peers.
Limited enrollment 36
The Harmonic Styles of the 18th Century European Musicians – This course focuses on the harmonic style of 18th century European musicians or traditional western music theory. To understand western music theory is to understand the building blocks of western tradition music you play and sing. This class will cover the fundamentals you need to know to support your development as a musician. Review major, minor, diminished, and dominant-seventh chords; clefs, notation, scale degrees, and musical rhythms and patterns.
Be a part of a musical theatre ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Music is chosen from the musical/Broadway genre to create a storied performance. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.
Spoken word can be powerful, fun, express identity, evoke emotion, and just sound good. This program teaches participants how to tap into that internal voice or provides a good opportunity to practice one’s poetic skill set. In this season we will write, share, revise, and discuss. This is not a course on the history or theoretical underpinnings of spoken word but a practical class where we will learn strategies to write and deliver spoken word poetry that feels most expressive of your inner thoughts and desires.
Limited enrollment 20
This class is focused on you, the individual, to work on a song of your choice (pop, classical, and more) with a supportive atmosphere to help you craft your song and performance. Learn helpful techniques to bring into your daily practice with a focus on vocal health. Students are asked to bring music with them to this class.
(*)=includes a final performance or presentation on the evening of Friday, June 26, or Saturday morning/afternoon, June 27, 2026.