MATTHEWS, N.C. — For 17-year-old Lizzie Guest, the TV show "Glee" was a life-changer, so when she heard about a summer camp based off the hit, she just had to enroll.

And given a chance for an encore, she signed up again.

The Charlotte Academy of Music's first Glee Camp in June sparked so much interest from students eager to replicate what they saw on TV, the academy added a second camp, plus created a Glee Club that started practicing last week. The camp was among a handful across the country that rode the wave of "Glee" popularity to create a show choir comeback.

At the Charlotte-area camp, 12- to 17-year-olds spent their days in an orange room with brown curtains that blocked the sunshine, learning to sing, twirl and march in sync.

"It was just the most fun in the world," said Guest, of Huntersville. "When I was younger, it was uncool to be in choir and show choir and all that kind of stuff, but now they see these people who are doing this, and they're sounding amazing. People who are talented are now cool."

"Glee," Fox's hit freshman musical-dramedy, scored 19 Emmy nominations. It won four, including best supporting actress and directing for a comedy series.

"We're riding that wave right now," said Regina Ziliani, director of the 2-year-old academy, which offers private music and voice lessons, partly to fill in musical gaps in schools. "Everybody is just obsessed with 'Glee.'"

But its popularity comes as budget cuts prompt schools to further shrink their musical offerings for students.

Nonprofit community arts providers also have been forced to reduce their offerings, cut staff and offer less financial aid amid the recession, according to the National Guild for Community Arts Education's May 2009 survey of its members.

"With shows like 'Glee' returning this fall, kids are going back to school with a greater desire to make music," said Scott Robertson, spokesman for California-based National Association of Music Merchants. "Many schools across the country continue to reduce music and arts education or cut music programs altogether. Yet, according to our latest research, kids want more than ever to learn how to play instruments, join the glee club, or perform in school musicals."