VANDERCOOK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Project Director of Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative
Adrienne Thompson is the Project Director of Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, a 3.5 million dollar program designed to change the face of professional orchestra in America so that more black and Latinx musicians are included. CMPI finds the most talented and motivated young musicians in Chicago and then removes all barriers (financial or other) that could prevent these young people from achieving the highest level of orchestral performance.
Thompson is a veteran in the music education field. She has held a leadership role in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's acclaimed Talent Development Program, which also supports Latinx and black students seeking careers in classical music. Thompson was also a high school-level orchestra director in Georgia, and holds a degree in flute performance from Chicago's Sherwood Conservatory of Music and has an MBA from Indiana University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Member of the Education Committee
- Registrar
Aimee Nawrocki graduated from Elmhurst College with her double major in Jazz Studies and Music Business. She leads her own jazz groups that perform regularly throughout the Chicagoland area and she also enjoys attending jam sessions. This past year she put together Gwen's Pat Metheny Project that was performed at various jazz clubs in Chicago. Besides playing jazz, she has also performed in pit orchestras for the musicals Cats, The Sound of Music, and Shrek. Aimee has taught private guitar lessons over the last five years. She has worked with students of all ages and backgrounds including children as young as 4 years old, students with special needs, and retirees. Lessons include learning pop/rock music, technique, sight reading, soloing, scales, and music theory. Besides guitar Aimee has also taught basic piano and ukulele.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Staff Accountant
Alejandro Mendez joined VanderCook College of Music in January of 2020 with close to ten years experience in Accounting. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business, Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix.
Job Titles:
- Director of Bands
- New Director of Bands
Alexander Kaminsky was appointed Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at VanderCook College of Music in 2019 after a highly successful tenure at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Previous to that, Kaminsky led the band programs at Buchholz High School, Lincoln High School, Auburndale High School, and Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School, all of which excelled under his direction. He holds degrees from the University of Florida and Indiana University, is active as an adjudicator, and is in demand as a guest conductor/clinician across the country.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Member of the Education Committee
- MECA Office Assistant / Communications
Alivia Brooks is an Administrative Assistant to the MECA department and Outreach offices at VanderCook College of Music. She is a part of the marketing team to help promote our admissions department, outreach offices, and MECA department. Previously, she was the Assistant Band Director of West Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School and directed the West Lafayette Intermediate School Band.
Mrs. Brooks was involved in her collegiate NAfME chapter where she served as the Undergraduate Representative and has performed at the Midwest Clinic with VanderCook's Symphonic Band for three years. She has also performed in her college's jazz ensemble, percussion ensemble, Honors Chamber ensemble, concert choir, and philharmonic orchestra. Mrs. Brooks is honored to work at VanderCook.
Andrew Collins was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. A 2002 graduate of Pike High School, Andrew knew early on that he wanted to share his passion for music by pursuing a career in music education. After high school, he enrolled at the VanderCook College of Music, where he graduated as Valedictorian/Summa cum laude in the spring of 2006.
Andrew served as Director of Choirs and Music Theory/AP Music Theory at H.D. Jacobs High School in Algonquin, IL from 2006 - 2011. Choral ensembles under his direction received many honors - including two invitations to perform at the Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Conference (2008, 2011) and an invitation to perform at the National School Board Association's National Conference, held in San Diego, CA (2009).
In the fall of 2011, he began serving as one of two choral directors at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, IL, where he also taught Music Theory, AP Music Theory, and string technique courses. A tireless servant to the profession of music education, Andrew served as the ILMEA District IX Chorus Representative from 2011 until 2014.
Andrew made the challenging decision to leave the field of music education in the fall of 2014 to pursue a Masters of Arts in Arts Administration at Indiana University. Driven by a relentless pursuit to make a global difference through the arts, Andrew's primary research focus was on cultural policy, creative placemaking, and the implications of different arts funding models.
After graduation, Andrew began working at Conner Prairie Museum in February of 2016. During his tenure at Conner Prairie, Andrew has been an integral part of the Development, later Advancement, team in securing new, and sustainable, funding to help increase access to the museum's renowned programming, create innovative new exhibits and experiences, and grow the museum's physical footprint through capital expansion projects.
Andrew currently resides in Carmel, IN with his wife Courtney and their cat, Luna. They excitedly await the construction of their new home in McCordsville, IN, where they will move at the end of November.
He is honored and humbled to be considered for a seat on the VanderCook College of Music board of trustees, and is excited to give back to an institution that has given him so much.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Associate Professor of Voic
- Associate Professor of Voice
Angela Presutti Korbitz holds degrees in voice performance and vocal pedagogy from The University of Illinois and Roosevelt University. She has also studied at the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy and The Britten-Pears School where she studied art song with Elly Ameling. She is a professional member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and The Grant Park Chorus. Angela has appeared as a soloist and small ensemble member with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and as a soloist with numerous orchestras including The Grant Park Orchestra of Chicago, Bel Canto of Milwaukee, The Park Ridge Civic Orchestra, Salt Creek Sinfonietta, Sinfonietta Bel Canto, and The Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed recital programs for The Musicians Club of Women, West Virginia Federation of Women's Clubs, Fairmont Chamber Music Society, and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series. She has also performed programs at colleges and universities throughout the Midwest. Angela also performs regularly with guitarist and husband Ron Korbitz. Their collaboration has led to performances on WFMT, The Chicago Classical Guitar Society and numerous recital series throughout the Chicagoland area. Recent performance highlights for Angela include a tribute to Leonard Bernstein on WFMT and The Messiah with the Elmhurst Choral Union and a tribute to Nadia Boulanger on WFMT. Angela is on faculty at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago and North Central College in Naperville.
