FAQS

Zestful, powerful, fun and filled with abundant food and laughter, Village Harmony (VH) camps are non-auditioned, inclusive programs for people who love singing together.

Since 1990 the teen & adult singers of VH camps have been traveling and performing throughout New England and an ever-widening swath of the globe, participating in cultural exchanges and delighting audiences with their heart-felt renditions of traditional harmony singing from around the world.

Each camp has a minimum of three music leaders, including native teachers who bring first hand expertise in particular traditions.

Our basic model for each camp session, regardless of location, is the same. We begin with an intensive residential rehearsal week where singers get to know one another and learn a concert program. We place tremendous emphasis on authenticity, understanding the spirit and vocal style of each genre, and appreciating the joy of singing together and with conviction.

Within this rigorous immersive structure our camps are very relaxed and non-competitive, with a deliberately democratic atmosphere. The framework of each residency is communal, with everyone helping to cook and clean.

The shorter residential camps wrap up with one or two concerts close by. But for participants in the traveling camp sessions the adventure is just beginning: everyone and everything gets packed up as the group embarks upon a one- to two-week-long concert tour.

Singers and lovers of music!

Unlike choirs where the aim is to have a membership whose voices blend seamlessly, Village Harmony is composed of ad-hoc, non-auditioned, inclusive groups whose basic demand of would-be members is that they be committed to making good music and not hold back.

Auditions aren’t required to attend VH camps or workshops. We ask all our teen applicants as well as adults applying to one of our overseas traveling camps, to write a short narrative telling us about their singing background and their reasons for applying to VH as part of the application process.

Due to the nature of our touring style and staff to camper ratio we have some limitations in regards to mobility and special needs.

We cherish our music readers, and scores will be provided as appropriate to the music genre. That said, reading music is not required to be a part of our programs. We support singers at all levels on their musical path. All songs are taught by rote, with the instructor lining out the parts, regardless if there is written music or not.

• Residential Teen camp is for 11-14 year old singers

• Teen camps are for singers 12-18 years old

• Alumni camp (you don’t have to be a VH alumnus) is for college age singers 18-24 years old

• Adult residential camp is for adult singers of all ages.

• Family camp is for your whole singing family! All ages are welcome.

• All of our non-US camps are mixed age, open to both teen and adult singers.

Yes! We offer lots of financial aid. We are committed to making Village Harmony programs accessible by keeping expenses and tuition fees as low as possible. In recent years we have greatly expanded our scholarship program for low income students in our teen camps, as well as offering full support to students from eastern Europe and South Africa to come to the US to participate in our teen traveling camps.

Through our Diversity Scholarship program we are committed to making VH accessible, both to under-privileged and under-represented youth from the US and internationally communities as well.

No auditions are necessary. If you like the idea of rehearsing 6-7 hours each day (and, for our traveling camps, galumphing about the countryside performing each night), we want YOU.

If you’re ready to apply, CLICK HERE! and fill in all the info.

We do ask that new teens have an adult who knows you well send us a recommendation, and that all new adult and teen campers answer three easy essay questions to let us know more about you.

• Singers are responsible for their travel to and from camps both in the US and abroad.

• At our US teen touring camps singers might be expected to pay for a meal or two during free time, and in general should have spending money for thrift store visits and snacks.

• On our international tours there will be occasional meals, excursions or free days where you are expected to pay your own way.

• Many of our teachers have cds and books for sale and these are not included in your tuition.

A 25% tuition deposit is due following your acceptance to one of our camp programs to confirm your place. These tuition deposits are non-refundable—with the important exception of the camp being canceled from our end due to covid restrictions. (If Village Harmony cancels the camp, we will refund the full tuition paid.)

The 75% balance of tuition will be fully refundable up to 6 weeks before a camp session begins. After that date, that portion of tuition will be refundable only if we can find someone to take your place; otherwise no refund will be made.

If cancellation is due to a documented illness or family emergency, tuition will be 50% (of the total) refundable if the space cannot be filled, and 75% (of the total; ie, the amount due on May 1) refundable if we find someone to take your place.

Yes we did.

July 2020 - VH Black Lives Matter Statement

Village Harmony unequivocally believes that Black lives matter. We stand in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement and are engaging in systemic change to make this statement true in action as well as in words.

Music organizations like Village Harmony can be blinded by the notions that music is a universal language and that sharing music can do no harm.

This is a fallacy. And as a predominantly White organization, we acknowledge that we need to take steps to dismantle the inequality embedded both in our country and in our organization. We apologize for not taking action sooner.

We are working to address our shortcomings by:

• creating new opportunities for collaborations with Black ensembles and hiring culture bearers from Black communities;

• developing better practices for crediting and compensating composers of music from the Black tradition;

• investigating our organizational history of borrowing and appropriating music from Black communities and exploring reparations; and

• gathering educational materials to share with Village Harmony staff.

The fire is lit and the time for action is now. We are growing, learning, listening and looking forward to forging a new chapter of Village Harmony.

We no longer require our singers to provide their COVID-19 vaccination status. We do recommend that our singers take out travels insurance to cover expenses if you have to leave camp due to Covid or any other illness.

Village Harmony is the umbrella organization for everything we do. You are most welcome to apply to any of our Village Harmony camps, workshops or programs.

Northern Harmony is the highest level performing group under the VH umbrella and is by invitation only.