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, chamber and jazz combo rehearsal time, lesson time with faculty, and individual practice time. Campers also take part in 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 per 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, and there are no entrance auditions, as campers audition for ensemble placement upon arrival. All students have a daily master class with an applied faculty member, and these classes focus on pedagogy, fundamentals, and sometimes serve as a performance class. All wind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists are part of a like ensemble or chamber music and play in one of the bands during the session, and all string instrumentalists are in a chamber ensemble and chamber orchestra, with ensemble assignments being final and not subject to appeal.
Campers may register for one lesson with faculty pending availability, receive a voucher to present to the instructor at the time of the lesson, and are responsible for scheduling their lessons with the faculty member, with missed or unscheduled lessons not refunded unless the faculty member chooses to make up the lesson. Any additional lessons beyond one must be approved by the CYM Director in consultation with the faculty member’s schedule, and lesson sign-ups take place either in the first master class or on the faculty office sign-up boards. CYM Faculty do not give beginning lessons, and instruments are not provided for beginning study during the program.
Campers have master classes with many of the Crane Faculty, and recreational activities are supervised and led by counselors who are Crane students or professional educators. The New York State Department of Health requires strict supervision and ratios during all times participants are in charge, with a 10:1 ratio during traveling activities and a 25:1 ratio during stationary activities such as classes and rehearsals, and participants do not wander alone around campus but stay in a group or in a 2:1 pairing with another camper or counselor.
Scholarship applications are due May 1, 2026, scholarship notifications are made by May 15, 2026, and a wait list is kept so that if someone declines an award it goes to the next candidate on the list. The Julianne Kirk Doyle scholarship provides partial assistance specifically to a clarinet or viola participant with financial need, and campers with financial need are encouraged to reach out to local booster clubs, arts councils, and church organizations for additional support.
Fifty years of Crane Youth Music has left a lasting imprint on the lives of many young musicians, and many campers choose to return to Crane to pursue their undergraduate degrees after high school. The leadership team includes a CYM Director, 2025 Instrumental Ensemble Conductors Dr. Brian Doyle (Wind Ensemble) and Dr. Shelly Tramposh, 2025 Jazz faculty Sam Bailey and Robert Bickford, and 2025 Choral Conductors Dr. Meagan Dissinger and Mr. Shawn Hebert.
Last updated May 28, 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 per 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, and there are no entrance auditions, as campers audition for ensemble placement upon arrival. All students have a daily master class with an applied faculty member, and these classes focus on pedagogy, fundamentals, and sometimes serve as a performance class. All wind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists are part of a like ensemble or chamber music and play in one of the bands during the session, and all string instrumentalists are in a chamber ensemble and chamber orchestra, with ensemble assignments being final and not subject to appeal.
Campers may register for one lesson with faculty pending availability, receive a voucher to present to the instructor at the time of the lesson, and are responsible for scheduling their lessons with the faculty member, with missed or unscheduled lessons not refunded unless the faculty member chooses to make up the lesson. Any additional lessons beyond one must be approved by the CYM Director in consultation with the faculty member’s schedule, and lesson sign-ups take place either in the first master class or on the faculty office sign-up boards. CYM Faculty do not give beginning lessons, and instruments are not provided for beginning study during the program.
Campers have master classes with many of the Crane Faculty, and recreational activities are supervised and led by counselors who are Crane students or professional educators. The New York State Department of Health requires strict supervision and ratios during all times participants are in charge, with a 10:1 ratio during traveling activities and a 25:1 ratio during stationary activities such as classes and rehearsals, and participants do not wander alone around campus but stay in a group or in a 2:1 pairing with another camper or counselor.
Scholarship applications are due May 1, 2026, scholarship notifications are made by May 15, 2026, and a wait list is kept so that if someone declines an award it goes to the next candidate on the list. The Julianne Kirk Doyle scholarship provides partial assistance specifically to a clarinet or viola participant with financial need, and campers with financial need are encouraged to reach out to local booster clubs, arts councils, and church organizations for additional support.
Fifty years of Crane Youth Music has left a lasting imprint on the lives of many young musicians, and many campers choose to return to Crane to pursue their undergraduate degrees after high school. The leadership team includes a CYM Director, 2025 Instrumental Ensemble Conductors Dr. Brian Doyle (Wind Ensemble) and Dr. Shelly Tramposh, 2025 Jazz faculty Sam Bailey and Robert Bickford, and 2025 Choral Conductors Dr. Meagan Dissinger and Mr. Shawn Hebert.
Last updated May 28, 2026.
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