Angela's goal as an educator is to help every singer find their most efficient and beautiful sound. She follows an approach that addresses the five systems of the voice: breath, phonation, resonance, articulation, and registration. This philosophy is based on voice science, motor learning principles, vocal pedagogy, and ideas she has gleaned from her teachers and experiences as a professional singer. She is particularly interested in the various body awareness disciplines as these practices encourage singers toward experimentation and guided discovery. Angela endeavors to help each person find their true voice and guide them in developing musicianship and artistry to their fullest potential.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Associate Professor, Saxophone
- Associate Professor, Saxophone / Director of Jazz Studies
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Orff Schulwerk Levels Coordinator
Ben Torres is in his 12th year in the Richardson (TX) school district and his fourth year as the K-6 music specialist at Brentfield Elementary in Dallas, where he also directs the Brentfield Singers, the Rhythm Cats Orff Ensemble and serves as the JJ Pearce Area Team Leader. Prior to this, he was the K-6 music specialist at Richland Elementary, where he also directed a choir and an Orff ensemble, the latter of which was selected to perform at the 2011 TMEA Convention. Torres received his bachelor's degree in music education from West Texas A&M University in Canyon. He teaches movement in the Orff Schulwerk training course at Trinity University in San Antonio, movement and recorder in the Orff Schulwerk course at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, and other courses across the country. He is currently the president of the North Texas Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Bill Rife was chosen by Dr. Victor Zajec to teach the brass segment of Band Instrument Repair at VanderCook, and has taught since 2004. He has been a member of the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians (NAPBIRT) since 2010. His back ground in Tool and Die and love for music, has made it possible to share his repair skills and has provided brass repairs for Divine Infant and Divine Providence school bands (of Westchester, IL) from 2003 to 2012.
Bill played with the Chicago Youth Organization (CYO) for over 20 years, and is currently a member of the American Wind Band (formerly Westchester Community Band) in the southwest suburbs, as well as the West Suburban Concert Band in LaGrange, IL. He has also performed with a 60s and 70s cover-band, Scraps of Brass, since 2010.
He has played trumpet for over 40 years, and enjoys restoring antique brass instruments in his spare time.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Associate Professor, Clarinet
Bonnie Campbell received a doctor of music degree in music literature and clarinet performance from Indiana University. She also holds degrees from Yale University and Roberts Wesleyan College (summa cum laude) and has attended the Banff School of the Arts. Her teachers include James Campbell, Keith Wilson, Margaret Quackenbush, and Alan Hacker.
Dr. Campbell has performed guest recitals at colleges and universities across the country. Her orchestral experience includes performances at the Evian Festival (France) as well as at the opening ceremonies of the Bastille Opera House in Paris. She has been a member of the South Bend Symphony and the Camerata Chamber Orchestra of Bloomington, an ensemble jointly comprised of faculty and students from the Indiana University School of Music. She has performed in New York City at Merkin Hall and at Lincoln Center, where she played the Mozart Clarinet Quintet as part of the Mozart Bicentennial Celebration.
In Chicago, Dr. Campbell performs frequently at the Cultural Center. She has also been heard on WFMT's Live from Studio One and on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series. She is a founding member of the Daedalus Duo and Vermillion (with pianist Diana Schmück and cellist Judy Stone), with whom she performed at the International Clarinet Association's ClarinetFest 2007 held in Vancouver, BC. At the invitation of the International Clarinet Association, she presented the world premier performance of Robert Kritz's Diaspora Dances at ClarinetFest 2009 in Oporto, Portugal.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Student Teacher Supervisor
Carrie Provost earned a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and a master's degree in music education from Northern Illinois University. Provost has been a member of the string faculty in Wheaton-Warrenville School District 200 for the past 28 years, teaching at Franklin Middle School and formerly at four feeder elementary schools. Provost was a finalist for the Golden Apple Excellence in Teaching Award in 1999, was awarded the Illinois ASTA School Teacher of the year in 2010, and received the Distinguished Teacher Award from the New 200 Foundation for 2011-2012. She has served on the conducting faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, MI, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Summer Music Clinic. Provost is a frequent adjudicator at contests, as well as a guest conductor for orchestra festivals. She served on the board of the Illinois Chapter of the American String Teachers Association, and is the assistant concertmaster of the DuPage Symphony Orchestra.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Member of the Education Committee
- Student Teacher Supervisor
Charles Emmons is a music educator and consultant with emphasis in instrumental music. He is a band and orchestra clinician and plays oboe and English horn in community ensembles.
Chris Vanderwall (BMEd '06) is the Director of Bands at Plainfield Central High School in 2018. Prior to PCHS, Vanderwall was Director of Bands at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Plainfield. He earned BMEd degree at VanderCook in 2006 while studying percussion with Kevin Lepper, and earned a Master of Music Education degree at the University of Illinois in 2011, studying percussion with William Moersch, Ricardo Flores and Bolokada Conde. At Plainfield Central, Vanderwall's responsibilities include teaching AP Music Theory, directing the Wildcat Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Musical Pit Orchestra, and Percussion Ensembles in addition to co-directing the Symphonic Bands.
Vanderwall continues to maintain an active role in the music community. He served as the District IX Junior Level Band Representative for the Illinois Music Education Association and plays timpani with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. Vanderwall also maintains professional memberships with the Percussive Arts Society, National Band Association, and the National Association for Music Education in addition to proudly endorsing Innovative Percussion and Etymotic Research ear protection.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Christine Ballenger currently teaches general music (PK-4) in Spring, Texas, north of Houston. She holds degrees in music education from the University of New Mexico (M.M.) and the University of Puget Sound (B.M.). Christine teaches Level I movement and recorder for the Gwinnett County Orff Course outside of Atlanta, and Basic Pedagogy for summer courses at VanderCook and UNC-Wilmington. Since 2017, Christine has served as a member of the editorial board of The Orff Echo. She has presented at AOSA National Professional Development Conferences, as well as for a variety of AOSA chapters across the country. Christine has also had training in Kodaly and World Music Drumming, and completed the "International Summer Course" in 2018 at the Orff Institute, in Salzburg, Austria.
Job Titles:
- Director at Quest Turnaround Advisors LLC
Christopher Motogawa is a Director at Quest Turnaround Advisors LLC. Quest provides business consulting, crisis management and turnaround advisory services to company stakeholders. He attended Northwestern University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1994, and DePaul University, where he earned his CPIM Certification in 1996. Previously, Motogawa was a managing director for The Brandenburg Group, Inc. He was also the chief financial officer of MotorCoach Industries, Inc., corporate controller at SourceLink, Inc., and principal for Harmonie Coffee and Beverage. Throughout his career, he has served in various financial and accounting positions. Motogawa also serves on the Board of Directors of Changing Worlds, a nonprofit educational arts organization that works with students to improve literacy through community-building writing and arts programs. He has been on the VanderCook Board since 2007.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Assistant for Introduction to Graduate Study
Cindy Krause has been Dr. Rosenthal's teaching assistant for Introduction to Graduate Study since 2018 and began advising master's projects at VCM in 2008. After receiving her BMEd from Illinois Wesleyan University, Mrs. Krause earned her MMEd (2000) from VanderCook College of Music.
