Corner Music, Old Saybrook

Striding confidently onto the stage, a pintsize foursome breaks into a pitch-perfect rendition of The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand." At Corner Music's School 4 Rock summer camps, it only takes one week for instructors to ready such students for their moments in the spotlight. Each session, based around a different musical theme, includes rehearsal time and CD-recording sessions before culminating in a performance for family and friends.

Aside from the camps, private lessons improve kids', teens', and adults' skills on instruments from the banjo to the sax. At Corner Music's retail shop, students can rent a guitar or bass guitar for practicing, buy a Fender of their own, or accrue gear, including sheet music, strings, reeds, and tuners.