A Harmonious Collaboration
- Benjamin Lerner
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Kinhaven Music School and Burr & Burton Academy Launch a Groundbreaking New Semester Program
STORY BY BENJAMIN LERNER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK BURCHARD
Southern Vermont has long been a region where cultural and educational programs and initiatives thrive side-by-side in symbiotic harmony. Now, two of its most respected institutions—Kinhaven Music School in Weston and Burr & Burton Academy (BBA) in Manchester—have joined forces to create an innovative, integrated program unlike any other in the nation.
The Kinhaven–BBA Semester Program allows high school musicians from outside Vermont to live on Kinhaven’s campus throughout the year, study at BBA each morning, and devote their afternoons and evenings to chamber music, lessons, and rehearsals. It is the first program of its kind in the United States: A semester-long immersion program in both music and academics. Although not directly influenced by the athletic/academic balance of Vermont’s renowned ski academies, it nevertheless stands in close parallel with their structure, enabling students to flourish with access to the best of both worlds.
Together, BBA and Kinhaven are modeling a new vision for education. It’s a model that honors the legacy of both institutions, creating new opportunities for students and new cultural vitality for Southern Vermont. With their new partnership, they are combining strengths in a bold way, and the future for both Kinhaven and BBA is looking brighter than ever. Several weeks into the program’s inaugural Fall semester, we spoke to Kinhaven and BBA’s executive staff, faculty, and students, gaining valuable insight into the program and its transformative potential.
A Vision Realized
When Kinhaven’s Co-Executive Director, Anthony “Tony” Mazzocchi, walks around Kinhaven’s bucolic campus in Weston, he carries with him both the school’s history and his own long tenure as a respected leader and teacher. Mazzocchi’s Kinhaven journey began 27 years ago as a trombone instructor. Over the years, he rose through the ranks, and he became Co-Executive Director with his wife, Deborah Buck, in 2011. To Mazzocchi, the launch of the new semester program with Burr & Burton Academy represents the culmination of a dream he has held closely for more than a decade.
“About 10 years ago, I had the idea of taking the concept of Kinhaven’s summer program and stretching it into the academic year,” Mazzocchi says. “I felt that the magic of that immersion could be integrated with academics.” That “magic” he refers to is the same ethos that has animated Kinhaven since its founding in 1952. Its founders, the Dushkins, believed deeply in the power of gathering young people who shared a passion for music, placing them in a natural environment free of distractions, and allowing them to transform, both as musicians and as human beings. Seventy-three years later, the spirit remains unchanged, though the scale has expanded to include multiple cabins, faculty housing, rehearsal studios, and a dedicated, 400+ capacity concert hall.
The idea of extending the student programs beyond summer gained traction only recently, thanks to infrastructure upgrades made possible by a $2 million capital campaign. “Last year, our barn needed a lot of work,” says Mazzocchi. “Now, it has new siding, new windows, a new roof, the interior had a complete gut renovation, and it’s fully winterized with dormitory rooms. It’s the central hub of the semester program.”
The academic partnership with BBA was equally crucial. Mazzocchi recalls talking with Headmaster Mark Tashjian as far back as 2017. “At first, I thought the academic components would all happen here at Kinhaven. But Mark asked me: ‘Why don’t you bring them over here?’ He was right. Their willingness to open their doors and to allow our students to become part of their community is what made this possible.”
For Mazzocchi, seeing the program in action has been profoundly fulfilling. “When you have people on campus engaging in something that you had as a complete and total vision in your mind, and the vision matches the reality—it’s the most fulfilling thing,” he reflects. “These young students are thriving.”
Life and Learning at Kinhaven
The inaugural Kinhaven-BBA cohort consists of nine string players: violinists, violists, and cellists. They left their usual schools for the semester, and they are spending the Fall living on Kinhaven’s campus and studying each morning at BBA. They are the first to test the model that Mazzocchi hopes will grow into a sustainable template. Ava, a senior violinist, described the experience candidly: “It’s been really great! It’s also really intense – and this is definitely a full-time job. I can feel myself becoming a better musician and becoming more disciplined. It’s busy. The schedule is packed, and it requires a lot of maturity.”
The program is structured to encourage discipline and time management skills. Students leave Weston in the morning for classes at BBA, but return by early afternoon for their musical immersion programming. “We get home from BBA around 2PM,” Ava explains. “From 3:30 to 5PM we have chamber coaching, sometimes with faculty, sometimes independently. Then from 5 to 6PM, we have designated practice time. After dinner, we might have studio class, where we talk about things like injury prevention, stress during performances, or cueing technique, and then a couple of us play for each other and get feedback.”
Faculty coachings are central to the program. “We have chamber music coachings with the groups every single day,” says faculty violinist Sommer Altier, a member of Kinhaven’s resident “Trillium” faculty quartet. “Some of them are half rehearsals and half coachings, and we also teach private lessons.” Every week, concerts are held where both staff and students perform various repertoire selections. Altier elaborates: “Half the concert is all the students playing one or two movements that they prepare in a week. Then we will play a full work, and finally, we close with a large ensemble where students and teachers perform side-by-side.”
