SYMS - Summer Youth Music School

SYMS - Summer Youth Music School
Image of a SYMS session with band members being led by an instructor.
SYP-SYMS-01

Summer Youth Music School (SYMS) - Summer 2025

Students in SYMS concentrate on a major instrument or voice part and choose electives to broaden their experience. They associate with talented young musicians who share their excitement about music, and they study with outstanding teachers and freelance artists. Enrollment for certain instruments may be limited.

In addition to concert bands, a variety of choruses, a string orchestra, and a full orchestra, we offer master classes, small ensembles, jazz groups, and other opportunities designed to improve each student's technique and musical understanding. Stimulating and challenging classes are available to students at all levels. 

Students and faculty members give a variety of evening recitals throughout the sessions. Each session concludes with a final concert.

In addition to the Junior and Senior sessions of SYMS, there is also a Chamber Intensive option (July 17-18). This program is designed for high school musicians desiring an immersive experience working with UNH music faculty. An audition is required to attend this session and students must also enroll in Senior SYMS. For more information, visit the SYMS website at the link below.

Students can attend as Commuter or Overnight campers. The program typically runs 8:15am-4:15pm for Commuter students. Overnight campers will stay in a University residence hall and have meals in a University dining hall. Roommate requests are made when completing the registration questions in CampDoc (see below), not at the time of initial enrollment. 

SYMS is held at Paul Creative Arts Center, 30 Academic Way, Durham NH. Details regarding drop off locations, times, and other information are sent via email from program staff to enrolled participants prior to the session start date. Please be sure the email address provided while enrolling is that of a parent/legal guardian, not the participating student.

Private Lessons: One private lesson per session is available to interested students for an additional $25. The option to purchase a lesson will appear in your shopping cart after you've added the corresponding session of SYMS to the cart. We recommend purchasing a private lesson during your initial enrollment. 

Scholarship Information: Students who may be receiving outside scholarships to help with SYMS tuition costs should send the check, made payable to UNH with SYMS and student name in the memo to: Lyndsay Boysen, Department of Music, Paul Creative Arts Center, 30 Academic Way, Durham NH 03824.

NHYB/YSO Discount: Students who have participated in New Hampshire Youth Band and/or Youth Symphony Orchestra in Fall 2024 and/or Spring 2025 can receive a $100 discount for SYMS. This discount must be utilized upon initial enrollment and cannot be applied after the fact. Contact your Youth Band or Youth Symphony Orchestra director prior to enrolling for the coupon code if eligible. Once you have received the code, click the "Apply a Discount" box in the cart and you will be prompted to enter the code. 

SYMS - Summer 2025

Sessions Dates Grades
(completed in Spring 2025)		 Cost Registration Close Date
(unless full earlier)
Junior SYMS Sat, July 12-Weds, July 16 Gr 6-8 Commuter: $349
Overnight: $549		 June 1
Senior SYMS Sat, July 19-Sun, July 27 Gr 9-12 Commuter: $699
Overnight: $899		 June 1

Review the blocks below for important information and instructions on enrolling, CampDoc, and Travel.

Deposit: This program offers a deposit option of 25% of the camp fee when enrolling. This allows families to reserve their spot(s) in a program and pay off the remaining balance at a later date. The deposit option is available until May 1, 2025.

All outstanding balances are due by May 1, 2025, but can be paid before that date. For instructions on how to pay off a balance, review How to Pay an Outstanding Balance. It is the family responsibility to make a timely final payment. A student cannot attend a Youth Program until their balance is paid.

To request a drop from a youth program, email youth.programs@unh.edu or contact the Program Manager (info below). Please include the full name of the participant and clearly state the camp and session(s) to be dropped. Please be aware of our Summer Youth Program Payment & Refund Procedures.

For more information and program questions, contact: lyndsay.boysen@unh.edu

For the program website: SYMS

This course is currently unavailable.

expand all

Click the '+' on the registration block(s) to enroll. Review the Online Registration Instructions before enrolling for the best outcome. This includes instructions for creating a Family or Student/Individual account.

Family Accounts are recommended for enrolling multiple children from one family in any UNH Youth Program. If you already have an account in our system, you will be asked to log into either a Family or Student Account after adding the program to your shopping cart. Be sure to use the username and password for the type of account you wish to log into. We recommend attempting to log into the Student or Family account before enrollment opens as this will minimize difficulty and time while enrolling. Email youth.programs@unh.edu if you require assistance recovering your account information. Do not create a new account if you have one already.

If you don't have an account already, you can set up an account at any time, even before you begin the registration process. If creating a student account, the account profile should be in the name of the participating student, but the email should be that of a parent/guardian. Review the Online Registration Instructions before creating a new account.

UNH has partnered with CampDoc to quicken the enrollment process. Enrollments and payments are done here through our current enrollment system, but no registration questions will be required at that time. Within a few days of enrolling, the email provided in the student or family account will receive an email prompting completion of the registration questions.

Please note that overnight camp roommate requests are done during the CampDoc process, not at the time of enrollment.

It is important that a parent/guardian responds to the CampDoc email and completes the registration questions promptly. Families who enrolled a child in a UNH Youth Program in Summer 2023 or after will likely already have a CampDoc account. Even if the student already has a CampDoc account, a parent/guardian should log into the student's account each time they enroll in a program to review and complete any necessary questions for a program or year.

All registration questions must be 100% complete in CampDoc before a student can attend a youth program. 

For more information, including the CampDoc Support Line, review our CampDoc page.

SYMS is held primarily at the Paul Creative Arts Center (PCAC), 30 Academic Way:  Travel to Durham

Specific check in location and directions will be provided to enrolled participants prior to the session start date from the program staff.