NYSMC New York State Music Camp NYSMC New York State Music Camp
NYSMC New York State Music Camp
NYSMC New York State Music Camp NYSMC New York State Music Camp Dr Bob Swift NYSMC New York State Music Camp NYSMC New York State Music Camp Keisuke Hoashi NYSMC New York State Music Camp
  NYSMC New York State Music Camp
 

 


 

   
 
Music from the Mountains
New York State Music Camp 1947 - 1996
by Robert F. Swift


8
Wings of the Future

The thermometer read 10 degrees F. on the morning of March 28, 1996.

That was in Plymouth, NH. It is a far cry from the warm readings in the 70's and 80's which Oneonta, NY, enjoys in the summer months. Yet in just three months, on June 28th, the Summer Music Festival would be poised on the eve of the 50th opening day. Plans were well underway for providing one of the most memorable seasons of all.

It was expected that the Canadian Brass would be performing on campus. It was expected that the Concertmaster and Associate Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra would be performing recitals. It was expected that renowned composer Karel Husa would spend a week in residence.

Pre-enrollment at the end of March stood at 175, equaling the record number for that date set for the 1994 music camp. Further, 70 of those who had signed up for the full six-week program represented the highest number ever. "The excitement and anticipation for 1996 are tangible," commented Lynn Songdahl, Assistant to the Director. "Around 95% of the faculty are returning from previous summers. Given the caliber of these people, the demands on their time, and the offers they receive for other summer engagements, it just shows how highly regarded the Festival is." 1

Lynn noted other special plans for the 50th season:

 
• The commissioning of original fanfares for the four major ensembles (descendants from the original concert organizations at Otter Lake).
• The final weekend of concerts and events which would include and feature returning alumni.
• The August 3rd return to Otter Lake by the entire Festival for a special concert and vesper service at the Community Church.
• The publication of this book, commemorating the 50-year history.

"Dr. Z has been working on arrangements for these plans all year, and it's going to be a fabulous celebration," she added.


This final chapter attempts to look ahead. An old hymn begins, "How firm a foundation," and that phrase suggests the underlying cause for the remarkable growth and success of the program today. The reputation of HSCMF&I/NYSMC&I is known throughout the world in that several alumni as well as current students and faculty are active not only in North America, but also in many lands overseas. Each takes a part of the music camp and festival along. The strength of that firm foundation has been suggested in the preceding pages, and particularly in the personal memories recorded in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7.

Now what of the future? Are there indications of where the program may go from here, in terms of directions and goals?

In response to those questions, four brief interviews were conducted. What follows are summaries of the views expressed, and then some final personal thoughts.

* * *

Willard I. Musser has provided unfailing assistance in gathering information for the writing of this book, particularly in reference to the early chapters. For years he was a close friend and associate of Dr. F. F. Swift, and he served on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of the Camp for some seasons at Otter Lake.

 

RS: Thinking back to Otter Lake, what was it that made the program so successful in the beginning?

WM: There were three or four reasons. First, your father was a fine administrator. He chose a teaching staff that was superior and also that worked hard and got along extremely well.

RS: The living conditions were a bit primitive there in the Adirondacks. It really was "a camp."

WM: Yes, but the food service was of very good quality. If people can eat well, other things which could be hard to take are more tolerable.

RS: I remember Dad's saying that a camp, like an army, travels on its stomach. On a personal note, I've received so many compliments from early campers about your teaching and conducting. The young people with whom you worked must have been terrific.

WM: We had a superior quality of students attend, Bob. They were attracted by all the teaching staff. The reputation grew. There was quality control - fostered by the good location, the wonderful audiences which attended the weekly series of concerts, the striving for musical perfection, and an eye on a future with music. 2

Susan Gotsch-Thomson is Vice-President and Academic Dean of Hartwick College. In that position she oversees academic offerings of the College. The Summer Music Festival falls under that aegis. I recall first meeting her during the 1994 bomb scare as she was in attendance at the Final Concert.

 

RS: Where do you think the arts belong in the education of young people today?

SGT: The arts are essential. They need to be not only studied but experienced. Hartwick College is committed to this philosophy. The arts are what make us human beings. The visceral dimension of life is nurtured through poetry, drama, the visual arts, and of course, music.

RS: What does the Summer Music Festival provide to and for Hartwick College?

SGT: Not only for the College but for the whole community it offers a cultural continuation for the academic year. For the College it brings life to the campus during these beautiful summer months. It also serves to promote the College and serves as an effective instrument for recruitment, and not only for the Music Department.

