MAT Camp 2013

For 5 days, MAT Camp brings the arts from the big city, to the small town of Evanston. The goal of MAT Camp is to provide an outstanding arts education experience for Uinta County and to draw in students from outside the area to associate with local participants. MAT Camp has been very successful over the years, since 1997 when it started as a one day music camp held at Trinity Lutheran Church. Since then it has grown into a week-long program offering 140 classes a day, for students of all ages, from newborn & caregiver to adult. Students attend classes every day at the same time for the week. Because of the many local businesses that contribute to the program, tuition is kept low for students, with financial aid available. Scholarships are also available for high school seniors and college students. Register at HERE.

One key aspect of the success of MAT Camp has been adding new ideas for classes in each of the three main components- music, art and theater. Fresh classes offer new ways of thinking about music and the arts, and how the arts are part of everyday life. MAT Camp is known for presenting classes that aren't offered at other summer camps, according to visiting staff who teach at camps all over the country. Some of the more unusual classes at MAT Camp include Mosaic Stained Glass, Steampunk Art, Intro to the Bagpipes, French Dance, Ukulele, Steel Band, and Disco Mania. More main-stream classes include Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Band and Pops Choir. The only way to get an idea of what is available is to browse through the MAT Camp brochure, or visit the website at MATcamp.org.

At the heart of the program is the MAT Camp teaching staff. The staff includes college music professors, professional performers, with the addition of some local professionals. Two of the staff members teaching theater classes at MAT Camp are straight from Broadway, NYC. Music staff members come from universities in a variety of states, including the University of Wyoming and Weber State University. Some staff members are looking to see what Uinta County has to offer as possible college recruits in the future for their own programs. There is a good chance that local students will see a familiar face on the MAT Camp teaching staff. In recent years, Young Musicians started a new program, inviting local artists to join the MAT Camp team as teachers. Many students consider the relationships they make with the MAT Camp staff as they play, dance, and sing together as the highlight of the program. A unique feature of the camp is that many of the performing groups consist of staff members and students side by side.

Young Musicians is known for the huge number of volunteers that work at various events. MAT Camp is no exception. This year it is expected that 600 hours of work will be contributed by volunteers during the program. Volunteer hours can be traded for tuition credit through a work study program, enabling many students to attend that may not be able to afford to pay tuition.

Local businesses can get involved in the MAT Camp program by sponsoring a class. This helps the program continue on with low tuition costs, making the program accessible for families. Class sponsorships are very affordable at only $50 each. If a business or individual sponsors 10 classes, MAT Camp will give a scholarship to a deserving student.