Northern Illinois University
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Office of External Programs

Teachers who are starting with the NIU Community School of the Arts and who have had some limited academic and teaching experience in the subject area. Most are NIU undergraduate or graduate students majoring in music, art, or theatre.

• Undergraduate students majoring in the subject area with at least one year of teaching experience.
• Graduate students specializing in the subject area with at least one year post high school teaching experience.
• College graduates who majored in the subject area and have at least one year post high school teaching experience.

Teachers who have had several years of academic and teaching experience in the subject area. Most are NIU graduate students specializing in music, art, or theatre.

• Promoted from the apprentice 1 level after two years minimum for undergraduate students and one year minimum for graduate students.
• Graduate students with at least two years post high school teaching experience.
• College graduates who majored in the subject area with at least two years post high school teaching experience.

Teachers who have taught at either the apprentice 1 level or at the apprentice 2 level and who have recently graduated from the university. Teachers remain at the apprentice 3 level for one or two years.

Teachers who have considerable academic background, are no longer students, and have taught for many years in the subject area. Most are community members with master's degrees, though for some, the bachelor's degree is the terminal degree.

• Promoted from the apprentice 2 level after two years minimum.
• Promoted from the apprentice 3 level after one-two years minimum, depending on circumstances.
• Bachelor's degree and at least six years teaching experience.
• Master's degree and at least four years teaching experience.

Advanced degree in specialized field and extensive teaching experience.

• On the faculty at NIU.

Learn more about John Novak on his NIU faculty profile.

Quentin Dover has an undergraduate degree from NIU, where he majored in music and studied guitar with Fareed Haque. He has been a private and group guitar instructor since 2001 and enjoys teaching students of all ages. He specializes in classical guitar. In addition to his teaching, he is currently working on a graduate degree at NIU in world music. He teaches a general education music class at NIU.

Aerie is excited by the fusion of musical ideas and the unique consciousness we experience when musiking together. She is an experienced teacher and has been teaching woodwind and plucked string lessons throughout Illinois' Fox Valley area since 2006.

Aerie offers private lessons in clarinet and guitar to players of all ages through NIU's Community School of the Arts. She also teaches a group guitar course for children ages 8-12.

Aerie encourages students to approach music as a personal journey and lifetime pursuit. She is proud of her students who have successfully nailed auditions, won awards, or formed bands; however, she finds particular satisfaction when she can help students who might have otherwise given up on their instruments find the spark that interests them and, as a result, find their own voice in music.

Aerie is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at NIU with a focus on Ethnomusicology. Ethnomusicology bridges multiple disciplines to explore music as a universal phenomenon within which lies infinite variety of technique, aesthetics, and function. She is a graduate teaching assistant and is responsible for teaching MUHL 220, an undergraduate World Music Appreciation course. In 2014, she completed a bachelor of Arts contract major at NIU, "Trends in World Music: Performance, Technology, and Pedagogy" with a minor in Chinese studies. A cornerstone of her program was the study and playing of Chinese traditional and modern orchestral music. Her instrument of specialization is liǔqín, a Chinese lute the performance of which relies heavily on flatpicking techniques.

She is grateful to her teacher, Professor Yung-Hsin Chen for helping to demystify Chinese musical practices and for her many hours of instruction; and to her mentor, Dr. Jui-Ching Wang, for helping to transform a simple love of music into a challenging and rewarding mental and physical study. Aerie has studied with a number of remarkable teachers including clarinetists Katherine Betts and Beverly Anderson and has happily jammed with idols such as Nik Phelps of San Francisco's Club Foot Orchestra.

She learned guitar in the folk tradition, meaning many hours spent with friends, family, and pros learning, playing, and performing. While a student at NIU, Aerie played guitar in Zambian singer-songwriter Mathew Tembo's Afro-Pop Ensemble. Aerie is also an active bassist. In addition to her own projects, she has performed on bass with Malaysian world-pop singer-songwriter Amirah Ali and with renowned qanon player Ali Amr. A member of the hard-rock group Kadooge!, Aerie's playing is featured on the album "Nothing Is Almost Everything" released in 2014.

Quentin Dover has an undergraduate degree from NIU, where he majored in music and studied guitar with Fareed Haque. He has been a private and group guitar instructor since 2001 and enjoys teaching students of all ages. He specializes in classical guitar. In addition to his teaching, he is currently working on a graduate degree at NIU in world music. He teaches a general education music class at NIU.

Nate Lin is an up and coming jazz bassist and drummer with over a dozen years of first hand experience with music education. Most recently he has been studying with renowned jazz bassist Marlene Rosenberg at Northern Illinois University where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in jazz performance. Nate is currently playing with the NIU Jazz Orchestra, NIU Jazz Ensemble and an NIU Jazz Combo. He is also studying jazz drumming with Devin Drobka and working towards developing a unique style and a more complete conception of his voice in jazz music.

Nate's mission as a bass and drum educator is to enable his students to play in whatever styles or genres they want regardless of skill level. This begins with an assessment of the students tastes, needs, goals and, if necessary, building a foundation of general proficiency. Then they embark on an intensive study of all aspects of the targeted sound including technique, musical vocabulary and equipment. This individually tailored approach results in more interest and engagement from the student, faster progress and superior results.

Thomas Cappaert recently received a performer's certificate in cello at NIU, where he studied with Professor Marc Johnson. He earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education from Eastern Michigan University and is certified to teach both Suzuki cello and Suzuki violin. He has been the orchestra director for the Indian Prairie School District and the Kalamazoo Public School District. He has a master's degree in Suzuki cello pedagogy and studied Suzuki pedagogy with Laurel Thurman at NIU. He has attended many Suzuki institutes and is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He has been principal cello with the Kishwaukee Orchestra since 2006. He taught Suzuki cello in Elgin for two years.

