“Lyra brings fine chamber artists to Howland for the whole community to enjoy. And the student recital is amazing! It’s a delight to hear such fine playing today from tomorrow’s professionals. ”

“The Lyra Music Festival is so much fun. They have outstanding guest artists and faculty. But my favorite part is hearing the young students perform. They’re all wonderful and full of enthusiasm. What a great program!”

“Stupendous in quality! ”

“Lyra, and its teachers and directors are special. They are energetic, kind, exciting, and smart. They are seemingly indefatigable and utterly generous in how they produce community as they produce this remarkable festival and workshop, and they work both seriously and rigorously, and with an awareness of their students as kids whose growth and education is ongoing—an extremely difficult needle to thread. Yet Lyra does it beautifully. ”

“Families of these participants are getting good value for their money.”

“From a parents point of view, the detailed, personal attention our son received from LYRA was above & beyond what we even expected.”

“What impressed us most about Lyra was that the faculty was able to maintain a rigorous, comprehensive and professional music program without the highly competitive and formal edge that we have typically found in other programs of this caliber. The Lyra environment was fun, motivating, and supportive. It became clear to us at the final performance that the Lyra model not only emphasized discipline and hard work in a quest for musical excellence, it fostered a camaraderie among students and teachers. Our daughter was proud of her accomplishments and finished Lyra as a more confident and poised performer. We thank Lyra for offering such a unique music workshop.”

“Lyra camp was a transforming experience for my daughters and despite my initial concern about the cost, I now feel Lyra over-delivered in every way.

Musically, the girls made enormous strides thanks to the intensive and very personal one-on-one attention they received. Ellie’s confidence is soaring as she goes into a very stressful year juggling a demanding academic schedule and placement in the top orchestra at school. Before camp, I think she was concerned about holding her own...not anymore! Audrey’s vocal interpretation is like night and day! She came to camp without being able to relax and enjoy the experience of singing for an audience. I now see that she’s able to relate to the audience and use that connection to make her singing more moving and personal. Her piano is so much stronger as well...she is making her piano piece “her own” now instead of just playing the notes.

Lyra was also a tremendous personal growth experience for the girls. Being away from home was an intimidating prospect for them, but they quickly came into their own. The staff was nurturing and supportive and made incredibly strong connections with each of the kids and clearly found the right buttons to push that allowed each one to realize their full potential.

There was also a great balance between the intensity of the music instruction and activities and team building experiences. I think the kids really grew and matured by having to rely on and trust each other emotionally, socially. According to my kids, “Lyra Rocks!” We will definitely be back next year.”

“My son, Stephen plays the piano and hopes to be a professional pianist and composer one day. We were so glad we decided on Lyra as they provided a wonderful learning environment for Stephen. Not only did he learn practice techniques that helped improve his piano playing, he also learned to play in ensembles with very talented young musicians. What I believe is the greatest asset of the Lyra Summer Music Festival is the ability of its directors to provide a wholesome and nurturing environment for their students. Even as they push their students to improve themselves, they are able to balance competitiveness and camaraderie among the students. They were able to balance rigid training with fun activities that makes for a complete learning experience.

Stephen had such an awesome time that when the workshop came to and end, he didn’t want it to be over yet. He gained friends whom he looks forward to seeing, spending time and even practicing with, even after the workshop was over. He is eagerly looking forward to the next one. It is my hope that you can help support the Lyra Summer Music Festival so that young aspiring musicians like Stephen can avail of the training and enriching experience Lyra hopes to give them.”

“Thank you for another fantastic summer! You two create some very special kind of magic at Lyra and we feel so fortunate to be a part of this community. I love seeing how you get the kids to relax, let their guard down, and just have fun. Those real, genuine, ear to ear smiles, smiles that represent joy and friendship, those smiles are priceless. Rocky and I were delighted to spend two weeks in beautiful Beacon immersed in music. Sophia’s a stronger musician and all around human because of Lyra. I know that Sophia made friends for life this summer. Thank you! Thank you!”

“My daughter participated in the Lyra Summer Music program as a violinist. She had an outstanding experience. She received high quality, individualized instruction, from which she benefited greatly. She was able to take the depth and intensity of instruction and incorporate it into her playing in a short period of time in a way that both deepened and polished her performances. She also had the opportunity to participate in music classes and ensemble groups, which broadened her understanding of music theory and different genres of music in a fun and interactive way. The ensemble work strengthened her ability to experience music in a larger social group, which required a different type of attention and focus than solo playing. Lyra provided exceptional guest musicians, who both instructed, through master classes, and performed for the students, which gave them a chance to experience a professional level of music performance, alongside their own musical strivings as students.

Finally, Lyra Summer Music offered an enjoyable and diverse social environment for young musicians, both to share music with each other, and to interact with other young, enthusiastic musicians. The organization of the program, and the care and supervision of the students were excellent. I highly support this program for young, serious musicians, and intend to have my daughter participate in the upcoming summer.”

“Skylar had such a wonderful time at Lyra and made friendships that I think will continue long after camp has ended. As a violist, she has not played many solos so the solo experience at Lyra was so valuable for her. She grew so much as a musician. She had a voice recital about a week and a half after returning, and her voice teacher also said that she developed a much stronger on-stage persona after attending Lyra. We are so grateful that she had this opportunity with you.

The most important thing to me as a parent, though, is that I am so happy that you treated them as whole people instead of just as musicians. I love that you had outdoor and indoor activities every day along with their musical activities to help them bond with each other and to keep them fit and healthy. The Lyra experience was far more enriching and enjoyable for her as a result of your careful planning.

All of your staff can be commended for putting their heart and soul into this experience!”