Classes run from Sunday morning through Friday noon. Mornings are usually spent in class with the student's primary instructor. Class start and end times are negotiated with the instructor and typically last between three and four hours (with breaks).

In the afternoons instructors offer private lessons although this is up to the students and their instructors. Some classes are scheduled in the afternoon so participants can study their primary instrument and do an elective or two! Other classes and workshops occur on an ad hoc basis depending on the interests of the participants.

A formal concert is always part of the symposium and is held at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts. Admission to the event is included in the symposium fees for participants and companions. The general public also is invited (not free).

Several jams, based on group interest, occur during the week. In past years we've had fast jams, slow jams, singing jams, and percussion jams. Watch for some "all-camp" workshops in the evenings too.

A student "coffee house" is held Thursday evening. Informal musical gatherings also occur throughout the week on the cabin and inn porches, living areas, and on the beach at Curry's Cottages.

Accommodations are housekeeping cabins at Curry's Cottages and rooms in the Blue Mountain Lake Inn. Accommodations are clean, comfortable and a bit rustic. We are, after all, in the middle of the largest wild area east of the Mississippi. All facilities have electricity, hot and cold running water, and heat. Linens and towels are provided although some participants prefer to bring additional towels.

Offsite accommodations are available at extra cost and must be reserved by participants well in advance (they fill with other tourists). We can recommend Prospect Point Cottages, The Hedges, and Hemlock Hall. Other lodging possibilities are available in nearby Long Lake.


Camping is also possible. There are two nearby campgrounds. Contact the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Most participants prefer the optional dinner plan for their evening meal. The menu caters to vegetarian and non-vegetarian diners alike. The symposium community gathers to eat and talk.

Curry's cabins and the cabins at Prospect Point are housekeeping cottages and have equipped kitchens which cabin residents share for breakfast and lunch. The Inn kitchen, which is used for the dinner plan, is available for use by Inn residents for breakfast and lunch but is not available to non-dinner plan participants in the evening. Nearby Long Lake and Indian Lake offers excellent breakfast and lunch possibilities too.

The symposium is in the mountains and the climate can be quite dramatic. Hot, cold, wet, dry: all are possible and past symposia have seen them all. Ordinarily days are warm and nights are cool. Rainy weeks are possible. Clothing that layers well is recommended and appropriate shoes and outerwear are a must if one is hiking since the weather can change quite unpredictably.