Junior Music Program
To safely provide summer residential music programs, enrollment will be capped at 30 students and large ensembles (ex. choir and orchestra) will be on hold until 2022. The most current CDC, State, and County guidelines and recommendations for camp opening and safety will be adopted. Please note that we are currently only accepting applications for violin, viola, cello, flute, oboe, and piano.
Please see the tab below for policies concerning refunds, Travel insurance, and other COVID-19 related issues.
In this two-week music immersion program, faculty members guide students to develop their unique musical talents in a supportive and inspirational community. The program curriculum is varied, comprehensive, and fun: students improve their musical skills through chamber ensembles, performance classes, private lessons, workshops, musician wellness activities, and nature-based explorations. Additionally, students collaborate to compose and premiere an original multi-disciplinary group composition for their final concert. Students in this program should have at least 1 year of experience on their instrument and should be able to read music notation. No audition required, although a video is required as part of your application for chamber music ensemble placement.
MORE INFORMATION
Fees, Faculty and Schedules
TUITION:
$2,950 (includes lodging and meals)
APPLICATION FEE:
$85
UPGRADES & ADD ONS:
Piano usage fee for piano majors: $75.
Secondary instrument lessons fee: $150.
Bedding (optional): $75.
All students who complete an application will be considered for merit scholarships. If you would like more information about our scholarships, please visit our Scholarships page.

Catherine Peterson
JAS Faculty, JMP Faculty
Instruments: Flute Education: M.M., University of Michigan; B.M., San Francisco Conservatory of MusicCatherine Peterson is second/assistant principal flutist of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. A regular substitute flutist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra since 2010, she has performed Afternoon of a Faun at Myerhoff Symphony Hall under the direction of Louis Langree, and toured Carnegie Hall with the BSO under the direction of Marin Alsop. She has also performed with the Detroit Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony. An active chamber musician and educator, she performs with the nationally recognized Ivy Street Ensemble throughout Colorado on various concert series and most importantly, at schools across the Front Range, bringing music to the next generation.
Her previous musical engagements include Principal Flutist with the Central City Opera, Principal Flutist with Emerald City Opera, and co-Principal flutist of the Strings Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Cathy is a regular performer at the Chintimini Chamber Music Festival in Corvallis, Oregon, and Front Range Chamber Players in Fort Collins, Colorado.
If you tune in to Colorado Public Radio, you will often hear Cathy broadcast with solo recordings as well as performances with the Ivy Street Ensemble.
She has a private studio of fantastic flute students of all ability levels, and is the flute coach for the Denver School of the Arts. She received a Master of Music from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her teachers include Jeff Zook, Leone Buyse, Tim Day, and Walfrid Kujala.
You can learn more about Catherine at milehighflutist.com.

David Rife
JAS & JMP Faculty
Instruments: Southwest String Quartet, Violin Education: M.M., New England Conservatory; B.M., Eastman School of MusicDavid Rife received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of
Music and a Master of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the New England Conservatory of
Music. David moved to Tucson in 1983 to join the Tucson Symphony Orchestra where he has held the
positions of Associate Concertmaster, Assistant Concertmaster, Principal Second Violin, and Assistant
Principal Second Violin. David is a dedicated violin teacher, and first violinist of the Southwest String
Quartet. He was the first violinist of the TSO String Quartet for over 30 years. In 2005 he was the
recipient of the Outstanding Private String Teacher Award in Arizona by the American String Teachers
Association. His students have won local and statewide competitions, soloed with local orchestras and
many have attended music schools and conservatories throughout the country. David was inducted into
the Tucson Musicians Museum in 2012.

Wynne Wong-Rife
JAS & JMP Faculty
Instruments: Southwest String Quartet, Violin Education: M.M., New England Conservatory; B.M., Eastman School of MusicWynne Wong-Rife has a multi-faceted career as a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, The TSO String Quartet and the Southwest String Quartet. In addition, she teaches a large class of violin students, several of whom have placed in competitions and soloed with local orchestras. After studying with John Ferrell at The University of Arizona for one year, she transferred to the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Peter Salaff of the Cleveland Quartet, and was awarded a B.M. with Distinction in Violin Performance. At Eastman she met and became engaged to David Rife, and in 1981, both decided to attend New England Conservatory of Music. Wynne graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1983 with a M.M. in Violin Performance, and then returned to Tucson with David to marry and start a family. Wynne and David have two daughters, Melissa and Molly (both ‘cellists) and four cats. In addition to teaching and performing, Wynne also enjoys photography, knitting and Starbucks (not necessarily in that order).

