CSA faculty & staff

Jennifer Allor received her MM in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her BM in Piano Performance from UNC, Chapel Hill and joined the CSA faculty in 2010. She teaches privately from her studio in Wheaton, which she has maintained for the past two years and has operated studios in both Cleveland and Chapel Hill prior to moving to Chicago. In addition to private lessons, she accompanies string classes and Wheaton College students, and is a member of MTNA.

Marilyn Andersen holds the B.M. degree from Wheaton College (IL.) and the M.M. degree from Indiana University, majoring in organ. She has taught Suzuki piano in the Community School of the Arts since 1975 and has had numerous students study with her for 12 to 14 year, some of whom have gone on to Conservatory study. Ms. Andersen has taught many contest winners, had students win gold and silver medals in the Sonata Festival and receive the Paderewski medal from the National Piano Guild. Additionally, several of her students have been selected to perform at the Suzuki Association National Conference. In 1986, Ms. Andersen traveled to Matsumoto, Japan to study under and observe the teaching of Dr. Haruko Kataoka and Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. She is a registered Teacher Trainer of the Suzuki Method for piano and has trained teachers at summer Institutes in the USA and Canada. She also teaches an on-going Teacher Training class at the CSA.

Anita Arch received her Bachelors in Music Education from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1995. She taught orchestra for two years at the elementary and middle school levels in the U-46 School District after college. In 1997, Anita joined the faculty of the Community School of the Arts, where she has taught Suzuki Violin for the past 12 years, also serving as the coordinator of CSA’s biennial Suzuki Violin and Viola Workshops. Anita is an active member of the orchestra at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, and has performed at numerous events throughout the Chicago area. Anita has been married for 11 years to her husband, Steve, and the couple lives in Lombard with their two cats.

Amy Cleaveland Bates received her Bachelor of Music Education from Wheaton College and her Master of Music Education from Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY) and joined the faculty of the Community School of the Arts in 2008. She has been teaching elementary music for five years, first in Syracuse, NY, then in the south suburbs of Chicago. She accompanies for local soloists and choirs, performing regularly in student recitals. Amy has taught private piano for six years, and her students participate in Guild competitions.

Dr. Beth A. Bauer received her doctorate of music education from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Her dissertation is titled “What is an appropriate approach to piano instruction for students with Down syndrome?” Additional degree work includes a Master of Music from Northern Illinois University where she studied with Bill Koehler, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music where she was a student of Daniel P. Horn. Additional pedagogy instruction occurred with Karin Edwards, Larry Rast, and Karen Taylor. Currently, she is an instructor in pedagogy at the Wheaton College Conservatory where she teaches Introduction to Pedagogy, Studio Administration, Group Instruction, and Music to Special Learners and oversees pedagogy student teachers and music internships. In addition to her faculty work in the Conservatory, Dr. Bauer is the founder and an instructor in Beethoven’s Buddies, a music program for students with developmental delays, at the Community School of the Arts, Wheaton College and teaches precollege piano to beginning to advanced students in the Community School of the Arts.

 

Her work with students with special needs has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Clavier Companion Journal, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, the Indiana University Alumni Magazine, the Daily Herald, and the Wheaton College Alumni Magazine. She holds certifications in Orff, Kodaly, Suzuki, and the National Certification with the MTNA organization. Dr. Bauer is a sought after clinician and speaker to professional teacher’s organizations and parent groups. She has been teaching piano for 20-years and working with students with special needs for 13-years.

Carol Beilke received a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance (cum laude) from Lawrence University, and was chosen to perform as soloist in the annual commencement concerto concert. She received a Master’s degree in piano pedagogy and performance from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Carol has been teaching piano for the past twenty years, with the past nine at Community School of the Arts (CSA), where she also coordinates the Preparatory Program. Her students have won awards in various competitions and participate in both AIM and Guild. She is active as a performer and soloist as well as a teacher mentor. Carol’s goal as a piano teacher is to instill in her students a “life-time love” of music and confidence that can be extended into all of life’s challenges.

Julie Bickel, violinist and Director of Vivaldi Strings, holds a B.A. in violin performance, a B.S. in pre-medical studies from the University of Notre Dame, and M.M. in violin performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University. Ms. Maura currently teaches Suzuki violin, viola, music theory, and is director of the Vivaldi Strings touring group at the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College.
She has studied with Betty Monahan, Almita and Roland Vamos, Rachel Barton, Simin Ganatra, Mathias Tacke, Brian Lewis, and many other fine Suzuki teachers around the country. Ms. Maura has taught String Pedagogy at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, as well as at various music institutes, including Sound Encounters in Ottawa, Kansas; Texas State University Suzuki Strings Institute in San Marcos, Texas; Intermountain Suzuki String Institute in Draper, Utah; DFW-WOW in Dallas, Texas; and the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She has also been a participant in the past four Starling-DeLay Juilliard Symposiums. Ms. Maura coordinated the Suzuki Youth Orchestras of the Americas for the 12th SAA Conference. At the 13th SAA Conference in 2008, her tour group Vivaldi Strings was selected to perform for the International Ensembles Concert.

