Teen Summer Camps

Morning Session

Have you ever wanted to see a simple design of your own creation come to life? In this camp, students will be doing just that. Autodesk Maya is a 3D animating and rendering program that is the industry standard, used by both game studios like Rockstar and Riot, and animation studios like DreamWorks and Pixar. Students will begin with a simple character on paper, and end with a brief animation of that same character in 3D space after giving it textures and bones. This will give students a vital foot in the door into the world of 3D modeling and animating.

About the Instructor

Alex Burdett is an instructor of Animation at Villa Maria College. She holds a BFA in Animation and has done small studio work, as well as freelance and collaborative animation projects. Her hope is that others find as much enthusiasm for creating in 3D space as she has.

Morning Session

Scratch is a visual coding tool where students of any age can engage. It is a type of block programming which uses graphical blocks to represent programming commands. Students can use Scratch to code their own interactive stories, animation, and games. This platform will also provide sprite assets and opportunities to share your artwork. Students will learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively. In this camp, they will be capable of creating their own game as a team through Scratch and start their journey into coding.

About the Instructor

Eddie A. Mas is an Adjunct Professor for Game Design and the Coach for E-Sports at Villa Maria College. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Game Design from Full Sail University, a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Arts from Canisius College, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from SUNY at Buffalo State.

Morning Session

This camp will give writers the opportunity to finally get all their fantastical thoughts down on paper.  Learn the basics of world building and creating a compelling story. Here, you can customize the rules of your own setting. Writers will examine a range of fictional worlds through novels, short stories, and popular culture examples in order to inspire and strengthen their own story settings. Along the way, learn some tips and tricks on how to overcome writer’s block and how to keep a story going.

About the Instructor

Aryanna Denk holds her BA in English and Creative Writing and her MFA in Creative Writing: Fiction. She has taught many workshops and classes on the craft of writing everything from disability representation to early college composition and short stories. In addition to writing, she has editorial experience as Assistant Fiction Editor of Mid-American Review as well as Poetry Editor of Blanket Sea. She is the author of two novels-in-verse on topics of disability and mental health and has fiction, poetry, and essays published in Lily Poetry Review, The Merrimack Review, Tule Review, Blanket Sea, Healthline, Pain Resource, and others.

Morning Session

Explore the use of plaster in art to create three-dimensional pieces, employing a variety of materials to craft beautiful artwork.  Create self-portraits in the style of the Renaissance period through painting.
The objective of this camp is to refine our skills and provide a platform for expressing our creativity. These projects will take time to create and dry and will take a couple days to complete and paint for the final presentation/last day of camp. You will spend 2 days on the self-portrait and 3 days on the plaster project and painting.
Professor Williams is also offering the honor of showcasing your artwork in her studio & Art gallery located at 1271 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216.

About the Instructor

Princessa S. Williams-Figueroa. Art gallery and studio is the s first and only Art Gallery owned by a female Afro-Latina Millennial; named after the Founder and Curator herself… Although she’s been publicized for her murals in the Buffalo and Niagara region, she’s best known for her exhilarating canvas Artwork. For nearly 30 years it’s been her dream to have a Gallery of her own, and now this 2,200 square foot gallery is plastered with her acrylic Art, which is one of her favorite mediums. From Abstract to realism, and spiritual and cubism, you’ll find a plethora of different genres depending on her collections. Due to her partnerships with Buffalo Public School (BPS) and People Inc., Princessa now offers private instruction courses to children, the elderly and special needs individuals. Her public services include, but are not limited to, Couples’ painting, Team Building, Therapeutic Arts, Jewelry Making and Resin work. With the sense of unity, Princessa opens her walls and floor space to the community. Others with small businesses and in the arts world, are now using her space to host their own classes such as Candle making, Waist beads assembling, Silent Discos, Private events (such as After passes, Birthday celebrations and Family gatherings), Yoga, Organization meetings, Fundraisers, Vendor events and religious gatherings.

Afternoon Session

Students will spend the camp getting to know themselves as learners and future college students.  They will have the opportunity to explore their own personal strengths and needs and what majors and future careers align with those strengths.   They will learn how to use their individual strengths to aid in future successes.  Students will search for what colleges offer the majors they are interested in. Students will have the opportunity to fill out real job applications, create their own professional resume and cover letter, search (and apply) for part-time jobs.  Students will view a real college course syllabus and course requirements to familiarize themselves with college level work.  There is no time like the present to prepare for your future!

