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.

Nat 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.

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.

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.

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.

Karli Bunn is a Chicago-based saxophonist, composer, and educator. As a Quad City native with degrees from Northern Illinois and DePaul University, Karli has performed a broad context of music with ensembles including the Manny Lopez Big Band, Ten of Soul, Calaveras LD, the Isaiah Spencer Quintet, the Birch Creek faculty band, and her own ensembles. Bunn is also proficient in woodwind doubling and music technology while focusing her efforts on incorporating the aural tradition into modern innovation.

Nat 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.

Michael “Mikey” Speziale sees music as an opportunity for growth, expression and community for students of all backgrounds and identities. As an undergraduate student at NIU, he has taken opportunities to perform in a diverse group of ensembles including Percussion Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Marching Band and Steel Band. Mikey is currently the percussion director at Kaneland High School, managing their marching percussion in the fall and co-directing their competitive indoor percussion group in the winter.

Mikey continues to support the ever-growing music community in his hometown through a not-for-profit organization called The Crystal Lake Strikers. Through the Strikers, he helped kickstart both The Kingpins (a drumline for students with special needs) and The Pinstripes (a drumline for elementary students), in an attempt to further reach a wide range of students through music. Outside of music, Mikey enjoys watching movies, taking walks outside, tending to house plants and spending time with his puppy.

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.

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.

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 a Chicago-based saxophonist, composer, and educator. As a Quad City native with degrees from Northern Illinois and DePaul University, Karli has performed a broad context of music with ensembles including the Manny Lopez Big Band, Ten of Soul, Calaveras LD, the Isaiah Spencer Quintet, the Birch Creek faculty band, and her own ensembles. Bunn is also proficient in woodwind doubling and music technology while focusing her efforts on incorporating the aural tradition into modern innovation.

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.

Gianna is a freelance flutist and teacher based in the Greater Chicagoland Area. She is currently pursuing her performers certificate from Northern Illinois University where she is a graduate teaching assistant. In 2022, she graduated magna cum laude from NIU with her M.M. in music performance where she was also a graduate teaching assistant. Gianna has a wide range of performing experience and is the founding flutist for Duo Classique, a flute and harp chamber ensemble. Additionally, she has played in masterclasses for renowned flutists such as Jennifer Gunn, Bonnie Boyd, Marie Tachouet and Jennie Oh Brown. She has a thriving private flute studio and teaches at Elgin Community College, Monmouth College, and several local high schools. Gianna serves as Membership Chair for the Chicago Flute Club and has written multiple articles for the CFC’s journal, Pipeline.

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, 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.

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.

Karli Bunn is a Chicago-based saxophonist, composer, and educator. As a Quad City native with degrees from Northern Illinois and DePaul University, Karli has performed a broad context of music with ensembles including the Manny Lopez Big Band, Ten of Soul, Calaveras LD, the Isaiah Spencer Quintet, the Birch Creek faculty band, and her own ensembles. Bunn is also proficient in woodwind doubling and music technology while focusing her efforts on incorporating the aural tradition into modern innovation.

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.

'Ellie' Hyun Ah Lee received her bachelor's degree in piano performance from the Catholic University of Korea. She completed a performance certificate program at Judson University and graduated with a master's degree from Northern Illinois University. As a graduate accompanying assistant, she served the university choirs at Judson University and Northern Illinois University. She has developed a pleasant and effective teaching style over twenty years of private teaching experience and consistent professional development. She currently teaches undergraduates as a teaching assistant 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.

Hailie Minjung graduated with a bachelor's degree with top honors from Mokwon University and received a master's degree in music from Kookmin University in Korea. As an accompaniment assistant at Northern Illinois University, she served as an accompanist for the Chamber Choir and now serves for the Concert Choir.

She values maintaining musical enjoyment and finding academic balance in teaching based on her years of personal teaching, accompaniment experience, and elementary school after-school instruction.

She is currently studying for a performance certificate at Northern Illinois University and will continue with her second music master's degree.

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 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.

Karli Bunn is a Chicago-based saxophonist, composer, and educator. As a Quad City native with degrees from Northern Illinois and DePaul University, Karli has performed a broad context of music with ensembles including the Manny Lopez Big Band, Ten of Soul, Calaveras LD, the Isaiah Spencer Quintet, the Birch Creek faculty band, and her own ensembles. Bunn is also proficient in woodwind doubling and music technology while focusing her efforts on incorporating the aural tradition into modern innovation.

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.

Megan Rault is currently attending NIU for jazz studies under saxophonist Geof Bradfield. She began playing saxophone in 7th grade in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and had many years of experience in both classical and jazz saxophones (Alto, Tenor, Bari and Soprano). She also had a few years of experience on piano as well as doubling on clarinet and flute for jazz bands.