Mrs. Krause recently retired (2021) from Elmhurst CUSD205, where she taught band, Grades 4-8, as well as some strings, since 1995. Her final 16 years were at Churchville MS, where she was credited with starting the first middle school jazz band (after school club) in the district. She has also enjoyed accompanying middle school and high school students for the district's solo festivals since 1994, which she still continues to do.
Mrs. Krause looks back with fondness at her earliest VanderCook connection, when she attended a VCM middle school band camp in the summers of 1970 and '71 at North Central College (IL) and had H.E. Nutt as a band director and Vic Zajec as a sectional instructor (saxophone). She is proud of her master's project (2000) contribution of helping to jump start the VCM archives.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Director of Alumni Relations
- Staff Advisor for VanderCook's Collegiate Chapter of the Illinois Music Educator 's Association
Cindy Tovar (BMEd'00) is the Director of Alumni Relations and Student Retention. Devoted to the college's mission, she has been serving on staff in various capacities since the summer of 2000, immediately following her undergraduate studies. She began working in the band office during the summer graduate program and was later assigned to assist the Undergraduate Dean and Director of Bands, Dr. Charles Menghini. In 2004, she became the Director of Outreach and Ensembles Coordinator, helping to facilitate numerous festivals, workshops, clinics, performance tours, and run logistical operation and library management of the performing ensembles. In 2009, Tovar became the Assistant to the President, where she served until the Fall of 2018, when she became the Director of Admissions.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Professor Emeritus at the University of Central Florida
David L. Brunner, professor emeritus at the University of Central Florida, is well known as a versatile conductor and composer, his expertise embracing singers of all ages, from young children and emerging choirs to university, community and professional choruses. For thirty years as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities, David Brunner led the choral program at the University of Central Florida, where he conducted the University Chorus and Chamber Singers, taught courses in undergraduate and graduate conducting, and coached composition students. He twice received a College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and in 1995 the University Excellence in Teaching Award, UCF's highest teaching honor. He was also the recipient of four Teaching Incentive Awards, three Research Incentive Awards, and three major research awards: the College of Arts and Humanities Excellence in Research Award on two occasions, and the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Researcher Award. In 2011 he was the recipient of Florida ACDA's prestigious Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Service Award for "dedicated service, leadership and consistent examples of excellence in choral music in Florida" and in 2019 the inaugural Impact Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Choral Profession. He is the 2020 recipient of the College Music Educator of the Year award from the Florida Music Educators Association. Brunner has been on the music faculties of the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, South Suburban College (IL), and the graduate faculty of the VanderCook College of Music (Chicago). His choirs have performed in England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy and Greece, at state and divisional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educators National Conference, at the Seminar für Klassiche Musik at the Eisenstädte Sommerakademie in Eisenstadt and Vienna, in St. Mark's Basilica, Venice, St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Wesley's Chapel, London, and at the Vatican for Pope John Paul II.
Dr. Brunner is highly regarded for his compelling work with singers of all ages, conducting treble, tenor/bass, and mixed All-State and regional honor choirs throughout the United States at the elementary, middle and high school levels. As an inspiring teacher, popular workshop clinician, conference presenter and adjudicator at choral festivals and educational workshops, he has appeared in thirty-four U.S. states, Canada, the UK, Europe, Japan and Australia. Notable engagements have included the American Choral Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference and American Guild of Organists, the Association of British Choral Directors and the Kodaly Societies of Canada and Australia, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, the Choristers Guild, the Asian Pacific Activities Conference Honor Choir in Japan, the International Cathedral Music Festival at Salisbury and Canterbury, the Association for Music in International Schools' (AMIS) International Honor Band and Choir Festival at the Hague and Brussels, and the Choral Music Experience International Institute for Choral Teacher Education in England, Scotland and Wales. He has, on seven occasions, conducted concerts of his own works for chorus and orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
With University of Central Florida choruses he enjoyed a long partnership with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (as chorus master for Mahler's Symphonies 2 and 3, Beethoven's Choral Fantasy and Symphony 9, music of Copland, Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Faure, Ravel, Bach, Vivaldi and Monteverdi, and popular concerts of John Williams and Marvin Hamlisch); collaborated with Orlando Opera and Cirque du Soleil in staged performances of Carmina Burana; and conducted singers, players, actors and dancers of the School of Performing Arts in performances of Bernstein's MASS. His choirs have presented themed concerts about peace, hunger, and social justice, have collaborated with jazz and world music artists, and presented premiere performances of music by Francisco Nunez, Stella Sung, Alexander Burtzos and David Dickau. Unique projects were the southeastern U.S. premiere of David Lang's Little Match Girl Passion and a performance of Lou Harrison's La Koro Sutro with the Old Grandad gamelan, a replica of Harrison's original instruments. They have performed in Carnegie Hall and at the International Cathedral Music Festival in Canterbury Cathedral and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
An ASCAP award-winning composer yearly since 1997, Brunner is one of a prestigious group of American composers named the Raymond W. Brock Commissioned Composer by the American Choral Directors Association (The Circles of Our Lives), their highest honor for American composers. In the same year he was asked by the Copland Foundation to contribute new mixed chorus adaptations of several of the Old American Songs to Boosey & Hawkes' Copland 2000 series. The New York Times has noted him as a "prolific choral writer whose name figures prominently on national repertory lists", his work having been performed and recorded worldwide in venues as diverse as Royal Festival and Queen Elizabeth Halls in London, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, EPCOT and Carnegie Hall, and at national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the American Kodaly Educators, and the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, the Voices 500 Festival in Newfoundland, Europa Cantata in Germany and American Cantat in Venezuela and Cuba, the International Cathedral Music Festival at Canterbury Cathedral, as well as Choral Music Experience Institutes for Choral Teacher Training in England, the U.S., UK and Sweden. His writing styles range from harmonically rich and lyrical to bold and asymmetrically rhythmic. In each instance, he is committed to texts that resonate and connect with singers and audiences of all ages. Boosey & Hawkes and Walton Music have published over one hundred twenty of his works.
He has been an editorial advisor for Boosey & Hawkes popular Conductor's Choice series and served on the editorial board of the Choral Journal. His articles appear in both the Choral Journal and Music Educators Journal and he has contributed chapters to Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir, Volume III, GIA Publications, Inc. (2011); The Choral Director's Cookbook: Insights and Inspired Recipes for Beginners and Experts, Meredith Music Publications (2006) and material for the chapter on "Composing for Women's Choirs" in Conducting Women's Choirs: Strategies for Success, ed. Debra Spurgeon, GIA Publications (2012). His advanced treble music is the topic of a DMA dissertation, David Brunner‘s Music for Women's Choirs, by Kelly Miller at Michigan State University and a focus article in the International Federation for Choral Music's Bulletin.
