Anyone have any experience with BUTI Tanglewood? Have heard great things but I don’t know how much is just positive association with the famous Tanglewood Music Center. I have also heard that last summer it was disorganized, dorms were run down, and there was an incident with alcohol. Can anyone else advise?
My daughter was there last summer. I would agree that it was disorganized, and the dorms are very old with no A/C (we brought large fans). My understanding based on what she heard is that the incident with alcohol was restricted to a group who snuck off and got/brought alcohol - one of the kids got sick as a result - and all kids involved were sent home (she didn’t know anyone involved personally). That being said, she had a great experience there. She made friends easily, the level of music was great, the instructors were top notch and she loved the accessibility to Tanglewood and all of the concerts she was able to attend. Also there were no restrictions on electronic devices and there were concerts parents could attend every 2 weeks. Hope that helps!
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That does help - thank you! Can you elaborate on the disorganization? My kids have attended Heifetz and Greenwood in the past. Would you consider Tanglewood BUTI to be on the same level?
I’m not familiar with the other programs but my daughter played with kids who were accepted in some of the top schools in the country (Curtis, etc.). The welcome packets and information sent in advance was great. But someone was not prepared at the camp when they got there. Instructions on where they were supposed to be and when weren’t available upon arrival, the schedules were nowhere to be found, and we had signed her up for private lessons (and told to bring a check) but those never happened. At least we didn’t pay for them. She was 17 so figured things out on her own pretty quickly. She liked this camp much more than the college camps she had been to because of the level of play and access to Tanglewood. I think the disorganization probably bothered me more than it bothered her.
We did BUTI a few years ago right after the post-covid reopening. It may be due to them having been shut for 2 years, but when we arrived they couldn’t even give directions to the dorm or to where to store the instrument. It was disorganized to say the least. Lots of times schedules were off as well whether it be about where the bus will be at Tanglewood or what time breakfast opens (e.g. said 7 but didn’t open till 7:20 and kid had to be somewhere by 8, etc.). Yes, the dorms are very very run down like prison barracks and there is a lot of walking required. It’s a wonderful experience musically as long as the student is able to deal with the living conditions, the physical exertion, chunks of unsupervised activity, and potential lack of consistency in scheduling of events. And the bears… lol
Son attended Greenwood, BUTI, Interlochen, and Center Stage Strings at UMich, among several other programs.
He loved BUTI. It was the year before last. And we heard immediately about the incidents last year because he had friends who attended. Word travels fast, even though BUTI has terrible cell connection and WiFi (a HUGE plus in my book, by the way).
It didn’t advance his musical skills as much as Center Stage Strings did, but he learned and made great musical friends from around the country and internationally.
Also, yes, the dorms were old and if your child is high maintenance, may have some adjustments to make.
On the other hand, some of my son’s closest friends came from international families that live in mansions with a bunch of live-in servants and flew first class to and from the concerts, and somehow those teens adjusted to the old dorm conditions.
Many of the children were sobbing when the camp was over, it was obviously a highlight for many of them to spend weeks bonding with other kids who had a passion for music and had put many years of practice to be able to perform at a very high level.