RS: Do you foresee a continuation of the Festival in the years beyond the 50th season?

SGT: Yes. We are committed to providing the allocation of time and support services along with the facilities. Dr. Zvengrowski is very much appreciated. One area we have wondered about is how to cover the program should he request a sabbatical.

RS: Are there any changes in the Summer Music Festival you'd like to see?

SGT: It would be good to reach out even further - to address community needs and interests. We need to attract more foreign students and the greater diversity they bring. Also special "theme days or weeks" might be worth considering to attract outsiders who might not otherwise consider attending a traditional concert. 3

Dr. Zvengrowski first became associated with the music camp in 1981 and served as a choral conductor from that season until his appointment as Camp Director in 1985. The summer of 1984 he shared the camp office with Dr. Swift, and they met often during that season and throughout the next year to facilitate the transition. On an August afternoon in 1995, exactly one year before the planned Otter Lake trip, we found 20 minutes from mutually full schedules to meet to discuss his plans for the future of the Festival.

 

RS: The Festival offers so much to all its participants. Is there one area that you feel is most important or is the primary goal?

SZ: It would be the development of overall musicianship of the students. This is a total musical experience. And we try to provide opportunities for personal growth and development - not only for the students but also for the counselors and CIT's.

RS: Do you think that Oneonta and Otsego County, or even New York State, value the program?

SZ: Not enough. It's an ongoing assignment for us to add to the visibility. Outside performances help to address the need. Too many today view music as primarily entertainment. As you know, the Festival provides so much more.

RS: What is your perception of support for the Festival from the College?

SZ: It is excellent.

RS: Are there long-range plans you can share, including any possible changes in the works?

SZ: We're going to continue the concept of the Festival with more tiers for advanced or upper level students. There is a need for competitive striving. We also are considering offering in-service credit for area teachers with possible graduate credits available for those who qualify. And we'd like to attract international faculty and staff, along with other talented students from overseas. 4

The fourth interview was with Jeremy Wheeler. He came to camp from Canaan, Vermont, in the "Northeast Kingdom," to attend in 1991 and 1992, prior to his sophomore and junior years in high school. He sang tenor and played French horn. Today he is a student at Dartmouth College.

 

RS: Before you attended the music camp, what did you anticipate? And did you find it?

JW: I expected a two-week All-State Music Festival maybe. I was looking for something to aspire to at a deeper level than what my small high school could provide. And yes, I found it! We were actually making music. The other campers and the staff and faculty lacked any musical inhibitions. We all nurtured each other.

RS: You mentioned "back home." Contrast the program there with what NYSMC provided.

JW: At home I was a leader in music and other areas. It built my self-confidence. At NYSMC I found overwhelming abilities in others. It was frightening but also very motivating. What a thrill it was to be a part of that force working to make great music!

RS: What advice would you give to someone enrolling for the first time next summer and wanting to get the most out of the experience?

JW: Fill your day with as much as possible - classes, lessons, ensembles. Listen to the jokes in Concert Choir because they're pretty damn cool! Leave inhibitions at home. Don't just stick your toe in the water: jump in headfirst!

RS: If you could write either Dr. Z or Dr. F. F. Swift some personal thoughts about the summer program, what would you say?

JW: To Dr. Z (because I never met your dad), I'd say, "Hold on to the older counselors and staff. And hold on to the traditions. Keep the intimacy and camaraderie. I valued them as much as the priceless musical experiences. Thanks for providing such a shaping experience." 5


Fifty years, and counting. Fifty years of music-making and friendship-making. Half a century of changing lives for the better.

Marketing and sales are not areas of training and expertise for most music educators. To my knowledge my dad never took a formal course in either area although he did successfully own and run a music store in Ilion for some years. Perhaps through intuition and his own personal experience he recognized the needs which the music camp and later the music festival provided.

