Crane Youth Music
Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, 44 Pierrepont Ave, Potsdam, NY 13676
About
Crane Youth Music includes master classes with Crane faculty, ensemble rehearsals, elective courses, practice time, and lesson time with faculty. Campers also take part in chamber and jazz combo rehearsal time, chamber ensembles, chamber orchestra, and bands during CYM, including ensemble or chamber music. Recreational time includes outdoor recreation and sports, trips downtown, movies in Crane, and other activities and crafts as directed by counseling staff.
• Ages: 12–18 years old
• Schedule: CYM 2026 runs July 5–11, 2026
• Price: Resident Camper Tuition/Room & Board: $920. Commuter Camper Tuition: $590 (includes daily lunch). Lessons: $35 for one 30-minute lesson (limit 1 per camper pending faculty availability). Scholarships are partial awards of $200–$300.
Crane Youth Music is an open enrollment camp for young musicians who have completed two years of instrumental or voice study through their school programs and/or private lessons. There are no entrance auditions for Crane Youth Music; campers audition for ensemble placement upon arrival, and ensemble assignments are final and not subject to appeal. All students have a daily master class with an applied faculty member. Campers can register for one lesson pending faculty availability, and any additional lessons must be approved by the Crane Youth Music Director in consultation with the faculty member’s schedule. Campers receive a voucher to present to the instructor at the time of the lesson, and if a camper forgets or misses a scheduled lesson, the fee and voucher are forfeit unless the faculty member is willing to make up the lesson; if no lesson is scheduled, no refund is issued. Campers are responsible for scheduling their lessons with the faculty member, either in the first master class or by finding the faculty office and signing up on the board.
Recreational activities are supervised and led by counselors who are Crane students or professional educators. The New York State Department of Health requires supervision ratios of 10:1 during a traveling activity and 25:1 during a stationary activity such as classes or rehearsals. Participants cannot wander alone and must be part of a group or in a 2:1 situation with another camper or counselor.
Fifty years of Crane Youth Music have left a lasting imprint on the lives of many young musicians. Campers have master classes with many of the Crane faculty, and the faculty who hear auditions are described as professionals of the highest caliber. Every summer, Kyle Peters returns as a leader and instructor at Crane Youth Music. The leadership team for 2025 includes instrumental ensemble conductors Dr. Brian Doyle (Wind Ensemble) and Dr. Shelly Tramposh, jazz faculty Sam Bailey and Robert Bickford, and choral conductors Dr. Meagan Dissinger and Mr. Shawn Hebert. Applied faculty listed for 2025 include brass faculty Dr. Luke Spence (trumpet), Dr. Lauren Becker (horn), Dr. Christopher Hernacki, and Dr. Charles Guy (tuba/euphonium); harp faculty Dr. Jessica Suchy-Pilalis; percussion faculty Dr. Emma Gierszal; piano faculty Dr. Kathryn Sherman and Dr. Keilor Kastella; voice faculty Mrs. Kimberly Busch, Mrs. Andrea Ellison, and Mr. John Halpin; string faculty Dr. Liesl Doty (violin), Dr. Shelly Tramposh (viola), Dr. Marie-Elaine Gagnon (cello), and Mr. Gabe Schmid-Doyle; and woodwind faculty Dr. Brian Dunbar, Dr. Anna Hendrickson (oboe), Dr. Julianne Kirk Doyle (clarinet), Dr. Carol Lowe (bassoon), and Dr. Casey Grev (saxophone).
Crane Youth Music does not provide instruments for beginning study, and no beginning lessons are offered. Scholarship applications are due May 1, 2026, scholarship notifications are made by May 15, 2026, and three scholarships are available, including the Julianne Kirk Doyle scholarship, which provides partial assistance specifically to a clarinet or viola participant with financial need. A wait list is kept, and if someone declines an award, it goes to the next candidate on the list. Campers with financial need are encouraged to reach out to local booster clubs, arts councils, and church organizations for additional support.
Last updated February 6, 2026.
• Ages: 12–18 years old
• Schedule: CYM 2026 runs July 5–11, 2026
• Price: Resident Camper Tuition/Room & Board: $920. Commuter Camper Tuition: $590 (includes daily lunch). Lessons: $35 for one 30-minute lesson (limit 1 per camper pending faculty availability). Scholarships are partial awards of $200–$300.
Crane Youth Music is an open enrollment camp for young musicians who have completed two years of instrumental or voice study through their school programs and/or private lessons. There are no entrance auditions for Crane Youth Music; campers audition for ensemble placement upon arrival, and ensemble assignments are final and not subject to appeal. All students have a daily master class with an applied faculty member. Campers can register for one lesson pending faculty availability, and any additional lessons must be approved by the Crane Youth Music Director in consultation with the faculty member’s schedule. Campers receive a voucher to present to the instructor at the time of the lesson, and if a camper forgets or misses a scheduled lesson, the fee and voucher are forfeit unless the faculty member is willing to make up the lesson; if no lesson is scheduled, no refund is issued. Campers are responsible for scheduling their lessons with the faculty member, either in the first master class or by finding the faculty office and signing up on the board.
Recreational activities are supervised and led by counselors who are Crane students or professional educators. The New York State Department of Health requires supervision ratios of 10:1 during a traveling activity and 25:1 during a stationary activity such as classes or rehearsals. Participants cannot wander alone and must be part of a group or in a 2:1 situation with another camper or counselor.
Fifty years of Crane Youth Music have left a lasting imprint on the lives of many young musicians. Campers have master classes with many of the Crane faculty, and the faculty who hear auditions are described as professionals of the highest caliber. Every summer, Kyle Peters returns as a leader and instructor at Crane Youth Music. The leadership team for 2025 includes instrumental ensemble conductors Dr. Brian Doyle (Wind Ensemble) and Dr. Shelly Tramposh, jazz faculty Sam Bailey and Robert Bickford, and choral conductors Dr. Meagan Dissinger and Mr. Shawn Hebert. Applied faculty listed for 2025 include brass faculty Dr. Luke Spence (trumpet), Dr. Lauren Becker (horn), Dr. Christopher Hernacki, and Dr. Charles Guy (tuba/euphonium); harp faculty Dr. Jessica Suchy-Pilalis; percussion faculty Dr. Emma Gierszal; piano faculty Dr. Kathryn Sherman and Dr. Keilor Kastella; voice faculty Mrs. Kimberly Busch, Mrs. Andrea Ellison, and Mr. John Halpin; string faculty Dr. Liesl Doty (violin), Dr. Shelly Tramposh (viola), Dr. Marie-Elaine Gagnon (cello), and Mr. Gabe Schmid-Doyle; and woodwind faculty Dr. Brian Dunbar, Dr. Anna Hendrickson (oboe), Dr. Julianne Kirk Doyle (clarinet), Dr. Carol Lowe (bassoon), and Dr. Casey Grev (saxophone).
Crane Youth Music does not provide instruments for beginning study, and no beginning lessons are offered. Scholarship applications are due May 1, 2026, scholarship notifications are made by May 15, 2026, and three scholarships are available, including the Julianne Kirk Doyle scholarship, which provides partial assistance specifically to a clarinet or viola participant with financial need. A wait list is kept, and if someone declines an award, it goes to the next candidate on the list. Campers with financial need are encouraged to reach out to local booster clubs, arts councils, and church organizations for additional support.
Last updated February 6, 2026.
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