Brunner holds degrees from Illinois Wesleyan University and Northwestern University in choral music education and conducting and the Doctor of Music Arts in Choral Literature and Conducting from the University of Illinois. In addition, he studied with Robert Shaw, and with Helmuth Rilling in conducting master classes at the Oregon Bach Festival. Dr. Brunner is a Past-President of the Florida chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.
David Mann is a senior partner in the Business Practice Group at the national law firm of Holland & Knight. Mann is an active member of the Chicago and American Bar Associations, serving on various committees and serving on the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association. Mann is the chair of the Sun-Times Fellowship Awards selection committee, serves on the Honorable Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Scholarship selection committee, pro bono and public service awards selection committee, and is panel chair of the inquiry board of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Illinois Supreme Court. Mann is also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Orff Schulwerk Level III Instructor
David Thaxton is from Sparks, Nevada where he is currently in his 26th year teaching Elementary music to pre-K through 6th grade. He studied under Elizabeth Gilpatrick, and Judith Cole at Colorado State University, UNC Greeley and the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he received all three levels of Orff Certification, as well completing an apprenticeship with Kay Lehto at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. David has presented workshops and clinics at local, state and national levels and presents to Orff chapters throughout the country. As an AOSA certified teacher trainer for Level I, II and III pedagogy and Level I and II recorder, David teaches Summer Courses for the University of Nevada, Reno, the San Diego Summer Orff Course, and is now very excited to join the team at VanderCook School of music for Level III in 2021. He has served as President of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of AOSA, as well as on the editorial boards of The Echo and Reverberations journals of AOSA. He is currently the Treasurer for the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement, and has been the Lead clinician for the Four Corners Young Musicians Camp from 2015-19. David has recently published his new book "Making Tracks: Recorder Explorations, Creations and Improvisations" through Sweet Pipes.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Deb Stevenson has been a freelance oboist in the Chicago area for over thirty years. She is founder and oboist with the Metropolis Quartet (oboe, violin, viola, cello). She is also a member of the Metropolis and Lake Forest Symphonies. Other groups frequently performed with are the Milwaukee Symphony, Ars Viva Orchestra, Handel Week Festival and the Apollo Chorus. Ms. Stevenson can be heard on recordings of the Strauss Alpine Symphony and Stravinsky's complete Firebird with the Chicago Symphony; I Know Where I'm Going and Christmas in St. Charles with the St. Charles Singers; The Soundstage Sessions with Stevie Nicks, Messiah with Apollo Chorus; numerous recordings for GIA music publishing company and the Milwaukee Symphony; and Music from the Bolivian Rainforest with the Metropolis Symphony. As a contractor, Ms. Stevenson has hired performers for the St. Charles Singers concerts, recordings, and Mozart Sacred Choral Works series - the Mozart Journey, as well as for the Heartland Voices and Canterbury Singers. In her work for the Paramount Arts Center, the Rialto Square Theater and the Chicago Theater, she has provided musicians for artists such as Bernadette Peters, Bob Newhart, Marie Osmond, Smokey Robinson, Eddie Vedder, Video Games Live and Mannheim Steamroller. She also provides orchestras for the Paramount Arts Center's highly acclaimed, in-house-produced Broadway musical series.
In addition to teaching at Wheaton College, VanderCook and North Park Universities she also maintains an active private teaching studio. Her students have gone on to institutions such as Eastman, Interlochen Arts Academy, DePaul, Roosevelt, the University of Illinois, and the President's Own Marine Band. Ms. Stevenson has studied oboe and English horn at the University of Louisville, Northern Illinois University, Boston University and Northwestern University, where she received her Master of Music degree. She has studied with Grover Schiltz, Ray Still, Marion Gibson, Carl Sonik and Larry Thorstenburg.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Genevieve Skinner Prater teaches Methods of Teaching Reading at Vandercook. In her first year of professional teaching, Dr. Prater taught English as a Foreign Language to first and second graders of many nationalities in Doha, Qatar. Upon returning to the United States, she taught elementary students in Title 1 schools in Colorado. In 2014, she was part of the staff that was awarded a National Blue Ribbon Award for closing the achievement gap for underprivileged students. Dr. Prater went on to teach elementary students in Tennessee. Dr. Prater was raised in Colorado Springs, CO and attended University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO, where she earned her Doctor of Education degree in Educational Studies. Her research experiences have included determining the effects of high-stakes assessments on all educational stakeholders, pedagogical decision-making, and literacy. Additionally, she has presented research on incorporating writing strategies in mathematics as well as research on teacher resilience to the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum (AATC) Conference. Consequently, she has developed strong interests in continuing educational research, as well as preparing new generations of teachers for classroom success.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Since 1996, Dr. Sherer has been the Organist and Director of Music for The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, selected by USA Today as one of the top ten places in America to be "enthralled by heavenly music." In 2015, Fourth Church dedicated a new 142 rank Quimby organ, the largest pipe organ in Chicago. This dynamic church has fifteen choirs and instrumental groups including The Morning Choir, a twenty-five voice professional ensemble and Tower Brass, a professional octet. Dr. Sherer manages an active concert series at the church with over 100 events each year and oversees the partnership with the Music Institute of Chicago bringing private musical instruction, music therapy and other music classes to the church for adults and children. He has led several music missions and choir tours in the United States, England, Scotland, France, Cuba, Guatemala and South Africa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Dr. Mead Killion has spent 21 years in the hearing aid industry, and founded Etymotic Research, Inc., in 1983. Dr. Killion helped develop the first subminiature ceramic microphone, subminiature electrets microphone, and subminiature directional microphones. He is probably best known for developing earmold coupling systems to improve both the useful bandwidth and the sound quality of hearing aids. Dr. Killion earned degrees in mathematics from Wabash College and the Illinois Institute of Technology, and completed his doctorate in audiology at Northwestern University. Dr. Killion has taught and given lectures on audiology around the world and is a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and the Audio Engineering Society. He has been presented with many awards in appreciation of his contributions to the field of hearing. Dr. Killion is also an accomplished choir director, violinist and jazz pianist.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Associate Professor at VanderCook College of Music
- Associate Professor, Theory and Piano
Dr. Olivia I-Hsuan Tsai serves as an associate professor at VanderCook College of Music. She is a frequent presenter at conferences of Illinois Music Teachers Association, Music Teachers National Association, and College Music Society, featuring music of Chinese and Taiwanese heritage. Her book "Schubert's Piano Trios" was published by Scholar's Press in Germany in 2014. Dr. Tsai is appointed in 2017 as guest professor at Lanzhou Northwestern University. She also performs at many colleges and universities, including Roosevelt University and Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Coastal Carolina College in NC and Nebraska University in Kearney.
