4th Annual • Joy Circle Arts • Music & Art Camp
ART & RHYTHM CAMP!
JULY 27 TO 31, 2026
From 9 am to 2 pm
Ages 5 - 10
Art & Rhythm Camp is back for its 4th year!
(Music & Art Camp :)
We're excited to bring back to Gainesville families our one-of-a-kind one week-Summer Art and Music Experience for children, which is unlike any other program offered in the community!
In our joyful, magical camp children make original art, drum, sing, dance, play, and learn, inspired by storytelling, intentional activities and flow.
At the end of the week, families are invited to join us for a special Friday evening gathering, a presentation and art exhibition, featuring a live performance by Aboubacar Sylla alongside the children. It’s a joyful celebration of everything they’ve created and learned during camp!
Five days of music and art immersion in a small, nurturing group — guided by visual artist Mariana Oppel and Master Percussionist Aboubacar Sylla, from Guinea, West Africa, two professional artists who bring their full hearts to this work.
We have listened to your feedback, this year we’ve added a full extra hour each day, so there’s even more time to create, explore and enjoy!
9 am-2pm
JULY 27 TO 31, 2026
Location: Morning Meadow Preschool - 813 NW 6th St, Gainesville, FL 32601
Art & Rhythm Camp daily activities from Monday to Friday include
Morning circle - We start each day all together around a circle with movement, song, games and sharing.
West African drumming - Children learn to play djembe, sing, and dance with Aboubacar Sylla — and discover the stories, language, and culture of Guinea.
Snack break *
Storytelling - We will read stories about art, artists, creativity, nature and music subjects.
Art making - Ceramics, painting, construction/sculpture and creative crafts facilitated by Mariana Oppel. This year there’s a theme that weaves through the camp, The Forest. Each day’s project builds on the last, so that by Friday everything comes together into something we created as a group.
Free time to create and explore and play - We will also offer other materials for the children who want to continue exploring and creating apart from the main Art project that we do together alongside free play time which the children ask for and need!
Lunch *
Closing circle each day.
*Children will bring their own snacks and lunch.
What your child also receives
High-quality instruction from professional artist-educators, and space and time to explore art and play. Immersion in West African music, culture, and stories - Original art projects designed specifically for this group.
A small, intimate group experience, a nurturing space where each child is seen, celebrated, and encouraged to be their unique creative self.
Thoughtfully designed, Waldorf-inspired daily rhythm where every experience flows naturally into the next and there’s also time to breathe and be.
Friday Showcase: A Friday evening celebration where families are invited to see the children’s artwork, listen to them drum, and celebrate their creativity!
All art materials and instruments included.
The children will be immersed not only in art and music, but in a nurturing environment that encourages creativity, compassion, kindness, and a deep sense of care—for one another and for the world. It is a space where each child is seen, celebrated, and empowered to be their own unique, creative self.
Facilitators
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Mariana Oppel was born an artist and has been making art for nearly fifty years across a wide range of mediums. Formally trained in Commercial Art, she has worked as an illustrator and graphic and web designer. Over the years, making art became teaching art to children and adults in private studios and school settings — and teaching art became training as an Expressive Arts Facilitator, finding in creativity a powerful means of helping others access self-knowledge and self-expression. Through years of involvement with Waldorf schools as both a mother and an art teacher, she has developed a heartfelt, personal knowing of the Waldorf spirit. Art is not just something that she does, it is a way of being and living.
Artist · Illustrator · Expressive Arts Facilitator
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Aboubacar Sylla is a master percussionist, musician, performer and teacher of West African music and dance, as well as a traditional instrument builder. Aboubacar has been performing professionally for over 20 years, and teaches and shares the music, dance and culture of West Africa throughout the United States and around the world.
Master Percussionist • West African Music, Drum and Dance
