& Now

As we said earlier Rushmore Music Camp was established in 1970 by Paul and Lois Hedge. The camp is currently under the leadership of Jared and Katie Opp, Instrumental and Vocal Educators in Gregory, SD.

Members of the Board of Directors include: Dr. Alan LaFave (President of Valley City State, Valley City, ND), Mrs. Deb Wantoch-Yess (Retired Director of Choral Music, Waseca High School, Waseca, MN), Ms.Christy Leichtnam (Rapid City Public Schools-Retired), Ms. Casey Danielson (Iola-Scandinavia Public Schools), Dr. Darci Baltema (Northern State University), Jared Opp (Gregory Public Schools) and Katie Opp (Gregory Public Schools)

and executive board member Caleb Finck (Tripp, SD).

Well-known guest conductors and nationally recognized faculty members provide opportunities for music learning and performance of the highest caliber. Guest conductors including James Curnow, Kenneth Bloomquist, John Paynter, Alfred Reed, Eugene Corporan, Jerry Junkin, Dale Lonis, Alan LaFave, James McKinney, Wendy McCallum and others have led the concerts performed at the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial Amphitheatre.

Campers are provided opportunities to study with professionals on their instrument and voice. The current junior high and senior high faculty are pictured below.

Opportunities for enrichment in music education include music theory, music history, jazz improvisation, vocal techniques, rhythmic fitness, rock painting, ukuleles and so much more. Many recreational activities are also included in the daily camp schedule.

Here at Rushmore Music Camp we are all about...

Making Music . . . Making Friends!

In Loving Memory:

Ellen Diischer, passed away in 2024 at age 72 after a courageous battle with cancer. Ellen was the "Queen Mother" of Rushmore Music Camp, working for 45 years at the camp. She taught oboe and defended her double reed students tirelessly against jokes from all sections of the band. She could often be found scraping reeds and crowing on completed reeds with her students. She played oboe at every recital, knowing that many school music programs do not have oboe students. One of her favorite recital pieces was "Gabriel's Oboe". She kept up with her oboe students all year long, reuniting with them at camp each summer.

Ellen served as the RMC choir director during most of her years at Rushmore Music Camp. She led the choirs at both levels and also directed the Rushmore Singers. She brought students together from across the Midwest through activities like body scales, creative echo-singing, laughter, conducting with a tiara and magic wand, painting words with pudding, throwing frisbees over Mount Rushmore, and selecting music that would sound well "on the mountain". She rehearsed enthusiastically and efficiently, knowing that time with her choirs was brief. She believed strongly in the message of the songs she selected, making them both meaningful and entertaining. Every student returned home from RMC Choir with inspiration to share in their schools.

Ellen was a Board member for Rushmore Music Camp where she shared her creative ideas, her belief in the mission of the camp, and her leadership. For many years she was responsible for selecting and training musicians to be camp counselors who shared her passion for music, her work ethic, and her values of service and integrity. These camp counselors have gone on to keep music at the core of who they are, just as Ellen did.

Outside of Rushmore Music Camp, Ellen directed choirs, youth musicals and handbell choirs at St. Phillip's Lutheran Church in Hastings, MN. She was a private oboe teacher for dedicated students from the Midwest. She performed in several Twin Cities orchestras and regularly served as a clinician and judge for regional music programs. While following her husband John's military career, she also conducted in England, Arizonaand at the University of North Dakota. Alongside all of these activities, Ellen was a tireless promoter of Rushmore Music Camp. It was not uncommon for her to drive several students to camp every year in a big white van with a trailer of equipment in tow.

Making music.....making friends was always a huge part of who Ellen was. A scholarship fund has been established in her memory to support RMC music students in the future. Contributions will be gratefully accepted at any time to pay tribute to Ellen and all she has done for Rushmore Music Camp.

Lois Hedge was the co-founder of Rushmore Music Camp along with her husband Paul Hedge. It was their dream to begin a music camp in the beautiful Black Hills where area musicians could come to be inspired, study with talented staff and get opportunities not already offered in the area. Rushmore Music Camp has continued for more than half a century and has been the inspiration for several other regional music camps across the United States. Rushmore Music Camp was set up by the Hedges to be successful far beyond their years at camp.

Both Paul and Lois were talented musicians, dreamers and organizers. Lois had a professional career throughout her entire lifetime as a librarian at schools, communities and even senior housing libraries. This made her uniquely qualified to organize people, schedules, budgets and funding. She wanted students at Rushmore Music Camp to study with the best teachers, perform in beautiful settings, make friends and have recreational opportunities. Recreation included hiking, volleyball, water slides, swimming, riding the 1880 Train, basketball and "Olympic games" that were noted on the charts she regularly created. She instituted the inspection of Clean and Dirty cabins with winners either earning rewards or extra duties. She watched carefully for students or staff who needed a kind word or additional assistance during busy camp weeks. She truly cared about everything ranging from the need for a bandage to home-sickness, a broken reed or more difficult life-problems.

In her retirement years, Lois always kept track of what was going on at the camp. She paid attention to recitals and concerts, printed brochures, camp promotion and the lives of all who had been a part of RMC. She enjoyed seeing the continued success of the camps and attended whenever she was able. She was very happy to be a part of a 50th year anniversary celebration recognizing the start of Rushmore Music Camp. Lois passed away in 2024 knowing that the camps were set up for continued success. A legacy fund has been established in tribute to Lois , helping with the needs of the camp as well as with scholarships. Donations continue to be gratefully accepted through RMC Camp Registrar Peggy Letcher or any of the RMC Board members.