One of Toronto's Best-Kept Music Camp Secrets Is Almost Full
A hidden gem in Riverdale, Danforth, and Playter Estates that Toronto parents need to know about.
I found out about their summer camps the same way I find out about everything good in this city. Completely by accident.
My daughter Dahlia, has been taking piano lessons at Riverdale School of Music for almost a year. The school was founded by Becky, who also teaches piano herself. That alone tells you what kind of place RSM is. Dahlia’s teacher is Elaine, the kind of teacher you hope your kid gets. Warm, patient, genuinely invested. Every week Dahlia walks out of that lesson a little more confident than she walked in.
It was only after we started building KikiPlan, a summer camp planning platform for Toronto parents, that I discovered RSM also runs summer camps. I had no idea. That’s how under the radar some of these great camps are.
Why RSM’s Camps Are Not Like Other Music Camps
A couple of summers ago Dahlia went to the Royal Conservatory music camp. It was a big group, lots of kids, lots of noise. She had fun. But that’s also where we discovered she genuinely loves playing piano. One thing led to another and by complete fluke we found Riverdale School of Music. The difference was immediately obvious.
RSM does something almost no other camp in the city does.
They cap every single session at 6 kids.
Six. Not sixty. Not sixteen. Six children, one RSM teacher, and one student volunteer. That’s it.
What that means in practice: your child gets real vocal coaching, real attention, real feedback. They’re not lost in a crowd. They’re not waiting for their turn. They’re actually doing the thing, singing, performing, creating, for most of the day.
And every single week ends with a Friday mini showcase. Parents come. Kids perform. It’s the kind of moment you’ll be filming on your phone and texting to grandparents.
What’s On This Summer
RSM is running four themed camps this summer, each completely different, each with that same 6-spot limit. Here’s what’s left:
🎬 Music Camp: Movie Edition
Ages 5-8 | July 13-17 | $440 3 spots remaining
Music inspired by the movies kids are actually obsessed with right now. Frozen, Lion King, Matilda, Kpop Demon Hunters. The week blends imagination and storytelling exercises, individual vocal coaching sessions, rhythm and listening games, arts and crafts, and daily movement breaks outside.
It’s part music camp, part theatre, part adventure. Perfect for the younger kid who loves to perform but isn’t ready for something too structured.
The July 27-31 session of this camp is already full.
🎭 Musical Theatre Stars Camp
Ages 8-12 | July 20-24 | $460 1 spot remaining
This one is for the kid who knows every word to every song in every musical they’ve ever seen. Vocal coaching, group singing, choreography, acting, character development, confidence building, all built around the classics. Wicked, Matilda, Frozen, Sound of Music.
One spot. If your child is between 8 and 12 and this sounds like them, don’t wait.
⭐ Pop Star Camp
Ages 6-12 | August 10-14 | $460 2 spots remaining
High-energy pop music, vocal coaching, song interpretation and storytelling, songwriting basics, harmony, ensemble singing, arts and crafts, and the Friday showcase to top it all off. This is the one Dahlia has been asking me about since I showed it to her. The K-Pop energy is real.
The Practical Stuff
Hours: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM every day
Half day option available if you need it
Before and after care available. Not many small programs offer this.
Sibling discount available. Ask when you register, they don’t advertise it loudly.
Location: Riverdale / Danforth / Playter Estates area
Who This Is Really For
You don’t need a musical prodigy. You don’t need a kid who already takes lessons.
You need a kid who sings in the shower. Who performs concerts in the living room for an audience of zero. Who watches a musical and immediately wants to be in it. Who hears a good pop song and already knows all the words by the second chorus.
That kid will have the week of their life at RSM.
A Note From a Real Parent
I’m not being paid to write this. RSM doesn’t even know this article exists yet. I’m writing it because I’ve spent a lot of time crawling through hundreds of Toronto camp websites for KikiPlan, and most of them blur together. RSM didn’t.
The combination of tiny group sizes, genuinely creative programming, and teachers who actually care is rare. In a city full of summer camps, that’s worth talking about.
Register directly through Riverdale School of Music and do it soon, because these spots will be gone. And even if summer camp isn’t on your radar, if you have a child who’s been curious about music, it’s worth checking them out for regular lessons too.
And if you’re looking for more performing arts, music, and dance camps across Toronto, KikiPlan is coming soon. One place to discover and plan your kids’ entire summer. Join the waitlist at kikiplan.com and be first to know when we launch.