Megan has played at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Cafe CODA, and many other places through her nine years of playing. At NIU, she has participated in Jazz Ensemble, University Jazz Band, Wind Symphony, Huskie Marching Band, Sam Dando's jazz combo, and Vermillion Saxophone Quartet as well as playing in several outside groups such as Live Wire Brass, BAJA and Shout Section Big Band. She has had the opportunity to play with several esteemed musicians such as Marquis Hill, Sharel Cassity, Tatum Greenblatt, Camille Thurman and Alexa Tarantino.

Megan has experience teaching one-on-one lessons as well as small masterclasses. Her mother is a teacher so she understands how much a great educator can change a student's life. She believes in an open approach to teaching by allowing the student to choose repertoire that excites them musically as well as helping the student to discover other pieces and artists that will challenge them

Nate Wray is attending NIU as a jazz performance major, studying primarily with saxophonist Professor Geof Bradfield. Within his first year he has played lead alto saxophone in NIU’s jazz ensemble, played in the Zimmer/Menk jazz combo, and performed Capoeira and Samba Batucada with Professor Gregory Beyer’s Afro-Brazilian percussion class.

Nate began playing the saxophone at the age of 11 in Washington state, inspired by his older brother who also played the saxophone. With experience both in classical and jazz music, he has played at state level Solo and Ensemble competitions with Mount Si High School’s saxophone quartet and as a classical saxophone soloist. He has been a part of the Essentially Ellington Festival and Competition in 2019, 2020, and 2022, being awarded “Outstanding Alto Saxophone” during the 2022 festival. His high school jazz combo has been on the radio playing his original composition entitled “Resistance”. The radio station, KNKX, has also featured him as a School of Jazz Guest DJ. While playing saxophone primarily, Nate also has rudimentary playing experience on the flute, piano, and several Afro-Brazilian percussion instruments.

Nate’s teaching experience begins during his time in middle school when he led saxophone sectionals for concert band and jazz band. Going into his freshman year of high school, he began teaching private lessons to a student who had just started out on the saxophone. Fast forward to Nate’s senior year of high school and the two can be seen performing together in Mount Si High School’s top jazz band in the 2022 Essentially Ellington Festival and Competition. Nate has a passion for mentoring students who appreciate music as much as he does, and he loves providing students the tools they need to elevate their musicianship one lesson at a time. He believes in a flexible approach towards teaching in which he centers his instruction towards the students’ individual musical aspirations.

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.

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.

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Amos fell in love with the trumpet in high school by listening to recordings of Miles Davis. While earning a bachelor's degree in performance at Lawrence University he was exposed to a wide variety of musical styles and developed his musicianship by studying with many of the great teachers there, including John Daniel, Jose Encarnacion, Matt Turner, and Mark Urness. In 2019, Amos was admitted into the exchange program at the Conservatory of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and was able to submerse himself in the Dutch jazz scene for a semester. Currently, Amos is pursuing a master's degree in performance at NIU, studying with Christopher Scanlon, D.M.A. and performing with many of NIU's student ensembles including the Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Graduate Brass Quintet, and Banda.

As a music teacher, Amos aims to inspire his students to a continued love of playing the trumpet by teaching them the basics of technique, music theory, and musical styles so that they are well prepared for a life of music making.

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.

Learn more about Christopher Scanlon on his NIU faculty profile.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ella Barribeau is an undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University where she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education as well as a certificate in Asian American studies. As an educator, Ella recognizes every student is unique and utilizes a specialized approach when teaching. She holds an emphasis on student-centered learning, goal making and inclusivity at her core. She also believes that developing great techniques and habits can also be fun.

Ella has over 10 years of violin experience in addition to six years of viola experience. In regard to music instruction, she has been teaching students ages 7-16 for over five years in private and public-school settings. Ella currently studies under Professor Mathias Tacke but also works closely with other string faculty members at NIU. During her time at NIU, she is an active member of the NIU Philharmonic, NIU’s National Association for Music Education executive board and NIU’s American String Teachers’ Association executive board.

Every ounce of progress should be celebrated no matter how big or small which is key in her lessons.

Emily Bychowski is an undergraduate at NIU studying music education. Emily started playing the viola at age ten and has loved it since. She began her music teaching career in high school at her local middle school where she worked as a teacher's assistant. Besides being a teacher's assistant, Emily was also a part of the pit orchestra at her high school as a violinist and a violist, along with her school's orchestra and chamber orchestra ensembles. She was also apart of many outside ensembles such as CSA Sinfonia and Sycamore Jazz Strings.

Today Emily shares her love of music by playing in the NIU Philharmonic Orchestra along with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra. When teaching she wants her students to learn in a positive environment where they can grow as a musician while learning to love music and the music community too.

Learn more about Christine on her NIU faculty profile.

