(Faculty roster is subject to change and we can’t guarantee that you will have a certain faculty member as your teacher.)

Enrichment Faculty:

Christopher Becknell : From Bach to Rock Guitar Styles

Christopher is a Twin Cities musician who freelances in many musical styles. An accomplished Classical and Fingerstyle Guitarist, he also performs on Fiddle in a wide range of styles from Classical, Celtic, Bluegrass and Old-Time to Rock and Hot Club Jazz Violin. Currently he performs with Guitarist David Crittenden in the duo SlipJig.

He served on the music faculty of Minneapolis Community and Technical College for 7 years and is a current faculty member at MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis. In 2015, Christopher released an album of Fingerstyle Gospel and Folk song arrangements for solo Guitar called Just Beyond the River; it has received playtime on Minnesota, Michigan and National Public Radio, The Current, and KBEM’s Bluegrass Saturday Morning and is available on all major platforms.

Gail Gebhart : Piano Accompanying Class

Gail Gebhart is a private Suzuki piano teacher in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In addition to maintaining an active studio, she is on the faculty of Wayne State University where she teaches private and class piano. She received a B.M. With Distinction from the University of Michigan and a M.M. in Piano Performance from Wayne State University. She received Suzuki training from Mary Craig Powell, Yasuko Joichi and Renee Robbins.

A coordinator the piano area for the Suzuki Association of the Americas’ Biennial Conference in 2014 and she has taught at the Peaks to Plains Suzuki Institute, Colorado Suzuki Institute, Oregon Suzuki Institute, Calgary Suzuki Institute, and the Chicago Suzuki Institute. In August 2016, Gail became a piano Teacher Trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

Jill Crist : Cello Rock! and Cello Choir

Jill W Crist is cello professor at Otterbein University and Columbus Cello School, LLC, as well as an ensemble coach for Chamber Music Connection. She is the cellist of Bryden String Quartet. Jill is a sought after Suzuki cello teacher, and directed Suzuki cello at Capital University and Suzuki Music Columbus for over a decade.

Along with her teaching skills, she has performed throughout Japan with the Logos String Quartet, as well as toured and soloed in Burgenland and Vienna, Austria with the Classical Music Festival. Jill performs regularly with the Capital, Springfield, Mansfield, and Newark-Granville Symphony, and is in an active wedding contractor throughout Central Ohio. She is a proud wife and mother to two

Jacob Jonker : Improvisation Fundamentals

Jacob Jonker has a Master’s Degree in Classical Guitar and has taught both privately and at the University Level since 2008. His students have had the opportunity to play in masterclasses with world-class guitarists including William Kanengiser, Ana Vidovic, Jason Vieaux, Berta Rojas, and the Brasil Guitar Duo. They also attend Suzuki Institutes and the International Conference in Minneapolis.

To name a few, he has performed with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Twin Ports Choral Project, Lyric Opera of the North, as well as in numerous Rock, Pop and Jazz groups. Jake is always looking to expand his musical skillset and try new things.

Kirby Kay : Viola for Violinists

Kirby Kay grew up with music education as an integral part of her family life. She graduated from the University of Illinois with her Bachelor’s of Music in Violin Performance in 2008 and found her true passion for teaching upon graduation. She has pursued training with such teachers as Doris Preucil, Alice Joy Lewis, Carol Dallinger, Winifred Crock, Vera McCoy-Sulentic, Nancy Jackson and Edmund Sprunger.

Kirby co-founded West County Strings (St. Louis) with her husband, Brad, in 2013 where they enjoy a thriving Suzuki program for violin and viola, after holding a position at the STL School of Music from 2008-2013. Her students hold leadership positions in the STL Youth Orchestra, and the Missouri All-State Orchestra. Kirby especially enjoys her time on faculty at summer Suzuki Institutes and Chamber Music Camps. She is a recurring featured soloist for the Town and Country Symphony, St. Charles Symphony, Kankakee Valley Symphony.

Annette Lee : Piano Accompanying Class

Annette Lee has taught Suzuki Piano at the MacPhail Center for Music since 1995. Her teaching approach embraces the Suzuki Philosophy that every child can learn. She observes each child as individuals as they begin their journey of learning music through the piano.

