Calling all Music Makers!
Welcome to Camp Musicmania! This year our campers will be exploring unique and different ways to make and create their own music. 
Activities will include a trip to the UNI Botanical Center, learning to Sound Paint (without paint?!), camp staff concert, creating their own music, and more!
Due to current COVID conditions, camp will look a little different in years past. This includes very limited class sizes, social distancing, and mask wearing. Instead of a public performance at the end of the week, a special video featuring the campers experiences during the week will be shared with camper families.
Register Online
Dates: June 14 - 18, 2021
Location: UNI School of Music
- Rising 1st - 3rd graders, 8:00am - 12:00pm
- Rising 4th-6th graders, 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Cost: $142.50 (includes camp T-shirt)
All students will need to bring a snack to have during the middle of their day. Activities will take place indoors and outdoors pending weather. Please have your camper dress accordingly.
Complete your registration online. After you have completed the registration form, you will be prompted to complete your payment in order to reserve your camper's spot.
Questions can be directed to Heather Hamilton at heather.hamilton@uni.edu.
FINAL REGISTRATION FEE DEADLINE: Registration is not complete until all required forms and payment have been received or when class limit is reached.
CANCELLATION POLICY: If registration is canceled prior to June 1, a refund will be initiated (minus $35 processing fee). Cancellations after June 1 will be subject to a $65 processing fee. Refunds are not issued after June 10th.
Meet the Camp Musicmania Staff - Check back as more staff is added!
Hailed by the New York Times as possessing “rich tone and deft technique,” Hannah Porter Occeña is Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Northern Iowa and Principal Flutist of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra (Topeka, KS). Previous positions include Principal Flute of the Midwest Chamber Ensemble (Prairie Village, KS) and Associate Principal Flute of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra (Bismarck, ND). The 2012 Irene Burchard prizewinner at the Royal Academy of Music, Dr. Occeña has performed as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and clinician throughout the US and abroad.
Committed to the rich heritage and new horizons of the repertoire, Dr. Occeña strives to make classical works accessible and engaging to diverse audiences. Between her performance schedule and collegiate teaching responsibilities, Dr. Occeña participates in outreach concerts and programs at schools and community centers. Some of her most meaningful musical experiences have taken place during performances at special needs schools and concerts in association with Autism Speaks.
Kari Jo Ruden is currently a music teacher in the Waterloo Community School District at Lincoln Elementary, where she has been teaching since 2010. The Oelwein native graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2009, and received Orff Level 1 certification in 2016. Mrs. Ruden is passionate about giving her students meaningful experiences to explore, create and share music together. This past year, she has been inspired to adapt clapping games, rhymes and chants to teach improvising on xylophones and grow her technology skills. She is super excited to be back at Camp Musicmania again this year! Mrs. Ruden's class will include a mix of singing, creative movement and playing instruments.
When she's not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family and two dogs at home in Reinbeck.
Daniel Swilley is Assistant Professor of Music specializing in Composition, Theory and Music Technology at the Univeristy of Northern Iowa. As a German-American composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music, his music and research have been presented at festivals and conferences such as June in Buffalo, SEAMUS, Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium, Understanding Visual Music Symposium, NoiseFloor, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, Studio 300, Audiograft, Electroacoustic Juke Joint, College Music Society, as well as Society of Composer’s Inc.
Swilley holds degrees in composition from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (DMA), Georgia State University (MM), and Valdosta State University (BM). His primary composition teachers have included Heinrich Taube, Sever Tipei, Robert Scott Thompson, and Scott Wyatt.
While teaching elementary music at Irving Elementary in Waterloo during the day, Crystal Waltz can be seen frequently on stages at the Cedar Falls Community Theatre and the Waterloo Community Playhouse. In addition to her acting and musical skills, Crystal has directed the music for Singin' in the Rain, Nunsense, and Annie at the Waterloo Community Playhouse. Crystal has a degree in Music Education from Simpson College and has been teaching music in the Cedar Valley for more than 20 years.
Alex Lafrenz currently serves as an area percussionist and music educator, alongside working with Special Education students at Holmes Junior High. He has performed in numerous Cedar Valley municipal bands, shows, and orchestras, including performances with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony. In the marching band season, he can be seen working with the Cedar Falls Drumline. Alex received his education from the University of Northern Iowa, and is very excited to be returning to his third year teaching at Camp MusicMania! His class will feature drumming, movement, and other various percussion instruments.
Joley Seitz is currently studying Vocal Performance at the University of Northern Iowa. She just finished her third year of study under Dr. Jean Mcdonald. Over the past three years, Joley has performed in several UNI Opera productions including: Serse, The Monteverdi Project, and UNI Opera: In the Studio.
Joley has been involved with music since she was a child. She grew up performing in musical theatre and has been involved with helping direct children's theatre at Great River Players in Keokuk, IA for the past seven years. She is excited to be involved with the upcoming Musicmania camp!