Susan Breitner-Hurm received a Bachelor of Music degree in applied piano from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, and received a Master of Music in piano performance from the University of Illinois. Susan joined the faculty of the Community School of the Arts in 1997, where she teaches Suzuki Piano.

Kevin Brown, BM—Wheaton College, began to play guitar at age 7. In 2004, Kevin received the award of ‘honorable mention soloist’ in area of guitar from Wynton Marsalis at the Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition as a result of his performance on ‘Stompy Jones’. Kevin performs professionally in the jazz fusion group, Mosaik, performing a number of Kevin’s original compositions that involve irregular meters, odd meters, metric modulations, and complex harmonic progressions. He is known for his specialization in fretless guitar. Being inspired by the music that Bach wrote for solo violin and solo cello, he is convinced that similar intonation can be achieved on fretless guitar for both chordal and melodic passages. Kevin is a master’s student in Jazz Studies at DePaul University.

Kathy Cathey received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Wheaton College, with further studies in cello performance at the Mozarteum and further studies in Music Education at the Orff Institute, both in Salzburg, Austria. Kathy has been teaching Early Childhood music classes at the Community School of the Arts (CSA) since 1994, and is certified in both Kindermusik and Musikgarten curricula. Kathy’s previous experience includes teaching in two elementary schools and at a Montessori preschool. She is part of CSA’s outreach program, CODA, and regularly travels to Africa and refugee camps in Vienna, Austria to work with children living in poverty.

Eurydice Choi studied at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy. She has taught piano for seven years and has experience in private Suzuki instruction, traditional instruction, group theory class as well as college level piano class. As a faculty member of the Community School of the Arts, she teaches Suzuki and traditional private piano lessons. She has received certification in the Suzuki Method and is a member of the Suzuki Association of Americas. Eurydice is also active as an area accompanist and has been a member of her church’s worship ministry.

Lauren Davies received her Bachelor's in Art Education from North Central College in Naperville. Having explored drawing, painting, sculpture, and ceramics, she enjoys sharing her creativity and love of art with students of all ages. Lauren also has a strong background in design, having taught both Fashion and Advertising Design as adjunct faculty at The College of DuPage. Lauren started teaching calligraphy at CSA in summer 2003, and joined the Visual Arts faculty in the fall of 2008. She believes that self-expression through the visual arts helps students balance the demands placed upon them by technology.

bio to come

Barbara Farley received the Bachelor of Music Performance and Master of Music Performance degrees in violin from Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, and has studied under Morris Gomberg and Deborah Wood and been coached by Ray Niwa and Otakar Sroubek of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She taught for ten years at the preparatory school at Chicago Musical College before joining the faculty of the Community School of the Arts in 1992. Her students have won numerous awards, including soloist with the Chicago Youth Symphony and local scholarship competitions. Barbara is a member of various Chicago performing groups such as The Chicago Jazz Orchestra, The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, backstage orchestra for The Lyric Opera, and The Lithuanian Opera. She performs regularly with her husband, a bass player, with their own group, Orchestra 33 Entertainment. Barbara enjoys teaching and performing and feels a musical education is essential in establishing skills that help students reach their potential in all areas of life.

Lacy Schroeder-Garbar earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance and Music Theory/Composition from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, a Master of Music degree in Performance from Northwestern University, and a Performer's Certificate from Northern Illinois University. While at Northern, Lacy was the premiere winner of the annual concerto competition playing the Copland Clarinet Concerto. Lacy is currently a member of the New Philharmonic, and has performed with various Chicagoland ensembles including the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Opera Chicago. In addition to teaching in Wheaton College's CSA, she also maintains private clarinet studios at two suburban high schools and William Rainey Harper College.

Lisa Hirschmugl has been a Suzuki Viola and Violin Instructor at the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College for the past twenty years. She received the B.M. from Eastman School of Music and the M.M. from Northwestern University. She has served on the board of the American Viola Society and founded the Chicago Viola Society. Lisa has taught at many national Suzuki workshops and has been on the faculty of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Suzuki Institute for the past ten years. She has previously been a member of the Wichita Symhony, the Lake Forest Symphony, and the Kreisler String Quartet. She also specializes in teaching Music Theory and Early Childhood Music.

