SYMS - Summer Youth Music School

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

Summer Youth Music School (SYMS) - Summer 2026

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. 

In addition to concert bands, a variety of choruses and orchestras, 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 session. Each session concludes with a final concert.

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

In addition to the Junior and Senior sessions of SYMS, there is also a Chamber Intensive option (July 23-25). 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.

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, 2026. 

All outstanding balances for SYMS are due by May 8, 2026, 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.

NHYB/YSO Discount: Students who have participated in New Hampshire Youth Band and/or Youth Symphony Orchestra in Fall 2025 and/or Spring 2026 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. 

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 University of New Hampshire with SYMS and student name in the memo to: Lyndsay Boysen, Department of Music, Paul Creative Arts Center, 30 Academic Way, Durham NH 03824.

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.

SYMS - Summer 2026

Sessions Dates Grades
(completed in Spring 2026)		 Cost Registration Close Date
(unless full earlier)
Junior SYMS Sat, July 18-
Weds, July 22		 Gr 6-8 Commuter: $399
Overnight: $599		 June 1
Senior SYMS Sat, July 25-
Sun, August 2		 Gr 9-12 Commuter: $749
Overnight: $949		 June 1

Review the blocks below for information and instructions on How to Enroll, Payments & Refunds, CampDoc, and Travel.

To request a Drop or Transfer from a Youth Program, contact the program manager (info below). Please include the full name of the participant and clearly state the camp and session(s) to be adjusted. 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

Enroll Now
18 Jul 2026 to 22 Jul 2026
399.00 SYMS Junior Commuter Fee
599.00 SYMS Junior Overnight Fee
Enroll Now
25 Jul 2026 to 02 Aug 2026
749.00 SYMS Senior Commuter Fee
949.00 SYMS Senior Overnight Fee

expand all

Click the '+' on the session registration block(s) to choose your session and enroll. Review the Online Registration Instructions before enrolling for the best outcome.

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 you are setting up a Student Account, the account must be in the name of student, but the email address provided in the profile should be that of a parent/legal guardian. Review the Online Registration Instructions before creating a new account.

Payments are made at the time of online enrollment. Accepted forms of payment for youth programs are VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Paper checks are accepted only under very limited circumstances (ex: from a school or organization). We do not accept cash payments or e-checks and we cannot take payments over the phone. 

A participant cannot attend a youth program unless they are paid in full. Any participant with an unpaid balance may be locked from future enrollment in any youth program until the balance is paid.

Summer Youth Programs 

  • In addition to the program fees, participants in summer youth programs are subject to a non-refundable $10 registration fee once per student at checkout. This supports use of our supplemental registration software and health & wellness needs.
  • Some programs will offer a deposit option of 25% of the camp fee. Whether a deposit is offered or not will be noted in the program description and will show in the shopping cart during enrollment. The deposit option is available until the date indicated in the program description.
  • If a deposit option is not offered, payment is due in full at the time of enrollment.
  • All account balances are due by the date indicated in the program description, but can be paid before that date. Failure to pay the balance by the due date may result in the participant being dropped from the program. For payment instructions, visit: To Pay an Outstanding Balance
  • Families are responsible for making a timely final payment. There is no automatic payment process in place. 

Refund Procedures

Most summer youth programs follow these refund procedures: 

  • Participants who request a Drop/Transfer 15 or more days prior to the session start date receive a refund minus a minimum $75 administrative fee.
  • Participants who request a Drop/Transfer within 14 or fewer days of the session start date or on/after the session start date will not receive a refund.
  • If the session is canceled by UNH before the session start date, a full refund will be issued.

For instructions on requesting a Drop or Transfer, visit: Drop & Transfer Requests

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.