Camp Counselors
The Summer Music Camp seeks motivated and talented college students to serve as camp counselors for the Summer Music Camp in 2012. Benefits include stipend, room, and board for the week of the camp. Counselors are required to reside on campus during the week of the camp. Requirements for a counselor position include a good and fun-loving attitude, college-level proficiency in a musical instrument and considerable experience in ensemble performance. Two references are required. Opportunities are not limited to students at the University of Pennsylvania.
If you are current Penn Band member, one employment letter of reference is required (in other words, no reference speaking to your musical abilities is necessary, although welcome). If you are not a current Penn Band member, one letter of reference is required from a current music teacher/director, and one employment letter of reference is required. Letters are to be mailed directly from the reference to the address below.
Applications and related references for positions are due back on April 1st, 2012. Successful applicants will be notified by May 1st, 2012.
Mail Applications to:
Kushol Gupta, Ph.D.- Summer Music Camp The University of Pennsylvania Band Platt Student Performing Arts House Room 182 Stouffer Commons 3702 Spruce St Philadelphia PA 19104 T: 215-898-8719Job Application (In Microsoft Word Format)
Past Camp Counselors:
The 2011 Camp Counselors
Robin Acker (Flute) is a rising Senior at the University of Pennsylvania. She finds herself with a full schedule of classes and work between majoring in Nursing and minoring in Music, but she spends all of her free time with the Penn Band. She is one of the current Drum Majors of the Penn Band, and when not conducting she generally dances and sings until she either can't move anymore or doesn't have a voice. Robin is from Hamden, Connecticut, and is super excited to be a counselor for the first time, and can't wait to have an awesome time in Philly with everyone!
Joe Becker (Tuba) is a rising Sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been playing the tuba for 6 years and has been part of prestigious groups such as the All-South Jersey Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. Joe is from Voorhees, New Jersey which is a half hour away from Penn. He was part of marching band and wind ensemble at his high school. As a student, Joe plans to major in Biology and possibly minor in Music with the hopes of eventually becoming a doctor. He is a dedicated member of the Penn Band and its tuba section!
Jen Sackowski (Alto Sax) Jen Sackowski is a rising Junior at the University of Pennsylvania. After two years of being tormented by the School of Engineering and Applied Science, she has recently transferred to the School of Arts and Sciences and is a Biology major and a Math minor. Along with her whirlwind love affair with the Penn Band, Jen also enjoys being on the Synchronized Swimming team and running various Newman Catholic Center events. She plays the alto saxophone and is crazy super excited for this summer's Band Camp!
Emily Dunay (Oboe) is a rising Freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. She has played the oboe for 7 years and also plays the piano. Emily is from Nashville, Tennessee, and plans to major in Biochemistry and minor in Music. In the future she hopes to become a wildlife veterinarian. She also plays tennis and plans to play on the campus tennis team at Penn.
Samantha Rehrig (Flute) just graduated from Camden Catholic High School and will be attending Misericordia University in the fall. Misericordia has a great academic program, but it's Band Camp is sorely lacking, so Sam decided to return to Penn and harass the trumpet players for yet another summer. The fate of the newly instituted "junior counselor" concept at camp rests in her hands, and quite frankly, she is reveling in the power this fact grants to her. When she's not in camp, Sam can be found watching movies (mostly about vampires and wizards), learning an audible instrument (the alto saxophone), and reviewing the Benajmin Moore color wheel in search of shades she has not yet colored her hair.
The 2010 Camp Counselors
Joe Becker (Tuba) is a rising Freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been playing the tuba for 5 years and has been part of prestigious groups such as the All-South Jersey Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. Joe is from Voorhees, New Jersey which is a half hour away from Penn. He was part of marching band and wind ensemble at his high school. As a student, Joe plans to major in Biology and possibly minor in Music with the hopes of eventually becoming a doctor. He is eager to join the Penn Band and become part of the Penn community and all it has to offer.
Joe Coyne (Trumpet) is a Masters Student at the University of Pennsylvania, studying to become an Electrical Engineer. This Past President and Secretary of the Penn Band hails from the desolate streets of Audubon NJ (856- Represent). Entering his 14th year of Trumpeting, Joe has performed with musical acts such as The Hold Steady and Broken Social Scene at concert venues along the East Coast. Generally he and Dr. G will disagree about all topics of administration and rule following... so get excited.
Jen Sackowski (Alto Sax) is a rising sophomore at Penn. Along with playing the best instrument in the world, her other hobbies include synchronized swimming, volunteering in New Orleans (saving the world, and playing with dogs). She majors in Bioengineering and plans to graduate fluent in sign language. From the city that never sleeps, Jen also never sleeps, and can be found late at night studying (but really playing Anagram Magic). She is very excited to be a counselor for the first time and hopes that everyone else is excited too!
