Low Brass Camp About
Mission
The Boise State Low Brass Camp provides an environment for trombone, euphonium, and tuba students to explore their instrument and develop the proper skills needed to excel. The 2024 camp is open to students entering grades 6-12, and graduating seniors. Students have the opportunity to break into focus groups based on their ability level. Topics addressed include chamber music, proper embouchure, breathing, tone production, musicality, ensemble playing, proper warm up techniques, instrument care, jazz improvisation, and performance art.
A Record of Student Success
Low Brass Camp participants have gone on to pursue music at Boise State University, the University of North Texas, Eastman School of Music, Yale, Central Washington University, and Indiana University!
Activities
Camp activities include group warm up, clinics, private lessons, chamber music, and large group rehearsals. The camp culminates with a final concert on June 9th. (Families and friends are invited to attend!) Campers perform on the concert. Activities will take place in the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, and outside on the Boise State Campus.
We will host a solo competition this year! If you would like to compete, please plan to perform a solo written for your instrument. We will hear individuals play their solos during the camp and the winner will be invited to perform on the faculty solo concert. The first place award is a monetary honorarium.*
Dates
June 3-7, 2024
Fee
Tuition $300
Meals, parking passes, solo competition, and/or additional lessons may be added for an additional fee.
Campers receive five full days of instruction, a private lesson from one of our artist faculty, music, admission to all camp concerts, a bell cover, and a t-shirt. All campers receive full camp instruction and supervision from 9:00AM until 5:00PM daily. Transportation to and from the camp is the responsibility of the student and/or their parent/guardian.
Scholarships are available on a limited basis. To apply, fill out this Scholarship Application Form, which includes an essay and a video recording component. The scholarship application must be received by May 5, 2024 in order to qualify for scholarship consideration.
Registration
Please visit our Registration Page for complete information.
Deadlines
- Registration Deadline: May 15, 2024
- Scholarship Deadline: May 5, 2024
Guest Artists
Dr. Brett M. Keating, euphonium
Dr. Brett M. Keating has appeared as a featured euphonium soloist with orchestra, brass bands, and wind bands in the U.S and Europe, including Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and the UK. His playing has been recognized at national and international competitions including: The Fischoff International & Plowman Chamber Music Competitions, Swiss National and North American Brass Band Championships. Brett performs in the award-winning Fountain City Brass Band and has recorded with the Gramercy Brass Orchestra. nominal duo, an experimental project with tubist Tom Curry, merges brass performance with electro-acoustic practices through their original compositions, improvisations, adaptations, thievery, and loads of wires. nominal has performed throughout the U.S. and in Canada and was recently featured in the 2021 Virtual Tuba Euphonium Conference. Their debut EP, s.i.p_1 was released in 2020. Nominalduo.wordpress.com
Brett serves as Director of Bands and Brass at Western Colorado University. In this role he directs the Symphonic Band, Brass Ensemble, and the Athletic Band Program. Additionally, Brett is the Music Director of the Colorado Brass (Denver, CO), The Lake City Stinger Band (Lake City, CO), The Great Western Rocky Mountain Brass Band (Silverton, CO), and the Colorado Brass Band (Gunnison, CO).
Prior to his appointment at WCU, Brett was Director of Athletic Bands & Brass at Carroll University. Additionally, he served as Interim Instructor of euphonium and tuba and on the Athletic Band Staff at the University of Kansas. Brett held simultaneous Graduate Teaching Assistantships with the wind conducting and the tuba/euphonium studios while earning his DMA in tuba/euphonium performance, and MM in wind band conducting, and a cognate in electro-acoustic composition at KU. Brett also holds an MM in performance and interpretation of classical & contemporary music from the Hochschule Luzern-Musik, where he lived in beautiful Lucerne, Switzerland for three years. He earned an Artist’s Certificate in low brass performance, as well as a BA in performance from the University of Wisconsin.
Sean McGhee, bass trombone
Sean McGhee is the bass trombonist of the Akron Symphony, the Canton Symphony, the Lancaster Festival, the Kentucky Symphony, and Queen City Opera. Sean is also the bass trombonist of the Blue Ridge Trombone Quartet, which is active in commissioning new works and performing across the country. Based in Cincinnati, he is in demand as a freelancer throughout Ohio and the surrounding states.
Sean grew up in Northern Virginia, studying with Michael Wheeler before attending Indiana University where he studied with former Philadelphia Orchestra trombonist M. Dee Stewart. At IU, Sean won the brass concerto competition and was awarded the Performer’s Certificate. He then completed his master’s degree at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, studying with former Cincinnati Symphony bass trombonist Peter Norton.
Sean is an active private teacher and leads a high school trombone choir in the Cincinnati area. Aside from also playing tenor and bass sackbuts, he enjoys running, fixing old houses and long dog walks with Murphy.
Camp Faculty Members
Josh Barro, Band Director at Mountain View High School, Trombonist, BSU alum
Spencer Hart, Graduate Tuba Performance student at Boise State and local music educator
Michael Maier, Principal Trombonist of the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeff Paradis, Band Director at Ridgevue High School, Trombonist, BSU alum
Sarah Paradis, Boise State Trombone & Euphonium Professor
Bill Waterman, Boise State Tuba Professor
Camp Interns
David Davis, Band Director at Middleton High School and BSU alum
James Ernst, Bass Trombone student at Boise State and Low Brass Camp alum
Katherine Garman, Tuba student at U North Texas and Low Brass Camp alum
Director
Dr. Sarah Paradis
Associate Professor of Trombone & Euphonium
Boise State University
sarahparadis@boisestate.edu
208-426-1685
*Prize amount to be determined, based upon camp enrollment.