SET THE STAGE!
Set the Stage! is one the Kamloops Music Collective's newest programs.
This one week, all day camp is perfect for kids who love to perform!
SET THE STAGE!
Set the Stage! is one the Kamloops Music Collective's newest programs.
This one week, all day camp is perfect for kids who love to perform!
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KISSM 2024 FACULTY
Jaymi Daniels
KISSM Music Director
Jaymi is the music director at Valleyview Secondary school in Kamloops, BC. She teaches concert band, choir, jazz band, and musical theatre. In the community, Jaymi is an associate director of the Kamloops Community Concert Band, and a member of the alto section in the Cantabile Choir. Jaymi is an executive member of the provincial board of music educators, an avid skier, and loves trivia and karaoke. Jaymi has been a staff member at KISSM since 2017, and is pleased to be a music director at KISSM this year.
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Sam Levasseur
Music Makers Music Director and Musical Theatre Department
Samantha moved to Kamloops after receiving her Bachelors of Education from the University of Victoria in 2012. During the school year, Samantha teaches music at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Kamloops, and plays flute and piccolo in the Kamloops Community Band. In high school, Samantha became very involved in musical theatre, both on and off the stage. She performed in several productions before changing directions and working as stage manager for several more. After graduation, she had the opportunity to work as a director for a visiting theatre group, working with K-8 students. Samantha volunteered with KISSM during the summer of 2013, and was amazed by the atmosphere at the school, and the talent and dedication of the students and other staff members. She was thrilled when she was asked to join the faculty in 2014. 2023 will mark Samantha's ninth year at KISSM!
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Kirk Wassmer
Band Department
Kirk has just retired after a 35 year career teaching band across western Canada. For the past 23 years
he was at Didsbury High School in Didsbury, Alberta, a rural community north of Calgary where more
than half of the school’s population was involved in the Music Program. Students from all of Kirk’s
programs can be found across Western Canada performing and teaching music.
Kirk received his undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, and he has a Master of
Music from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Kirk has been a part of the Kamloops Interior
Summer School of Music since 2015, and is thrilled to be returning as part of the Band Department.
In 2017 Kirk received the David Peterkin Award in recognition of exemplary and consistent contribution
to bands and band education from the Mu Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Mu. In 2019 he was presented
with the Elkhorn Band Director of the Year award by the Alberta Band Association, and in 2022 received
the Vondis Miller Legacy Award. In 2024, Kirk was awarded the Keith Mann/National Arts Centre
Outstanding Band Director Award from MusicFest – The Nationals.
Rob Hogeveen
Band Department
Rob Hogeveen rejoins the KISSM staff this year with enthusiasm and a smile. He has been teaching at KISSM for many years and always enjoys the experience. For Rob, KISSM is a family affair - both of his children attend the camp!
Rob has is Bachelor of Education and is passionate about teaching. On top of his music-teaching experience with KISSM, Rob is a music teacher at Lloyd George Elementary School, where he runs a very successful music program. While Rob enjoys playing many instruments, his personal specialty is in trumpet. He is looking forward to meeting this year’s musicians, both new and returning.
Jarrett Schill
Band and Musical Theatre Department
Originally from Kelowna, Jarrett attended Uvic (BMus'99) and his principal instrument is the saxophone. While at Uvic he majored in secondary instrumental music education. At Uvic he also acquired a fondness for choral singing through involvement with the Uvic Chamber Singers. Since 2000, Jarrett has taught at Kamloops' Brocklehurst Secondary School('01-'10) and afterwards in the newly reorganized Brocklehurst Middle School (grades 7-9) from 2010-present. Jarrett teaches a full course load of music classes including three beginner bands, two intermediate bands, a beginner jazz and senior jazz band -off time table clubs, choir and a life skills music class for exceptional learners. Brock's choirs perform at various care home facilities, at Blazer's hockey games (anthema), in addition to school and local festival performances. Brock's second year + bands jointly perform in the annual Santa Claus Parade in addition to local festivals and school performances. Brock's entire program takes an annual performance trip to perform at either the Sun Peaks or Whistler 'Cantando' festivals. This past March, the Brocklehurst Sr. Jazz band performed at the Kelowna Interior Jazz Festival, and received an invitation to perform at Music Fest Canada's Nationals competition in May of 2024. Jarrett is most importantly supported by a caring wife who thankfully understands what it means to be married to a music educator.
Brittany Zettergreen
Musical Theatre Department
Brittany fell in love with music and theatre at an early age, and pursued dance and voice while performing in a variety of musicals. Since then Brittany has received a Bachelors of Education and a Bachelors of Fine Arts, and is currently a teacher at Kamloops School of the Arts with specialties in Dance, Drama and Visual Art. She has worked professionally with the Stage North Theatre Society, The Laughing Stock Theatre Society, and the Kamloops Players. 2023 marks her sixth year at KISSM, and she is looking forward to another wonderful experience!
