Vocal Music Director, 2024 - 2026
Singer, Actor, Director, Choreographer
Sioux City, Iowa
Daniel Oldenkamp is in his second year as the choir director and show choir director for grades 6 - 12 at Westwood Community School in Sloan, Iowa. Prior to teaching at Westwood, he was the music director at Grace Lutheran Church in Wayne, Neb. Oldenkamp graduated from Wayne State College in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in K-12 Vocal Music Education. While enrolled there, he sang in the men’s chorus Fortis, the concert choir and the chamber choir. He has an extensive performance background.
In college, Oldenkamp competed in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Auditions, where he was a regional finalist in the classical category and a semifinalist in the musical theater category.
While not teaching you can still find him on stage singing with the Missouri River Choral Society or Salus Vocal Ensemble. He is very involved in community theatre, most recently serving as the music director at the Little Red Hen Theater in Wakefield, Neb. Oldenkamp has been involved in over 25 shows in the Siouxland area, serving as an actor, director, music director, choreographer and technical director. He enjoys spending time with his fiancee Eve, who he has worked alongside on many musical projects including “Beauty and the Beast,” “Pippin” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
Westwood Choreographer, 2023 - 2026
Clinician, Adjudicator, Conductor
Chicago, Ill.
Raised in Auburn, Ala., Farlanda Buchannon found his love for the arts through vast choral experiences and the harmonious melodies of Southern gospel music. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in music. A nationally known clinician, adjudicator, choreographer and conductor, Buchannon received Best Choreographer of 2023 by the Chicago Reader. As the former conductor and choreographer for Uniting Voices Chicago, he directly advanced the music education of over 4,000 youth. He travels throughout the United States as a highly sought after freelance choreographer for several competitive show choirs.
Westwood Choreographer, 2025 - 2026
Choreographer, Adjudicator, Performer
Omaha, Neb.
James Mankle is an award-winning choreographer, adjudicator and performer from Omaha, Neb. Throughout his career, Mankle has worked and collaborated with more than 30 middle school, high school and collegiate show choirs, while also adjudicating competitions throughout the Midwest and beyond.
When Mankle is not working in the show choir world, he is the lead electric guitarist for Kevin McClure, an emerging artist representing Good Life Records and a three-year Omaha Entertainment & Arts Awards nominee.
In 2021, Mankle received a Bachelor of Arts in theatre from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.