The 2009 Camp Counselors
Jaci Rifkin (Percussion) is a rising junior at University of Pennsylvania. She majors in Psychology and plans to minor in French. In the Band, she is a member of the eternally-good-looking, ever-foxy Drumline. This year, she played a more nomadic role in the Band, dabbling not only in snare drum, but also in the bells, cowbell, tamborine, and even trying her hand[s] at conducting. Besides being in the Band, she is also a tour guide, where she claims her job is to encourage students to go to UPenn; in reality, however, it is an opportunity to gush about/recruit more kids to the Band. She is looking forward to (read: completely terrified about) this year's experience as the only female (read: only sane) counselor.
Michael Wojcik (Trumpet) is a rising senior at Penn. He is majoring in Philosophy and minoring in German. Michael got bored with his Philosophy major (because Socrates kept asking too many annoying questions), so he decided to learn German (because Spanish had also gotten boring). Unfortunately, Michael started his minor a bit late (He’s already a senior now!). So, to help complete his German minor, he had to fly all the way to Germany this summer, to study for 6 weeks at the Freie Universität Berlin. When not studying in Berlin (i.e., partying in techno-clubs with crazy German people), he spends a lot of time playing music at Penn. He plays trumpet in both Penn Band and Penn Jazz (The former, for fun. The latter, for serious!) He’s been playing trumpet for almost 12 years now (at his peak, reaching #57 on the Mexican charts for his 2002 cover of Herb Alpert’s classic hit “Spanish Flea”).
Gordon Watkins (Percussion) is a rising junior at Penn and, as a pre-med student, plans on majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and the Biological Basis of Behavior. Gordon hails from the City of Champions, Pittsburgh, PA, and insists that he is a champion of the bells, as well. In addition to playing percussion, he also has played the piano for 10 years and plays the organ every week for his church. Gordon is also treasurer of the Penn Band serves as the official Penn Band meteorologist. Outside band, Gordon is a member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service fraternity and a volunteer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He will get his geekiness on while working in a CORE tissue lab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the fall.
The 2008 Camp Counselors:
Rebecca Aaberg's (Clarinet) love affair with the clarinet began her senior year of high school when she put aside the oboe to try a crazy little thing called marching band. She and the single reed were quickly attached at the lips (one of "those" couples), and now she's rarely seen on the field without it. Rebecca has been in the Penn Band since Fall 2006 and section leader since Spring 2007. In the coming fall, she'll continue on as head clarinet and start as Assistant Drum Major. Aside from band (there's life outside of band?), Rebecca swing dances in the West Philly Swingers and works in Harnwell College House as the Office Manager. Oh, and in her spare time she's a rising junior studying International Relations and Hispanic Studies (though she's been too lazy to declare that second major so far).
Tory Gobat (clarinet) cannot believe she will be a junior at Penn already. Majoring in Digital Media Design, she also hopes to complete minors in Music and Psychology (with the help of a few petitions). A member of the Penn Band and the Penn Wind Ensemble over the past two years, in her spare time she enjoys all-nighters of programming homework...wait, what? Tory has played the clarinet for 11 years (and dabbled with the alto saxophone in high school jazz band for a year) and is excited to help out at a band camp for the first time since her high school marching band.
Sandra Mazlagic (French Horn) is halfway done with college at Penn, and feels pretty strange about it. She has at times been known to be a devoted band member, but also sometimes not, because she is too passionate about mathematics, Romance languages, and swing dancing. She has had a blooming romance with the French horn for ten years, a continuing affair with mellophone for the past six, with a four-year fling with jazz trumpet in high school. She's also had a pretty boring relationship with piano for thirteen years or so, but it's not her favorite. Although her life sounds like all music and dance and flowers, it is also a lot about exploring the world. She was born in former Yugoslavia, and she is going to study abroad in Cuba (!!!) in the fall. So you can probably ask her about things like socialism or being Slavic, if you'd like!
Jaci Rifkin (Percussion) is a rising sophomore at University of Pennsylvania, and she plans on majoring in Psychology. Besides playing the snare drum on the Penn Band Drumline, she loves to play anything that involves hitting, plucking, or crashing, including the drums, piano, guitar, and various other percussion instruments. Besides the band, Jaci is involved with a few neuroscience labs on campus, giving her the official Drumline title "The Brain". In the future, she hopes to somehow find to a way to incorporate music (and hitting things) into her research of the many mysteries of the brain.
Michael Wojcik (Trumpet) is a rising junior at Penn. He plans to major in philosophy, while minoring in unemployment. Currently, he is working at the Adolescent Risk Communication Institute of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. He enjoys this job because the name sounds impressive. More importantly, Michael plays trumpet in Penn Jazz and Penn Band. However, Michael often must deflect insults, from fellow Penn Jazz members, concerning his membership in the Penn Band. He usually mumbles something about "musical community service" to avoid embarrassment. Michael is in his 10th year of playing the trumpet, but has recently picked up the guitar, claiming that "girls dig guitar, man."
The 2007 Camp Counselors:
Noah Becker (Trombone) is an enthusiastic junior-to-be at the University of Pennsylvania and he someday hopes to decide on a major, maybe even this year! Along with playing trombone with the Penn Band, Noah is also a brother in the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, a member of the Pennsylvania Six-5000 a cappella group and a founding brother of Penn’s mysterious and exclusive FabFive™. Noah is entering his 12th year of trombone playing.
