CINCINNATI Adaptive Music Camp

June 8th-13th, 2015

at Mount Saint Joseph University
5701 Delhi Road, Cincinnati, OH 45233-1670
cincinnatiadaptivemusic@gmail.com
INFORMATION AND APPLICATION FORM

Adaptive Camp Philosophy

Music is an indispensable part of our lives as human beings. It helps us develop
sensitivity and an aesthetic appreciation for beauty. Even the youngest child is attracted
toward music; it is a language that transcends cultural and language barriers. Learning
music, and learning a musical instrument, allows us to express ourselves more fully.
Every child, regardless of age or level of ability, should have the opportunity to learn how
to express themselves through music. We are currently accepting students with physical
disabilities who require adaptations to their instrument or manner of playing in order to
succeed, as well as students who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
The Discipline of Musical Study
There are many positive side benefits that come with studying music. Studies show that
people who listen to or play musical instruments exhibit a marked improvement on their
intelligence test scores. Students who play in groups learn the more refined aspects of
cooperation, self-discipline, leadership, and ensemble playing. Students who study an
instrument privately increase their focus, task-building, self-discipline, fine motor skills,
and spatial concepts. Who wouldnt want this for their child? But all of those benefits
come only when a family is dedicated to putting the time and attention in to practicing on
a regular basis.
Practicing
We ask our students to practice 5-6 days a week, 30 minutes a day, and most music
teachers will follow this same recommendation. We understand the reality of busy
schedules but ask that you do your best to meet this goal in order to get the most out of
your lesson. Parents, please sit with your child to guide their practice time until your
child has mastery and maturity enough to practice on their own (please ask the teacher to
find out when this is. It will usually take several years.)
Parent Involvement
Parent involvement is vital to the students success. Parents sit in on private lessons, take
notes, and help their child practice at home. Parents will be asked to participate in the
lesson as well, in order to better work with their children at home during the week. The
time you spend with your child in their lessons in the early years will more than pay off
when they are asked to perform for their school or local functions and are able to use
their music to bless others in turn.

Behavior Expectations for Camp and Lessons

Our class atmosphere is supportive and encouraging so that we may do our best to build
skills class by class. Everything is a learning experience...there is no such thing as a
mistake. The following are the expectations for students at camp:
1. positive attitude toward lessons, class, concerts, rehearsals, and activities
a. pays close attention to the teacher
b. responds to suggestion and skills that the teacher demonstrates
c. doesnt chew gum or candy or talk in class at inappropriate times
2. considerate of others
a. only says things that will help others learn positively
b. recognizes positive efforts of others
c. respects the rights of others by remaining focused on the lesson
Instrument
Your instrument is a sensitive piece of equipment that will help your child succeed when
it is working well, and will hold your child back if it is not. Your teacher may ask you to
purchase some additional items, such as a different chinrest or brand of rosin, which will
make your childs experience more successful. Please make sure you take care of any
instrument issues the teacher brings to your attention as soon as possible so that lessons
may continue uninterrupted for your child and the rest of the class.
Expenses associated with playing an instrument:
It is always good to know up front what sort of expenses you can expect to see when you
start a new endeavor. In addition to lesson tuition (which varies per teacherplease
research this for your area before committing to camp), parents will need to pay for
instrument rental, equipment (such as a shoulder rest, extra strings or a rock stop), and
any music books your teacher asks you to purchase for lessons. We will be able to help
you find a good quality instrument for a reasonable price for rental, either in your area or
by mail.
What to Bring to Camp
If you know what instrument your child will play and you already have that instrument,
please bring it, along with any books and other items (such as a shoulder rest for violin)
you may have. We will have instruments on loan for the week if your child does not
already have one. Most of these instruments will be available for ongoing rental if you
wish. You may also rent from a dealer of your choice upon returning home. Your teacher
will guide you as to whether or not the instrument is a good size and quality level for your
child, and let you know of any other items you may need to help your child succeed. You
will also be asked to purchase a music book/CD on your first day, and to contribute
toward the cost of some extra materials, which should altogether cost roughly between
$20-$25 for string players and approximately $10-15 for piano or brass students. You
will also receive a welcome packet several weeks before camp begins, with a more
detailed packing list.
Agreement between Family and Teacher
Please read the philosophy of music teaching on the next page, and fill out the information
form and contract that follow. You will need to include a check for the application fee
when you hand in your form. Once we have received it we will contact you to discuss
your childs particular set-up for their instrument. If we find that our camp is not a good
fit for your child, your application fee will be refunded in full.