In addition, Dr. Tsai has appeared as a soloist with QingDao Concert Hall Orchestra, Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and Highland Park Strings. She was the staff pianist of the world renowned Aspen Music Festival and Musicorda Music Festival in the US, as well as artist faculty/performer of Oficina Music Festival, Curitiba Music Festival in Brazil and Algarve Music Festival in Portugal.
In 2018, she founded Yang and Olivia Foundation and organized a cultural exchange concert where she performed as part of the diverse and dynamic chamber group Momento Virtuosi, celebrating Qingdao's Sound of Phoenix Grand Theater grand opening. Since the pandemics, the foundation has helped raise funds for concert venues, individuals in need, and performed for churches and schools via live stream.
Dr. Tsai came to the United States in 1993 not only as a pianist but also a bassoonist. She received her Bachelor of Music degree with high scholastic achievement award in 1996, and Master of Music in both piano and bassoon at Indiana University in Bloomington as Emma E. Claus Scholarship recipient in 1999. She went on to earn her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (UC, CCM) as a recipient of graduate scholarship, where she also served as faculty at CCM's preparatory department. During her student years, she was the winner of the Buckeye Piano Competition, Graves Piano Competition in the US, and Young Artist Series in Taiwan.
Job Titles:
- Walter Dyett Chair for Jazz Studies, Diversity, and Inclusion
In 2017 he founded the Griffin Institute of Performing Arts NFP where the transformative abilities of the arts are used to lift the lives of students and families throughout southern Cook County and beyond. In addition, he serves as the Walter Dyett Chair for Jazz Studies, Diversity, and Inclusion at VanderCook College of Music, and he is the Youth Ensemble Director for the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.
Dr. Griffin's student-center approach to music education has been adopted by educators around the world. His belief is that a unified band room is just as important as musical excellence, and when they are both combined, the results are life changing. He has been recognized on many occasions for his methods contributions to the field of music education from a hometown street in Harvey, IL renamed "Roosevelt Griffin III Ave." to a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Golden Apple Foundation in 2014. He has received several additional honors: "Best Music Educator" Semi Finalist from the Grammy Foundation and Recording Academy, "Outstanding Alumni" award from Northern Illinois University Alumni Association, and "Distinguished Alumni" from Concordia University. Most recently, he received the "2022 John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year" from the Jazz Education Network and Berkley College of Music and the "2022 Think Big Educator Award " from the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.
His transformative approaches have also been highlighted in multiple publications including the ASCD video by Eric Jenson, Teaching with Poverty in Mind, Teaching Music Magazine, Downbeat Magazine and JazzEd Magazine. Griffin co-authored Teaching Music through Performance: Beginning Jazz Ensembles and Rehearsing the Jazz Band.
Griffin earned his BM in Music Performance (Tuba) and Illinois Teaching Certificate K-12 (Music) from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL (2001). He completed his MA in School Leadership and
Job Titles:
- Director of Financial Aid
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Orff Schulwerk Level II Instructor
Drue Bullington teaches elemental music and movement at Brownstown Elementary School in Conestoga Valley School District in Lancaster, PA. Bullington is twice a graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania where he received a B.S. in Music Education and a M.M. in Music Education with a certification in Orff Schulwerk. Drue holds a second master's degree from Wilkes University in Online Teaching and Learning with an Online Educator's Certificate of Endorsement from the State of Pennsylvania.
Drue teaches in several Orff Schulwerk Levels Certification programs around the U.S.and offers numerous professional development and workshop sessions on elemental music and movement through the Orff Schulwerk Approach, elemental music and movement applications in the classroom, incorporating technology, and integrating the soprano ukulele into the K-12 music classroom. Drue serves as President of the Board of Directors of the American Center for Elemental Music and Movement. He is also an editor on the American Orff Schulwerk Association's Reverberations Publication Committee. Drue and lives in Lititz, PA. He enjoys an active life filled with traveling, culinary adventures, and volunteering in his community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Eran Meir was born in Israel, where he started playing cello at the age of nine. In 1989, as a member of the Aurora Piano Quartet, Meir was invited by world-renowned violinist Isaac Stern to perform in the 50th Anniversary Gala concert of the American Israel Culture Foundation at Carnegie Hall. He joined the Guarneri String Quartet to perform Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence."
After graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received the Allis Feinman Award for Excellence in Cello, Meir joined the New World Symphony, where he performed alongside pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet, John Browning and Seymour Lipkin. He also soloed with the orchestra as a winner of the concerto competition. In 1997, Meir joined the Kansas City Symphony, where he played for seven years. In 2001 he joined the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra. Meir has also played with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Milwaukee Symphony. He has also played chamber music with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Chamber Musicians.
Job Titles:
- Director Workshop Headline Clinician
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Tsamoutales Strategies
Frank Tsamoutales is founder and CEO of Tsamoutales Strategies, a business and government relations firm located in Tallahassee, Florida. Tsamoutales advises some of America's most recognizable and trusted Fortune 500 companies. His strategic thinking skills are known as some of the most effective in the global consulting community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Retired
Gary Everett is a retired band director and department co-chair from the Oak Creek/Franklin Joint School District in Oak Creek WI. He previously held the position of chief tester at the G. LeBlanc Corporation's headquarters in Kenosha, WI, where he was responsible for final inspection, repairs, final regulation and play-testing of all woodwind instruments before distribution. Everett also coordinated with visiting professional musicians, represented LeBlanc at area trade shows, and was a speaker during factory tours. Everett is owner and head technician of Everett Piano Services, a business dedicated to tuning, repair and restoration of pianos and related keyboard instruments. Gary is co-owner of In Tune Piano Supply, an online piano tools and parts sales company. He is a professional-level member of the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians (NAPBIRT), an associate member of the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG), and has been associated with the American Music Educators Repair Association (AMERA).