Oksana Kovalev received her music degrees from Taganrog State Music College and Pedagogical Institute in Taganrog, Russia, where she taught private piano and classroom music. After moving to the United States, Oksana maintained a private piano studio for three years before joining the faculty of the Community School of the Arts in 2003. Oksana has been a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas for six years and has been trained in the Suzuki Method at Elmhurst College by instructor Yasuko Joichi. She maintains a very full studio at the Community School of the Arts.

Ms. Kelly received her B.M. in vocal performance from Wheaton College and is currently pursuing her M.M. in vocal performance at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She was Honors Conductor of the Women’s Chorale in 2010-2011 and was involved in organizing and performing in the children’s concerts at Wheaton College. Sarah has performed as Gretel from Hansel and Gretel and Lady Ella from Patience.

Karen Kuite earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University and studied piano for 14 years. She is a licensed early childhood music and movement specialist, having completed coursework requirements for certification to teach all levels of Kindermusik® and Musikgarten® curricula. Prior to joining the faculty of the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College in 2009, Karen taught early childhood music and private piano lessons for 13 years, and is also the founder and director of the Early Childhood Music Program at College Church in Wheaton. She also teaches music classes at the Wheaton Bible Preschool. Karen is passionate about the importance of developmentally appropriate, hands-on musical training for all children.

Carol Ma Kwak received her Bachelor of Arts in Piano at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Masters in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She has taught piano since 2000, beginning at the Community School of the Arts (CSA) in 2003. Her students have won numerous competitions, awards, and scholarships, and participate in Piano Guild. Carol is Suzuki-certified in piano and is a member of both the American College of Musicians and the Suzuki Association of Americas. In 2006, she presented at the National Suzuki Conference. Carol enjoys teaching both Suzuki and traditional piano methods. With violin as her secondary instrument, Carol played high school and college orchestra. As a student, Carol won numerous awards and scholarships for both piano and violin at the state and local levels. Her passion for music and Christ is shared at church where she plays on worship team.

Cheryl Cheon-Ae Lim is a member of the piano faculty at the Community School of the Arts. Ms. Lim began to play the piano at the age of five in her native land of Korea. She attended Seoul National University where she performed as an honor student. After winning the first place in the Korean Cultural Center Competition, Ms. Lim came to the United States to further her piano studies. She studied English and piano at Roosevelt University, winning the first place in the Chicago Musical College Scholarship Competition. She then attended Northwestern University, receiving a master's degree in piano performance. She also completed her DMA course work in piano pedagogy and performance at Northwestern University. During this time, she was selected as one of six demonstration student-teachers at the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy. Ms. Lim has been an adjudicator in the Illinois State AIM exams, Sonata-Sonatina Festival by Illinois State Music Teachers Association, the Society of American Musicians, Illinois High School Association State Music Contest, Grandquist Music Competition, and Music Festival in Honor of Confucius. At the present time, she is head of the piano department at Betty Haag Academy and is on the faculty of Wheaton College.

Sarah Lindquist received the B.M.E. at Wheaton College, where she studied violin with Lee Joiner. She is the coordinator of CSA's Chamber Program, teaches a large violin and viola studio, group classes, orchestra, chamber music, and directs the Con Fuoco Violin ensemble. Her experience has included teaching Musikgarten and public school orchestras in the western suburbs of Chicago. As a child, Lamar Blum and Michael McLean were her first Suzuki teachers. Continuing education has been with Alice Joy Lewis, Rebecca Sandrok, Marilyn O’Boyle, Nancy Jackson, and Carol Dallinger. Miss Lindquist instructs string students of all levels and ages with a focus on excellent technique and expressive musicality. Her students have achieved many honors, including recital performances at Suzuki institutes, featured soloist for CSA Concerto Concert, Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) Youth Orchestra, and IMEA Orchestra, as well as placing in contests such as Granquist, Glen Ellyn Musicians Club, and IGMSA/IHSA Solo and Ensemble Contest. Ms. Lindquist has presented a session at the biennial SAA Conference, which is featured on the SAA members’ website and in an instructional DVD sent to all new members.

Kaitlin Martin received her Bachelors in Music Education from Wheaton College, where she specialized in piano and in music for students with special needs. She has taught music and classroom subjects at two therapeutic day schools, including Little Friends’ Krejci Academy, where she also received extensive training on teaching students with autism. For three years, she coordinated a weekly church music program for adults with developmental disabilities, and during that time gave a presentation entitled “Leading a Church Music Program for People with Special Needs” at disability ministry conference. She also works for the Illinois Department of Human Services as a personal respite care worker and is a member of the Music Educators National Conference. Kaitlin has taught special needs piano lessons for Community School of the Arts since June 2007.

