Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Saturday mornings will consist of weekly morning class/ensemble schedules.
• Sunday mornings are free for practice, recreational time, or for students who wish to attend religious services.
• Some performances will take place during selected Sunday afternoons.

All social and recreational programs are organized and supervised by the dorm supervisors and counselors. Activities include (but are not limited to) off-campus trips; movie nights; bowling; movies; running club (known as "Fun Run"); rollerskating; dances; trips to local lakes or parks; etc. Students may also opt to practice during free times.

Camp Yearbook: "Cadenza"
Students can take part in the writing and editing of NYSMF’s summer publication “Cadenza”. They may also assist in the preparation for the final dance at the end of the festival.

Students and parents are urged to seek financial assistance from local sources such as school music organizations, county/state/national music education organizations, youth orchestras and bands, music clubs, service clubs (i.e. Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.), businesses, local churches and foundations.

Email is NYSMF's preferred means of contact for all administrative matters, including admissions status, news notices, billing issues, etc. This ensures there is a clear record for you and for NYSMF, and prevents any confusion. Please let us know if you prefer being contacted by other methods - phone, fax, mail, telepathy, smoke signals, sonar, etc.

Yes indeed we do, but fear not, we promise it's nothing unreasonable.

• EVERYDAY DRESS CODE (not very strict)
  Your regular, everyday clothes generally will be fine. Please, however, avoid anything that could be construed as potentially "offensive", "embarassing", "inciteful", "vomit-inducing", etc.
  
  Generally, use this old rule of thumb: if you have to ask, don't bring it.
  
• CONCERT DRESS CODE (strict)
  White shirt/blouse, black pants, black socks, black shoes.
  - NOTE: Conductors have final discretion on any concert dress that differs from this basic concert dress code.
  - OPTIONAL: black ties, black jackets. They will look really good onstage, though.

NYSMF offers all students the opportunity to stash their cash safely in our Camp Bank, rather than hiding a bundle of non-traceable bills somewhere in their room or on their person. This is a free service provided by the Festival in the interests of preventing money from coming between anyone.

You may make a deposit of any amount at any time, and you may withdraw daily by visiting the NYSMF Nurse's Office / Camp Bank Office during weekday bank hours. At the end of your stay, it is your responsibility to come to the Nurse's Office or the Main Office to withdraw any remaining money and to close your account.

We recommend appx $50-$75/week for general spending money while you are attending the Festival. This will let you pay for incidentals, including movie nights, pizza nights, frantically operating snack and soda machines, or participating in high-stakes Texas Hold-Em tournaments in smoky bars hidden deep beneath the streets of Timbuktu.

There is an ATM located in the Hunt Union inside the cafeteria, if you would prefer to pay ATM fees in exchange for the convenience of extended access to your bankroll.

Yes, our host, the State University of New York, College at Oneonta, will provide college credit for a modest additional fee of $50 per credit. To earn one or more college credits, please do the following:

1. Bring a copy of your high school or college transcript to NYSMF
2. Pick up and fill out a SUNY Oneonta College Credit Form (available at Registration, the NYSMF Main Office, or in the college music department's Main Office in the Fine Arts Building).
   NOTE: SUNY requires your valid Social Security number and other information to process the form. No exceptions. They do promise not to use it to open a fake credit card, though, so you can trust them to keep your info safe.
3. Pay the required $50 per credit fee to SUNY Oneonta (not to NYSMF, we don't handle this or take a cut or pay "protection" premiums to anyone for this!)
4. Return the completed form and your payment to the NYSMF Main Office, or the SUNY music dept office.

PLEASE bring your small portable amplifier with you to camp! They are an essential part of your instrument (you can't play without an amp, after all), and we do not have enough to go around. EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO LEAVE BEHIND YOUR EXTRA SOCKS OR YOUR BEST CINDERELLA GOWN, BRING YOUR AMP.

Believe me, it will make your life much easier, and your conductors and instructors will thank you profusely. Thanks!