Suzuki Philosophy - Strings Only

Jennifer Petry, our strings specialist, uses the Suzuki Philosophy to teach young
musicians. One of the key tenets of this style of teaching is the involvement of both parent
and child in the learning process. Since the Adaptive Music Camp is meant to be a
collaboration between, parent, child, teacher, and engineer to uncover the best way to
ensure success for students who need to adapt their playing, we have chosen to use the
Suzuki philosophy during camp to help students get as much as possible out of their
experience in the one week they have with us. It is your choice as to what kind of music
teacher you pursue for your home teacher, but the following is a brief background of the
pertinent portions of Suzuki philosophy which you will want to know as you head to
camp.
The home environment makes a big difference in how quickly and easily a child will learn
a skill. Every child has different levels of ability with which they are born, but every
childs development of those gifts depends largely upon the nurture that the parent gives
the child. It is our belief that every child can learn to play a musical instrument, just as
every child can learn to speak in their native language. This is Dr. Suzukis philosophy,
upon which he developed his Suzuki Method of music education. Learning a language
with all of its nuances requires a high degree of skill and constant practice and
encouragement. It also requires a continuous example of the language desired; this is
why English-speaking parents raise English-speaking children. You will not see a
Japanese child spontaneously speaking French...unless they are growing up in a Frenchspeaking household or culture! A child needs to hear and interact with language every
day to learn it well. A child will also need to hear and practice music in the home in order
to learn it well. Listening every day to good music played by a good musician on an
instrument that your child is learning will give your child a feel for the sound they will be
pursuing. We live in a wonderful age where we can press a button and that performance
is in our very home, where in past ages people could only attend a concert in order to
hear a professional musician. The pieces your child will be working on are contained on
the CD that comes in your Suzuki book. Most teachers use the Suzuki books, regardless of
whether or not they are registered Suzuki teachers. Listen to your Suzuki CD on a daily
basis, before, during, and after camp, and you will learn the pieces much more quickly!
The practice parent is the parent who comes to lessons and is heavily involved in the
home practice to help the child develop their full musical potential. In lessons, the parent
will take notes and ask questions and make sure they understand the assignments being
given. While practicing their instrument at home, the parent actively encourages the
child with every step. This is how a language is learned...when a baby first says ma-ma
or anything even close to it, we cheer and smile and hug and repeat the word back to the
child correctly--even though the effort is, in actuality, a very poor pronunciation of the
word Mother. The tireless encouragement, feedback, and modeling become the
background that eventually develops a child who speaks a language fluently. The same is
true of music. To speak the language of music a child must hear it daily, must be
encouraged at every step whether large or small, and must be taught the correct way to
play, gently but steadily. Ideally, the language of music should be spoken/played at home
almost as often as your native language. If this is combined with professional lessons,
teaching and encouragement followed by patience and persistence will give the young
musician a good environment for achieving musical excellence.

Are Music Lessons Right for My Family? (All Instruments)

Once the initial instrument set-up is figured out (which is the purpose of this camp), there
are three elements that will lead to success in the pursuit of a musical instrument:
I. The first is commitment. Families enrolling in this program should have a long-range
goal for learning music through their instrument. We consider music education
indispensable to a well-rounded education, and ask that our students and their families
retain that philosophy as well. Although each familys circumstances are different, in our
experience a family that is committed to seeing through the first 3-4 years of lessons will
then be able to more accurately evaluate whether or not this particular instrument is for
them.
II. The second element is consistent practice. The student who does not practice will
not improve to the best of their ability. This leads to frustration, because practice brings
its own reward. When a student puts the work in, they sound better and it leads to a
further desire to practice and build skills and the ability to play the fun (i.e. more difficult)
pieces. When your child does not put the practice time in, they will begin to sound worse
instead of better and pretty soon they wont want to hear themselves play, which leads to
less practicing. Eventually the cycle becomes so self-destructive that your child just
wants to quit.
III. The final element is consistent private lessons. Playing a musical instrument is not
instinctive for most people. The student that has weekly individual instruction will have
the guidance they need to avoid the frustration that comes from trying to reinvent the
wheel. A good teacher will work on posture, sound, technique, note and rhythm reading
and theory as well as teaching the notes to your musical pieces. Toward the end of camp
we will give you some tips for finding the right teacher for your child, if you do not have a
teacher lined up already.
Please carefully consider the opportunities and the expectations that this program will
bring your child and your family. Coming to camp is just the first step on a long and
immensely satisfying journey. We ask that if you register your child for the
Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp, you commit to at least one year of lessons with a
local private teacher. We look forward to meeting with you.

