Thank you for your interest in The Walden School Young Musicians Program and The Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat.
Information about each program and application materials are provided below. You can contact us with questions at applicants@waldenschool.org or at (415) 587-8157. You can also stay in touch with Walden by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and hear music from past Walden programs on our Bandcamp page.
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The Walden School Young Musicians Program (YMP), for musically inclined students ages 9-18, is a 5-week summer camp (with a 3-week option for students who have not yet completed 8th grade) focused on musicianship training, composition, improvisation, choral singing, outdoor recreation, and creative community-building. This year’s YMP dates are June 28-August 3, 2025, in Dublin, New Hampshire.
YMP Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to start your application for YMP 2025 is provided below. Complete application instructions can be downloaded here.
Start your online application:
Young Musicians Program 2025 Application
How to Apply
In addition to short answer questions about you, your interests, and your musical background, the following items will be requested on the online application. We recommend reviewing the requirements, preparing the applicant essay, parent/guardian statements, and supplementary materials in advance, and then completing the online application.
- Teacher Recommendation: please download a teacher recommendation and give the form to a recommender. The recommender should return the completed form and letter of recommendation to The Walden School. The teacher recommendation may be submitted up to 10 days after the application deadline.
- Applicant Essay: please write a short essay (approximately 200-500 words) that will help the admissions committee develop a broader picture of your personality, talents and interests. Topics for this brief personal statement could be autobiographical in nature, provide more information about your musical and creative interests, and/or can answer questions such as why you want to attend YMP. There is a place to paste the essay into the online application.
- Parent/Guardian Statements: The applicant’s parents or guardians are asked to submit two statements addressing the student’s ability to live and thrive in a summer camp community away from their home. The two prompts, and the applicant essay prompt, can also be found here. There is a place to paste the parent statements into the online application.
- Supplementary Materials: The Walden School welcomes any additional materials you would like to send with your application. These might include recordings or scores of original music, certificates of merit or awards, samples of non-music related creative projects (poetry, photography, artwork, or any other work). There is a place to upload your files on the online application.
- Application Fee ($60, non-refundable) If this fee presents a significant financial barrier to your application, please contact us at applicants@waldenschool.org to inquire about a fee waiver.
Applications are considered in three rounds: Early (December 16, 2024), Winter (February 3, 2025), and Spring (April 1, 2025). Please review the decision and billing schedules for each round: YMP 2025 Fees and Deadlines.
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The Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat (CMR), for adult musical professionals, teachers, students and amateurs (ages 18+), is a 9 day retreat with diverse programming, including seminars, workshops, composers forums, concerts, chorus, and more. This year’s CMR dates are June 14-22, 2025, in Dublin, New Hampshire.
CMR Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to apply for CMR 2025 is provided below, and complete application instructions can be downloaded here.
Start your online application:
Creative Musicians Retreat 2025 Application
How to Apply
In addition to short answer questions about you, your interests, and your musical background, the following items will be requested on the application. We recommend reviewing these requirements, preparing them in advance, and then completing the application.
Applicant Essay: Please write a 2-3 paragraph (ca. 250 – 500 words) personal statement describing why you are interested in attending the Creative Musicians Retreat at The Walden School and any goals or intentions you may have for the summer. Please describe your musical background, including your education/training and experience as a composer, performer, improviser, choral singer, conductor and/or teacher. You will paste your essay into the online application linked above.
CV, résumé, and/or biography (optional for returning applicants). There is a place to upload these in the online application.
Supplementary Materials: on the online application, there is a place to upload 1-3 scores, audio recordings, or videos of your work as a creative artist. You may also provide links to your YouTube channel, SoundCloud, Vimeo, BandCamp, etc.
Application Fee ($40, non-refundable) If this fee presents a significant financial barrier to your application, please contact us at applicants@waldenschool.org to ask for a fee waiver.
Applications are considered in three rounds: Early (December 16, 2024), Winter (February 3, 2025), and Spring (April 1, 2025). Please review the decision and billing schedules for each round: CMR 2025 Fees and Deadlines.