• June 24, 2012 (Session One)
• July 8, 2012 (Session Two)
• July 22, 2012 (Session Three)

Please follow the signs on campus to check in at our Registration Area. There, you will meet the entire NYSMF Administration, Faculty, and Staff; take care of any remaining payments; and receive your room key; and schedule your placement Audition. You will also find lots of counselors waiting and willing to help you schlepp your bags to your room!

If you arrive after 1pm, please check in at the NYSMF office (location TBA).

placement auditions will be held from 1 pm - 4:00 pm.

Our official taxi partner is A&D Taxi, buy you may contact any local taxi/limo company in Oneonta to get to and from the local transporation hubs. Please see the Yellow Pages or the City of Oneonta website to see their recommended taxi services.

A & D Taxi
83 Lower River St.
Oneonta, NY 13820
(607) 433-TAXI (8294)
"Ask for NYSMF rates"

Lots of additional useful information for getting around Oneonta is available on the NYSMF website here.

Each NYSMF session officially ends when the All-NYSMF Choir sings its final note on Saturday evening (July 7, July 21, or August 4, 2012), generally around 9:30pm. You may leave any time after then, since every student and staff member of NYSMF is required to sing in the All-NYSMF Choir.

Students who leave before the conclusion of that Saturday night concert will be automatically disqualified from receiving NYSMF Awards and/or Scholarships.

You will receive a CHECK-OUT checklist at least 24 hours before the end of the current session of NYSMF. You may also pick up the checklist anytime before the end of the session from the NYSMF main office.

Simply let your parents know your plans, and then let us know in the NYSMF main office anytime before the last Wednesday of the session. We'll contact your parents and take care of the rest -- and you can look forward to two to four more weeks of music!

The regular daily NYSMF schedule officially begins at noon on Monday, the day after you arrive. Here's how you will be spending your time until then:

The majority of your NYSMF days will follow the regular daily schedule. However, with your busy concert schedule, your weekend schedule will vary to accomodate your performances. All schedule changes will be announced ahead of time after rehearsals for the All-NYSMF Choir (held daily at 9 am).

Some schedule changes may occur due to other activities being held on the campus of our host, SUNY Oneonta. However, we will always strive to keep any disruptions to a minimum.

All schedules are subject to change.

NYSMF students live in separate boys and girls dormitories.

Students are grouped by age; for example, 17- and 18-year-old girls will be on the 4th floor of the girls' dorm, with 17-year-old girls in the east wing and 18-year-old girls in the west wing.

Roommates are randomly assigned by age, so for example, a 15-year-old boys will have another 15-year-old boy as a roommate.

Students will be housed in two-person dorm rooms, with each student having their own desk, bed, dresser, and closet. There will be two or three rooms in a SUITE, which includes a common area and a bathroom.

Our staff of rugged, seasoned music festival veterans have compiled a list of WHAT TO BRING that you may download here. Highlights include a pillow; sweaters (them Oneonta nights can get mighty turribull cold); a three-ring binder; a folding music stand; and EXTRA LONG SHEETS.

Checklist of what to bring with you to NYSMF (PDF format)

I will now tell you a story to try and explain the phenomenon that is an extra long, extra narrow mattress, which may shed some light on the matter. Just because it's a complete fiction from my own fertile imagination shouldn't detract from your enjoyment.

(play guitar intro here)

Once upon a time, there was a beanpole who wanted to grow up to become the world's most successful mattress maker. Envious of the glory achieved by Mr. Sealy, Mr. Serta, Mr. Dux, and the master of them all, Mr. and Mrs. Craftmaticbed, the beanpole vowed to beat them all at their own game.

Alas, the beanpole could never understand the mystery of the twin, full, queen, or king mattress sizes. And forget the California King! Utterly perplexed as to why anyone would possibly need so much surface area on which to sleep, the beanpole instead focussed on making a mattress that would be comfortable for all the peoples of the world who were made of sticks of bamboo, or rebar, or PVC piping.