Camp Faculty
Deb Amend, Piano Specialist and Camp Director
Biographical Note
Deb Amend holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of Music, with an emphasis in piano and choral/general music, and a
Masters of Arts in Multicultural Special Education from the College of Mount Saint Joseph.
She has taught students preschool through college, including AP Music Theory, Music
Appreciation, Keyboard Class, General Music (Orff and Kodaly), Choir and private piano
instruction. Her private studio has included students with arm amputations, missing fingers,
autism, Down syndrome, Deaf and hearing impaired and other exceptionalities. Her students
have collected numerous awards over the years, and several have gone on to Cincinnatis
School for the Creative and Performing Arts. In addition to teaching, Deb has been involved in
adoption and disability advocacy, and parent and teacher training through speaking and
writing, both in the US and internationally. Currently, she is a high school teacher in a selfcontained classroom with students with intellectual disabilities. Her writings have been
published in national publications such as The Childrens Voice and her book, A Dress for Anna
is available in both English and Russian.

Audrey Schmid, Brass Specialist

Biographical Note
Audrey Schmid is a freelance trumpet performer and teacher throughout the greater
Cincinnati area. After graduating from Furman University with a bachelors degree in music
theory/composition, she moved to Cincinnati for graduate studies in trumpet performance at
the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and remained in the city after
completing her masters degree. Since then, she has enjoyed performing throughout the
region with a variety of orchestras, her brass quintet, and salsa bands. She has maintained a
private lesson studio locally since 2009 and enjoys the challenge of unlocking the possibilities
in every student.
Jennifer Petry, Strings Specialist, Camp Co-director
Biographical Note
Jennifer Petry graduated from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with
a Bachelors degree in both Music Performance and Music Education. She has been teaching
private lessons for twenty years, and is registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas
as a Suzuki teacher. She taught orchestra classes to children in grades 3-8 in the Salem-Keizer
public school system (Oregon) and was awarded the Outstanding Salem Educator Teacher of
the Year Award at the elementary school level in 1999. She taught a clinic at the music
educator conference in Eugene, Oregon, and has worked closely with Sprague High School,
one of the few high schools in America to receive a Grammy Award for music. She taught at
the Hartt School of Musics Community Division (Connecticut) for three years, and at the
Suzuki Summer Institute in Hartford for several years as well. She was a frequent guest
conductor for the youth orchestras in Hartford. While in Connecticut Jennifer started and ran
her own music school at Covenant Academy (a Classical and Christian school in Connecticut)
which consisted of private lessons in violin, viola, cello, and bass and five orchestras with
members ranging from 5-20 years old. She put together and conducted a symphony orchestra

for four of those years, and ran a chamber music camp in the summers. Many of her students
have received honors in competitions and regional orchestras throughout the New England
area, and several won first chair positions in Regional, All-State and All-New England
Orchestras. Many of Jennifers students have gone on to study music performance in college,
and start a career in music. Jennifer and her family reside in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Claire Timmerman, Beginning Guitar Specialist

Claire is a local studio musician who teaches privately as well as at several area music schools.
While her main focus is violin and cello, Claire is an accomplished musician with guitar,
performing in local ensembles and bands. She has experience as an adaptive teacher, and
enjoys connecting all students with a positive musical experience.

SAMPLE CAMP SCHEDULE:

8:30

arrival and registration

8:45

announcements

9:00

private lesson

10:00

practice

11:00

musicianship stations

11:30

music and movement

12:00

lunch

12:30

games

1:00

orchestra

2:00

dismissal (chamber group for advanced students)

CINCINNATI ADAPTIVE MUSIC CAMP

APPLICATION SHEET (one per student, please)

Summer 2015

Student Information
Students Full Name:____________________________________________________ Age: ________
Gender (circle one): male female
Grade Level:____________
School Name: _______________________________ School location: _____________________________
School phone number: ____________________ School music teacher:_______________________
School orchestra teacher, if applicable: ____________________________________________________
Mothers Name:_____________________________ Fathers Name:_______________________________
Home Address:_______________________________________________________________________________
City:__________________________________________ State:___________________
Zip:___________
Home Phone:________________________________ Cell or work phone:_________________________
Best number during camp: _________________ Parents e-mail:______________________________
If your child doesnt live at home with both biological parents, please briefly explain
so we may be sensitive to your familys situation:
Musical Information
Please check the instrument below that the student would like to study:
___violin