Ms. Lee is a frequent performer in the Twin Cities as an active collaborator with colleagues and students. She is a frequent clinician having taught at Suzuki Institutes in Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C. and Canada.

Ms. Lee began her teaching career in the Chicago area at DePaul University Community Music Program and the Music Institute of Chicago. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Wheaton Conservatory of Music and was a fellowship student at the University of Michigan for her Master’s Degree. Additional training includes the Aspen Music Festival, Blossom Music Festival and the Chicago Suzuki Institute. Ms. Lee has been a Teacher Trainer since 2015.

Lee Ann Scherlong: Choir, Acting and Voice Classes

Lee Ann Scherlong: Native of Colorado, Lee Ann has worked professionally as a director, music director, theatre educator, actor, teaching artist and arts administrator for over 30 years. Lee Ann has worked extensively within the world of Theatre for Young Audiences and has a passion for providing opportunities for young people to learn the craft of acting, singing and to participate in the performing arts.

Organizations Lee Ann has worked with include Colorado Vocal Institute, Fort Collins Children’s Theatre, Northglenn Youth Theatre, Cherry Creek Theatre, Neighborhood Music School, Aurora Fox, Factory Five Five and Vintage Theatre Productions. Youth productions directed include Seussical, Alice in Wonderland (play), and Wizard of Oz. Youth theatre productions music directed include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Honk!, the Musical, Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Freaky Friday, Cinderella, and Frozen Jr.

Cora Crisman : Dalcroze Inspired Music and Movement, Music Together and Improv Piano Artistry

Cora Crisman is a flutist who enjoys a vibrant and varied career as a performer and music educator. Orchestras she subs with include the Colorado Symphony, Colorado Ballet, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and Boulder Philharmonic. Cora enjoys playing chamber music with her woodwind quintet The Five Seasons, and holds the Second Flute position with the Denver Municipal Band, providing free outdoor concerts to the Denver area.

A passionate music educator, Cora teaches with and writes curriculum for Integral Steps, a nonprofit that provides integrated arts education to children of all backgrounds. Currently, her passion project is a collaboration between the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and the Headstart Preschool program that brings skilled musicians into the classroom, and invites students into the concert hall for performances at no cost. Cora holds an MA from the Royal Academy of Music in London and a BM from Ithaca College School of Music in New York.

Crystal Plohman Wiegman : American Fiddle Music for Violin, Viola and Cello!

Crystal Plohman Wiegman has spent over 25 years sharing her fiddling expertise at numerous Suzuki Institutes, state educators’ conferences, and string clinics across the continent and Europe. Growing up as one of the first Suzuki students in the Brandon University program, Crystal went on to win national fiddling titles in both Canada and the US. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, she serves on the Suzuki strings faculty at Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and is coordinator of the Folk Instrument Department. Crystal has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and shared the stage with the Chieftains and country greats like Chet Atkins and Vince Gill. She has toured internationally throughout Europe, China, and Japan.

Since her move to Music City in 1994, Crystal has been dedicated to bridging the gap between the classical and folk music world, developing a holistic violin program which embraces Suzuki philosophies and repertoire as the foundation, incorporating fiddle music of various styles and improvisation to develop creativity. Crystal’s fiddle tune arrangements have been performed by string groups worldwide. She directs “Fiddle Frenzy”, a performing string group of Vanderbilt pre-collegiate students who perform regularly in middle Tennessee and recently returned from a well-received performance tour of Scotland. Her sequenced fiddle method book, “Fiddle and Song”, (designed to supplement and support Suzuki pedagogy) has recently been released through Alfred publishing.

Crystal lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and 2 children, Kelsie and Joshua, who study Suzuki violin and cello and loves getting to experience all sides of the Suzuki triangle.

Musicianship Faculty:

Emma Shubin : Musicianship

Flutist, Dalcroze, and Suzuki educator, Emma Shubin has been joyfully making music since the age of six. She plays piccolo with the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and is represented by flute maker Wm.S Haynes as one of their Ambassador Clinician Artists.
A proponent of integrative education, Emma is the co-founder and director of the non-profit Integral Steps, which strives to bring integrative education and balanced development to individuals, families, and communities throughout Colorado.

