MYSP Summer Performance Lab
Register Today for MYSP’s 2026 Summer Programs!
MYSP is offering two exciting summer programs this year: Camp Crescendo (June 8–12) for string players ages 7–12, and the MYSP Summer Performance Lab (June 22–26) for intermediate and advanced band and orchestra students. From ensemble playing and technique instruction to masterclasses, audition prep, and inspiring guest artists, each program provides a fun, supportive environment where young musicians can grow, make friends, and have fun!
Summer Performance Lab
June 22-26, 2026
• Monday-Friday, 1:00-5:30pm
• Intermediate and advanced experience levels
• Open to all band and orchestra instrumentalists
• 3+ years playing experience suggested (advanced middle school, high school aged students)
• Tuition: $225
• Location: Second Baptist Church (4680 Walnut Grove Rd, Memphis, TN 38117)
Take your musicianship to the next level at MYSP’s Summer Performance Lab! Designed for motivated middle and high school musicians, this week-long program gives students the opportunity to work closely with professional musicians and educators in a supportive, inspiring environment.
Unlike a traditional ensemble camp, Summer Performance Lab focuses on developing the individual musician. Students will strengthen their skills through small-group instruction, chamber music, masterclasses, special topics sessions, and performance opportunities.
Whether preparing for auditions, building confidence as a performer, or looking for a week of focused musical growth, students will leave with new tools, new ideas, and new inspiration.
Program Highlights
Instrument-Specific Coaching
Students work directly with professional musicians specializing in their instrument. Faculty will focus on fundamentals, technique, tone development, practice strategies, musical interpretation, and more.
Chamber Music & Collaborative Playing
Students will explore music-making in smaller ensembles where every musician has an important voice. Chamber music develops leadership, communication, confidence, and independent musicianship.
Studio Classes & Masterclasses
Students will have opportunities to perform, receive feedback, and learn from their peers in a supportive environment.
Special Topics Sessions
Each afternoon, students will explore topics designed to help them grow beyond the notes on the page, including musicianship, performance skills, practice strategies, and other areas of musical development.
Guest Artist Performances
Students will experience performances and conversations with professional musicians throughout the week.
Daily Schedule
1:00–2:10 PM
Warmup & Small Ensemble
2:20–3:20 PM
Studio Class / Instrument-Specific Coaching
3:20–3:50 PM
Break
3:50–4:45 PM
Special Topics Class
(Monday–Wednesday)
Thursday and Friday afternoons will feature student performance opportunities.
5:00–5:30 PM
Guest Artist Performances (select days)
Who Should Attend?
Summer Performance Lab is designed for students who:
want more individualized instruction on their instrument
are preparing for MYSP, All-West, All-State, college, or other auditions
enjoy performing and collaborating with other motivated musicians
want to strengthen confidence, technique, and musical expression
Students should have prior experience playing their instrument and be comfortable reading music.
Flute — Dr. Nave Graham
Clarinet — Taneea Hull
Bassoon — Brianna Allen
Horn — Jeremiah Frederick
Trumpet — Mark Woodring
Low Brass — Dr. Martin McCain
Violin — Yonitte Ryger
Viola - TBA
Cello — Hannah Schmidt
Program Faculty
Nave Graham
Flute
Nave Graham is Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Central Arkansas and maintains a versatile career as a performer and educator. She has previously held teaching positions at the University of Mississippi, Xavier University, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department, and serves on the faculty of the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Arts Camp.
Dr. Graham has performed with ensembles including the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Concertnova, and Alarm Will Sound. She has received recognition in numerous competitions hosted by organizations including the National Flute Association, Flute Society of Greater Philadelphia, Houston Flute Club, and others.
An advocate for contemporary music, Dr. Graham is a founding member of the chamber music sextet All of the Above and a member of Eudaimonia Collective. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a cognate in Ethnomusicology.
Her research focuses on music performance anxiety and mental health in modern music schools, and she specializes in integrating mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion into music education.
Taneea Hull
Clarinet
Taneea Hull is an active performer and educator based in Memphis, Tennessee. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Steven Barta.
As a soloist, Taneea has been featured with the Memphis Area Praise Symphony, Germantown Symphony, GBC Jazz Band, Ocmulgee Symphony, and Sioux Falls Municipal Band. She served as principal clarinet of The Jackson Symphony from 2019–2025 and performs regularly with orchestras throughout the region, including the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and more.
