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 2025 camp is open to students entering grades 6-12, and graduating seniors. Â 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 6th. (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 2-6, 2025
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, 2025 in order to qualify for scholarship consideration.
Registration
Please visit our Registration Page for complete information.
Deadlines
- Registration Deadline: May 15, 2025
- Scholarship Deadline: May 5, 2025
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.
Guest Artists
William Sutton, tuba
William Sutton, Assistant Professor of Music at Northwest Missouri State University, teaches low brass and music theory and leads the Northwest Concert Band. Dr. Sutton spends his summers teaching low brass and music theory at the New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine. He has performed with the Kansas City Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Topeka Symphony Orchestra, Saint Joseph Symphony, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of Northern New York, Holland Symphony Orchestra, and Capital Region Wind Ensemble.
Dr. Sutton has been invited to perform and present at The Midwest Clinic, International Tuba Euphonium Association Conferences, Nebraska Music Education Association Conference, and has appeared as a soloist with many college and university ensembles throughout the United States. He has attended the Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival as both a competitor and adjudicator. Dr. Sutton is an Eastman Musical Instruments Artist, performing on the Willson 2900, Eastman 836, and Eastman 866.
Craig Watson, trombone
Watson is a touring Broadway musician and multi-instrumentalist. Primarily a trombonist, Watson performs as a low brass specialist on tenor trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, and tuba. Equally comfortable in a wide range of musical styles, Mr. Watson has performed with regional and premiere symphony orchestras throughout the southeastern US including the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Nashville Opera as well as big bands, small jazz groups, commercial recording projects, international touring engagements with orchestras and chamber groups, and educational outreach across the US and Colombia, South America.
As an educator, Mr. Watson has extensive teaching experience from private instruction and chamber music coaching to summer music camps and audition preparation. He is equally comfortable guiding students through their first notes on the instrument to preparing graduate degree recitals.
Watson was a bass trombone fellow at the 2011 Alessi Seminar and a member of the performers class at the 2012 Southeast Trombone Symposium. He won both the 2012 William T. Gower and USM Wind Ensemble concerto competitions. He is a founding member of Tromboteam!, and holds a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music in Trombone Performance as well as a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Technological University.