Amanda Perez is an undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in music performance. She has been the recipient of many scholarships including the NIU merit scholarship, School of Music Undergraduate Scholarship, and CVPA Deans scholarship. In 2019 she was named an inaugural member of the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, in 2020 she was a winner of the Luminarts Scholarship Competition and in 2021 placed 3rd in the American String Teacher's Association Competition. Currently she is a member of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the NIU Philharmonic. Her primary teachers include Helen Callus and Anthony Devroye.

Amanda began teaching in 2018 as an orchestra intern for William Fremd Highschool. At that time she also began to develop a private studio that still exists today. Amanda is excited to continue teaching with the CSA and work with new students. She believes in developing young talent and working with each student as an individual to fit their specific goals.

Laurie Illions Rodriguez has a bachelor's degree in violin performance and pedagogy from Brigham Young University. She has been teaching violin lessons since 1991, in Utah, Ohio, and now Illinois, and has been directing and coaching chamber music workshops since 1997. She was the founder and director of the Utah County Youth Chamber Music Workshop and is the director and coach of the String Chamber Music Summer Camp for the community school at NIU.

She has been teaching early childhood musicianship classes since 2002, first at the Suzuki Music Center of Central Ohio and now at the community school. She has participated in Suzuki teacher training workshops since 2002 and teaches both traditional and Suzuki violin lessons. She performs with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra and with a local chamber music group. She lives in DeKalb and enjoys playing music with her husband and children.

In between receiving her bachelors of Music Education and masters in Performance and Pedagogy at Northern Illinois University, Ann studied with Shinichi Suzuki, Ph.D. at the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan.

In 2003, Ann was the recipient of the Byron Hester Memorial Excellence in Teaching Award and in 2013 was Inducted into the Sycamore Music Boosters Hall of Fame with the Legacy Award.

Ann has performed in many orchestras and chamber ensembles and is currently principal second violinist with Camerata Chicago and concertmaster of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Ann became a Registered Suzuki Teacher Trainer in 2005 and has since taught courses in Singapore, Lima, Peru, Mexico City, Mexico and San Jose, Costa Rica. Ann enjoys working with Suzuki families at Suzuki Institutes and workshops throughout the United States.

Ann is the director of the NIU Community School of the Arts Suzuki Strings Program. Ann is a lifetime member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas has written several articles for the SAA Journal and currently serves as the Violin Coordinator for the 2016 biannual Suzuki Teachers Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Ann lives in DeKalb, Illinois with her husband, Linc, and their two children, Genevieve and Benjamin.

Ella Barribeau is an undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University where she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education as well as a certificate in Asian American studies. As an educator, Ella recognizes every student is unique and utilizes a specialized approach when teaching. She holds an emphasis on student-centered learning, goal making and inclusivity at her core. She also believes that developing great techniques and habits can also be fun.

Ella has over 10 years of violin experience in addition to six years of viola experience. In regard to music instruction, she has been teaching students ages 7-16 for over five years in private and public-school settings. Ella currently studies under Professor Mathias Tacke but also works closely with other string faculty members at NIU. During her time at NIU, she is an active member of the NIU Philharmonic, NIU’s National Association for Music Education executive board and NIU’s American String Teachers’ Association executive board.

Every ounce of progress should be celebrated no matter how big or small which is key in her lessons.

Emily Bychowski is an undergraduate at NIU studying music education. Emily started playing the viola at age ten and has loved it since. She began her music teaching career in high school at her local middle school where she worked as a teacher's assistant. Besides being a teacher's assistant, Emily was also a part of the pit orchestra at her high school as a violinist and a violist, along with her school's orchestra and chamber orchestra ensembles. She was also apart of many outside ensembles such as CSA Sinfonia and Sycamore Jazz Strings.

Today Emily shares her love of music by playing in the NIU Philharmonic Orchestra along with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra. When teaching she wants her students to learn in a positive environment where they can grow as a musician while learning to love music and the music community too.

Learn more about Christine on her NIU faculty profile.

Cheyanne Fleming is an undergraduate student pursuing her bachelor's in music education. Cheyanne believes music is a personal experience and uses a student-centered approach. She encourages her students to share their own musical ideas, interests, and goals to shape and customize their lesson experience. Her goal is to provide her students with a safe, encouraging learning environment where they can explore and experiment without judgment.

All progress is worth celebrating and she aims to leave her students feeling accomplished and proud of their work after every lesson.

Cheyanne has nine years of violin experience and is currently assistant principal 2nd violin in the NIU Philharmonic. She studies under Blaise Magniere, but regularly works with other strings faculty through chamber music and the Philharmonic. Outside of the school of music, she works one-on-one with performers as the music director for the NIU Penguin Players, a musical theater program for adults with disabilities.