Jennifer Nagle holds a B.F.A. from Northern Illinois University and has completed further studies as a Smith Grant recipient at the Art Institute of Chicago. She joined the faculty of the Community School of the Arts (CSA) in 2001, and serves as the coordinator of CSA’s Visual Arts program in addition to her teaching duties. Jennifer strives to communicate the understanding and practice of art fundamentals in order to equip students to express themselves in the visual arts through drawing, painting, print making, ceramics and sculpture. She owns and operates a custom painting business specializing in murals, faux finishes and decorative painting. Jennifer also designs and creates art to support scripture for area church services and ministries.

Jesse McAdoo has a Master of Music in cello performance with emphasis in String Pedagogy from the University of New Mexico, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from University of North Carolina. For the last two years he has been teaching in the Suzuki Lab School at the University of New Mexico, working as a graduate teaching assistant, and managing a private teaching studio. He was the principal cellist in the University Symphony Orchestra, has been very involved in chamber music, and also performed as a substitute with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra.

Carol Ourada, cellist, received her Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Illinois. She also received a Certificate of Observation and Study from the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan, studying violin with Shinichi Suzuki. Carol has been teaching in the Suzuki Program of the Community School of the Arts (CSA) at Wheaton College for thirty years and has been teaching early childhood music classes there for fourteen years. Her CSA studio consists primarily of cello students, with some violin and viola. In addition, she teaches in the CSA community outreach program, CODA, offering music classes to refugee and at-risk children. Carol is certified to teach the Musikgarten, Kindermusik, and Suzuki Early Childhood curricula. In 2007 she was awarded the ASTA Outstanding Studio Teacher of Illinois. She is currently on the Suzuki Association of the Americas Board of Directors and was the coordinator for the 12th Biennial SAA Conference. Carol is also a Suzuki parent of two children, and is a frequent clinician at workshops and Suzuki institutes around the country.

Dorthy Okpebholo (pronounced: oh-pebble-oh) has a Masters of Music from University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and has been teaching violin/viola for 11 years. Before moving to Wheaton last year, Dorthy was a member of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra as well as a string coach for the Jackson Symphony Youth Orchestra. Since her move, she has been performing with ensembles in the Chicago area, including the Chicago Sinfonietta. Dorthy’s husband, Shawn is the Asst. Professor of Theory in the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music.

Emily Williams Puntuzs holds a Master’s degree in viola performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University, and a B.M. from Oberlin Conservatory. Emily has been teaching viola and violin at the Community School of the Arts since 1998, and has served as the Suzuki Strings Coordinator since 2004. She has studied with Peter Slowik and Jeffrey Irvine, along with many other fine teachers and Suzuki teacher trainers. She was the viola coordinator for the 2010 SAA Conference. Emily has also been ringing handbells for over 25 years, and directs the CSA handbell program.

Virginia Robin has been teaching traditional and Suzuki piano for 30 and 20 years respectively. She received her Master’s degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Roosevelt University in Chicago and Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. Currently teaching at the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College and her home studio in Hinsdale, she also has taught Suzuki piano at the Steckman Studio in Oak Park for six years. Virginia is a performing member of the Western Springs Music Club and performs on faculty recitals. A registered nurse, Virginia incorporates her knowledge and ability to work with all types of individuals into her private teaching. She is a member of CAMTA, MTNA, SAA and ACM. Her students perform in National Federation of Music Clubs and National Piano Playing Auditions annually. Virginia believes that music should be a pleasurable, lifelong pursuit.

Noretta Singley received the Bachelor of Arts degree from the Sacred Music Department of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, majoring in organ performance. She has taught piano for more than 35 years in both the United States and Ecuador, and has 30 years of experience as a certified Suzuki piano instructor, having earned her Suzuki teacher certification under Carole Bigler and Valery Lloyd-Watts at Emporia State University in Kansas. Her experience with the Suzuki method also includes raising four children who all studied Suzuki violin and attended numerous Suzuki institutes. She has presented lectures on teaching music using the Suzuki method at the National Conservatory of Music in Quito, Ecuador, and has served as an accompanist in several church music programs. Since 1997, she has been part of the faculty at the Community School of the Arts oat Wheaton College, where she has taught private lessons and group classes and currently serves as an area coordinator for the CSA Suzuki piano department.

