A rich cultural and artistic life both expresses and nourishes the best capacities and innate creativity of the individual. We make the arts central and formative in community life because they help to awaken and strengthen the spirit for outer work. Working together artistically brings joy and healing to our relationships and lifts us—individually and as a community—toward an experience of our higher being. Beautiful Fountain Hall is the center of our cultural life. Renovated in 2002 to full accessibility, it hosts Village gatherings, concerts, festivals, plays and many special occasions. It also serves as a much sought after site for conferences, symposia and meetings of visiting groups. Music is at the heart of daily life, from the singing of grace before meals to performances by world-class musicians especially for the Village in Fountain Hall. The musical development of all residents is encouraged and supported, regardless of age or ability. People gather to sing, play instruments or dance in the houses and in the Village Green Café. Music features strongly in celebrations of festivals throughout the year, and in therapeutic work with individuals. Many people participate in musical groups: the Village singers, the Village Band or the Village Ensemble, a bell choir with supporting instruments. Regular benefit concerts help build an extended community of support for Camphill Village. The Anne Ratner Concert Series in New York City is a staple of the music season for many metropolitan music lovers. The annual New Year’s performances of the complete Brandenburg Concerti by the Berkshire Bach Society are a gift to the Albany-Berkshire-Taconic region. Every three years the Camphill Foundation organizes a concert at either Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall in New York City to benefit Camphill Village Copake and the other Camphill places in North America. These concerts feature renowned musicians and conclude with a stirring performance by the Camphill Ensemble. We celebrate together a yearly cycle of Christian festivals, creating them anew each time with plays, pageantry, music or poetry. Throughout Camphill, Saturday evenings are set aside for Bible suppers, a quiet and joyful time apart from daily life when we speak and listen to each other thoughtfully and respectfully. We hold a non-denominational Christian service, called the Festival of Offering, on most Sundays and festival days. Camphill Village welcomes people of all religious backgrounds. Camphill Village offers everyone diverse opportunities for continuing education. Talks, lectures and conversations on themes are regular occurrences. Visiting artists or crafts people may offer special courses. Villagers and co-workers may travel to attend conferences at other Camphill places in the world. New co-workers may attend the Foundation Year, a series of introductory sessions on Camphill and social therapy, which also covers practical skills like First Aid and care of the elderly. The Foundation Year group also works together in many of the arts. In compliance with State regulations, all co-workers attend courses on emergency procedures, medications, villagers' rights and other vital subjects. The Camphill Training Course in Social Therapy is a three-year program for co-workers living in Camphill Village Copake. In most cases some familiarity with Camphill or anthroposophy is recommended for admission to the Training. The goal of the Camphill Training Course in Social Therapy is to awaken and support the human integrity in each person on a path of practical idealism, a path that unites outer competence and inner self-development. Becoming a social therapist means becoming someone who aims to discern the right thoughts, words and deeds needed to bring harmony and healing to any particular situation. What is achieved in Training in Social Therapy will thus enhance any future path in life. The Training Course curriculum is varied and exciting, with a balance among theoretical, practical and artistic courses and with full immersion in the daily life and work of the community. Practical courses include observation, first aid, safety, and physical care. Other courses introduce the anthroposophical understanding of the human being, life rhythms and the evolution of consciousness. Artistic courses may include drama, paining, music, speech, dynamic drawing, poetry and eurythmy (an art of movement that renders visible the sounds of speech and music). Each Training Course year has a different emphasis and project, and each year builds on the previous work. In the final year, considerable time is allocated for independent study for a final research project. This project culminates in a presentation or a demonstration for the Village community. The Training Course meets one day a week from October to mid-June. The schedule also includes times set aside for conversations, project work and social events. Participants also have special retreats in the Village or other locations. Those who complete the program receive a certificate. This achievement is recognized throughout the international Camphill Movement of 100 communities in 20 countries. The Camphill Training Course in Social Therapy, begun in Camphill Village Copake in 1985, is the only such Training in North America.