Unlike Kinhaven’s summer sessions, which include orchestral programming, the semester focuses exclusively on smaller chamber music and string ensembles. “During the summer, there are also orchestra rehearsals and large ensembles,” notes faculty cellist Amelia Smerz, also a Trillium member. “But, during the semester program, it’s all strings, and it’s a lot more chamber-oriented. String quartets and quintets are the main focus. That makes it very different from the summer model – and very intense in its own way.”
Faculty violist and Trillium member Sydney Link adds: “The intensity is much higher here than in the summer, because we can really focus on chamber work. Even a month in, we’re seeing that the students in the first semester are holding themselves to a higher standard. They’re learning faster and listening better. That will prepare them for what’s next, whether that’s college auditions or even just learning the discipline of being in a professional ensemble.”
Over the semester, students will perform a wide range of classical repertoire. Ava shares: “We started with Mozart and Haydn, then we’re moving into Boccherini and Schubert. We’ve done Beethoven, and we even did a string arrangement of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic,’ which we performed at BBA. It’s a lot of fun, and it pushes us in different directions.”
Every Saturday, the students perform in venues across Southern Vermont—town halls, libraries, churches, and arts centers. “We started with one here on campus, then Jamaica Town Hall, Grafton Community Church, Chester Town Hall, and Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester,” shares Mazzocchi. “All of our concerts are open and free to the public. And that makes us part of the community fabric of Manchester and beyond.” For the students, these concerts are weekly opportunities to test their skills in front of new audiences. “It really makes them look into what the professional world—or at the very least what college-level music education—is going to be like,” says Smerz. “They will leave here understanding the commitment, the rehearsal time, and the preparation it takes to study classical music at a collegiate level and make it their career and full-time occupation.”
The Future is Now
The launch of the semester program is not just about extending Kinhaven’s calendar; it is, in Mazzocchi’s words, about creating a new paradigm for education. “We are the first and only semester program for music in the nation,” he emphasized. “That, in itself, is remarkable. But I also want us to be a model. Too many schools are looking for answers: How do we create safe, healthy, creative spaces for kids? Here’s one answer I can offer them: Engage them in a common passion, immerse them in it, and let them thrive together.”
He sees the impact of the program potentially extending far beyond music. “When we talk about educating young people, we’re talking about educating the citizens who are going to be running things tomorrow. We need to talk about wanting healthy school cultures that mold empathetic, collaborative citizens, and students who can innovate and be flexible and creative. Especially in a world where knowledge itself is becoming a commodity, creativity is what matters most. This program checks all of those boxes.”
The current cohort may be small, but the concept is nevertheless scalable. Mazzocchi adds: “People may say, ‘Oh, it’s just nine kids.’ But those nine kids will go back into their communities carrying a piece of this with them. Imagine the ripple effect if we can successfully scale it.” The model, he believes, can apply to many fields. “This could be used for visual art, dance, theater, and STEM programs. The core idea is immersion, mentorship, and community. That’s what creates transformational education. Music just happens to be our passion, but the template could work in so many disciplines.”
Concerts open to the public ensure the program benefits more than just the students. “There’s not much classical music in Southern Vermont during the fall,” Mazzocchi said. “We want to fill that vacuum. We want to be part of the cultural fabric, not just a camp tucked away in the hills.”
BBA: A Legacy of Excellence
If Kinhaven provides the artistic immersion, Burr & Burton Academy is the academic anchor that makes the semester program possible. For Headmaster Mark Tashjian, the partnership feels both natural and necessary. “It really came through Tony,” Tashjian explains. “We thought it would be far better if the students came to our campus and partook in the full range of courses that we have to offer. That way, they’d be part of our community.” That integration is key. Rather than being siloed, the Kinhaven students dive directly into BBA’s academic life. “Our community is pretty spectacular,” Tashjian shares. “They get to be part of this big community, and then they have their small community of musicians. It’s a really nice balance.”
Tashjian adds that the inaugural nine students, all from out of state, have joined the BBA community seamlessly. “The way I see it, we have 189 ninth graders, and they’re all new to BBA,” Tashjian observes. “Plus, another 25 or 30 new students join in the upper grades each year. We’re good at welcoming people in. You sign up for classes, you go through orientation, and then you get busy. That’s the best way to integrate anyone—get them engaged right away.”
For BBA’s Director of Enrollment, Cory Herrington, the uniqueness of the program stood out immediately. “There are ski academies out there, and there are outdoor programs, but there really hasn’t been a semester-based music experience like this. That’s what makes this unique.” Herrington continues: “For BBA, it adds perspective and talent to our community. For Kinhaven, it bridges to world-class academics. And in the future, I’d love to see some of our own Vermont-based students at BBA be able to join the program, too.” The benefits are already visible. Tashjian recalls one of the highlights of the semester: a Kinhaven performance at a Monday morning assembly. “They played a Britney Spears piece, which was great, and they got a standing ovation. They felt like heroes. For our community, it was a reminder of what high-level artistry looks like—and how it can be fun, unexpected, and inspiring all at once.”
For Tashjian, the program reflects BBA’s broader philosophy of cultivating centers of excellence. “If we were only a performing arts academy, or only an athletic academy, we’d be very good at one thing,” he said. “But what makes us powerful is the variety. You have musicians, athletes, scholars, and artists all learning side by side. Now, we have nine or ten students from outside Vermont who are really good at classical music and passionate about it, adding to the richness of this community. That makes us all better.”