Frequently Asked Questions

  • The name is pronounced, "CHAY-hee". Our founder, Wilmos Csehy was known to joke that his Hungarian name sounded like a sneeze.

  • We do not require auditions for acceptance into our program, but we do ask for a recommendation from your private teacher. All students audition for placement in ensembles when they arrive, and take a test for placement in theory classes (which cover every level from note reading through to analysis and music history). 

  • Yes. Many students study piano, voice, or guitar for their private lessons and individual practice time, but will then bring a secondary instrument to play in the ensembles. You are asked on the registration to list any instruments you play which may be considered for participation in band or orchestra.

  • About a quarter of our students are pianists. Those who don’t play another instrument will play in the handbell ensembles, chamber choir (in high school only), or percussion in the band/orchestra.

  • Yes. The high-school camp runs as 3 complete weeks with new music for the ensembles each Monday and a student performance each Saturday). For campers who come for the whole high-school session receive their 3rd week at half the cost.

  • No. Campers who are staying for 2 weeks or more may stay at camp on the Saturday night. There is no additional charge for the room-and-board. The Saturday evening after the concert is a relaxed social time for the campers. Parents or guardians have the option to take their child out to dinner after the concert. To do this, a hand-written note must be given to the camper’s counselor. On some Sunday mornings we send ministry teams out to local churches, but for those on campus, we will have a time of prayer and worship together in the morning before check-in and auditions commence for that week.

  • Our program is designed as a residential camp, but a day-camp option is available. However as a “day-camp” campers will participate in all activities other than sleeping in the dorms, hall devotionals, and breakfast. Lunch and dinner will be provided. We ask campers to arrive for Chapel each morning, and leave after sing-time in the evening.

    Middle School: 8:10am-8:00pm - $180 discount.

    High School: 8:10am-8:30pm - $200 discount

    If you live close to Cairn University, or have relatives who are close by, then this may be a good option for you. If so, use the discount code “daycamper” during your registration to record this choice and to obtain the discount.

  • Rising 9th graders are eligible for the middle school and high school camps, and may attend both if they wish. Rising 8th graders may be considered for acceptance into the high school camp with an audition and recommendation from their private teacher regarding their suitability musically and socially for the high-school group.

  • The programs are very similar with a few exceptions. 

    The middle school camp will finish on the Friday evening rather than Saturday afternoon. 

    The middle school camp will have concert band, string ensemble, handbells as major ensembles and everyone in concert choir. High school also has symphony orchestra and chamber choir as elective ensembles. 

    The slightly lesser load is intentional so that middle schoolers can have an earlier bed time, and one less night away from their own beds and home setting.

  • We have an electronics free policy to preserve a camp community which does not have the usual distractions of texting and social media. However, contact with parents while at camp is most welcome.

    We have a parent-to-camper email portal on your online account. Any messages you type to the camper will be printed and handed out daily at lunch time. The reverse side of these printed messages has a blank page with a scan bar-code so that handwritten messages from the camper can be returned to the office. These are scanned and returned to parents by email as a PDF attachment. Campers and parents have enjoyed using a method of communication which is outside of the norm in our texting and social media culture. Guest accounts can also be set-up where grandparents or extended family can also send and receive messages

    Campers can come to the office at anytime and can call their parents from the office. Parents who want to reach a camper by phone can call the office, and campers will be located quickly to return the call.

    Learn more about our options to stay in touch during camp here

  • When comparing costs, do keep in mind that this is a full 7 day camp (6 days for middle school), rather than a day time 5-day program. The fees include full room and board from Sunday through to Saturday (Friday for middle school) as well as tuition costs for the full artistic program. Csehy Summer School of Music is more than a camp—it is also an immersive experience in high-caliber musical training with faculty who represent many orchestras and colleges across America. We have on average one faculty member to every 6 campers, and one counselor to every 10 campers. Check out our fundraising ideas page to help make this amazing opportunity possible.

  • Other programs of similar musical scope are usually in the range of $1,500 to $2,500 a week. Our lower price point is sustained through our many financial donors who contribute to the cost of hiring our faculty, as well as the generosity of our volunteers and staff/faculty.

  • ChamberFest was established in 2014 as an invitation-only program to train and develop campers who demonstrate musical and spiritual leadership potential. 25 students from the previous camp year are nominated by the teaching faculty based on their demonstrated musical ability as well as their attitude observed by faculty and counselors.

    ChamberFest participants will work in chamber ensembles for one week prior to the commencement of the high-school camp. We also will have an Artist in Residence who will hold masterclasses for each of the chamber groups, attend group coachings, as well as perform a recital for all the ChamberFest participants.

  • One of the highlights of the Csehy week is campers coming together from all over the country, and all over the world. Summer of 2022 had representatives from 28 states and 6 countries. While the majority of our campers come from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Virginia, many campers also come from further states such as Florida and California, as well as campers who fly in from overseas, including United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Japan, and Russia.

    We offer airport pickups and drop-offs for campers who fly into Philadelphia International Airport (35-minutes commute) or who catch a train to Trenton Transit Center (12-minute commute). See the Getting to Camp page for further information.

  • Csehy Summer School of Music was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization while at its first site in Cedar Lake, Indiana where it was held from 1962-1967. Csehy was then at Muncy Terraces, Pennsylvania from 1968-1994, Philadelphia Biblical University (now Cairn University) from 1995-2008, Houghton College, New York from 2009-2018, and returning to Cairn University again in 2019.

    While we hold similar values to Cairn University, and some of our teaching faculty are also teachers at Cairn University's School of Music, we are an independent program with teaching faculty from many colleges and orchestras.