A Parent's Guide to the International Music Camp

This year, 2007, the International Music Camp (IMC), located on the US-Canada border between North Dakota and Manitoba, celebrates its 52nd season. The camp is a family tradition for me; although its first season in 1956 was too late for my mother to attend, her sister attended that first one-week session. Both my older sisters attended in the 1960s, my cousins and I attended in the 1970s, and my niece and a nephew attended in the 1980s. I am now a proud member of the Alumni Association, and look forward to watching the growth of this wonderful place of learning.

Although the name just says "Music," and in its early years the IMC was just a music study camp, over the years many different programs have been added. The camp has classes and sessions in dance, painting, drawing, cartooning, drama, creative writing, jazz band, cheerleading, vocal music, and much much more. This year two new programs have been added: Digital Photography, and Garage Band. The International Music Camp is now rated as one of the top 10 Summer Schools of Fine Arts in the U.S. and Canada. And while the "international" aspect began as U.S. and Canadian, over 3000 students from over 70 countries attend each year these days. The staff, including over 100 internationally known artists and teachers, are also from all parts of the world. Any student attending is exposed not just to the fine arts program of his or her choice, but to a variety of languages and cultures, a diverse group that works in perfect harmony.