Everett has taught numerous repair clinics, lectured and served as an onsite repair technician for multiple school districts and colleges. Everett is active in the local music community as a musician for area bands, show bands and orchestras, including the Kenosha Pops Concert Band. Everett holds a bachelor's degree in instrumental music education from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and a master's degree in instrumental music education from VanderCook.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- President of Quinlan & Fabish Music Company
George Quinlan Jr. serves as the President of Quinlan & Fabish Music Company. Prior to joining Quinlan & Fabish, Quinlan worked in marketing at both the Selmer Company and G. Leblanc Corporation. In addition to serving on the VanderCook board, Quinlan also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Music Merchants-International Music Products Association, and is secretary/treasurer of the National Association of School Music Dealers. He has served previously on the board of directors of the South Shore Brass Band. Quinlan has Bachelor of Music Cum Laude from the University of Miami in Florida.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Glen Schneider is proud to be a music educator, currently at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, IL, where he teaches a variety of wind and percussion classes, and directs the Metea Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Marching Mustangs. Schneider has taught at Metea Valley since its opening in 2009 where the Music Department has received the Grammy Signature Gold Award, The American Prize, and has been featured at numerous performances from the University of Illinois Superstate Band Festival, to the Illinois Music Education Conference, to the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic. He is also an Adjunct Instructor at VanderCook College of Music (Chicago, IL), where he teaches and writes graduate level professional development classes for the MECA Continuing Education program. He holds the position of Associate Conductor of the Naperville Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Previous teaching appointments include Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, IL, Oswego Community School District 308 in Oswego, IL, and Fox Chapel Area School District in Pittsburgh, PA. He received his education from Duquesne University (Bachelor of Science in Music Education), VanderCook College of Music (Master of Music Education), andConcordia University Chicago (Master of Arts in Educational Technology).
He has served as guest clinician/conductor for the Western Sun Conference Honor Band, District 230 High School Honor Band, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Middle Level Honor Band, and has presented clinic sessions at the Illinois Music Education Conference and the Illinois Percussive Arts Society. He has authored review articles for the Music Educators Journal and Teaching Music, and regularly writes a column called "MAC Corner" in the School, Band and Orchestra Magazine. He has served in positions for the Fox Valley Music Festival, IMEA District IX, VanderCook College Alumni Association Board, ARTSpeaks 204, the Alyssa Alvin Foundation For Hope, and is an educational consultant/writer for the NAMM Foundation's Music Achievement Council. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, and the Vic Firth Education Team. He has received the National Band Association Citation of Excellence Award, and the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award, TeachHUB's Making A Difference Award, and the Metea Valley Tireless Teacher Award. Most importantly he is supported by his wife Ashlee and their five children, Corinne, Caleb, Calvin, Clara, and Cole.
Hale A. VanderCook was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1864. He was performing in bands by the age of 14, and became conductor of the J.H. LaPearl Circus Band in 1891. He settled in Chicago and founded VanderCook Cornet School (later VanderCook College of Music) in 1909. The purpose of the school was to train musicians as performers, directors, and teachers.
VanderCook composed over 70 marches as well as numerous series for solo brass instruments. Among his most famous marches are American Stride, Olevine, Pacific Fleet, Pageant of Columbia and S.S. Theodore Roosevelt. He published his Course in Band and Orchestra Directing in 1916. VanderCook studied cornet with Frank Holton and A.F. Weldon. He published Modern Method of Cornet Playing in 20 Lessons in 1922. He died in Allegan, Michigan in 1949.
"No man can be rightly taught unless he is aware of a real need in his life and in his work."
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Director of Admissions
- Member of the Education Committee
- Assistant to the Director of Admissions
Heidi Pohl is the Assistant to the Director of Admissions at Vandercook College of Music. She previously held positions in administration and sales at Seman Violins and Kenneth Stein Violins.
Heidi graduated from Elmhurst University with a Bachelor of Music, where she studied violin performance with Francois Henkins. During her undergraduate, she held the position of concertmaster in the Elmhurst Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Takaharu Matsunaga. During her sophomore year, Heidi won the 2019 Elmhurst University Concerto Competition and performed Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Major with the Elmhurst Philharmonic.
Heidi is passionate about music of all genres, and has dedicated her life to studying and performing music. She is honored to work in a position where she can help students achieve their dream of becoming a music educator.
A Chicago-based native of Chicago's South Side, Herald "Chip" Johnson (MMEd '07) began his undergraduate studies in music performance at Fisk University in Nashville. While attending Fisk, he toured for three years with the internationally acclaimed Fisk Jubilee Singers, under the direction of Professor Matthew Kennedy. His Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance was completed at Roosevelt University in Chicago; he later received a Master of Education degree from DePaul University in 1999, and an MMEd degree (with an emphasis in choral conducting) in 2007 from VanderCook. He also holds a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Curriculum and Administration from National Louis University received in June 2008, where he is also completing his dissertation in Educational Leadership and Administration at National Louis University.
Johnson's value of education afforded him opportunities to begin teaching at Crane Tech High School in 1994, later moving to John Hope College Prep High School in 1996, where he remained for 14 years. In 2009, his love for teaching, learning and educational administration has afforded him other leadership opportunities, serving as an assistant principal of the Matteson Elementary School (SD162), and the founding director of the Southland College Prep Charter High School (Richton Park, IL). In 2012, Johnson returned to the Chicago Public Schools to serve as Deputy Chief of Schools for the North/Northwest High School Network, the Garfield Humboldt Elementary School Network, and Chief of Schools for Network 6, managing seven high schools and 31 elementary schools in the central part of the city's school district.
Currently, he serves as the Chief Officer for the Office of Family and Community Engagement in Education (FACE2) where he manages the Office of Local School Council Relations, the FACE management team, the Office of Faith Based Initiatives, and the thirteen Parent University programs across the District, and the Volunteer Program department.
Hermene Hartman is one of the most significant and influential black women in media and American publishing. She is a rounded media personality addressing the soul, spirit and sensibility of America with insight, curiosity, historical context, wit, and reality. Her behavioral scientist education is replicated in her writings and commentaries. Hartman holds four college degrees (sociology, philosophy of education, psychology and business). She was Vice Chancellor of External Affairs at City Colleges of Chicago, the nation's third largest community college system and a professor of behavioral science disciplines.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Former President of VanderCook College of Music
Hubert Estel Nutt (1897-1981) was co-founder and former President of VanderCook College of Music. His role in training music teachers and developing the College's curriculum and purpose influenced several generations of music teachers throughout the country.