Ann Storm holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Biology from Augustana College in Rock Island and her Master of Arts in Voice and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. Ann has been teaching early childhood music at Wheaton College’s Community School of the Arts for the past 12 years, also currently serving as the coordinator of the Early Childhood Music Program. She is fully certified in Kindermusik® and Musikgarten® instructional methods and curricula, and she regularly participates in ongoing educational initiatives in those areas. Prior to joining the faculty at CSA, her background included teaching elementary school music classes (K-8), private voice instruction, and various solo performances with community orchestras and choral ensembles.

Anne Sullivan holds a Bachelor’s degree in music performance from Wheaton College and a Master's from DePaul University. She teaches Suzuki and preparatory flute and recorder on the faculty of the Community School of the Arts. Her two solo flute CDs are sold worldwide, and she has recorded for other artists, including Glen Yarborough and Muriel Andersen. She has appeared on Chicago television programming and also television commercials. She is also an accomplished performer, having given solo recitals in France, New York, Taiwan and Chicago.

Faye Sung earned her Doctorate from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and her Masters degrees in Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano from the University of Missouri, Kansas City and the New England Conservatory, respectively. Returning home to Seoul, Korea, she began her teaching career at her alma mater, Sungshin Women’s University, from which she had graduated summa cum laude in Piano Performance. She was also an active member of the Korea Collaborative Piano Association giving concerts, lecture recitals, and appearing on the major concert stages of Korea. Dr. Sung has broadened the horizons of her pupils while serving as a visiting lecturer at Hansei University, Sungshin Women’s University, and Seoul Art Conservatory. A Missouri State Winner of the MMTA competition, Dr. Sung's artistry lies both in her virtuosity as a performer and mastery in teaching piano, which grew out of twenty years of teaching experience and the ever-present influence of her musical mother.

Cassandra Swierenga graduated with honors from Calvin College, earning a BA in Art and Education. She joined the faculty of the Community School of the Arts in 2007, where she teaches watercolor classes. As a classroom teacher she taught grade level classes, gifted classes and classes for students with disabilities, as well as serving in the art-related Picture Lady program for 8 years. Studying painting from 1999-2006 at the College of Du Page earned her a membership in Phi Theta Kappa, an International Honor Society. Her training has encompassed various aspects of painting including history, technique, composition, and the following mediums: oil, acrylic, watercolor, fresco, encaustic, pastels, and inks. Throughout her painting career she has shown and received awards in a variety of exhibits and juried art shows. Designing play sets and costumes and graphic arts work are also a part of her creative pursuits. Cassandra enjoys and continues to serve as visual arts liaison for Elmhurst Christian Reformed church, where many of her installations serve to enrich Biblical teaching.

Julieanne Tehan has received her Masters in Cello Performance from DePaul University, Chicago, IL and her Bachelors Degree in Cello Performance from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, Wheaton, IL. She has been teaching Suzuki Cello at the Wheaton College Community School of the Arts since 2004. With a passion for proper technique, which allows for ease of playing, Julieanne has been continuing to study cello pedagogy extensively with Tanya L. Carey since 2005. She has also been teaching the String Techniques class for the Wheaton College Conservatory since 2008. As well as teaching, Julieanne is committed to performing regularly in the greater Chicago area, including playing with symphonies, chorales, recording projects, and gatherings.

Joyce Anne Wilder received her Master’s Degree in flute performance from The University of Michigan and her undergraduate degree also in flute performance from Wichita State University. Joyce Anne was a flutist in the Wichita Symphony for 30 years. She was also the flute instructor at Southwestern College for 28 years and has been teaching flute for thirty-six years. She was the principal flutist in both the Wichita Metropolitan Ballet Orchestra and the Wichita Grand Opera Orchestra until moving to Chicago in 2008. Most recently, she has performed with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. She and her husband (Michael Wilder, Dean of Arts and Communication at Wheaton College) teach every summer at the MasterWorks Music Festival in Indiana. She and Michael have eleven children, and they are blessed to be able to perform chamber music with several of them. Joyce Anne was certified to teach Musikgarten in 1996 and loves sharing music with young children. She and Michael have been homeschooling their children since 1990.

Kristi Wright holds a M.M. in Vocal Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and a B.M. from Wheaton College. She has been teaching voice since 2006 and joined the faculty at the Community School of the Arts in 2009. She is an active performer in both opera and musical theater and recently has become involved in directing and vocal directing local productions. As a performer in the area, she has recently been seen as the Colorature role in Argentos Postcard from Morocco, a soloist in Purcells Fairy Queen, Yum-yum and Pitti-Sing in Gilbert & Sullivans The Mikado, and Joanne in Godspell.

Sarah Yeo received the Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Illinois and the Master of Music in piano performance from Northern Illinois University. Sarah joined the faculty of the Community School of the Arts in 1998, where she teaches Suzuki piano.