Frances Marshall is currently pursuing her master's degree in cello performance at NIU and studies with Cheng-Hou Lee. In 2021, Frances graduated from Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts where she studied both cello and voice, and was principal cellist of the Luther College Symphony Orchestra. In 2020, she attended the Aria International Summer Academy at Mount Holyoke College. Frances also recently received her level one Suzuki certification from Beth Catrell at the Virginia Suzuki Institute and plans to advance her certification level over the next few years.

Frances' teaching philosophy emphasizes creating a beautiful tone and the belief that anyone can make beautiful music. She is sensitive to the fact that everybody learns differently and makes it a priority to find the unique teaching style that every student needs to succeed. Frances has enjoyed teaching private lessons since 2020.

Elizabeth Newquist is a 2013 graduate from NIU with an undergraduate degree in music and political science. Her cello instructor at NIU was Avalon Quartet member Cheng-Hou Lee. She has taught private cello lessons for several years to students of all ages and abilities. She has also coached chamber groups as well as cello sectionals in the community and has been a member of the NIU Philharmonic and Kishwaukee Symphony.

In the past few years, Elizabeth has also studied the Korean martial art, Taekwondo. She has earned her 1st-degree black belt and is perusing her 2nd-degree in the summer of 2019.

Brandon Rittenour has performed as a cellist and conducted throughout the Northwest, at Carnegie Hall, in Austria, and the Czech Republic. He has coached cello, chamber performance, and conducted at various summer music programs in the Northwest. Through these experiences he discovered his passion for supporting the development of young musicians. Brandon graduated summa cum laude with his Bachelor of Music Education from Walla Walla University. While at WWU, he performed in the honors quartet, as principal cellist of the symphony orchestra, and as a cello sub for the Walla Walla Symphony. Brandon is currently pursuing his Master of Music in cello performance at Northern Illinois University, studying under the Avalon String Quartet cellist, Cheng-Hou Lee.

Brandon's experience in high school studying under Dr. John Marshall, student of Janos Starker, strongly shaped his cello education philosophy, creating an emphasis on coaching over teaching. The student must know the why so they do not simply imitate, but fully understand, and can thus apply beyond a specific example. Compelling tone, precise intonation, and overall clarity do not happen by accident. Our every action must be anticipated and intentional. Refining the mechanics of performance always serves to remove barriers to our ultimate goal, namely musicality or moving the heart of our audience.

Nelly Rocha has performed in Europe, Asia, Mexico and the United States in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Nelly participated in the Porgy and Bess 75th Anniversary National U.S. tour and the Verbier Festival Orchestra European tour. She has performed with the Distinguished Concerts International New York Orchestra, Miami Symphony, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, National Lyric Opera, Reading Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic and Manhattan Camerata.

A passionate advocate of music by women, Nelly has performed recitals featuring female composers at the International Congress of Women in Music, the Encuentro Internacional de Mujeres en el Arte and the Universal Forum of Cultures. Nelly has appeared on Mozart in the Jungle, the Late Night Show with David Letterman, WNYC's Soundcheck and can be heard in the GRAMMY award-winning album All the Ladies with Joanie Leeds, and the Sony recording Mi Alma Mexicana with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. Nelly holds a bachelor of music from the University of Houston and a master of music degree from Arizona State University.

I love teaching because of the gift of giving my students the power to express themselves through music. In order for students to be able to do so freely, they must overcome a variety of technical challenges in their playing. To achieve this, I strive to give my students a strong basis in the fundamentals of cello playing through an emphasis on scales, arpeggios and etudes.

A native of Arizona, Linc Smelser received his bachelor's degree in cello performance from the University of Arizona where he studied with Dr. Gordon Epperson, Ph.D. and received his master's degree and performer's certificate in cello performance and pedagogy at Northern Illinois University (NIU) having studied with renowned cellist and pedagogue Raya Garbousova. Advanced study included work with cellists Marc Johnson, Ron Leonard, Gabor and Peter Rejto, Heinrich Schiff, the Vermeer Quartet and pianists Richard Faith and Jerome Lowenthal.

In 2003, Mr. Smelser was appointed conductor/music director of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra in DeKalb, IL. In 2009 he was awarded Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Arts Council and in 2014 was appointed conductor/music director of the Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra. He has guest conducted the Northern Illinois University Philharmonic, the Harper Symphony Orchestra, the Fox Valley Orchestra (Aurora) and the Skokie Valley Community Orchestra. He is also conductor of the NIU Sinfonia and Symphonette, two youth symphonies that attract students from the Northern Illinois area.

Mr. Smelser has appeared as a soloist with Camerata Chicago, Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, the NIU Philharmonic and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and has twice appeared in recital on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts Series in Chicago, which is broadcast live on over 44 stations across the United States. He has won several awards including first prize of the National Society of Arts and Letters Chapter Competition, top prize of the National Federation of Music Clubs Regional Competition and first prize of the International Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Competition.

Mr. Smelser has been a member of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra Cello section since 1992 and has been an active substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1997, having most recently embarked on his 12th international tour with the symphony. He continues to perform in The Three Celli, a chamber ensemble with cellists Stephen Balderston and Brant Taylor, throughout the Northern Illinois Area.

