Offered On-Campus
Offered Online
Maranatha’s Music Intensive | June 14-18, 2027
Take your next steps in music with Maranatha’s Music Intensive! MMI exists to equip young Christian musicians with the musical and spiritual foundation necessary to excel in today’s professional music environment for the glory of God. Campers may choose the Composing and Arranging Track or the Strings Track as their focus area.
Campers will take part in daily workshops exploring the calling of the Christian musician, the relationship between music and ministry, and how music can be used to serve others and glorify God. Through participation in the camp choir and a variety of group activities, students will also build friendships, strengthen their sense of community, and grow in their faith through music.
Interested students must submit an application/audition form for acceptance to attend. Upon acceptance of the application, the student may register and pay.
Open to high school and college students
- Applications open: November 15
- Early-bird rate application deadline: February 15
- Application closes: March 15
- Registration forms due: April 15
Summer Camps
- Music and Drama Camp
- Sports Camps
- Nursing Camp
Camp Checklist
2. REGISTER
Choose Your Track
Enhance your compositional skills through a blend of workshops, practical application assignments, and personalized feedback. Work one-on-one with professional composers to hone your composition skills and take your next steps as a musician.
Age/Level
Open to high school and college students with some composing/arranging experience.
What to Expect
- Private composition instruction with professional composers
- Composing workshops focusing on foundational and inspirational composition practices
- Practical application assignments to help you apply your learning
- Dedicated composition time with faculty coaching
- Performance opportunities with peers and instructors
- Small student-to-faculty ration of 6:1 for individualized instruction and guidance
All students will have the opportunity to share their work in the final concert and sing in the camp choir.
Application Process
To apply, please submit an application including links to videos or PDF files of your composition(s). Students will be notified of their acceptance by April 1.
Age/Level
Open to high school and college students playing at Suzuki Book 6 or higher.
Camp Experience
- Personalized private instruction with our experienced string faculty
- Dedicated practice time for focused individual preparation
- Solo and orchestral performance opportunities alongside string faculty
- Constructive masterclasses to develop technique, musicianship, and confidence
- Practical, string-specific workshops focused on essential string skills
- Small student-to-faculty ratio of 4:1 for individualized attention and guidance
All students will have the opportunity to perform solo and orchestral repertoire in the final concert, sing in choir, and receive collaborative coaching.
Application Process
Applicants should submit an application that includes video recordings, hosted on YouTube or Vimeo, of two contrasting pieces that best represent their current playing level. Accompaniment is encouraged but not required.
Students will be notified of their acceptance by April 1.
Music Preparation
Following acceptance, students will receive their assigned solo and orchestral repertoire in advance of camp. This allows participants time to prepare their music and arrive ready to engage fully in rehearsals, coaching sessions, and performances.
Camp Faculty
Melody Steinbart
Strings - Violin
Violinist, violist, and cellist, Melody serves on the music faculty at Maranatha Baptist University and Maranatha Music Prep School in addition to directing Lake Country Strings. An active performer, she performs regularly with the Kettle Moraine Symphony, Maranatha Baptist University Chamber Strings, and in a violin/viola duo with her brother, Joseph Steinbart.
Melody holds degrees in String Pedagogy and Violin Performance from Maranatha Baptist University and East Carolina University.
Vinícius Sant’Ana
Strings - Violin
Brazilian violinist Vinicius Sant’Ana debuted at Carnegie Hall as concertmaster of the Pão de Açúcar Orchestra in 2014 and has performed across six countries. He serves in multi-year section contracts with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly with the Madison and Quad-City Symphonies.
Co-founder of the Griffon String Quartet, resident ensemble of Midsummer’s Music Festival, he holds degrees from UND and UW–Madison. A dedicated educator, Sant’Ana teaches violin and viola at Maranatha Baptist University and directs the Suzuki Strings of Madison.