Taneea and her husband, pianist and composer Dawson Hull, perform together as HullNotes. They have premiered new works for clarinet and piano and released multiple recordings featuring Dawson’s compositions.
She maintains an active clarinet studio, with students participating in All-West, All-State, Governor’s School, Interlochen Summer Music Academy, and other programs.
Brianna Allen
Bassoon
Brianna Allen is a bassoonist and PhD candidate in Musicology at the University of Memphis, where her research focuses on the intersections of early modern music, visual culture, and gender. Her work centers on secular music traditions of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods, with particular attention to representations of women as performers, muses, and subjects in music and art.
She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Music degree from Arkansas State University. Alongside her academic research, Ms. Allen maintains an active performance career, appearing regularly with regional orchestras across the Mid-South.
She also maintains a private bassoon studio and is committed to enriching musical communities through research, teaching, and artistic collaboration.
Mark Woodring
Trumpet
Mark Woodring is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trumpet Performance at the University of Memphis. He is an active freelance trumpet performer, educator, and recording engineer in the Memphis area.
Mark serves as adjunct faculty at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee, and previously taught at Murray State University.
Jeremiah Frederick
Horn
Jeremiah Frederick is Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. He is currently second horn of the South Bend Symphony, a regular substitute musician with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and a member of the Chicago Philharmonic and IRIS Collective.
He has performed with ensembles throughout the country, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, Grant Park Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Omaha Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, and The Philly Pops. An active chamber musician, Frederick is a member of the Millar Brass Ensemble and a founding member of Quintet Attacca, winner of the 2002 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition Grand Prize.
In addition to his extensive performance career, Frederick has served on the faculties of the Music Institute of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago, Elgin Community College, and Stevenson High School. His students have received numerous honors and continued their studies at many of the nation’s leading music schools.
Frederick holds degrees from Northwestern University and Lawrence University.
Martin McCain
Low Brass
Martin McCain is Associate Professor of Trombone at the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. A third-generation musician, Dr. McCain maintains an internationally recognized career as a soloist, recording artist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and educator.
He has performed at venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Blue Note Tokyo, and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. His performances have been featured on CNN, NPR’s Performance Today, and other major platforms. As a recording artist, Dr. McCain has released multiple award-winning albums and can be heard on numerous recordings and film soundtracks.
Dr. McCain is a member of the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra and regularly performs with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Collective, Broadway touring productions at the Orpheum Theatre, and other ensembles throughout the country. He has collaborated with artists including Jon Batiste, Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, The Roots, and many others.
An award-winning educator, Dr. McCain’s students have achieved success in national and international competitions and have continued their studies at institutions including The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Yale University, Northwestern University, and Manhattan School of Music.
Dr. McCain holds degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Texas at Austin.
Yonitte Ryger
Violin
Yonitte Ryger began studying violin at age six and made her solo debut at age nine with Orchestra New England. She began working professionally at age twelve and spent nine years as a scholarship student at The Juilliard School, where she studied with Margaret Pardee and Lewis Kaplan and won the Juilliard School Concerto Competition.
She has appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Bowdoin International Music Festival Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, Manchester Symphony, and Vermont Symphony. She has also performed at the Salzburg Festival, Keshet Eilon, and on programs including PBS’s Reading Rainbow and The Disney Channel.
Yonitte now focuses much of her career on teaching and mentoring young musicians in the Memphis area. She serves as conductor of MYSP’s String Orchestra and previously served as conductor for Gemini Youth Orchestras and Mid-South Gifted Academy Chamber Orchestra.
Hannah Schmidt
Cello
Hannah Schmidt is a cellist and educator based in Memphis, Tennessee. She joined the cello section of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 2012 and has performed with artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, and Conrad Tao.
In addition to her orchestral work, Hannah is an active chamber musician and has performed with the Luna Nova Ensemble’s Belvedere Chamber Music Festival, collaborating on works by both established and living composers.
A passionate educator, Hannah has maintained a private cello studio in the Memphis area for nearly 20 years. She regularly coaches chamber music and leads sectionals for organizations including the Memphis Youth Symphony Program and Prizm Ensemble.