Directors & Coordinators

Becky Schmidt teaches general music, beginning band, beginning orchestra and choir in the Derby School Distrist. She has played organ at her church since 1998. At church she is also is the choir and bell choir directors. In the spring she accompanies multiple middle school festivals and KSHSAA music festivals. She also teaches private lessons for piano, organ, and wind instuments. She received her Associate's Degree from Butler County Community College and her Bachelor's in Music Education from Wichita State University. In 2024, she was the recipient of SCKMEA Elementary Teacher of the Year. Becky enjoys teaching chimes, piano, and woodwinds, as well as doing many of the organizational tasks for Camp Allegro Wichita. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, being a grandma, hiking, and diamond painting. 

Martiya Stuewe has participated in Camp Allegro Wichita for 23 years. She started out participating in Kinderlab as a camper and is now the Assistant Camp Director. Camp Allegro Wichita influenced Martiya’s musical journey. She started learning instruments at a young age. In school, she started playing oboe, saxophone, sang in choir and was a drum major for 2 years. She participated in the Youth Symphony Orchestras for 5 years. After high school, she attended Wichita State University for music education until she left to follow her passion of caring for children. She married her childhood sweetheart and adopted two fur babies, then had a baby boy in 2024. She is a full time toddler wrestler as well as a photographer and an artist. 

Laura Hammes Black has been a part of Camp Allegro Wichita since it began.  She is the Artistic Director and Strings Coordinator. She grew up in Ithaca, NY and received her bachelor's degree in violin performance at the University of Michigan and her master's degree in music performance from Indiana University. Laura teaches at Bethany College and Friends University, as well as in her private studio.  She has played in the Wichita Symphony since 1986.  At Camp Allegro Wichita, Laura teaches strings and helps create the schedules and ensembles in addition to her director and coordinator responsibilities. Laura's favorite thing at camp is seeing how the campers change from the first day, when people are quiet and don’t know each other, compared to the last day, when everyone is smiling and having a great time, both musically and socially.  We hope to see you at camp this summer!

Joel Knudsen is the Piano Coordinator for Camp Allegro Wichita. He has a Masters in Piano Performance. In his professional career, he has been a pianist for the Wichita Symphony Orchestra for 31 years, Professor of Music at Butler Community College for 25 years, and a  private piano and music theory teacher for 50 years. Joel has taught at Camp Allegro since 2001. His coordinator responsibilities include assisting with auditions, creating piano ensembles based on campers skill level, and selecting music. During camp, he coaches ensembles and teaches lessons, theory, composition, and jazz improv.

Jayme Hayes is the Band Coordinator for Camp Allegro Wichita. In addition to her coordinator responsibilities, she teaches a variety of classes specializing in low brass. She is the Director of Bands at Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Magnet Middle School in Wichita, KS. She earned her bachelor's degrees in Tuba Performance and Music Education from Wichita State University, and her master's degree in Band from the American Band College in Ashland, OR through Sam Houston State University. Hayes has taught Band, Choir, and Orchestra throughout her career, but has spent most of her time teaching 5-12 Band. She received the Kansas Band Masters Association’s Outstanding Young Bandmaster Award in 2016 and was selected as a 2022 40 under 40 Yamaha Music Educator. Hayes is the SCKMEA Middle School Honor Band Co-Chair, the SCKMEA Music Advocacy Co-Chair, and the KBA Middle School Honor Band Co-Chair. Hayes has been the clinician for various honor bands around the state and also hosts her own summer band camp for her current and past students at Mayberry Middle School. Jayme and her husband Charles have three wonderful children. You can often catch them remodeling their home, going camping, and hiking in the mountains with their dog Trinitey. 

Jackson Poe is currently a Music Education major at Wichita State University. He has lived his entire life surrounded by music, growing a deep love for creating and performing. On top of that, Jackson is fueled by his desire to spread the joy of music to others. He started performing at a young age before fully committing to music education as a career path as a senior in high school. Poe has joined multiple local music groups throughout the years, ranging from rock, indie, and jazz, to country and gospel. He has even joined one group as they toured the country! Using his wide range of experiences, he aims to cultivate a unique learning space for his students. His goal is to meet them where they are and give them the best tools and knowledge to accomplish their goals with music. When he is not surrounding himself with music, Jackson likes to spend time with his family and friends. It doesn’t matter what he does, as long as he is with people that can make him smile and laugh. He is very excited to get to know the students at camp this year, and hopes to see you there!