Mr. Smelser has most recently been appointed a faculty member of the Music Institute of Chicago in Winnetka. He is also a faculty member the NIU School of Music and has been teaching private cello lessons through the NIU Community School of the Arts since 1988. He served as guest lecturer of cello at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music from 2006-2016 and is currently on the faculty of both the Chicago Suzuki Institute and the American Suzuki Institute and is pianist/accompanist of the NIU Suzuki program.

Katelyn has a passion for sharing her love of music with others and is dedicated to educational success. While she completed her associate of science degree at Kishwaukee College, she was a part of the Performing Arts Club and studied keyboard, voice, and guitar. Currently, she is pursuing her bachelor's degree in music education at NIU and is studying clarinet with Gregory Barrett. She is a highly motivated individual, eager to contribute to team success through hard work.

Katelyn has performed in a large variety of settings including the NIU Wind Symphony, NIU Wind Ensemble, NIU Chamber Group, NIU Huskie Marching Band, and NIU Sinfonia. She also played clarinet with the Kishwaukee Concert Band, DeKalb and Rochelle Municipal Summer Bandshell, and was principal clarinetist and ringer of the Illinois Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. She is currently hired as the Esmond United Methodist Church pianist, and has been a music provider for the Rochelle United Methodist Church in their handbell choir, singing choir, and played violin and clarinet in small ensembles during church services. She is a previous teacher’s assistant for band, choir, and strings classes in the Greater Rochelle Area Christian Education School and served as the camp counselor and clarinet sectional leader in the Maranatha Baptist College Band Camp.

Learn more about Gregory Barrett on his NIU faculty profile.

Aerie is excited by the fusion of musical ideas and the unique consciousness we experience when musiking together. She is an experienced teacher and has been teaching woodwind and plucked string lessons throughout Illinois' Fox Valley area since 2006.

Aerie offers private lessons in clarinet and guitar to players of all ages through NIU's Community School of the Arts. She also teaches a group guitar course for children ages 8-12.

Aerie encourages students to approach music as a personal journey and lifetime pursuit. She is proud of her students who have successfully nailed auditions, won awards, or formed bands; however, she finds particular satisfaction when she can help students who might have otherwise given up on their instruments find the spark that interests them and, as a result, find their own voice in music.

Aerie is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at NIU with a focus on Ethnomusicology. Ethnomusicology bridges multiple disciplines to explore music as a universal phenomenon within which lies infinite variety of technique, aesthetics, and function. She is a graduate teaching assistant and is responsible for teaching MUHL 220, an undergraduate World Music Appreciation course. In 2014, she completed a bachelor of Arts contract major at NIU, "Trends in World Music: Performance, Technology, and Pedagogy" with a minor in Chinese studies. A cornerstone of her program was the study and playing of Chinese traditional and modern orchestral music. Her instrument of specialization is liǔqín, a Chinese lute the performance of which relies heavily on flatpicking techniques.

She is grateful to her teacher, Professor Yung-Hsin Chen for helping to demystify Chinese musical practices and for her many hours of instruction; and to her mentor, Jui-Ching Wang, for helping to transform a simple love of music into a challenging and rewarding mental and physical study. Aerie has studied with a number of remarkable teachers including clarinetists Katherine Betts and Beverly Anderson and has happily jammed with idols such as Nik Phelps of San Francisco's Club Foot Orchestra.

She learned guitar in the folk tradition, meaning many hours spent with friends, family, and pros learning, playing, and performing. While a student at NIU, Aerie played guitar in Zambian singer-songwriter Mathew Tembo's Afro-Pop Ensemble. Aerie is also an active bassist. In addition to her own projects, she has performed on bass with Malaysian world-pop singer-songwriter Amirah Ali and with renowned qanon player Ali Amr. A member of the hard-rock group Kadooge!, Aerie's playing is featured on the album "Nothing Is Almost Everything" released in 2014.

Kayla Bivin is a music composition student at NIU and will be in the graduating class of 2023. She currently studies clarinet with Gregory Barrett and has played in numerous NIU ensembles, including the Huskie Marching Band, the Wind Ensemble and the Philharmonic. She has studied classical piano for over ten years. She also loves to sing and is learning the flute.

Kayla believes in creating a supportive learning environment that emphasizes personal growth and will ask students to think about their own strengths and areas for improvement. She wishes to help her students have fun playing music and find joy in discovery.

Karli Bunn is attending Northern Illinois University for jazz studies, learning from saxophonist Geof Bradfield and pianist Reggie Thomas. She has played with Wycliffe Gordon, Victor Goines, Marcus Printup, among others. Classically, Karli studies with Thomas Snydacker, and has worked with members of the Prism Quartet, as well as with Holmes, the principle saxophonist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Karli has played with the Josh Duffee Orchestra, the Manny Lopez Big Band, Ten of Soul, the Ken Paulsen Orchestra, the Quad Cities KIX Orchestra, and the Tony Hamilton Orchestra. Classically, she has also played with Maquoketa's community wind ensemble. At NIU, she has been in a variety of ensembles: Jazz Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, the Huskie Marching Band, the Sandy Beaches jazz combo, University Chorus, and the Vermilion Saxophone Quartet. In addition to being a saxophonist, Karli is a pianist, vocalist, and a doubler, playing woodwinds including the clarinet, bass clarinet and flute.

Nate Lin is an up and coming jazz bassist and drummer with over a dozen years of first hand experience with music education. Most recently he has been studying with renowned jazz bassist Marlene Rosenberg at Northern Illinois University where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in jazz performance. Nate is currently playing with the NIU Jazz Orchestra, NIU Jazz Ensemble and an NIU Jazz Combo. He is also studying jazz drumming with Devin Drobka and working towards developing a unique style and a more complete conception of his voice in jazz music.