Christy Gauley
Choir Department
Christy is overjoyed to be joining the extraordinary KISSM staff again this summer. Her love affair with KISSM began long ago in the summer of 1994 when she attended the camp for the first time and has been a mega fan ever since! Christy holds a bachelor’s degree in Music majoring in Opera and Music History from the UBC, and bachelor of Education from UBC, and a masters of education from Gonzaga. She loves singing, directing, teaching, and randomly bursting into song. She has worked at South Sahali Elementary and at the district level as Arts Coordinator in sd73, but these days during the non-KISSM months of the year, you’ll find Christy inspiring young minds at Rayleigh Elementary where she teaches grade 5/6 band and music to all intermediate students.
Jordan Baker
Music Makers Department
Jordan Baker grew up in Kamloops, and first attended KISSM as a student in 2002. He enjoyed it so much that he’s come back nearly every year since, as a volunteer, board member, assistant faculty, and now faculty. The passion for working with children led to him receiving his Bachelor of Education from TRU in 2014, and he’s been teaching in the Kamloops Thompson School District ever since. He currently teaches English and Creative Writing at the high school level, but looks forward to the music (and the new colourful T-shirt!) every summer at KISSM. An avid trumpet player, Jordan serves as the Vice President of the Kamloops Community Band, of which he’s been a member almost since its founding 20 years ago. When not teaching or playing music, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children, or playing video games, board games and Dungeons and Dragons.
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Tina Hebner
Music Makers and Ukulele Departments
Tina started playing music as a teenager and fell in love with classical guitar. As an adult she found herself with a collection of ukuleles and discovered how much she enjoyed playing that too! Tina has been teaching music for over twenty years, and when she’s not having conversations with her two music-loving cats, you’ll find her at one of the many group ukulele sessions she offers in the Kamloops area or teaching private lessons at one of her studio locations. She has been working at numerous camps at KMC and she’s been the most beloved ukulele teacher across all age groups!
Carson Sautner
Band and Guitar Departments
Carson Sautner is a young professional guitarist with experience in many genres, specializing in classical guitar for the past 14 years. He first started at KISSM as a student in 2017 and continued to attend until 2019, and began in 2020 as an Assistant Faculty and has continued that role until this year where he will be Faculty at KISSM. He began pursuing a Music degree at the University of British Columbia for Classical Guitar Performance, later continuing at the University of Alberta and completing his Bachelors after moving back to Edmonton. Carson is excited for the opportunity to work with the Kamloops Music Collective in his new role and is looking forward to working with all the amazing students and teachers at KISSM!
Paige Olsen
Musical Theatre Department
Paige has loved music since she played a young 5-year-old orphan in a community production of Oliver Twist in Northern BC. She attended Kamloops School of the Arts, graduating in 2018, having participated in every Drama and Musical Theatre show she could. She has participated in KISSM and has worked for the Kamloops Music Collective since 2018. Paige loves to sing, especially musical theatre music, and she competed in the Kamloops Festival of Performing Arts for nearly ten years in both the Classical and Musical Theatre categories. As well as taught voice at the Kamloops Symphony Music School, where she took her voice and music theory lessons. Paige is currently studying music at BYU in the States, where she focuses on contemporary voice and choral education. She loves working with kids and cannot wait to be singing her heart out with the KISSM students this summer!
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Mandy Maher
Choir and Musical Theatre Department
Miranda Maher, more commonly known as Mandy, is a born and raised Kamloops musician who is working full time at the Kamloops Music Collective over the summer as an Assistant Program Coordinator and Assistant Faculty Member. Mandy started singing at age 8 with the Kamloops Thompson Children’s Choir. From that point on, Mandy knew that she belonged in choir, and continued to sing with popular community groups such as Vivace Choral and Serious Options, as well as School District 73 groups, and the BC Provincial Honour Choir.
To read more on Mandy and her experiences at KISSM check out our blog post HERE!
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Curtis Howell
Choir and Piano Department
Curtis Howell is a very active accompanist and piano teacher in the Kamloops region. His piano lessons began when he was eight, and by the time he turned twelve he was playing regularly for church services. In high school he accompanied school and community choirs, as well as participating in them.
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Christleda Philip
Music Makers Department
Christleda is a music teacher with over 10 years teaching experience. She loves teaching singing for young children. She was a touring artist from India when her and her brother had an electronic duo called siblitronix. She moved to Canada to do her Masters in Education and she currently teaches elementary music at St. Ann’s Academy in Kamloops!
