Often times, young artists with careers in the performing and visual arts can identify a specific moment in their past when their attitude toward the arts changed from an interest to a passion. For some, it was a high school play or a 6th grade band concert; sometimes it was a specific teacher. But for a large number of young artists, their passion really took hold during a summer experience.
Summer intensives, camps, programs, and festivals offer a completely unique experience for curious young artists. They offer one-on-one training outside of your comfort zone with professionals in your specific area of study. While the experience you gain through your high school arts department is definitely an important part of your training, a summer program or intensive can provide you with a glimpse at what a life in the arts is like. You won’t have to wait until after school to spend time honing your skills, you’ll start first thing in the morning and train all day. You’ll be fully immersed in your art.
Summer programs can also help you master a specific skill. For dance, theatre/acting, and music in particular, summer intensives will provide more in depth training into specific concentrations, like musical theatre, acting for film, or commercial dance. You may have touched upon these skills before, but a summer intensive will give you a chance to really learn them. Outside of college classes, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to do that.
If you’re still unsure, a summer workshop or camp is a good idea for you, consider the people you’ll meet there. Connections are a huge part of any successful career, and a summer intensive offers the unique opportunity for you to connect with people who could be key players in your future career. The other students at the intensive are just as passionate about learning as you are, and surrounding yourself extremely talented artists will only make you better. On top of surrounding yourself with talented peers, you’ll also be working with industry professionals. A selling point for a lot of summer programs is their star instructors. College professors and other industry professionals can give you inside advice on what it takes to make it big. And that can come in handy.
If you’re passionate about your art but aren’t convinced you can build a career out of it, you should consider applying to a summer intensive or workshop. Application deadlines usually fall in the late winter or spring, but these programs have limited spots available. Start your applications soon.