Nate's mission as a bass and drum educator is to enable his students to play in whatever styles or genres they want regardless of skill level. This begins with an assessment of the student's tastes, needs, goals and, if necessary, building a foundation of general proficiency. Then they embark on an intensive study of all aspects of the targeted sound including technique, musical vocabulary and equipment. This individually tailored approach results in more interest and engagement from the student, faster progress and superior results.

Karl Olsen is a versatile percussionist and drummer. In high school, he played in the marching band, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, and percussion ensemble at DeKalb. Karl currently plays in similar ensembles at NIU, drums on his church's worship team, and drums in a local cover band that plays music ranging from classic rock to pop!

Out of his passion for music and teaching, Karl is studying to teach music as a career at Northern Illinois University, working privately with Gregory Beyer, Ben Wahlund, and Devin Drobka. Karl has taught lessons for a few years, working with students on drum set, snare drum and keyboard percussion playing.

In teaching, Karl aims to help students grow both technically as drummers and generally as musicians. Enjoying music, goal setting, consistent practice, effort, and growing basic life skills are major themes in lessons.

Kurt Bonamer is a founding member of the Molten Brass Quintet at NIU; the group was invited to perform at the Honors Convocation in Spring 2012. He has played with the Protege Philharmonic in Chicago and has also performed with the Wheaton Municipal Band, as well as with the NIU Philharmonic, NIU Wind Ensemble, NIU Wind Symphony and the NIU New Music Ensemble. He has taught lessons for the past year.

Julia Broome-Robinson is a trombonist and teacher currently based in Northern Illinois. She has multiple degrees in music, including a doctorate in trombone performance from Arizona State University. Most recently, Julia taught MUHL 220: Introduction to Western Music Traditions at the Northern Illinois University School of Music, and is active in the region as a private lesson teacher for low brass and piano students of all ages and ability levels. Julia has also taught as a full-time sabbatical replacement at the University of Redlands, where she was the acting trombone studio Instructor. In this position, Julia taught both undergraduate and graduate trombonists, guided recital and audition preparation, and taught the weekly trombone studio class. As a graduate assistant at Arizona State University, she was the assistant director for the ASU Desert Bones trombone choir, taught the trombone portion of a brass methods course for music education majors and gave weekly lessons to undergraduate trombone students.

Julia began studying piano at the age of four and continued her formal piano studies for the next 15 years. While she ultimately focused her formal music education on the trombone, piano has remained a constant part of her career. As a collaborative pianist, Julia has performed on numerous recitals, and as a composer, has written and performed works for both solo piano and mixed chamber ensemble groups.

As a teacher, Julia prioritizes the needs and interests of her students, while maintaining a structured and rigorous learning environment. She encourages composition and creative problem solving, but also helps her students develop a detail-oriented approach to their musical study. Julia believes that natural body mechanics form an ideal foundation for technical mastery, and incorporates the teachings of the famed tubist and pedagogue Arnold Jacobs into her own teaching when helpful and appropriate. Overall, Julia believes that learning music should be fun, and aims to foster a positive, self-motivated attitude in all her students.

Ryne Dresbach is an aspiring tubist and lesson teacher. He is from Streator in Starved Rock Country, which is in north-central Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance Degree from the University of Illinois and is currently a candidate for a Master of Music Performance Degree from Northern Illinois University.

Mr. Dresbach is the Principal Tubist of the Fox Valley Orchestra in Aurora, Illinois. He has also performed with such groups as the NIU Philharmonic Orchestra, the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the University of Illinois Wind Symphony, the Illinois Modern Ensemble, the Brass Band of Central Illinois, the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Dresbach taught private lessons while working at Tonica Grade School in Tonica, IL. He is open to teaching tuba, euphonium, and trombone students.

Dennis Meacham is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a master's degree in tuba performance. Currently, he teaches in the Rockford Public School District and he also teaches privately throughout northern Illinois. He enjoys working with students of all ages and helping students grow as individuals in their music education. He has performed in various ensembles throughout northern Illinois including The Fox Valley Brass Band, The Pegasus Wind Ensemble, NIU Philharmonic and several chamber ensembles.

In his teaching, Dennis aims to provide each of his students with a unique approach to their learning. His goal is to create well-rounded and self-motivated learners. He does this by giving them the tools to be self-critical, goal-oriented and solution-minded.

Omar Tlatelpa Nieto is the current Graduate Assistant for the Brass Area at the NIU School of Music. A native of the Chicago area, Mr. Tlatelpa first picked up the trombone in fifth grade. From middle school through high school, he studied trombone under Tim Riordan at the Merit School of Music in Chicago. As a high school student, he was also a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2018, he was featured on NPR’s “From the Top” with The Bone Rangers, Merit’s honors trombone quartet. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University, where he studied with Tim Albright and was a recipient of the Tom and Julie Hurvis Scholarship. Mr. Tlatelpa has experience in a wide range of musical styles, including symphonic, jazz, chamber, and new music.

As a teacher, Mr. Tlatelpa believes in fostering creative and thoughtful musicality with a sound technical foundation. As every student is different, he believes in meeting the student where they are, cultivating a well-rounded musician who has the tools and confidence to face any challenge head on. Overall, Mr. Tlatelpa’s goal is to help each student grow to be the best they can be as a musician and person.