The beanpole came up with a unique mattress that is a little longer and a little narrower than a standard Twin, and filled it with sharp sticks, pointed rocks, ancient springs, and mustard. And he proudly dubbed it the Beanpole Extra Long Mattress.

At first the world laughed at the Beanpole Mattress. "Who," they jeered, "will buy your mattress when they already have thousands of dollars' worth of twin sheet sets?"

The Beanpole was sad and went to Madison Avenue in NYC to try and burn itself to death. But as it was desperately flicking its Bic lighter, an Evil Ad Exec rushed up and said, "Don't give up, Mr. Beanpole. I can save your brilliant invention."

"How?" grumbled the Beanpole, who, not having any thumbs, fingers, or any limbs to speak of, was losing patience with itself.

"It's alllll marketing," said the Evil Ad Exec. "And I understand. I was just a simple Tomato Stake, until I came to Madison Avenue and got a job with Burson-Marstellar Advertising. Come."

And so they concocted a plan to market the Beanpole Mattress as the World's Best Dormitory Mattress. Targeting every college in America, they pitched the idea that supplying freshman with a twin mattress would be disastrous - can you imagine what a freshman would do, if they ever heard the words "twin" and "bed" together???

Quietly, they contacted the Fitted Sheet Industry for their support. They convinced them to create a brand new sheet size, and thus expand their market by up to 25%, after years of only being able to sell twin, full, queen, and king size sheet sets. Now there were FIVE mattress sizes, and those mattresses would be needing sheets, muuu hahahahahaha.

It was a rousing success! Every college in America bought 10,000 Beanpole Mattresses, and in a wild orgy of imagination, changed the name to "extra long".

And so the Beanpole married the former Tomato Stake, and the two retired to an organic farm in Seattle where they support zucchini and roses.

And THAT is why you need to bring a set of "extra long" sheets with you to NYSMF.

Aesop and Kipling would have been proud.

NYSMF maintains a 3- or 4-to-1 proportion of campers to faculty/staff.

Counselors will be housed in the dormitories alongside the students, providing 24/7 supervision. Some faculty members may also be housed within the dorms, providing additional supervision.

All NYSMF Counselors are 18 years of age and older. Many will have had training in Emergency Care, First Aid, and CPR.

All NYSMF students, staff, and faculty will be issued magnetic access "KEYCARDS", which must be used for entry into any campus building.

New York State Troopers patrol SUNY Oneonta 24/7. We are fortunate that they also have an office right on campus, providing near-instantaneous response in emergency.

The dorm offices will also be staffed during all evening and late night hours, controlling dormitory and building access.

YourName
c/o NYSMF (New York SQUIRREL Music Festivus)
Huntington Hall (boys)
Sherman Hall (girls)
SUNY Oneonta
108 Ravine Parkway
Oneonta, NY 13820 - 1768

Don't forget -- any CARE packages, especially home-baked cookies, are very thoughtful to share with your new NYSMF friends. Please?

NOTE: NYSMF cannot guarantee the timely arrival of any mail or packages. Believe me, we're not especially happy about it, either, but we can't do much about it.

Sure, but BOTH your parents AND your friend's parents must independently notify us by email at least 48 hours before you both arrive at NYSMF.

You may bring small electronic devices including computers, hairdryers, gaming devices, etc. You may also bring a dorm-size refrigerator, room fans, window fans, etc.

You may NOT bring any kitchen appliances, air conditioners, etc., UNLESS you have a medical condition that requires any of these devices, AND you have sufficent documentation documenting dis. If you have any questions, please contact us directly.

Sure! Please let us know as soon in advance as possible, and we'll communicate your needs to the SUNY food service people at SODEXHO. They are happy to accomodate any special dietary needs, from nut allergies to kosher foods to strict vegans to silicon-based lifeforms requiring daily intake of shards of metal and machine oil mixed garnishing a tire-rubber lasagna.