Mary Beth Tyndall
Junior Program Director
Instruments: Cello, Southwest String Quartet Education: M.M., University of Arizona; B.M., B.M.E., Ball State UniversityMary Beth Tyndall is a cellist in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and performs in the symphony’s string quartet. She is also on the Arizona Commission on the Arts roster as a member of the Southwest String Quartet. As a chamber musician she has performed a wide variety of string quartet works from the classical to contemporary periods. She is also actively involved in educational programming and performances for young people. She is known for her portrayals of the more outrageous characters in the children’s books of Susan Lowell (such as Josefina Javelina), which the quartet dramatizes annually as soloists in the Tucson Symphony Kinderkoncerts series. The chamber music festival created by the Southwest String Quartet is a two week workshop in Tucson for middle and high school students. Mary Beth is one of the original founders of this festival and is the primary cello coach and orchestra conductor. She has also taught at the Chamber Music in the Mountains camp on Mt. Lemmon, Arizona, the Northern Arizona University Summer Music Camp in Flagstaff, Arizona, the Tucson Cello Congress, the Valley of the Sun Suzuki Workshop in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra Summer Festival in Alaska. She is frequently a sectional coach for Tucson adult amateur orchestras and youth orchestras. In 2016, she was named Outstanding Studio Teacher by the American String Teachers Association.
Mary Beth has a Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance and Music Education from Ball State University and a Master’s Degree in Cello Performance from the University of Arizona. She has studied with Joseph Saunders, Gordon Epperson, Claus Adam, Martha Gerschefski and Hans Jorgen Jensen. She maintains a large studio of cello students of all ages and levels! Many of her students have performed as soloists with local orchestras and are continuing their studies in music conservatories around the country. As a performer and teacher her philosophy is one of joy, self-expression and personal growth through music.

Maggie Polk Olivo
Junior Program Composition and Music Theory
Instruments: CompositionMaggie Polk-Olivo wears multiple hats as a musical collaborator, composer, educator and performer. Passionate about music education and new music, she is the creator and director of the BloomingSongs project- a music collection of works by renowned artists from all over the world. She teaches and co-directs the Fairview Artful Learning Violin Project alongside Brenda Brenner while coordinating the school’s performing arts program. Awarded the IU Freshman Composition Competition, she studied music composition with P.Q.Phan, Sven-David Sandstrom, Don Freund, Claude Baker, and Marilyn Shrude at IU Jacobs School of Music. Recognized by the Music Educators National Conference and a National Young Composer Award semi-finalist in her youth, Olivo has since had music performed and commissioned by the Southwest String Quartet, Vera String Quartet, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Kim Carballo, Alejandra Martinez, and Sara Fraker.
In addition to composing, Olivo directs the IU JSOM’s Musical Beginnings and co-directs the Musical Arts Youth Organization’s Bridges, teaching music composition and chamber music. She is certified in the methodologies of John Feierabend, Musikgärten, Orff-Keetman Schulwerk, and Kodály Methodology. Maggie presents teacher-training workshops throughout the year and has been the recipient of Smithville, Puffin, and BUEA Foundation grants. She lives in Bloomington, Indiana with her husband and two children. In addition to creating music with and for others, she loves gardening and putting on shows with her kids.

Carol Rankin
RRMA Faculty
Instruments: PianoCarol Rankin studied at the Mannes College of Music and received her Master of Music degree with distinction, and Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music. As winner of the Frank Huntington Beebe Award for Musicians, she received a grant for one year’s study at the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary. Carol also studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics at the Longy School and is currently pursuing teacher certification at the Dalcroze School of the Rockies in Denver. She has been on faculty of the South Shore Conservatory of Music, the Washington Conservatory of Music, and the College of William and Mary, as well as, a chamber music coach for the Denver Young Artists Orchestra. Carol maintains a private studio in Denver.