As an undergraduate student at NIU, Chanel Antoshin strives to surround herself with musicality. She is diverse in the idea of performing including performing in NIU’s Philharmonic, Marching Band, chamber settings as well as loads of solo repertoire to be a well-rounded musician. Chanel is an EYSO alumni and performed as the 2020 Young Artist’s Concerto Competition winner at EYSO. She has also participated in the District 9 ILMEA orchestra and band. Chanel currently studies with Scott Metlicka and previously with Ruth Cavanaugh for three years.

She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Russian to attend to any needs. Chanel believes that establishing a good sense of basics that include solidified tone quality, technique, routine, and musicality are crucial in building and benefiting ones musicianship. She hopes to share all she knows with her students to make music more than just notes through establishing basics and building from there. Music is fun and she hopes to share that fun with you!

To find videos of Chanel playing, you may visit her Instagram: @musicwithchanel

Aerie is excited by the fusion of musical ideas and the unique consciousness we experience when musiking together. She is an experienced teacher and has been teaching woodwind and plucked string lessons throughout Illinois' Fox Valley area since 2006.

Aerie offers private lessons in clarinet and guitar to players of all ages through NIU's Community School of the Arts. She also teaches a group guitar course for children ages 8-12.

Aerie encourages students to approach music as a personal journey and lifetime pursuit. She is proud of her students who have successfully nailed auditions, won awards, or formed bands; however, she finds particular satisfaction when she can help students who might have otherwise given up on their instruments find the spark that interests them and, as a result, find their own voice in music.

Aerie is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at NIU with a focus on Ethnomusicology. Ethnomusicology bridges multiple disciplines to explore music as a universal phenomenon within which lies infinite variety of technique, aesthetics, and function. She is a graduate teaching assistant and is responsible for teaching MUHL 220, an undergraduate World Music Appreciation course. In 2014, she completed a bachelor of Arts contract major at NIU, "Trends in World Music: Performance, Technology, and Pedagogy" with a minor in Chinese studies. A cornerstone of her program was the study and playing of Chinese traditional and modern orchestral music. Her instrument of specialization is liǔqín, a Chinese lute the performance of which relies heavily on flatpicking techniques.

She is grateful to her teacher, Professor Yung-Hsin Chen for helping to demystify Chinese musical practices and for her many hours of instruction; and to her mentor, Jui-Ching Wang, for helping to transform a simple love of music into a challenging and rewarding mental and physical study. Aerie has studied with a number of remarkable teachers including clarinetists Katherine Betts and Beverly Anderson and has happily jammed with idols such as Nik Phelps of San Francisco's Club Foot Orchestra.

She learned guitar in the folk tradition, meaning many hours spent with friends, family, and pros learning, playing, and performing. While a student at NIU, Aerie played guitar in Zambian singer-songwriter Mathew Tembo's Afro-Pop Ensemble. Aerie is also an active bassist. In addition to her own projects, she has performed on bass with Malaysian world-pop singer-songwriter Amirah Ali and with renowned qanon player Ali Amr. A member of the hard-rock group Kadooge!, Aerie's playing is featured on the album "Nothing Is Almost Everything" released in 2014.

Karli Bunn is attending Northern Illinois University for jazz studies, learning from saxophonist Geof Bradfield and pianist Reggie Thomas. She has played with Wycliffe Gordon, Victor Goines, Marcus Printup, among others. Classically, Karli studies with Thomas Snydacker, and has worked with members of the Prism Quartet, as well as with Dr. Holmes, the principle saxophonist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Karli has played with the Josh Duffee Orchestra, the Manny Lopez Big Band, Ten of Soul, the Ken Paulsen Orchestra, the Quad Cities KIX Orchestra, and the Tony Hamilton Orchestra. Classically, she has also played with Maquoketa's community wind ensemble. At NIU, she has been in a variety of ensembles: Jazz Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, the Huskie Marching Band, the Sandy Beaches jazz combo, University Chorus, and the Vermilion Saxophone Quartet. In addition to being a saxophonist, Karli is a pianist, vocalist, and a doubler, playing woodwinds including the clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute.

With an encouraging and loving teaching style, Gianna Capobianco's students will establish a strong foundation in the fundamentals of music such as: rhythm, tone, technique, musicality, note-reading, posture, embouchure and practice techniques. She enjoys mentoring students of all ages and abilities through the technical, musical, and emotional aspects of music and getting to know them on a personal level.

Cheryl Haines has a master's degree in music performance from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor's degree in music education and performance from Ohio State University. She performs with a Chicago-area harp and flute duo and is a public music teacher in Illinois. She has performed as a soloist with several orchestras and has recorded three albums. She was the principal flutist for the Rockford Symphony Orchestra for 25 years. She has taught private and group lessons to children and adults for many years.

Lynn Hansen earned her degree in flute performance from DePaul University. She has taught private and group flute lessons for many years, has assisted the DeKalb band program and has taught for the community school for several years. She is principal flute with the DeKalb Municipal Band during the summer, plays piccolo and flute with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, has played for numerous Stagecoach Theatre productions and plays in other area ensembles.

Emma Hinkle is currently a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in horn performance at NIU. She earned her bachelor’s degree in horn performance at Kent State University. While at KSU she performed in many ensembles including the Brass quintet, Woodwind quintet, Wind ensemble, and Orchestra. During her undergrad, she also performed with the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra and the Tuscarawas Philharmonic. She is currently in the Symphony Orchestra, Wind ensemble, and Graduate Brass Quintet at NIU. During the summer, she works at the International Music Camp and has the opportunity to teach students from all over the world and get to work alongside and study with professional musicians. Some of her musical mentors include Kent Larmee, Jungho Kim, Wendy Matthews, Steve Stroup, Marshall Sealy, Larry Griffin, and Renee Vogen.