Bailey Finley
Band and Music Makers Department
Bailey grew up in Kamloops and participated in many of the instrumental music programs the community has to offer. She has since obtained her Bachelor of Music from the University of Victoria in 2017 and has toured Canada with various ensembles since graduation. Bailey has been a long time local musician and KISSM alumni, and is really looking forward to returning to KISSM 2024 as a Faculty!
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Lucas An
Band and Musical Theatre Department
Lucas has been a member of Kamloops Music Collective team since the summer of 2022. He loves to connect with students in all grades and schools, and is passionate about sharing the music he loves! He's always thrilled to share his knowledge and skills for percussion and singing! Since he started his work with KMC, he has taken many different roles and tasks, like office assistant, running programs like WholeNote, Band Together and Set The Stage as a program coordinator, and running promotions at schools and events. After leaving last fall to UVic for studies, Lucas is extremely excited to be back and once again be a part of KISSM and make wonderful memories to fill the whole summer!
Zach Leishman
Band and Musical Theatre Departments
Zach's Journey in music began in grade six when he started playing the tenor saxophone in his middle school band. Immediately falling in love with music, Zach decided that being a band kid was all he wanted to be, forgoing sports, or other arts in favor of his place in the band. After losing a bet and having to audition for the school musical in grade nine, Zach found an even broader home in the performing arts. This has led to Zach participating in even more bands, choirs, and musicals. Zach has fostered a love for music, the arts, and arts education, taking any chance to work with young aspiring artists. Zach is beyond excited to work with the next generation of musicians and artists this year at KISSM!
Lolita Persad
Choir and Music Makers Departments
Lolita Persad has been exploring all music has to offer as far back as she can remember! She began
playing piano at age 4 after jealously watching her older siblings during their lessons. After moving to
Kamloops from Clearwater, B.C., she attended St. Ann’s Academy and joined the Concert Choir, Jazz
Choir, and Concert Band. She loved learning music theory at the Kamloops Symphony Music School and
has immensely enjoyed playing guitar over the last few years. She currently lives in Vancouver, B.C.,
where she attends the University of British Columbia (UBC) as a third-year Political Science student. She
is looking forward to a rewarding summer in Kamloops, spent helping students engage with the many joys
of music!
Mia Sage
Musical Theatre and Music Makers Departments
Mia is a recent graduate of South Kamloops Secondary School. She is a technical & production theatre specialist who plans to attend Capilano University for technical theatre this coming fall. Mia has been involved in local theatre all around Kamloops from ushering (WCT) to the Panto (LSTS). She also has a passion for choral singing as an alto in many local choirs from the KSO chorus to the Pride choir, she has even had the wonderful opportunity to conduct for the KSO childrens chorus. As a former KISSM student, Mia is so excited for the opportunity to work with so many lovely people this summer!
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Hanna Latta
Music Makers Department
Hannah Latta is a 20 year old girl born and raised in Kamloops B.C. She is currently attending Simon Fraser University where she is completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in dance. Before this, she was a competitive dancer for 14 years ranging in all styles. After completing her degree she hopes to pursue a degree in Education and become a school teacher and use her background and knowledge of the arts and incorporate it into the classroom. Teaching dance and the arts is something she is extremely passionate about and excited to explore more here at KISSM!
Megan Alpaugh
KMC Executive Director
With a background in event planning and administration, Megan has been working with the Kamloops Music Collective for nearly 5 years. Prior to joining the Kamloops Music Collective, Megan completed her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree at Thompson Rivers University, and had the opportunity to study Marketing and Advertising at the University of Canberra, Australia, for part of this time. After completing her Business Degree, Megan moved to Barrie, Ontario to attend Georgian College and complete a Graduate Certificate in Event Management, where she graduated with honours. She has since been lucky enough to work with the non-profit: The LiveUp2 Foundation as a Marketing and Event Coordinator, before she moved back to BC and joined the Kamloops Music Collective. Megan has also worked extensively in the retail and service industry, and enjoys the chance to meet and interact with members of the community.
Rachel Reid
KMC Office Assistant and Program Coordinator
Since before Rachel had even started elementary school she had been attending musicals, whether it was Les Misérables at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, or local Summerland Singers and Players productions, she was hooked! She would fall asleep listening to the cassettes of musicals her parents’ owned. After receiving a diploma in Publishing and Design, and then a degree in Early Childhood Care and Education; she worked for 15 years in the Early Childhood Educational field and eventually found herself in Kamloops working and raising a family. Together with her family she spends a lot of her time playing video games and boardgames!