I'll confess that I'm writing about Apple
Hill from a folk musician's point of view. I'm opinionated, and
I know what I do and don't like. That said, I'll set the record
straight from the beginning: I liked the camp a lot, the faculty,
the location, the food, the music, and the other students I met.
My own musicianship improved measurably as a result of my experience
and I plan to attend again.
Apple Hill has an admirable mission, that is, to help bring peace
and cooperation to the world through the language of classical
music. The school is open to the paying public and in addition
offers scholarships to mideastern students from several different
countries with great political and religious differences. This
is done on purpose because the process of bringing them together
at Apple Hill proves that they can work together with a common
goal. The very nature of chamber music requires close teamwork
and so to make really good music together, the musicians must
work together, and in the process, often become close friends.
We all know that improved communication between peoples can resolve
lots of cultural and political divisions. The spirit of communication
at Apple Hill involves students and staff growing together in
both musical and social ways.
The camp site itself, situated in rural New Hampshire, is similar
to that of most other music camps I've attended. The cabins are
rustic, with simple cots. The setting is woodsy and situated on
a hillside involving a bit of hiking up and down from cabin to
dining hall and back several times a day. The surrounding woods
were full of wild blackberries during the particular session I
attended, a real plus from my point of view. There is a fine clay
tennis court for those so inclined, and a swimming pond within
hiking or jogging distance. There's a rehearsal building, formerly
a barn, with numerous practice rooms and a ping pong table that
received continuous use. Everyone ate meals together in the dining
hall which doubled as a performance space for student and public
concerts. The food was good and plentiful. Between meals snacks
were available 24 hours a day.
Besides lots of organised music making, activities at the camp
included going to town to the movies, a skit
night, an open coffee house performance evening, meal time
concerts for and by the assembled campers, a joke telling session,
jazz performances by local musicians and a final public performance
of the classical pieces we had all worked diligently on for the
entire session.
There were no formal individual music lessons as such at Apple
Hill. Rather, students were expected to study their assigned pieces
on their own, and the faculty acted as "coaches," to
shape the evolving chamber pieces into the best possible group
form. I found the process to be a mix of very hard work with very
rewarding consequences. At the final public performances of my
Bach and Handel ensembles, I felt all of my hard work and that
of my fellow musician's paying off, as we all played our best
to a very appreciative audience of other campers, staff, parents,
and community members. In short, I had a blast!
I was aware of the social and cultural purpose of Apple Hill from
the printed information I received on applying, but I'll admit
that my first impulse was to attend merely upon the basis of the
high quality of the musical experience available. As this was
my first experience with formal classical music making, I'll comment
upon the differences from my folk music experiences. The biggest
difference I found was that the classical musicians played or
practiced in intense and isolated bursts of activity. After a
typical practice, rehearsal, or performance session, all of the
instruments would be carefully packed away in a separate instrument
storage place, and most everyone would go off to play pingpong,
hike, eat, or swim etc.
At a folk music camp there is always spontaneous live music happening
continuously, before and after practices, rehearsals, and performances.
I found this difference a bit disconcerting at first. After productive
rehearsals with my ensemble I was usually warmed up and ready
to play more music, perhaps a different piece or with another
group, but not yet ready to go off to do a non musical activity.
I'm used to unwinding after an intense group practice by improvising,
or playing a completely different type of music in a relaxed way.
After several days at Apple Hill I had worked out a personal routine
that helped me adjust to the classical regimen. After a Bach or
Handel rehearsal I would head outside with my fiddle and play
a few jigs and reels to work the kinks out of my muscles.
This caused another interesting phenomena. On three separate occasions
when doing this, someone approached me and asked a question like:
"Why are you standing facing the parking lot?, or "why
are you playing next to the clothes line?" At the time, I
was intent on my playing, and didn't notice which direction I
was facing or where I was standing. I had merely gone outside
the building to play, out of courtesy for those inside who may
have not wished to be subject to my choice of pieces. I don't
know if these occurrences were coincidences, or part of a larger
pattern. It may be that classical musicians prefer to practice
and perform in rehearsal rooms and on the public stage, and folk
musicians are inclined to play virtually anywhere: on the bus;
in the park; on a street corner, at the back yard barbeque, etc.
I found a great cooperative spirit at Apple Hill where everyone
enthusiastically encourages everyone else in their musical endeavors.
In this respect, the positive effect is greater than in most but
not all folk music camps I've attended. Certainly the personalities
and abilities of the Apple Hill staff led by Director and pianist
Eric Stumacher had a lot to do with this, but since I haven't
attended any other classical camps I can't generalize this finding.
I suspect that Mr. Stumacher and his coworkers work their behinds
off because they really believe in what they are doing at Apple
Hill, and I tip my hat to them for their efforts.
There were two different night time events involving dancing,
one to a rock and roll recording, and the other a "folk dance"
to tapes. I had a difficult time participating at either of these
dances due to my aversion to recreational dancing to recorded
music. After 25 years of being a dance musician and an avid folk
dancer, I guess that I've been spoiled by always being around
wonderful live music. Most everyone else though, seemed to be
having a good time. I hope that the other campers didn't think
that I was anti-social when I went off alone to play my fiddle
or piano during these events. I felt a bit better about this situation
after I took my fiddle into the camp kitchen one night and started
played Celtic and French folk dance tunes. Within a couple minutes
there were several dancing couples spontaneously whirling around
the food preparation table.
I found the musical experience incredibly rewarding at Apple Hill.
The musicianship was extremely high from both the staff and most
of the students. I enjoy being around people who's dedication
to music is similar to my own. There is a common bond between
people who devote most of their life activity to such a purpose.
I also made a good number of new friends. From my observations,
the camp is succeeding well in its aims and goals. Check it out!
For more information on the various programs available at Apple
Hill Contact: Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Apple Hill
Road, P.O. Box 217, East Sullivan, NH 03445-0217, 603-847-3371,
fax 603-847-9972, email: estu@top.monad.net