CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — As a high school student in the 1970s, Lori Guess looked forward to packing up her oboe for a summer music camp in Sidney, Maine. The lakeside location and loon calls appealed to her, and it was a chance to connect with kindred spirits.Decades later, she’s still going to camp there. A separate band program was created for adults in 2013, where she felt encouraged to take up another instrument: trumpet.“I was thrilled because I love this place,” said Guess, 71, of Baltimore, a retired lawyer for the U.S. Department of Defense who plans to return to the New England Adult Music Camp in August. “It is serene, beautiful, a perfect setting. And it’s not all that different from what it was 50-some years ago.”Whether they are looking to make friends, improve their skills or just take some time out for themselves after sending their own kids to camp and college, adults can find a variety of summer music programs across the United States, ranging from electronic, folk, rock ‘n’ roll and jazz to chamber and opera.
For many campers, it offers a way to relive the nostalgic musical experiences of their youth and make new social connections.
“Emotionally, making music is good for the soul,” said Carole Lieberman, a California-based forensic psychiatrist who has played multiple instruments herself. “It makes you feel creative, allows you to provide the music you like for yourself and can boost your spirits.”