Joseph Steinbart
Strings - Viola
Joseph Steinbart is a violin and viola instructor holding a Master of Music in Viola Performance and String Pedagogy from the University of Louisville and a Bachelor of Arts in Church Music from Maranatha Baptist University. His teaching experience includes private instruction, chamber music coaching, and string pedagogy. Joseph emphasizes individualized instruction, technical proficiency, and expressive musicianship, helping students develop their skills and musical understanding. He also serves as co-viola principal of the Kettle Moraine Symphony and brings his performance experience and dedication to music education to his teaching studio.
Jacob MacDonald
Strings - Cello
Raised in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, Jacob MacDonald graduated with a piano performance degree from Dalhousie University, receiving the University Medal in Music. He has earned Masters degrees in Cello Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Ottawa and the University of Michigan. Jacob has held cello positions in the symphony orchestras of Lansing, Windsor, Adrian, and Waco, and is currently the Assistant Principal cellist of Symphony Nova Scotia. Notable performances include concerts at the International Cello Festival of Canada, Festival of the Sound, and several concerto soloist appearances. Jacob is an enthusiastic educator, maintaining a busy cello studio, and in his spare time he enjoys reading books and playing hockey.
Dr. David Ledgerwood
Composing and Arranging
Dr. Ledgerwood has M.A. degrees in Sacred Music and Music Theory and Composition and a DMA in Music Education. Dr. Ledge has served in Christian schools and Christian higher education for over 40 years, recently retiring from his postion of chair of the music department at Maranatha Baptist University. He continues to teach composition and arranging at MBU and has published over 50 works.
TBA
Composing and Arranging
Composing guest faculty member will be announced soon!
Dr. Doug Bachorik
Chapel and Workshop Speaker
Douglas Bachorik is chair of the Music Department at Maranatha Baptist University in the United States, where he conducts the Chamber Strings and Chamber Singers. As a missionary in the Philippines, he founded and directed the music studies program at Bob Jones Memorial Bible College and Seminary, conducted the orchestra and choir, and established a church music publishing ministry. He holds a PhD in musicology from Durham University in the United Kingdom, as well as degrees in choral conducting and music education. Bachorik has served as a guest conductor and lecturer at colleges and seminaries across East Asia, North and South America, and Europe, and he speaks frequently at church music and academic conferences. He also conducts high school all-state music festival choirs and is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the American Musicological Society, and the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music. In addition, he has served in local church ministries for more than forty years. His book, CONGREGATIONAL WORSHIP AND MUSIC-EVOKED AFFECT, was recently published by Routledge Press in its Congregational Music Studies Series.
Kate MacDonald
Masterclass Clinician
Violist Kate Moran holds two master’s degrees from the University of Michigan studying with Caroline Coade and a Bachelors from the University of Ottawa studying with Michael van der Sloot. Passionate about chamber music, she has been invited to perform at several chamber music festivals around Canada and has won prizes at numerous chamber music competitions in the States. Kate has attended many summer festivals in North America, including the Aspen Music Festival, Kneisel Hall Young Artists Program, and the Heifetz International Music Institute. She enjoys teaching and is heavily involved with various music camps, as well as regularly maintains a small private studio. Kate was a member of the Winnipeg Symphony, and recently, she and her husband, cellist Jacob MacDonald, moved back to Canada to both join Symphony Nova Scotia in 2026.
More Information
Registration & Payment Info
Registration:
- Camp openings are limited to facilitate individual attention.
- Application opens November 15 and closes March 15, 2027.
- Campers will receive a registration link upon acceptance. Registrations are due by April 15.
- A non-refundable $35 application fee is due with the application. The balance is due by May 1.
2027 Rates:
| Track | Application by February 15 | Application by March 15 |
| Composing and Arranging | $380 | $430 |
| Strings | $675 | $725 |
See below for scholarship opportunities!
Payment Policies:
- Online payments only, please.
- The $35 application fee goes toward the full camp tuition amount.
