Arts academy's summer music programs offer advanced classes, motivational speaker

Summer camp and academy, a program of the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, will be held June 15 – 27 at La Sierra’s Hole Memorial Auditorium and the Zapara School of Business. With a preliminary staff of 12 camp counselors and music faculty, the arts academy will provide a core curriculum in music theory, music history and choir within two tracks for younger and older participants. Music camp for children in grades 3 – 6 will include arts and crafts, guitar, recorder, hand bells, Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” group project and more. Music academy for youth in grades 7 – 12 will include performance practice, master classes, chamber music, and large ensembles.

Elective group classes for the camp and academy will be held respectively for guitar, ukulele, voice and keyboard, and in pop music, jazz and improv, music and worship leadership, Garage Band studio recording program and other classes.

New this year is an advanced chamber music program for youth who are considering majoring in music in college or entering a professional performance career. Admission is granted based on audition results. Auditions are by appointment and can be arranged by contacting academy Director Martin Glicklich. “We want to offer this for the seriously aspiring high school musician,” he said.

Hong, an award-winning pianist and internationally renowned speaker, will coach chamber and master classes and give an assembly presentation on Wed., June 17. A graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City, Hong is known as an energetic music educator and concert pianist who has toured and performed around the world, at times combining the latest technology with his presentations and spanning the worlds of classical, blues and other genres. His biography describes a recent performance at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix during which he utilized Yamaha’s Disklavier system to perform both parts of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Suite No. 2,” and Witold Lutoslawski’s “Paganini Variations.” His work includes collaboration last year with Grammy Award-winning bluegrass and folk legend John McEuen, and with boogie-woogie and jazz piano phenom Michael Kaeshammer. This season he released his third album, “Myths and Legends.”

Hong regularly works with schools as a clinician, lecturer and performer, and curates shows that combine student musicians with professional symphony orchestras. His numerous awards include not only performance competition prizes, but the McGraw-Hill Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach. 

General registration is held through June 5. Registration fee is $45, and tuition is $425. Discounts may apply. For further information and online registration forms, visit lasierra.edu/music, or call 951-785-2086.