Interlochen Nicole DiPaolo

On July 1, 2001, the summer before my sophomore year, I was introduced to the University of Michigan's All-State Piano Program at Interlochen. Since I had never attended All-State, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Little did I know that this camp session - and the two additional sessions in my future - would become the most intellectually stimulating experiences of my high school career.

Before Interlochen, I had never been exposed to much music instruction - or many other dedicated musicians, for that matter - outside of my Piano Preparatory Laboratory Program at Michigan. The day after my arrival at camp, however, I found myself in a music theory class - something I had never truly experienced before. It was there that I learned of concepts such as counterpoint, fugue form, and the music of Charles Ives (which I believe is a form entirely in itself!). In addition to music theory, I was placed in a piano literature class, where I was taught many aspects of music history to which I had not been previously exposed. This class operated much like a college musicology class, so it gave me a taste of college that I could not have gained anywhere else. Along with taking these classes, I had the opportunity to meet roughly...