- Camp payments are due in full by May 1 for the purpose of an expedient camper check-in experience.
- Refunds: Refund requests must be received in written form via email to the Music Office at music@mbu.edu. The registration fee is non-refundable, and refunds will not be given after May 1.
Camper Check-In Info
Camper Check-In Times:
- 1:00-1:45 PM on Monday
Campers’ first/last meal:
- The first meal is dinner on Monday
- The last meal is lunch on Friday
- Families may purchase Friday lunch in the Dining Hall if desired
Transportation to and from the airport:
- Campers flying in for camp needing transportation should take the Badger Bus to Johnson Creek. Maranatha will provide transportation for campers to and from Johnson Creek, but will not be able transport campers to and from the airports directly.
- Campers needing to be picked up from the Badger Bus stop in Johnson Creek should contact allison.morken@mbu.edu.
Immunization and Insurance Waivers:
Campers without insurance or up-to-date immunizations must sign waiver forms as part of the online registration process.
What To Bring
Camper Dress Code:
- Clothing should be appropriate for the specific camp and always modest.
- Campers wear modest shirts and loose-fitting pants/jeans or knee-length shorts/skirts for classes and rehearsals.
- Campers should bring a performance outfits for the Friday concert
- Women: below the knee skirts or dresses
- Men: dress pants and collared shirts
What to Bring:
All Campers:
- Water bottle
- Personal items such as a towel, soap, sleeping bag/bedding, pillow, Bible, notebook, and pencils. Mark all personal items with camper’s name.
- Bring all prescription and over-the-counter medicine in original containers or with original prescription label to the check-in line in a quart-sized ziplock bag with camper’s name, times for taking the medication, and dosage instructions written in permanent marker on the bag.
- Your instrument
Composition Campers:
- Laptop/iPad
- Staff paper
- Pencil
- Any compositions/arrangements you have in progress
String Campers:
- Current repertoire
What NOT to Bring:
Magazines, air conditioners, TVs, fireworks, skates, scooters, weapons such as knives/guns, and drugs/alcohol/tobacco products of any kind (prescription medications will be collected and distributed by the camp nurse). Clothing should not have offensive graphics or words.
Contact Info
If you still have questions after reading the website, please do not hesitate to contact us. For questions regarding…
- registration and payment questions: Allison.Morken@mbu.edu
- camp policies and procedures: Doug.bachorik@mbu.edu
- Composing Track: David.Ledgerwood@mbu.edu
- Strings Track: Melody.Steinbart@mbu.edu
If you do not receive a prompt response (sometimes the spam filter blocks emails), please e-mail Allison.Morken@mbu.edu or call at 920-206-2350.
Watch Composing Workshop Videos
Would you like to learn from the Composing and Arranging Track speakers? Purchase the workshop recordings!
- Twelve 40-minute sessions
- Speakers Dr. David Ledgerwood and other guests
- $75 cost
- Unlimited on-demand access via private YouTube links
- Videos will be available the week following camp
- Limited-time offer – video access must be purchased by June 17 and will not be available after this time.
To purchase, go to link coming soon
Scholarship Opportunities
Sponsored Scholarships
- Seman Violin Camp Scholarship
- Available to one string track camper
- Covers the complete tuition cost* (the $50 application fee will be refunded)
To apply for sponsored scholarships, email Music@mbu.edu the following:
- A brief description of why you need a camp scholarship
- A letter of recommendation from your current private lesson instructor
Scholarship applications are due by March 15. Recipients will be notified by April 1.
*Recipients of sponsored scholarships will assist with some camp tasks as directed by the Camp Administrator.
Other Scholarships
Campers are encouraged to pursue outside camp scholarships as well. A few possibilities are listed below.
- Watertown Euterpe Club Camp Scholarship
- Watertown, WI residents only
- Email Juanita Eddington for details
- White House of Music Camp Scholarship
- Wisconsin residents
- Details here
Thank you to our sponsors!