Hubert Estel ("H.E.") Nutt was born on December 22, 1897 in Harrison Township, Pulaski County, Indiana (50 miles southwest of South Bend). His father was a classroom teacher, administrator, and teacher trainer in the public schools, with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. H.E. attended Marion Normal College's Academy where he favored science and history. He later attended Indiana State Teachers College in Terre Haute where his musicianship developed on the string bass, flute and piccolo. He then transferred to the University of Kansas, pursuing a degree in Biology, but continuing his music studies by directing the university band and orchestra. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1916 with a B.A. degree and began teaching in the public schools of Cincinnati, Iowa and College Springs, Iowa from 1916-18. He was Assistant Professor of Biology and College Band Director at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas from 1919-22.
Job Titles:
- CEO of Westchester Media, Inc
Following his years in senior management positions with Billboard Magazine, Forbes, McGraw-Hill and Dow Jones & Company, Irwin Kornfeld founded In Tune Partners in 2003 and currently serves as its CEO. In Tune Partners publishes the music education magazines In Tune Monthly, Music Alive! and their websites. In Tune and Music Alive! reach a half million student musicians in grades 4-12 and their teachers in 45,000 music classrooms across America.
Kornfeld is also CEO of Westchester Media, Inc., which he founded in 2003. Westchester Media produces concerts and other live events including ASCAP's "I Create Music" EXPO," in Los Angeles. Westchester Media also publishes Playback magazine for ASCAP, and represents ascap.com and the ASCAP Inside Music e-newsletter to advertisers.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Member of the Education Committee
- Director of Percussion Studies at VanderCook College of Music
James Yakas is currently the Director of Percussion Studies at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL. He holds a B.M. in Music Education from the University of North Texas, a M.M. in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy from Northern Illinois University as well as a Doctoral of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance degree from the University of North Texas.
Dr. Yakas' diversity in percussion education and performance has led him to many unique opportunities. He spent a total of twelve summers in the drum corps activity spanning from performing as a snare drummer with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps to eventually becoming their Percussion Coordinator and Arranger in 2003. Dr. Yakas has also studied and performed the music of many world cultures including performances with Northern Illinois University's Steel Band at the World Steelband Festival in Trinidad/Tobago and the Seoul Drum Festival in Seoul, South Korea; Studying Afro-Cuban Drumming with Orlando Cotto and Studying abroad in Ghana with Ethnomusicologist Dr. Steven Friedson, specifically the Ewe Culture of the Volta region.
Dr. Yakas is an endorser of Yamaha Percussion, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads and World Percussion Instruments and Sabian Cymbals.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- General Education
Job Titles:
- Alumni Association Representative
Joel DeFayette (MMEd '11) graduated from the University of North Texas with Bachelor of Music Education with a concentration in Voice in 1998. Originally from Dallas, Tx, Joel has taught general music and choir for both public and private middle school students for over 23 years. Joel completed his master's degree at VanderCook in 2011 upon returning to teach in Dallas for four more years. Before moving to Chicago in 2015, Joel performed with the Dallas Symphony Chorus and served 2 years as Bass Section Leader. He currently teaches at the Frances Xavier Warde School Holy Name Campus as 4th - 8th General Music and Choir Teacher, as well as school's Cantor and Liturgical Music Coordinator. Joel also serves as Instructional Special Teams Lead, the Steering Committee Accreditation for Fine Arts, and the school's Equity and
Justice Forum. Joel is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in Higher Education at DePaul University Lincoln Park campus where he was inducted in the Golden Key Honour Society in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Immediate past Chairman
- Partner at Tressler
John Huston is a partner at Tressler, LLP, in downtown Chicago. Huston has established himself as an expert in all areas of tort litigation with an emphasis on complex products and professional liability in the fields of architecture and engineering. Huston has a bachelor's degree in industrial administration and a BE in electrical engineering, both from Yale University, and a JD with a concentration in litigation and administrative law from Loyola University of the Chicago School of Law.
Huston served as a lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserves, where he was the Electrical Officer on the flagships of the NATO (2nd) and Mediterranean (6th) fleets, and an engineering instructor at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center as part of the Nuclear Power Program. Huston is also a percussionist and has been a VanderCook board member since 1998.
Job Titles:
- President of Harris - Teller Inc
Jon Harris is President of Harris-Teller Inc., a full-line music products distributor based in Chicago. Harris served on the board of directors for the International Music Products Association from 2008 to 2010. He is past president and current historian of the Music Distributors Association and a member of the National Association of School Music Dealers. He also served on the Latin School of Chicago Alumni Board from 2008 to 2011. Harris received a BA from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1992.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Voice
Job Titles:
- Member of the Education Committee
- Professional Education
- Special Education Teacher in Chicago Public Schools
Kathleen Morgan has been a special education teacher in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) since 1997. Her teaching experience is primarily in cluster programs for students with autism and mild/moderate disabilities. Morgan worked as a city-wide instructional coach for the Chicago Public Schools' Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services for 10 years. In this role, she coached teachers at over 100 CPS schools in implementing evidence-based instructional strategies and behavioral supports for students with disabilities. She also created and provided district-wide training and professional development to paraprofessionals, teachers and parents. In addition, Morgan worked on multiple assessment teams where she evaluated students for autism and created Individualized Education Plans for students who qualified for Special Education Services.
Morgan currently works as the Student Employment Coordinator at Ray Graham Training Center, a CPS Post-Secondary Transition Center for students with disabilities. As the Student Employment Coordinator, she spends a great deal of time in the community securing employment opportunities, conducting job observations, providing job coaching/on-the-job training for students and working with multiple community partners and agencies.
Morgan earned her undergraduate degree in Special Education at Illinois State University and a Master's degree in Special Education from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She most recently earned a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from American College of Education.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor, Trumpet
Job Titles:
- Student Teacher Supervisor
Linda Crabtree Powell graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Music with Distinction and a Master of Music in Piano from the American Conservatory of Music. Her book Compelling Choral Concerts, on the art of choral programming, was recently published by GIA Publications. She has studied piano with Mark Wessel, Dimitri Pomperno and Mary Sauer, and sings with the Bach Cantatas in River Forest.