Unfortunately, NO. New York State Health Regulations for overnight summer camps clearly state that no camper may keep ANY medications, either OTC or prescription, in their rooms. ALL MEDICATIONS MUST BE GIVEN TO THE NYSMF NURSE UPON ARRIVAL, AND MAY ONLY BE DISPENSED BY A QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.

You may, of course, come to the nurse's or the dorm office any time you require your personal medication and administer it yourself. For example, if you require a puff from your athsma inhaler, or your antihistamine to control a known potentially allergic reaction, just ask any NYSMF counselor or staff member and they will accompany you to get your medicine.

Please don't misinterpet any of this. We do indeed trust, respect, and like you. But simply put, due to the strict Health and safety regulations, neither you, your parents, your cats, your dogs, your lawyers, nor any other summer camp - including NYSMF - has any say in this.

No. No NYSMF participant may host any overnight guests in their rooms. It is a violation of NYS Dept of Health regulations; may be considered to be trespassing by the college; and may require the involvement of the New York State Police, who are resident on campus.

Wish I had a joke to share so as to soften the blow, but it simply is not allowed.

NYSMF will provide free wireless internet access in the first floor lounges in each dormitory. Students are welcome to bring their laptops down to the lounge, or any location within reach of the signal, to connect to the internet. Please note that due to bandwidth limitations we cannot guarantee any particular internet access speed.

You may purchase an upgraded internet access account for $20, which will allow you to connect to the SUNY Oneonta wireless network ("Red Dragon WiFi") from anywhere on campus. Contact the NYSMF Main Office to purchase this account.

Each lounge will also include a few ancient computers that are excellent for word processing and email, and possibly adequate for internet usage. NYSMF provides these systems free of charge for all students and NYSMF participants.

Alternatively, you may use the public computers in the college library, or just use your time at NYSMF as a welcome break from the big bad internet.

There are numerous solo and ensemble performance opportunities at NYSMF. Students are required to audition in order to perform in solo recitals.

A limited number of instruments are available for rental on a first-come, first-served basis for $50.00 per week.

• Double basses are quite difficult to secure, but we can get you one of those for $100 per week.
• Harps are the hardest of all instruments to locate in the Catskills, but with enough advance notice, we have been able to get quality instruments for a larger fee.

Please be sure to tell us well in advance if you will need to rent an instrument. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that we can provide a rental ax, so please bring your own if at all possible.

1. A prepared piece of your choosing. Make sure to pick one that really demonstrates your skills -- that is, don't play the third clarinet part from "Exodus", or anything - and we mean ANYTHING - by Brittany Spears.
2. Scales
3. Sight-reading

This will be determined by the results of your PLACEMENT AUDITION. The results will be posted on Sunday evening or Monday morning, listing ensembles, names, and seating. You will use the results to help plan your daily schedule.

The list of available classes is available on our website here; please remember that the list is subject to change.

At 8:30 am the day after your arrival (the first Monday morning of each session), everyone will be required to REGISTER their personal daily schedule with the NYSMF office. All students will gather in the REGISTRATION AREA and be given TWO copies of a blank DAILY SCHEDULE sheet; then, along with a Faculty Advisor, you will fill in all the ensembles you have been placed in, and then add all of the other daily classes you would like to take.

All students must give that second copy of their Daily Schedule sheet to the NYSMF office, so that we will be able to contact you quickly in case of emergency, or if your parents call to ask "why hasn't my son/daughter/Neo-Mozart called home lately? We miss him/her/it."

The Concerto Soloist Audition is held during each session of the Festival - generally, during the first Monday or Tuesday! Students may audition with a movement of a standard concerto. Students must bring their concerto and piano accompaniment part with them to the Festival. One of NYSMF's incredible piano faculty will perform your accompaniment for you, to ensure that you are sounding your best. The winner of the audition will perform with one of the Festival orchestras during a weekend concert.