"People in marketing like to think they create a need," explained Bill Benoit, Professor and Chair of the Department of Business Studies at Plymouth State College. "They don't. The need is there, and they discover it. Your dad recognized a need, created a structure to meet it, did all the nitty-gritty of organization and implementation, and the program got started. The fact that it has succeeded proves that the need was genuine. It's also a great credit to your dad. And to the administration today." 6

A colleague of Prof. Benoit's elaborated further. "Unique products succeed," said Monika Bissell, a marketing specialist in the Department of Business Studies. "The secret is to identify the positive qualities that make a product or organization or even a music camp unique. Then you have to get the word out. The most successful enterprises are those that have high quality and value for the consumer." 7

* * *

The major needs as determined by Dr. Swift were two. Talented student musicians lacked high quality instruction and performance opportunities during the summer months. And communities were thirsting for cultural enrichment. By bringing together outstanding faculty and talented students - first at Otter Lake, later in Oneonta and Delhi; by offering lessons and class instruction and rehearsals; and then by providing concerts of exceptionally high caliber to area residents, the needs were met. As such needs are ongoing, so there continues the opportunity to meet them. Half a century of successful summer programs proves the point.

Dr. Swift gave some advice on marketing, too.

 
Every letter I write for Camp begins, "Thank you for writing." Be very careful about not always using I when you reply to an inquiry. Show appreciation. Then at the end bring in, " I hope you and your parents like what we offer." You're helping to sell [the importance of] music to everyone. 8

Additional more personal reasons for the success of the summer program have been suggested. "We developed real camaraderie. We shared so many successes together. There was real bonding in six or seven or eight weeks. In the early days there was no TV, and nobody missed it at all! Making so much great music together was such a high." 9

A generation later similar views would be shared. "Friendships were intense, and they lasted. We all lived and breathed music together. We all loved what we were doing. The social activities were awfully important, too - and many were nonmusical, which was good. Some of my closest friends today I first met at camp. 10

Similar sentiments have been expressed by countless alumni down through the years. Without meaning to sound melodramatic nor maudlin, the tears observed in the eyes and on the faces of singers in Concert Choir performances at Final Concerts - male and female - if collected would probably double the size of Otter Lake, or add a new tributary to the mighty Susquehanna.


There is yet one final reason underlying the great success of the Music Camp and Festival. It occurred to the writer during the sixteen months of writing this history, and it is the most philosophical of all.

Herbert Witherspoon, President of Chicago Musical College, addressed the Eastern Music Supervisors Conference in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1927. He said the following.

 
Education must develop us on the spiritual side, in the ideal of life, in the knowledge of our fellow men and women, in the understanding of human nature, in the development of our hearts, spirits, imaginations, intuitions, emotions, instincts, human impulses and urges, our ambitions, our consciences, our expression, our sense of courage, faith and confidence and our appreciation of that which is beautiful and good. 11

That philosophical call-to-arms for aesthetic education remains as critical a need today as it was twenty years before the music camp first opened its doors. Indeed it may be even more needed in a society which has become so enamored with technology, and the instantaneity of the news media makes every calamity, no matter how remote, our personal concern. The lead articles of The Boston Globe for Monday, April 29, 1996, include reports on President Clinton's possible criminal involvement in the Whitewater affair, a mass murder in Tasmania, and serious racial discord in South Boston. These are thoughts to start the day!

~ From Dr. Bob's Personal Memories ~

Lest you think I exaggerate the concern, on whatever day you're reading this, take a look at the newspaper or listen to radio or television news to remind yourself of how dangerous and corrupt a world ours has become. Except for the two of us, there are very few people who can be trusted. And I'm beginning to have my doubts about you, given all that I've recently read and heard!

Yet, do not we yearn for the beautiful? Amidst all the focus on the negative - or perhaps because of it, do not we need to be reminded of the things that are true, and lovely, and of good report? For sanity and peace of mind, and for confidence in the future, an equilibrium is sought. As the media seem unwilling or incapable of providing that balance, we seek other evidence that, in truth, it exists.

So long as the Music Festival continues to offer opportunities for young people to grow in a positive environment for six weeks each summer, so long as it recognizes and develops musical talent and ability to such a remarkable degree, and so long as our innate love of music can be shared among ourselves and with others, the program will continue to thrive and succeed -just as it has for the past half century. The need continues, more than ever.

* * *

A poem by Robinson Jeffers, "To the Rock That Will Be a Cornerstone of the House," provides the line from which this chapter title was taken.

Lend me the stone strength of the past and I will lend you
The wings of the future, for I have them.
12


Next: "???"


Music from the Mountains
New York State Music Camp 1947 - 1996
by Robert F. Swift

 

   
 

 


 

 
NYSMC New York State Music Camp NYSMC New York State Music Camp
NYSMC New York State Music Camp   NYSMC New York State Music Camp Keisuke Hoashi
NYSMC New York State Music Camp