(1932-2024)
Fritz Stansell, Founder of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan passed away in December. The son of a professional musician and educator, Stansell enrolled at Michigan State University where he met Leonard Falcone and James Niblock, two important mentors. In his early career, his parents and mentors encouraged Stansell to create a West Michigan destination for young musicians to learn and grow as musicians. Together with his wife of 71 years, Gretchen, Stansell took early steps to build Blue Lake in 1963.
Fritz and Gretchen Stansell
One goal of the camp was to serve students from diverse backgrounds and underserved communities. As one of the first organizations in Michigan with a non-profit status, Blue Lake has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships. The camp was awarded the Michigan Governor’s Arts Award in 1992. He was named Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News in 1995 and received the American Bandmasters Association Goldman Memorial Citation.
In a March 2012 Instrumentalist interview conducted by John Thomson, Fritz Stansell discussed the early days at Blue Lake and the factors that have contributed to its success.
The First Summer in 1966
We massively underestimated the start-up cost of getting the facility back in order, and made every possible mistake in starting a business. When we turned on the water system in the spring, it leaked everywhere because the camp had been abandoned without properly draining the water. All of the buildings had to be painted and repaired.
First jazz band at Blue Lake in 1966
We rounded up every volunteer we could find, including students from the Muskegon band and orchestra. The camp finally opened on July 5th, and 56 students showed up for the first session. About 40 were in the choir and 15 in a jazz band. Overall, there were 255 students at the two sessions of concert band, ballet, art, jazz, and choir. After the regular season ended, several marching bands came in, which added a bit of revenue. We ended the first season with a $20,000 deficit and no idea how to pay the bills.
Keys to Success
One of the main reasons for success was an open admission policy. Many summer camps and university programs were very selective, and some insisted that students prepare tapes of a performance. This discouraged many young musicians from wanting to apply for fear of rejection. Our policy made it easier for parents. On occasion there is a waiting list, but parents know that if they apply early next year, they are first on the list. It has been our policy from the beginning that first come is first served.
As a music teacher I thought the key was having outstanding conductors because the bulk of our students were in large ensembles. We quickly learned that with riots in Detroit and the counterculture on college campuses, what parents wanted most was a secure, safe environment for their children. As a result we emphasized a really good counseling program. My daughter, Heidi, directs the camp now and has devoted her life to this side of the program, so that we have a secure environment for students.
We try to remember that we are a summer camp, not a music conservatory or fine arts institute. The performance level is not the most important thing, motivation is. That is our philosophy: a secure environment that is fun for everybody, and first come first served. Of course, outstanding faculty is just as important.
We have an incredible number of people who work so hard to make things succeed, and sometimes my mouth just drops open when I hear the level of some of our performing groups. I think back to those opening few years; the first five years were so touch-and-go. In fact there was one point when Gretchen and I were both ready to do something else.
I’m pleased that so many parents have the confidence in us to send their children, and that students come back in large numbers. They have a good time and make enormous progress. We hear from band and orchestra teachers about how students who attend Blue Lake come back highly motivated and become leaders in their school groups. That makes me really proud.