As a teacher, Emma hopes to inspire musicians pursuing their passion and provide an opportunity to continue their learning. Music is for everyone and should be a fun, fulfilling craft to learn. In her lessons, instruction will be individualized based on the students' needs and learning techniques. Students will continue to learn about the horn and how to improve their playing through different styles, basic music theory, and overall becoming a well-rounded musician.

Shae McCabe is a current undergraduate music education student at NIU. In the past, they have been seen conducting choirs at Oswego High School, leading the show choir, running a horn quartet and more. They participated in District 9 of ILMEA both on voice and horn and went to the 2022 All-State for Future Music Educators. Having studied music with Rachel Maxwell, Kevin Schoenbach, Susan Osvath, Mark Baglione, Michael Thoms and more, they are excited to pass down knowledge of all music. At NIU they can be seen performing with the Horn Ensemble, Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Choir and Huskie Marching Band.

As a music teacher, Shae aims to bring a love of all music by teaching basics, music theory and music styles to have a well-balanced knowledge of music; no matter the instrument.

Aerie is excited by the fusion of musical ideas and the unique consciousness we experience when musiking together. She is an experienced teacher and has been teaching woodwind and plucked string lessons throughout Illinois' Fox Valley area since 2006.

Aerie offers private lessons in clarinet and guitar to players of all ages through NIU's Community School of the Arts. She also teaches a group guitar course for children ages 8-12.

Aerie encourages students to approach music as a personal journey and lifetime pursuit. She is proud of her students who have successfully nailed auditions, won awards, or formed bands; however, she finds particular satisfaction when she can help students who might have otherwise given up on their instruments find the spark that interests them and, as a result, find their own voice in music.

Aerie is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at NIU with a focus on Ethnomusicology. Ethnomusicology bridges multiple disciplines to explore music as a universal phenomenon within which lies infinite variety of technique, aesthetics, and function. She is a graduate teaching assistant and is responsible for teaching MUHL 220, an undergraduate World Music Appreciation course. In 2014, she completed a bachelor of Arts contract major at NIU, "Trends in World Music: Performance, Technology and Pedagogy" with a minor in Chinese studies. A cornerstone of her program was the study and playing of Chinese traditional and modern orchestral music. Her instrument of specialization is liǔqín, a Chinese lute the performance of which relies heavily on flatpicking techniques.

She is grateful to her teacher, Professor Yung-Hsin Chen for helping to demystify Chinese musical practices and for her many hours of instruction; and to her mentor, Dr. Jui-Ching Wang, Ph.D., for helping to transform a simple love of music into a challenging and rewarding mental and physical study. Aerie has studied with a number of remarkable teachers including clarinetists Katherine Betts and Beverly Anderson and has happily jammed with idols such as Nik Phelps of San Francisco's Club Foot Orchestra.

She learned guitar in the folk tradition, meaning many hours spent with friends, family, and pros learning, playing, and performing. While a student at NIU, Aerie played guitar in Zambian singer-songwriter Mathew Tembo's Afro-Pop Ensemble. Aerie is also an active bassist. In addition to her own projects, she has performed on bass with Malaysian world-pop singer-songwriter Amirah Ali and with renowned qanon player Ali Amr. A member of the hard-rock group Kadooge!, Aerie's playing is featured on the album "Nothing Is Almost Everything" released in 2014.

Ben Crino is a Jazz guitarist and musician from East Lansing Michigan who is currently getting a master's in jazz performance at NIU. Ben's teaching style is to use the music that each specific student wants to learn as a vehicle to teach absolutely necessary fundamentals, skills and musical knowledge. Because of this, Ben has had great success in the longevity of musical study in his students even past their time studying with him. Ben also puts a large emphasis on rhythmic understanding and sensibility so that each song that the students are playing feels truly like music and is something that the students and their friends and family can dance and sing along to.

Ben's experience as a long-time student and professional musician allows him to be able to prepare students who wish to study jazz or classical music or who wish to pursue music as a professional career. Ben has had great amounts of experience teaching at all levels and finds great joy in teaching all types of music.

Quentin Dover has an undergraduate degree from NIU, where he majored in music and studied guitar with Fareed Haque. He has been a private and group guitar instructor since 2001 and enjoys teaching students of all ages. He specializes in classical guitar. In addition to his teaching, he is currently working on a graduate degree at NIU in world music. He teaches a general education music class at NIU.

Eric Schroeder enjoys teaching guitar and ukulele to students age 3 and older. He has taught guitarists as young as 2 and as old as 80. Eric finds teaching beginners exhilarating as they have not yet learned any bad habits. He has taught at the NIU CSA since 1996. In that time he has taught: guitar, including rock, jazz, classical, flamenco, country, finger style EDM covers and Suzuki guitar, ukulele in all kinds of styles, and music theory.

Eric graduated from NIU with a Masters in guitar performance, and he also teaches guitar, ukulele and world music at Rockford University and Kishwaukee College.

Fiona Hunt is a Music Performance major at NIU studying under Faye Seeman. Since starting to learn harp at age 10 she has become passionate about pursuing and sharing music. She enjoys performing in the community through recitals, competitions and ensembles. While at NIU she has played with the Wind Symphony, Harp Trio and CSA Sinfonia.

Fiona believes in learning through a variety of musical genres and creating a positive, constructive learning environment. She strives to help make the harp more accessible and spread knowledge of this unique instrument.

Learn more about Faye Seeman on her NIU faculty profile.