Jason Lichtenwalter
JAS & YAS Faculty
Instruments: Oboe, English Horn Education: M.M., Eastman School of Music; B.M., Oberlin ConservatoryJason Lichtenwalter holds the Oboe/English Horn position with the Colorado Symphony in Denver and the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon. Previous positions include Principal Oboe with the Dallas Opera Orchestra and East Texas Symphony as well as Associate Principal/2nd Oboe and Acting English Horn with the Honolulu Symphony. He has also performed with the Dallas Symphony (Dallas and Vail), Fort Worth Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, and Colorado Bach Ensemble, among many others. As a featured soloist, he has appeared on oboe, oboe d’amore, and English horn. He served as adjunct faculty at the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Denver. Jason earned oboe performance degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Eastman School of Music. His primary teachers were James Caldwell and Richard Killmer, and he pursued post-graduate studies with Elaine Douvas, Robert Walters, Mark Ackerman, and David Matthews. In October 2020, he founded Peak Reeds, an online reed and cane shop catering to oboists and English hornists at altitude.
As a student in the Junior Music Program, you can expect:
- Two 60-minute private lessons each week
- Optional lessons on a secondary instrument
- Studio classes
- Audition preparation classes
- Composition classes
- Presentations by faculty and guests
- Music projects that incorporate nature themes
- Daily chamber ensemble rehearsals and coaching
- Special topics seminars
- Opportunities to perform for peers and the virtual audience
- Community service outreach opportunities (with proper social distancing)
- Optional yoga and meditation classes specifically designed for musicians
- If you applied and were accepted to a program last year, you do not need to reapply for that same program. Please let us know before February 15 about your desire to attend the 2021 program in question. Email us at RRMC@RockyRidge.org or call 303-449-1106.
- In order to secure your placement in the program, a 50% deposit of your tuition is due within 7 days of receiving your acceptance letter. Your final deposit is due a month before the beginning of your program.
- Any tuition paid is nonrefundable.
- If the camps are mandated to close by the CDC, state, or local authorities, you will receive a full tuition refund if the program has not yet started. If the camp is mandated to close during a program, your tuition refund will be prorated.*
- The camp will follow all applicable public health orders and federal, state, and local guidance regarding mitigating the spread of COVID-19, which may include indoor and outdoor occupancy limits, rapid COVID-19 tests, daily symptom and temperature checks, social distancing protocols, face covering requirements, and other protocols.
- The camp may require each camper to submit a current, signed health history that includes information in relation to the activities in which a camper may participate. This health history will include a description of any camp activities from which the camper should be exempted for health reasons; a record of past medical treatment, if any; a record of allergies and/or dietary restrictions; a statement from the custodial parent/guardian attesting that all immunizations required for school are up to date and including the actual date of last tetanus shot; a record of current medications, both prescribed and over-the-counter; and a description of any current physical, mental, or psychological conditions requiring medication, treatment, or special restrictions or considerations while at camp. The camp also recommends that all campers be vaccinated against COVID-19, provided that they are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine according to guidelines issued by the CDC and the applicable state or local public health agency.
- As a safeguard during this uncertain time, Rocky Ridge recommends that you purchase a third party tuition/travel insurance plan which will protect your investment should you choose to cancel ahead of time or are unable to complete the camp. We have partnered with TravMark, which comes highly recommended by AM Skier, Rocky Ridge’s insurance provider. Please see this page for more information on how to sign up for insurance. Regardless of which insurance company you choose, please take note that often the best time to purchase this type of insurance is when you make your initial deposit.
- We will be updating this policy list regularly. Please continue to visit this list for the most recent policy updates and COVID-19 safety protocols that will be required prior to and during the camps.
- *Except for the application fee of $85, which is nonrefundable.
Coming Soon!
There is no entry audition required for the Junior Music Program; however, as part of their application all students must upload video files for ensemble placement purposes and to be considered for merit scholarships.
Audition should consist of two contrasting pieces or movements that best represent the applicant’s level and accomplishment. Please submit video recording, audio-only recordings will not be accepted. Supported video file types are avi, m4v, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpg, vob, wmv, mkv.
All recordings must be uploaded as part of the online application.