Courtney Hanna-McNamara began her Suzuki violin studies at age 5 and her traditional piano studies at age 6. Courtney studied violin performance at Lawrence University, along with English and education. Since 2003, she has worked as a classroom teacher and interventionist for grades K through 12 in both the DeKalb and Sycamore school districts as well as schools in Wisconsin and Colorado. She has also served as an instructional coach for educators across a variety of disciplines and grade levels.

Courtney performs with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra and also serves as the KSO general manager. She and her husband live in DeKalb where they are raising their two children, both of whom study music with the CSA.

Amanda Perez is an undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in music performance. She has been the recipient of many scholarships including the NIU merit scholarship, School of Music Undergraduate Scholarship, and CVPA Deans scholarship. In 2019 she was named an inaugural member of the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, in 2020 she was a winner of the Luminarts Scholarship Competition and in 2021 placed 3rd in the American String Teacher's Association Competition. Currently she is a member of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the NIU Philharmonic. Her primary teachers include Helen Callus and Anthony Devroye.

Laurie Illions Rodriguez has a bachelor's degree in violin performance and pedagogy from Brigham Young University. She has been teaching violin lessons since 1991, in Utah, Ohio, and now Illinois, and has been directing and coaching chamber music workshops since 1997. She was the founder and director of the Utah County Youth Chamber Music Workshop and is the director and coach of the String Chamber Music Summer Camp for the community school at NIU.

She has been teaching early childhood musicianship classes since 2002, first at the Suzuki Music Center of Central Ohio and now at the community school. She has participated in Suzuki teacher training workshops since 2002 and teaches both traditional and Suzuki violin lessons. She performs with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra and with a local chamber music group. She lives in DeKalb and enjoys playing music with her husband and children.

In between receiving her bachelors of music education and masters in performance and pedagogy at Northern Illinois University, Ann studied with Shinichi Suzuki, Ph.D., at the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan.

In 2003, Ann was the recipient of the Byron Hester Memorial Excellence in Teaching Award and in 2013 was Inducted into the Sycamore Music Boosters Hall of Fame with the Legacy Award.

Ann has performed in many orchestras and chamber ensembles and is currently principal second violinist with Camerata Chicago and concertmaster of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Ann became a Registered Suzuki Teacher Trainer in 2005 and has since taught courses in Singapore, Lima, Peru, Mexico City, Mexico and San Jose, Costa Rica. Ann enjoys working with Suzuki families at Suzuki Institutes and workshops throughout the United States.

Ann is the director of the NIU Community School of the Arts Suzuki Strings Program. Ann is a lifetime member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas has written several articles for the SAA Journal and currently serves as the Violin Coordinator for the 2016 biannual Suzuki Teachers Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Ann lives in DeKalb, Illinois with her husband, Linc, and their two children, Genevieve and Benjamin.

Karli Bunn is a Chicago-based saxophonist, composer, and educator. As a Quad City native with degrees from Northern Illinois and DePaul University, Karli has performed a broad context of music with ensembles including the Manny Lopez Big Band, Ten of Soul, Calaveras LD, the Isaiah Spencer Quintet, the Birch Creek faculty band, and her own ensembles. Bunn is also proficient in woodwind doubling and music technology while focusing her efforts on incorporating the aural tradition into modern innovation.

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. Coulter has had 12 years singing experience with a traveling musical group that has performed with pre-recorded soundtracks.

Brianne Duncan Fiore is a Chicago based actor, vocalist and voiceover artist, and instructor. She has acted, directed and/or coached with Arc Theatre, Chicago Commercial Collective, Commedia Beauregard, Muse of Fire Theatre Company, Profiles Theatre, Spartan Theatre, Steep Theatre, as well as many independent producers in service of industrials, voiceover, musicals, theatre, film and television.

Having received her Bachelor's degree in Music Business, Spanish and Vocal Performance from Elmhurst College, she privately instructs voice lessons, and since earning a Masters in Acting from Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts, she directs dialects and accents as well as vocal coaches productions.

Brianne enjoys the challenge of vocal instruction, understanding that each student's goals may be different, however, she maintains focus on healthy production and technique.

Learn more about Sam on his NIU faculty profile.

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.

Savannah-Lee is a third-year MFA Acting student here at NIU SOTD. She recently was awarded BroadwayWorld's 2021 Best Performance in an Off-Broadway Musical for her work as Barb Holland in the original cast of Stranger Sings: The Musical. Savannah-Lee and the cast recorded an original cast recording that is available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Savannah-Lee began her vocal training in classical music and quickly made her way into the world of musical theatre. She has coached students from theatre professionals, collegiate level, to high school students for the past 4 years. She believes that without a strong foundation a student's voice can not grow and thrive. With that in mind, Savannah-Lee will take you through the musical theatre canon, starting with the golden age and ending the semester with a piece that will, not only, showcase all the elements of your craft we worked on together, but also is a piece you can use in the world outside of school for things like auditions and more. Savannah-Lee is so excited to work with you!

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.