Any NYSMF student may audition, regardless of age, gender, height, weight, or even instrument. Past winners have included conventional instruments like violin, trumpet, and horn, as well as extraordinary performances on marimba, voice, snare drum, and tenor saxophone.

In general, Visiting Artists will hold their masterclasses on a weekday afternoon, normally between 1 and 4pm. However, with the great number of professional musicians coming to NYSMF to give free Masterclasses, the times will vary depending on day of the week, schedule, and even the number of visiting masters are at NYSMF that day.

If you wish to perform in a Masterclass, you may arrange it through your private lesson instructor. Spaces are understandably limited, so try to take care of this as soon as you are able.

Private lessons MUST be paid for BEFORE you may schedule them. All lessons must be paid for at the NYSMF Main Office - please do NOT make arrangements with the private lesson instructor, or take lessons before you have paid for them. You'd be surprised at how often that can happen!

You have many convenient options to pay for your lessons:

WHEN YOU SEND IN YOUR APPLICATIONS.
There is a line on the application form for this. Please write in the number of lessons you want, calculate the cost, and pay by personal check (before May 15), or by money order, bank check, PayPal, or credit card at any time.

WHEN YOU CHECK IN.
When you check in at NYSMF on your first day, you have the option of telling us right then and there how many lessons you want. Payments can be done instantly via money order, bank check, PayPal, or credit card.

ANY TIME DURING YOUR STAY.
You may knock on the door of the Main Office at any time to pay for additional private lessons. Payments can be done instantly via money order, bank check, PayPal, or credit card.

Once you've paid for your lessons, you may then schedule them with your instructor. Please see the next FAQ below.

Remember, you MUST pay for your private lessons FIRST. Once you've done that, here is how you schedule them:

At 8:30 am on the first Monday of each session, students will gather in the REGISTRATION AREA for one last time. Each private lesson instructor will also be there, sitting at a table, waiting to talk with each student to schedule an individual lesson time.

Students will line up at the appropriate table, and when it's their turn, will work with their instructor around their busy ensemble schedule and find a time that works for them both.

Scheduling private lessons will take only a few minutes, if even that long.

If you scheduling private lessons AFTER this time, please make sure to pay for them in the Main Office, and then make arrangements with your instructor.

Once you've paid for your lessons, you may then schedule them with your instructor.

You may request to study with a specific instructor, and we will do our darndest to make that happen for you. However, please remember that not only can a single teacher schedule only so many lessons per day (in addition to their coaching, conducting, practice, and performance responsibilities), but all of NYSMF's instructors are hugely qualified and tremendously experienced to teach you how to become a savagely good player. No matter whom you wind up studying with, you will get a top-notch instructor that can play rings around 90% of musicians in the world. Sometimes 98%.

We recommend at least one hour-long lesson (or two half-hour lessons) per week to maximize your experience at NYSMF. Many students take more so they can take full advantage of working with our excellent faculty -- one fellow last summer even scheduled DAILY lessons with a vocal instructor!

Some NYSMF Visiting Artists will be able to offer a limited number of private lessons. They tend to be more expensive than those with our faculty, generally around $100-$200 per hour, but the actual cost is decided by the Visiting Artist. You may speak directly with them when they arrive to set up your once-in-a-lifetime master lesson.

If you MISS a lesson:

1. Find your private lesson instructor immediately.
2. Apologize.
3. Don't do it again.

No refunds can be offered for missing a private lesson, barring medical emergencies or alien abductions. And for an abduction, you must present at least a blurry photograph of the aliens peering down at you in your cage, or a note declaring "Zoltar detained me for unspeakable medical experiments."

Seriously, don't miss your private lessons unless you have a medical emergency.

For audiences: "dress clothes", unless otherwise announced in advance. (Visitors are of course immune from dress codes.)

NYSMF is filled with top professional musicians striving to provide you as high a musical experience as possible. Please give them the respect and honor of at least dressing nicely.