She currently serves as the Dalcroze Musicianship Teacher and Band Instructor at the Shining Mountain Waldorf School, and in addition to her private studio, travels most weekends to give recitals and masterclasses on audience engagement, Dalcroze and flute. She serves as the coordinator for new programming and an instructor with the Dalcroze School of the Rockies.

Kirby Kay : Musicianship

Kirby co-founded West County Strings (St. Louis) with her husband, Brad, in 2013 where they enjoy a thriving Suzuki program for violin and viola, after holding a position at the STL School of Music from 2008-2013. Her students hold leadership positions in the STL Youth Orchestra, and the Missouri All-State Orchestra. Kirby especially enjoys her time on faculty at summer Suzuki Institutes an Chamber Music Camps. She is a recurring featured soloist for the Town and Country Symphony, St. Charles Symphony, Kankakee Valley Symphony.

Meg Lanfear : Musicianship

Meg Lanfear is the founder and Director of the Oak Park String Academy and a Violinist with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Meg holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Violin Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music in addition to a Masters degree in Suzuki Pedagogy from CIM’s Sato Center for Suzuki Studies. Meg spent two months studying at the Suzuki Talent Institute in Matsumoto, Japan. In 2010, Meg was one of the first recipients of the Certificate of Achievement from the Suzuki Association of the Americas, an award that recognizes teachers with a commitment to excellence and life-long learning. Meg has performed with such illustrious artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Herbie Hancock, and Diana Krall. Meg is in her second year of studying towards a Dalcroze Certificate with Jeremy Dittus at the Dalcroze School of the Rockies. Meg lives with her husband, Randy, and their two young boys, James (7) and Henry (4), in Oak Park, IL.

Collaborative Piano:

Heidi Brymer : Collaborative Piano

Heidi grew up in the Denver area studying Suzuki piano & violin since the age of 4. She received a degree in piano performance from the University of Denver and also completed her Suzuki Violin teacher training.

Heidi has been accompanying recitals from Suzuki book 1 to Master’s recitals since the age of 16. She currently resides in the Raleigh area with her husband & 4 children. She continues to teach & accompany.

Peter Friesen: Collaborative Piano

Peter Friesen is an active performer and teacher near Denver, Colorado. He has been an affiliate member of the piano faculty at the Metropolitan State University of Denver since 2007, and maintains a large private studio. With degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder and Point Loma Nazarene University, he has performed and given master classes across the United States.

As a teacher, his holistic pedagogical approach aims to provide each student with the tools of healthy playing and musical creativity, from traditional Western music and notation to blues, improv, composition, and rock/pop learned by ear. Mr. Friesen is heavily involved in the local community of music teachers as an executive board member for the Colorado State Music Teachers Association. He regularly presents for teachers’ associations around the state on topics such as extended piano techniques and incorporating technology into teaching.

April Martin : Collaborative Piano

Dr. April Martin grew up as a Suzuki violin and piano student and is delighted to share this wonderful gift with the next generation of young musicians. Originally from Denver, she now lives in Coeur d’Alene, ID, and has a private studio of dedicated violin and piano students. From her own experiences of early musical exposure and lessons beginning at a young age, she has seen the value of the Suzuki approach first-hand and now enjoys sharing this same experience with students of all ages and levels.

Dr. Martin earned degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Denver. Her primary teachers have included James Maurer, Dr. Lina Bahn, and Alice Rybak. In addition to teaching, April is a violinist with the Spokane Symphony and an accompanist for musicians of all ages.

Nan Shannon : Collaborative Piano

Pianist Nan Shannon is an active soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. She has performed in many venues in Denver and the surrounding area, as a member of groups such as the Colorado Chamber Players, Front Range Chamber Players, and on the Denver Eclectic Concert Series. She has also specialized in music by living composers, both as a member of the Contemporary Music Forum in Washington, D.C, and with the Playground Ensemble in Denver. Since 2001 Ms. Shannon has taught piano, chamber music, and group classes at Regis University (from where she recently retired) and at Metropolitan State University in Denver. She earned her doctorate in piano from the Peabody Conservatory where she studied with Ann Schein, and her masters in accompanying from the University of Southern California, studying with Jean Barr and Brooks Smith.

Institute Faculty