Band Camp

Celebrating 76 Years of Pioneer Band Camp

 

WHEN: Camp is August 6 – 12, 2024

WHERE: Interlochen Center for the Arts https://www.interlochen.org/

HOW: Complete the online registration process for Band Camp. You must be registered for Band as well as Band Camp in order to attend. You can register for Band and Band Camp here: Pioneer Bands & Band Camp Registration

COST: To Be Finalized in June. In 2023 the cost was $510. We expect the costs to increase for 2024. The fee includes transportation, lodging, meals, counselors, and a band camp t-shirt. 

HOW TO PAY: Invoices will be sent in early July and payment is due upon receipt. Payment can be made using the ACH link in the invoice, or by making a check out to the “Pioneer Band Association,” and mailing it to: PBA, PO Box, 2685 Ann Arbor, MI  48106-2685. If you did not receive your invoice or have questions about payment, contact the PBA Treasurers at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Band Camp is open to all Pioneer band students and introduces both concert and marching fundamentals in a fun and friendly environment. While Band Camp is a required activity for Symphony, Concert Band Purple, and Concert Band White students, and not required for Varsity Band students, if space is available, it is highly encouraged that Varsity Band students attend. Our goal is to make it possible for every band student to fully participate in the Pioneer Band Program. Knowing that the financial burden is difficult for some families, the PBA annually provides scholarships for Pioneer students for band camp tuition based on need. If payments of any kind ever become difficult, we strongly encourage band families to speak confidentially to the Director of Bands. To submit a scholarship application, go to the Band Camp Scholarship Application form.

 

HEALTH FORMS:

All students attending band camp are required to submit a completed AAPS Health Form. Click this link to the Registration Page and go to Step 5 for the instructions to complete the health form and requirements for prescribed and over-the-counter medications. 

 

MORE INFORMATION

 

 If you do not see the answer to your questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

please note that the PBA Board & Band Directors do not monitor email as regularly over the summer so anticipate a delay in response.

 

ABOUT CAMP

Every August, the bands, orchestras, and choirs from the Ann Arbor high schools head north to the nationally acclaimed Interlochen Center for the Arts for a week of rehearsals and fun. Pioneer Band campers spend their time brushing up their high steps and glide steps and refining their individual and ensemble music skills. Concert and sectional rehearsals occur throughout the campus, with the marching drills at the infamous tennis courts.

There is also time for socializing! Most nights have dances, competitions, and other activities to enjoy including the famous (or infamous) Senior Skit.

One of the highlights of the week is Band Camp Sunday, a concert for family & friends in the open-air Kresge Auditorium, followed by a marching demonstration in the field where the students practiced all week. Follow our Driving Directions to Interlochen to help you find your way from Ann Arbor. A special Band Camp Sunday Guide - 2023 is also available to help new families make the most of this special day. What a great way to kick off another Pioneer Band year!

Band CampThe Pioneer Bands always have many freshmen attending the camp along with the upperclassmen. Even though Varsity Band members do not perform as part of the Pioneer Marching Band during the fall, Pioneer Band Camp is an extremely important experience for students. Band camp provides opportunities to meet the directors, learn the basics of band life at Pioneer, and drill the music and marching fundamentals which will be used as students progress through their years in the Pioneer Bands. It enables band students to form lasting relationships with fellow students in every grade before school starts. This makes their transition into and through high school much easier. When a freshman band student walks into Pioneer High School on the first day, he or she already knows almost 200 other students, many of whom will share classes and schedules. It's a wonderful way to ease into a big school like Pioneer.

Each year, the Band Director brings AAPS staff and band alumni counselors to help out at the camp. The faculty is drawn from the Ann Arbor Public Schools' instrumental music staff. Our well-qualified counselors are graduates of Pioneer High School and seasoned veterans of the band program. They act as instructors for sectional rehearsals and other musical activities. Thus, parents are assured that the students are given personal attention when needed, and will have a lot of fun at the camp.

 

DRUM MAJOR/ASSISTANT DRUM MAJOR

The Assistant Drum Major position is open to band students the summer after their sophomore year when they will become a Drum Major Candidate (DMC). Auditions for Assistant Drum Major are held on the final Saturday of Band Camp with results announced on Band Camp Sunday. For all sophomores interested in the Assistant Drum Major position, please see the Director of Bands for more information. The Assistance Drum Major will assume the role of Pioneer Drum Major their Senior Year.