<p>violadad: though it is true that some of the programs you mention are “tiered” - e.g., Yellow Barn, Aspen is not. Nor is it free for most students -it is pricey, though concerts are free. (For example, only the pianists in the collaborative program are funded, apart from a few special scholarships; some instrumentalists get funding by being in the orchestra for the conducting program). It does admit pre-college students, and if over 16, they can live in the dorms (but are subject to the Aspen city curfew of 11, and are supposed to be in their rooms at that time - the RA’s do check). The younger kids can go to Aspen and stay with their parents. There are always a number of these kids, whose mothers hang around the practice rooms all day supervising them; these kids get lessons from the faculty and some are also in the orchestras. My kid went in high school and it was a transformative experience, but it was not the same as a camp; the high school kids tend to hang around together, and some of them get a little crazy - there is virtually no supervision and there are no activities for them apart from the free concerts, which many don’t take advantage of. It seemed to me that a number of the younger kids were there because of parental pressure and were not having much fun, spending most of their time in practice rooms, and not interacting with the rest of the Aspen students, most of whom are in college. I’d say that only focused, mature, well-motivated high school kids are a good fit for Aspen. For someone in middle or early high school, a camp-like program can be a lot more fun, because there are activities. Greenwood, for example (it’s the one I know about), has treasure hunts, charades, sports activities, and wonderful counselors - that’s part of why the kids who go there love it so much; and there are very talented kids who keep going there because they love it, even though they could go to more “prestigious” festivals - some end up going on to Kneisel, which is a similar experience.
Most of these programs wind up costing about $1,000 a week.</p>