The Summer Camp Pipeline Debacle

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I’m hearing it again, and again, and again…

Can you help me recruit musicians for my summer camp program? PLEASE?

The answer, of course, is yes! The big problem creating this symptom is the enrollment cliff expected to hit colleges in 2026. It’s hitting high school summer camp programs now, and it’s hitting them HARD.

…but what does this have to do with college admissions?

The TWO biggest factors in a high schooler’s decision-making process for college are:

1) Do I know the professor or others who are there? and 2) Can I (my family) afford it?

Summer camps have been the traditional recruiting ground for colleges across the US. Professors get paid to work with amazing kids, build professional relationships with them, and — hopefully — extend an offer for a student to join them in their college studio!

But what happens when camps struggle to enroll? Worse, what about the vast majority of students who have to work in the summer? What about those who have to take care of their families, or otherwise just can’t pay a few thousand dollars for a summer camp?

Colleges need a bigger pipeline of musicians…and there are FIVE MILLION musicians over the age of thirteen in the US alone.

Check back next time for one way college are trying to open that pipeline and find more applicants…