Music Camp Recap 2026!

Music Camp has returned! At the end of every summer, Arcadia Orchestras’ students have the opportunity to attend a week-long camp at school where they’re able to receive professional music instruction, engage in fun games, and build many friendships and memories. This year’s Music Camp took place from Aug. 10 to 14, gathering musicians from every grade level and orchestra for an exciting week of fun, food, and friendship! 

There was an energetic buzz in the air as campers arrived for day one of Music Camp, “Music Monday”. After checking in, they received lanyards and their own infamous Music Camp rock, which they were able to decorate and required to bring every day to earn cabin points. Campers settled with their cabin groups, introduced themselves, and separated into groups for the first sectional of this week. During these sectionals, students were able to work on their instrumental technique with others of similar skill level while getting to bond over creating beautiful music that would be performed at the end of camp performance on Friday. As sectionals wrapped up, cabins were divided up amongst each other to compete in an exhilarating Game Rotation, featuring games like Bean Bag Tic Tac Toe, Guess the Time, Water Sponge Transfer, and Balloon Pop Relay. Campers cheered each other on enthusiastically as they watched their teammates compete for the most cabin points!

Campers competing excitedly in Bean Bag Tic Tac Toe!

Day two, “Crewmate Tuesday”, began with sectionals. Musicians continued to work determinedly on their excerpts together while individually improving on technique. This was followed by a thrilling game of Cabin Competition, as cabins were again divided to compete for the grand prize of…even more cabin points! The room was filled with screams and laughter while campers raced against each other in Hot Potato, Snake I.O., and Stay In Your Box, which drew out many musicians’ competitive sides. Day two finished off with Mole Night as Band and Choir members filled the orchestra room to join in this cryptic game. Two “moles” from each group would be chosen with the goal of sabotaging as many games that their group played as they could. The group must observe carefully throughout the night to weed out two possible suspects as they rival each other in games like Drawing Telephone, Chicken Slap, Grab the Cards, Water Balloon Relay, and more. At the end of the night, the groups that were able to correctly guess their moles earned delicious prizes!

Cabin 7 having fun during Balloon Relay!

“Under the Sea Wednesday" started off slightly differently from the previous two days. Campers began with a full orchestra reading session, where they sight read pieces as an entire orchestra in preparation for Richard Meyer, a highly sought after composer and Arcadia alumna who would be visiting that very afternoon. Mr. Meyer’s funny and entertaining personality truly brought an air of humor to Music Camp as he conducted the orchestra through multiple pieces, many of which he wrote himself. This extraordinary day concluded with Skit Nite, a Music Camp tradition where members of every musical ensemble on campus performed a skit. This year, Orchestra Council (OC) chose to perform a hilarious Frozen themed skit, featuring dances from “What Is Love?” by Twice and “Right Back!” by Karlee Girl. The crowd erupted in bouts of laughter as OC danced in ridiculous costumes. 

Mr. Meyer teaching campers how to interpret music differently.

Day four, “Cabin Dress Up Thursday”, started again with sectionals as musicians continued to perfect their pieces. This was followed by musical workshops, where campers got to choose between different workshops to either tackle their rhythm, technique, or even try out the bass! The last activities of the day were the Cabin Dress-Up Competition and scavenger hunt. Throughout the week, each cabin had been working tirelessly to create and execute a fun skit to perform in front of their peers. Skit themes ranged from a murder mystery spinoff to dancing Minions, The Odyssey to Goldilocks. In the end, cabin one with their Goldilocks themed skit won the competition! The day finished off with an exciting scavenger hunt around the campus, where fired up campers raced each other to finish the hunt first. 

Campers perform a Squid Game themed skit!

The last day of Music Camp “Flashy Friday” commenced with a quick sectional rehearsal before performances were underway. Campers played classical pieces by classical composers, but a crowd favorite was the Concert/Symphony violins, who played “City of Stars” from the hit movie La La Land. Before campers gathered in the courtyard for Unity Night, the cabin with the most points earned was awarded with special prizes and much applause. The winners of the Camper of the Week awards were also announced and given to Olivia Chen, Maile Chu, Chris Sun, and Max Chen. These individuals showed exceptional teamwork, leadership, and orchestra spirit throughout the week and were given certificates for their outstanding behavior. As Music Camp came to a close, there was only one activity left to do: Unity Night! Orchestra students, along with choir, colorguard, and band members arrived in the courtyard for an opportunity to get to meet each other, make new friends, and bond over music. Students also had the chance to try drinks from the drink bar, watch Band Council face their punishments for losing the trivia game, and cheer on their peers as they took on the spicy noodle challenge while chatting under the August sun. 

Grabbing delicious drinks to end off a wonderful week!

This year’s Music Camp not only brought lots of laughter and joy, but also created new friendships and bonds that last a lifetime. What makes Music Camp, and orchestra in general, so unique and special is that everyone is connected by music and you can truly find some of your closest people here. It’s an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and relax one last time before the school year begins, and there’s no better way to do that than to spend a week building memories that you’ll cherish forever.