Quentin Dover has an undergraduate degree from NIU, where he majored in music and studied guitar with Fareed Haque. He has been a private and group guitar instructor since 2001 and enjoys teaching students of all ages. He specializes in classical guitar. In addition to his teaching, he is currently working on a graduate degree at NIU in world music. He teaches a general education music class at NIU.

Eric Schroeder enjoys teaching guitar and ukulele to students age 3 and older. He has taught guitarists as young as 2 and as old as 80. Eric finds teaching beginners exhilarating as they have not yet learned any bad habits. He has taught at the NIU CSA since 1996. In that time he has taught: guitar, including rock, jazz, classical, flamenco, country, finger style EDM covers and Suzuki guitar, ukulele in all kinds of styles and music theory.

Eric graduated from NIU with a Masters in guitar performance, and he also teaches guitar, ukulele and world music at Rockford University and Kishwaukee College.

Fernando Marroquin is an oboe master student at NIU. He is interested in always finding new ways to teach and learn better. His teaching philosophies follow the premise that it is never too late or too early to learn something, if you have the interest, you can do it. He likes to teach his students how to love what they do and give them the tools to do it better. Always ready to learn something new, he understands that students and teachers need to have a relationship where they both learn from each other to be better.

Katelyn has a passion for sharing her love of music with others and is dedicated to educational success. While she completed her associate of science degree at Kishwaukee College, she was a part of the Performing Arts Club and studied keyboard, voice, and guitar. Currently, she is pursuing her bachelor's degree in music education at NIU and is studying clarinet with Gregory Barrett. She is a highly motivated individual, eager to contribute to team success through hard work.

Katelyn has performed in a large variety of settings including the NIU Wind Symphony, NIU Wind Ensemble, NIU Chamber Group, NIU Huskie Marching Band, and NIU Sinfonia. She also played clarinet with the Kishwaukee Concert Band, DeKalb and Rochelle Municipal Summer Bandshell, and was principal clarinetist and ringer of the Illinois Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. She is currently hired as the Esmond United Methodist Church pianist, and has been a music provider for the Rochelle United Methodist Church in their handbell choir, singing choir, and played violin and clarinet in small ensembles during church services. She is a previous teacher’s assistant for band, choir, and strings classes in the Greater Rochelle Area Christian Education School and served as the camp counselor and clarinet sectional leader in the Maranatha Baptist College Band Camp.

Kayla Bivin is a music composition student at NIU and will be in the graduating class of 2023. She currently studies clarinet with Gregory Barrett and has played in numerous NIU ensembles, including the Huskie Marching Band, the Wind Ensemble and the Philharmonic. She has studied classical piano for over ten years. She also loves to sing and is learning the flute.

Kayla believes in creating a supportive learning environment that emphasizes personal growth and will ask students to think about their own strengths and areas for improvement. She wishes to help her students have fun playing music and find joy in discovery.

Karli Bunn is attending Northern Illinois University for jazz studies, learning from saxophonist Geof Bradfield and pianist Reggie Thomas. She has played with Wycliffe Gordon, Victor Goines, Marcus Printup, among others. Classically, Karli studies with Thomas Snydacker, and has worked with members of the Prism Quartet, as well as with Dr. Holmes, the principle saxophonist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Karli has played with the Josh Duffee Orchestra, the Manny Lopez Big Band, Ten of Soul, the Ken Paulsen Orchestra, the Quad Cities KIX Orchestra, and the Tony Hamilton Orchestra. Classically, she has also played with Maquoketa's community wind ensemble. At NIU, she has been in a variety of ensembles: Jazz Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, the Huskie Marching Band, the Sandy Beaches jazz combo, University Chorus, and the Vermilion Saxophone Quartet. In addition to being a saxophonist, Karli is a pianist, vocalist, and a doubler, playing woodwinds including the clarinet, bass clarinet and flute.

Soo-Yon Choi was an instructor at the School of Performing Arts at the University of Maine and at Illinois Wesleyan University. Her bachelor's degree in music is from Seoul National University and her master's degrees (both in music) are from University of Illinois and Florida State University. She has a doctoral degree in piano performance from Florida State University. She is an accomplished accompanist and performer. She has taught piano since 1999.

Jodeen Coulter received her bachelor's degree in music education (with a vocal emphasis) from NIU. She currently teaches general music in DeKalb. She has taught strings to children in the DeKalb schools and has directed school choirs and musicals. Ms. Coulter has had 12 years of singing experience with a traveling musical group that has performed with pre-recorded soundtracks.

Learn more baout William Goldenberg on his NIU faculty profile.

Joy Hyounkyoung Kim, a native of South Korea, is a consummate accompanist and solo recitalist. Kim completed her B.M. in music education and her M.M. in piano performance at the University of Konkuk, Seoul, South Korea. She received a second M.M. degree in collaborative piano at Ewha Woman's University, Seoul, South Korea. She was awarded first place at both the Brahms Music Association of Korea Competition and the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra Competition, as well as distinctions from other competitions.

She has performed concertos with the Maldive National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra. Kim was a winner at the Ewha Wamans University graduate music festival and has accompanied in vocal and instrumental recitals and chamber music concerts. She has worked as a piano teacher at the Konkuk University Young Musicians Academy and private institutes. Kim has taught a wide range of students from basic children's lessons to auditioning students and has accompanied at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights and attended the 2019 Opera Maya Festival in Mexico. She is currently studying at Northern Illinois University.

