The Academy is a proud recipient of the 2025 “Best Summer Camps” award by Virginia Magazine for both Mason Community Arts Academy and Acting for Young People. Thank you to everyone who nominated and voted! MCAA has been awarded “Best Summer Camps” since 2021.
Academy staff and instructors are already gearing up for Summer 2025! See below for information available for our music programs. Registration for summer programs will begin mid to late January 2025.
MCAA and the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music are thrilled to announce the second annual Mason Summer Band Camp held June 16 – 20, 2025.
Wind, Brass, and Percussionists from grades 6-12 are invited to spend a week of music making featuring a Junior High and Senior High Band with opportunities for private lessons with Mason faculty! Students have the option to enroll as a Day Camper or Overnight Residential Camper!
The Mason String Intensive is designed to help musicians develop the skills needed to become dynamic soloists and chamber musicians. Led by Mason faculty, guest artists, and string pedagogy students, the sessions will cover technical proficiency, audition preparation, and effective practice strategies.
The Mason String Camp is a week-long intensive program for middle and high school violin, viola, cello, and bass players. Students will learn, rehearse, and perform an orchestra program over the course of the week.
Mason Orchestral Conducting Symposium
The 2025 Mason Orchestral Conducting Symposium aspires to be a unique conducting workshop is in service to conductors in all aspects of the musical careers and goals. Past participants have included young aspiring conductors at the very beginning of their conducting journey, current undergraduate and graduate conducting students, classroom teachers, and active professional conductors looking to further develop their craft.
Teacher Well-Being & Artistic Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for the Performing Arts EducatorThis five-day professional development workshop will provide performing arts educators with: research-based well-being practices to consistently restore teacher health and well-being inside and outside of the classroom; teaching methods and strategies to improve student focus, engagement, and artistry; and the rudiments of Artistic Social Emotional Learning and their application to empower teacher and student Identity, Belonging and Agency.
On Tuesday, November 5th, longtime Teaching Artist Dr. Ina Mirtcheva Blevins, along with Executive Director Mary Lechter and Instruments in the Attic Coordinator Dr. Samantha Clarke, visited with participants from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, sharing the many facets of the Academy and how it serves as a connection between George Mason University, The College of Visual and Performing Arts, The Reva & Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, and the community.
The presentation started with a lovely performance by special guests Dr. Estrella Hong (MCAA Piano faculty) and her daughter, Academy student Victoria. As an added treat, members of Dr. Blevins’ Beginner and Intermediate Piano for Adults 55+ shared kind words about their experiences with MCAA, and performed pieces they are working on in class.