Mel Foreman (Trombone) - Mel is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania, double majoring in Political Science and American History. Back from a one year hiatus from the Penn Band Camp, she is excited to be once again being able to share her love of music with high school students. She has been a "bonehead" for the past twelve years and looks forward to contributing to the shenanigans of the Penn Band during her final year at Penn.
Carly Weiss (Percussion) is a rising sophomore in the College, hoping to major in both political science and economics, but who knows at this point. She is a percussionist through and through, having played for five years now. Carly mostly monopolizes the quad toms, but occassionally dabbles in some snare, bass, and whatever else needs filling in. Penn Band percussion is all fun and games, but her main interest is writing her own music, for piano. She is also a member of Penn's Club Ice Hockey team.
Michael Wojcik (Trumpet) is a rising sophomore at Penn. He plans to major in philosophy, while minoring in unemployment. Currently, he is working at the Adolescent Risk Communication Institute of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. He enjoys this job because the name sounds impressive. More importantly, Michael plays trumpet in Penn Jazz and Penn Band. However, Michael often must deflect insults, from fellow Penn Jazz members, concerning his membership in the Penn Band. He usually mumbles something about "musical community service" to avoid embarrassment. Michael is in his 10th year of playing the trumpet, but has recently picked up the guitar, claiming that "girls dig guitar, man."
The 2006 Camp Counselors:
Noah Becker (trombone) is an enthusiastic sophomore-to-be at the University of Pennsylvania and he someday hopes to decide on a major, maybe even this year! Along with playing trombone with the Penn Band, Noah is also a brother in the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, a member of the Pennsylvania Six-5000 a cappella group and a founding brother of Penn’s mysterious and exclusive FabFive™. Noah is entering his 11th year of trombone playing.
Brooke Prashker (flute) - Brooke is entering her junior year at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in Biological Basis of Behavior with a minor in Health Care Management. She is the flute section leader of the Penn Band, but when needed, she plays the alto saxophone as well. She works in a Psychiatry laboratory that studies the genetics of mental disorders and is also a Big Sister in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Brooke has been playing the flute for eleven years, piccolo for nine years, and the saxophone for three years.
John Palusci (trombone) – John is entering his sophomore year at the University of Pennsylvania with a major in chemistry and a minor in music. Over the summer he will be playing with lasers, oops, he means researching with lasers. Although John has only been playing trombone for 4 years, don’t let that fool you: he participates in many University ensembles such as the Penn Symphony Orchestra, Penn Wind Ensemble, and of course the Penn Band.
The 2005 Camp Counselors:
deMauri Mackie (french horn) -- deMauri is entering her senior year at the University of Pennsylvania where she is a biochemistry major and German and psychology minor. Her on-campus activities include the Penn Band and Sigma Kappa Sorority. Next year deMauri will serve as the Drum Major and CD production manager for the Penn Band. The rest of her 'free' time is spent doing research in Childrens' Hospital of Philadelphia's Departement of Immunology. deMauri has played French horn for eleven years and this is her second summer with UPSMI.
Jacqueline Scena (clarinet) - Jackie is entering her senior year at the University of Pennsylvania, and is earning a major in Psychology and minors in English and Chemistry. In addition to playing clarinet and bass clarinet with the Penn Band, she works in a Psychiatry laboratory that studies the genetics of mental illnesses and tutors high school students. Jackie has played the clarinet for twelve years.
Mel Foreman (trombone) -- Mel is entering her sophomore year at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Political Science and minoring in History. Over the summer she is working at Van Pelt Library and the Penn Fund. She has been a "bonehead" for the past ten years and looks forward to contributing to the shenanigans of the Penn Band over her remaining years at Penn.
The 2004 Camp Counselors:
Jessica Neiterman (trumpet) -- Jessica is entering her junior year in the College of Arts and Sciences where she is majoring in History and Sociology of Science. She has played the trumpet for the past eleven years, and enjoys contributing to the antics of the Penn Band.
deMauri Mackie (french horn) -- deMauri is currently a junior studying Biochemistry and German at the University of Pennsylvania. Her on-campus activities include the Penn Band and Sigma Kappa Sorority, as well as being a research assistant in the Penn Medical School's Division of Rheumatology where she studies the genetics of auto-immune diseases. deMauri has played French horn for ten years.
Allison Fandl (percussion) -- Allison is entering her second year at the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts and Sciences. She is majoring in Classical Studies, with a concentration in the languages, Classical Greek and Latin. On campus she plays with the Penn Band, and off campus she teaches as the pit instructor for the Penn’s Grove High School Marching Band in South Jersey. Allison has been playing percussion for eight years and plans to continue playing well into her nursing-home years.
Jason Beiger (trumpet) -- Jason is a rising junior in the College ('06) from Kings Park, NY. He has been playing trumpet for eleven years, and is a member of the Penn Band, Brass Choir, and Quadramics Pit Orchestra. Jason is both a Vagelos Scholar and University Scholar, and is a chemistry and biochemistry double major. This summer, he will be working as an organic chemistry researcher.
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