Wonseok Lee is studying for a master’s degree in piano performance at Northern Illinois University. He is interested in teaching music and thinking about the different ways to approach music education. He would like to teach students how to better themselves through music by looking at different musicians’ perspectives on life and how they approach music. He wants to teach students to identify what they lack and need in music, analyze music, and create music on their own. He teaches children not only the joy of music, but also the responsibility and the spirit of challenging themselves.

Fernando Marroquin is an oboe master student at NIU. He is interested in always finding new ways to teach and learn better. His teaching philosophies follow the premise that it is never too late or too early to learn something, if you have the interest, you can do it. He likes to teach his students how to love what they do and give them the tools to do it better. Always ready to learn something new, he understands that students and teachers need to have a relationship where they both learn from each other to be better.

Learn more about John Novak on his NIU faculty profile.

Kasey Pennington has earned a bachelor's degree in music education from NIU. Kasey studied voice with Orna Arania, took secondary piano lessons with JeongSoo Kim, and participated in Concert Choir, Chamber Choir and Opera Theatre throughout their time as an undergraduate student. Kasey has played piano since kindergarten and has enjoyed performing in many musicals throughout the years, most recently in productions with Stagecoach Players.

Kasey grew up in DeKalb County and recently completed student teaching at DeKalb High School and Sycamore Middle School where they worked with the choirs, assisted with concert preparation and led daily rehearsals. Kasey's approach to teaching is student-centered, and students are given the opportunity to learn the tools to practice and perform music in a way that can be sustainable for them as an individual.

Brandon Rittenour has performed as a cellist and conducted throughout the Northwest, at Carnegie Hall, in Austria and the Czech Republic. He has coached cello, chamber performance and conducted at various summer music programs in the northwest. Through these experiences he discovered his passion for supporting the development of young musicians. Brandon graduated summa cum laude with his bachelor of music education from Walla Walla University. While at WWU, he performed in the honors quartet, as principal cellist of the symphony orchestra, and as a cello sub for the Walla Walla Symphony. Brandon is currently pursuing his master of music in cello performance at Northern Illinois University, studying under the Avalon String Quartet cellist, Cheng-Hou Lee.

Brandon's experience in high school studying under John Marshall, student of Janos Starker, strongly shaped his cello education philosophy, creating an emphasis on coaching over teaching. The student must know the why so they do not simply imitate, but fully understand and can thus apply beyond a specific example. Compelling tone, precise intonation, and overall clarity do not happen by accident. Our every action must be anticipated and intentional. Refining the mechanics of performance always serves to remove barriers to our ultimate goal, namely musicality or moving the heart of our audience.

Natalia Sawicka is a sophomore at NIU. She is majoring in music education with a primary in the piano. She has been playing the piano for 13 years. She studied music/piano at the Merit School of Music in Chicago, where she did a lot of piano trio work, took history and music theory classes, and was in their choir. She was accepted into their TFC program where her main focus was the piano. In all four years of high school, she played percussion in the band.

She is fluent in English and Polish. Her main goal as an educator is to teach students the proper piano techniques. It is important to start early so that they can improve when they get older. Playing an instrument is supposed to be fun and she will strive to make every lesson interesting, fun and educational!

A native of Arizona, Linc Smelser received his bachelor's degree in cello performance from the University of Arizona where he studied with Dr. Gordon Epperson, Ph.D. and received his master's degree and performer's certificate in cello performance and pedagogy at Northern Illinois University (NIU) having studied with renowned cellist and pedagogue Raya Garbousova. Advanced study included work with cellists Marc Johnson, Ron Leonard, Gabor and Peter Rejto, Heinrich Schiff, the Vermeer Quartet and pianists Richard Faith and Jerome Lowenthal.

In 2003, Mr. Smelser was appointed conductor/music director of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra in DeKalb, IL. In 2009 he was awarded Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Arts Council and in 2014 was appointed conductor/music director of the Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra. He has guest conducted the Northern Illinois University Philharmonic, the Harper Symphony Orchestra, the Fox Valley Orchestra (Aurora) and the Skokie Valley Community Orchestra. He is also conductor of the NIU Sinfonia and Symphonette, two youth symphonies that attract students from the Northern Illinois area.

Mr. Smelser has appeared as a soloist with Camerata Chicago, Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, the NIU Philharmonic and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and has twice appeared in recital on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts Series in Chicago, which is broadcast live on over 44 stations across the United States. He has won several awards including first prize of the National Society of Arts and Letters Chapter Competition, top prize of the National Federation of Music Clubs Regional Competition and first prize of the International Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Competition.

Mr. Smelser has been a member of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra Cello section since 1992 and has been an active substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1997, having most recently embarked on his 12th international tour with the symphony. He continues to perform in The Three Celli, a chamber ensemble with cellists Stephen Balderston and Brant Taylor, throughout the Northern Illinois Area.

Mr. Smelser has most recently been appointed a faculty member of the Music Institute of Chicago in Winnetka. He is also a faculty member the NIU School of Music and has been teaching private cello lessons through the NIU Community School of the Arts since 1988. He served as guest lecturer of cello at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music from 2006-2016 and is currently on the faculty of both the Chicago Suzuki Institute and the American Suzuki Institute and is pianist/accompanist of the NIU Suzuki program.

Gabriel Wade is a graduate student who is currently pursuing his master's degree in jazz studies. He is a trumpeter and pianist from Little Rock, AR. He is also a recent 2022 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello where he received a B.A. in Music with a Jazz Emphasis.

Gabriel's goal as an educator is to help students develop a greater sense of awareness and appreciation of the many facets of music. Also, he hopes to provide students with the tools to understand how to practice efficiently and to overcome challenges when they arise.