___viola

___cello

____ trumpet

___ French horn

___bass

___piano

___trombone ___tuba

___undecided

___ guitar

Has the student studied this instrument previously? ______ If so, how long? __________
Name of teacher: _______________________________ Phone Number: _________________________
Does the student have experience on any other instrument? ____________
If so, please list instrument and length of time studied___________________________________
Please give the previous teachers name:__________________________________________________
Previous teachers phone number: _________________________________________________________
If student has taken music lessons in the past, please answer the following questions:
Did the student practice regularly throughout the week? ___yes ___no
Did the student have to be reminded to practice? ___yes ___no
Amount of time spent practicing each week:___________________
Students will be given the opportunity to have 1-2 private lesson(s) on one
other instrument for the purpose of exploring that instrument for possible
future study. Students may pick one of four options:
____ guitar

____ piano

____brass

___ not interested at this time

ESSAYS:
Continuing Student Essay: Please let us know 1) your favorite part about playing
your instrument; 2) what your favorite part about camp was last year; and
3) what particularly you would like to work on this year at camp.
* parents, please add your own thoughts on these as well
7

New Student Short Essays (1 paragraph) on a separate sheet of paper

1) Please describe students physical difference (be as specific as possible). Please
include photo with this application.
2) Parents Essay: Please feel free to write down some background or detail about your
childs education and learning style that would be helpful to me as a teacher.
3) For the student: On a separate sheet of paper, please write a short letter to me
describing why you want to learn an instrument or (if you already play the instrument
you will be studying at camp) what you want to work on in your playing.
4) If you have any other documentation or information that you think would help us in
planning, please feel free to attach that as well.

AGREEMENT

SUMMER 2015

We are committed to teaching your son or daughter how to play an instrument with
excellence. In turn we ask that students and parents be committed to learning their
instrument, and take this responsibility seriously. Please carefully read over the policies
below. If you understand and are in agreement with them, please sign on the space provided
(parent and child should both sign).
I understand that there are a limited number of spaces available for this camp, and that it will
be closed to others once those spaces are filled. I will commit to attending the camp from
June 8-13, to participating in all aspects of the camp to the best of my ability, and to ensuring
that a parent is with my child at all times for the duration of the camp. I have read this
application brochure in its entirety and I agree to encourage, support, and maintain a regular
practice routine for my child 5-6 days a week during the school year. I understand my
obligation to find a private teacher and to support regular lessons for my child. I understand
my commitment to purchase or rent the correct equipment for the instrument as well as the
instrument itself and to keep it in optimal playing condition at all times. I agree to replace any
broken strings or any other item necessary for my child to continue regular lessons. I
understand that it is very important to set up the correct practice, posture and playing habits
for my child and I am committed to accompanying my child to classes so that I may help my
child practice at home. I am committed to ensuring that my child is able to attend all lessons
(and group classes, if applicable). I will not hold the College at Mount St. Joseph or any of the
instructors involved with the Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp liable for any damages
incurred during activities associated with the camp or extra-curricular activities. I
understand that my child is responsible for the proper care of his/her instruments and
belongings. I hereby give my consent for the Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp and the College
of Mount Saint Joseph to use my childs photograph and likeness in all forms and media for
advertising, trade and any other lawful purposes. I consent to my child being observed by
teachers for educational purposes during select lessons and classes.
___________________________________

Signature of Parent/Guardian

Date: ____________________

___________________________________

Signature of Student

Date: ____________________

Application Fee
Please include your application fee of $75 to hold your place
in the Cincinnati Adaptive Music Campfee is refundable only if your child is not chosen for
the camp . Camp tuition will be $375 for the week, plus the cost of housing if you come from
out of town, and the deposit will be subtracted from the full amount.
* Applications received after May 1st will require a $25 late processing fee.
Where do we go from here?
*Mail your completed application (2 pages), essays and fee to:
Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp
Attn: Deborah Amend
808 Finney Trail
Cincinnati, OH 45224
(Make your check payable to: The Adaptive Music Project)
Once we receive your application we will contact you by phone for an interview and through
the conversation may ask to view your child doing specific activities (using YouTube, Skype,
FaceTime, etc). This will help us prepare the most helpful camp experience for your child. If
you need technical assistance for sharing the videos we will be happy to guide you through
the process.
If your child has a physical difference that may involve the creation of adaptive devices in
order to play, we will send you additional information involving the process involved in
engineering the device. There will be no fee for this service, however, if you live within 2
hours of Cincinnati, you may be asked to come to town for a prearranged meeting with an
engineer. If you live further away, you may be asked to arrive at camp up to two days early.
If you have further questions and would like to speak with someone over the phone, please
send an e-mail to cincinnatiadaptivemusic@gmail.com with your phone number and

your time zone and we will give you a call shortly.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Petry
Deborah Amend
Directors, The Adaptive Music Project
https://cincinnatiadaptivemusic.wordpress.com/

cincinnatiadaptivemusic@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/CincinnatiAdaptiveMusicCamp