About the Instructor

Jill Manka is the Career Readiness Specialist for the Achieve Program at Villa Maria College.  Jill has created and implemented a Career Readiness Program designed for students to develop and acquire the tools they need throughout their college experience to help them become “career ready” upon graduation.  Jill attended Buffalo State College, where she received her bachelors in elementary education and a master’s degree in English education. Jill has dedicated her adult life to helping people gain the tools and independence desired to be a successful college student and eventually a contributing member of the workforce.

Afternoon Session

Put your love of drawing and cartoons into action! Work singly or in small groups to make a bite-sized animated film. We’ll provide a stylus and Wacom tablet and you’ll be creating immediately!

In this camp, students will discuss the foundational principles of animation – the stuff that makes animation work – and plan and animate a short film using Toon Boom Harmony. Harmony is the industry standard for 2D animation and is used for television and streaming shows (Bob’s Burgers, Rick and Morty and The Simpsons) and even movies (Klaus).

About the Instructor

Joshua Muntain is an associate professor in Animation at Villa Maria College. He has an MFA in animation from Savannah College of Art & Design, a background in media arts education and spent 14 years creating media for Fisher-Price.  

Afternoon Session

Learn the basics with the latest technology. Students will gain a better understanding of digital recording through hands on learning using the latest software and the basics of digital recording. Topics include learning professional software used in the music industry; gaining an understanding of how music is recorded; microphone techniques; and hands-on recording sessions. You will have the opportunity to meet Musicians and professionals from the industry who will share their knowledge and experiences.

About the Instructor

Anthony Casuccio is a 25-year music industry veteran. From Grammys to gold records, Mozart to Heavy Metal, Hip Hop to House, Anthony has worked with hundreds of musicians mixing and mastering their projects. He has worked on three Grammy nominated albums. His jingle work has been featured in many local and national commercials. Anthony has written and produced numerous top 40 songs that have charted across Europe.

Afternoon Session

In this hands-on camp, campers will produce a short film of their own! Campers will learn the filmmaking process from concept to final cut, including the basics of screenwriting, on-set production, and post-production skills including video editing and sound design. Campers will work with equipment used by Digital Filmmaking students at Villa Maria College, including cameras, microphones, and lights. Campers will end the week with a screening of their work for family and friends and receive a digital copy to take home.  

About the Instructor

Sarah Mann is a Professor in the Digital Filmmaking Program at Villa Maria College. She received both her BA and MFA in film production and theory and has been on countless film sets, from student productions to indie shorts, to big-budget films that have filmed in Buffalo. She believes that everyone has a story to tell and enjoys working with others to bring it to fruition.   

Afternoon Session

This camp will focus on making the proper and creative documentation of Game Design. This documentation will cover how to properly set up the mechanics, the story, and the flow of creating a video game. The students will be able to properly format their game ideas in a cohesive manner as a team creating one game design document. This will bring individual perspectives into one collaborative experience. Through this course, they will start their path as the next generation of game designers.

About the Instructor

Eddie A. Mas is an adjunct Professor for Game Design and the Coach for E-Sports at Villa Maria College. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Game Design from Full Sail University, a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Arts from Canisius College, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from SUNY at Buffalo State.

Afternoon Session

In this camp session, you will create a hip-hop ensemble where you will learn the basics of writing songs, microphone techniques, working as a team, inventing a band name and collaborating with the recording camp. You will be able to have your original music recorded for family, friends, and future generations to enjoy! No previous music experience necessary. Musicians of all levels are welcomed. Students will have fun practicing songs in a group setting. Drums, amps & keyboards will be provided during camp hours.  

About the Instructor

Aaron Blackmon is a professional musician, entrepreneur and Buffalo native. He graduated from Buffalo State College with a Bachelors in Music and Computer Systems. From the young age of 5, Aaron had taken an interest in drums and began playing for his church. As he grew, his love for music spread to other instruments including the piano, organ, and bass guitar. His 20+ years of musical knowledge has allotted him many opportunities like becoming an adjunct professor at Villa Maria College and working alongside touring musicians such as; Chris Coleman, Gordon Campbell (session drummer), Robert Glasper (grammy award winner), Omari Williams (drummer for Boney James), Billy Young (Former keyboardist for the GAP band), PJ Morton and many more.