Powell is an experienced and noted choral director and has taught all levels of music. She also founded the BRAVO! Arts program in Oak Park. While at Trinity High School in River Forest, her choirs performed in Canada, Ireland and Spain along with invitations from the Art Institute of Chicago. Currently, she is conducting the Oak Park River Forest Encore Choir, which has grown to over 90 members.
Liz Dunne currently leads marketing and consumer research for Uber in Chicago. She previously worked at Benenson Strategy Group in Los Angeles, where she led all aspects of research to develop compelling communications, from proposal development and the execution of research and quantitative/qualitative data analysis. Prior to Benenson, Dunne worked at MSHC Partners where she executed direct mail and online persuasion, membership, and IE programs for federal, state-, and county-level candidates and organizations like Rock the Vote, AFL-CIO, National Education Association, and Sierra Club. She also spent several years at a small government affairs shop in Washington, DC, where she focused on intellectual property protection for the fashion design industry as well as funding opportunities for important health care IT and transportation projects. A Chicago native, Dunne holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Loren Chernoff is a Speech/Language and Learning Disabilities Therapist who has worked in public, private, and alternative schools, working with children with special needs, gifted children, socio-economically disadvantaged children, and socio-economically privileged children from preschool to age 21-She is currently working with music therapists when related to speech/language issues at Lawrence Hall, a social service agency on Chicago's north side-She received her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and her master's degree from DePaul University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Continuing Education and Outreach
Max Briggs plays the tuba and is a Doctor of Musical Arts. Max teaches tuba and euphonium at the VanderCook College of Music, Lake Forest College, Music Institute of Chicago, and several high schools in the Chicago area. He plays with the Northshore Concert Band, the Gilded Age Town band, Temperance Brass, and Northside Brass. Max is the winner of the 2015 Leonard Falcone Tuba Artist solo competition, and the 2015 Chicago Brass Festival solo competition. Max's teaching is rooted in the pedagogy of Arnold Jacobs, and is focused on tone, musicality, technique, and the psychology of learning and performance.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Instrumental Publications for Hal Leonard Corporation
Paul Lavender serves as Vice President of Instrumental Publications for Hal Leonard Corporation. He directs the product development and marketing of Hal Leonard's extensive catalog of performance publications for orchestra, concert band, marching band, and jazz ensemble, as well as instrumental books, collections and methods. His longtime association with renowned film composer John Williams has produced the prestigious John Williams Signature Series, featuring Williams' authentic film scores and concert music for professional orchestras. In addition, Paul has served as music supervisor and arranger for several of Williams' concerts and special events. Also a prolific writer, Paul has contributed more than 1,200 arrangements and compositions to the educational and concert repertoire, and he continues to be one of the most widely played writers today.
Job Titles:
- Orff Schulwerk Levels Recorder Instructor
Job Titles:
- Front Office Receptionist
Rob Conrad never really envisioned how far his advertising career might take him, despite the fact that less than three months into his very first job he found himself in Hollywood shooting commercials for one of the world's foremost advertisers.
Job Titles:
- Director of Choral Activities / Dean, Graduate Division
Job Titles:
- President, Professor, Music Education
Job Titles:
- Professor, Music Education Director of Student Teaching
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President of Eastman Music Company
Saul Friedgood is Executive Vice President of Eastman Music Company, a leading maker and supplier of fine stringed instruments. He earned his BA in political science at American University.
Scott Casagrande was Director of Bands at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, IL for 22 years and retired in June, 2021 after completing 33 years of teaching in Illinois Public Schools. He taught high school, middle school and elementary students in suburban, urban and rural settings over the course of his teaching career.
Mr. Casagrande currently serves Music for All as a Music Education Consultant coordinating the National Festival, Affiliate Regional Music Festivals and Affiliate Marching Band events. He is also a consultant with MusicFirst software, as well as an administrator for the Dr. William P. Foster Project involving CBDNA, NBA and Music for All serving bands in historically under-served and under-resourced communities. He is a Past-President of the National Band Association.
Under Mr. Casagrande's direction, the John Hersey Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble performed as a featured ensemble in the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Ensembles under Mr. Casagrande's direction were selected to perform in 24 Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festivals, two Illinois Music Educators Association Conventions and four Music for All National Concert Band Festivals. The Hersey Symphonic Band was named the Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival Honor Band four times and the band program was awarded the Sudler Flag of Honor by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Jazz Ensembles under Mr. Casagrande's direction were named Honor Band many times at both the Purdue Jazz Festival and Jazz in the Meadows, the two largest jazz festivals in the Midwest. The Hersey Marching Huskies were consistent state finalists and named Class 4A Champions four times during Mr. Casagrande's tenure. Mr. Casagrande was inducted into the State of Illinois Marching Championship Hall of Fame in 2022.
Job Titles:
- Chief Academic Officer / Dean, Undergraduate Division
Job Titles:
- Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase
Stanley Dietzel has served as the Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors for 34 years and as a consultant at Northern Trust. Dietzel has a B.A. in Philosophy from Carleton College and an MBA from University of Chicago in Finance.
Dietzel is actively engaged with his community. He offers his knowledge in finances at the Chicago Center for Economic Progress as a tax prep volunteer, and mentors at College Bound Opportunities in Highland Park. Furthermore, he supports the local environment as a River Steward for the Lake County Forest Preservs and as a Gardener at Heller Nature Center in Highland Park and the Chicago Botanical Garden. His astute knowledge and experience in finance provides valuable insight to the Board of Trustees, but his love of music and personal connection to VanderCook are what truly brought him to the College.
Stephen Buzard is organist and choirmaster for the Cathedral Choir and principal musician of the Cathedral, responsible for leading, managing, and coordinating the music program as an effective part of the Cathedral's overall ministry.
Formerly acting organist and director of music at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York City, Stephen is a graduate of Westminster Choir College and Yale University Institute of Sacred Music. He was the winner of the Arthur Poister Competition and was recently named one of the top 20 organists under 30 by the Diapason magazine. Stephen's premier recording, "In Light or Darkness," (Delos) has received wide critical acclaim. He is an Associate of the American Guild of Organists.
Stephen studied organ performance with Ken Cowan and Thomas Murray, and improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart and Bruce Neswick. He became assistant organist to John Scott at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue and served as acting organist and director of music following Scott's untimely death.
Stephen grew up in a pipe organ household, his mother, organist-choirmaster of the Chapel of St. John the Divine, Champaign, Illinois; his father, president and artistic director of Buzard Pipe Organ Builders. While in high school, he began organ studies.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor, Theory and Piano
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor, Orchestra