Meet the Music Makers of Western Springs Faculty
Michelle Akin (Piano, Cello & Bass Guitar )
Teaches private lessons on Thursdays
Michelle Akin began her music studies on the piano as an eight year old, taking lessons for 10 years. She began her cello studies a few years later at 10 and just like in ‘School of Rock’ was tapped from the school orchestra to join the jazz band on bass guitar at 14. During her high school and college years she was named to the all state honors orchestra for two years, playing principal cello her junior year and then as a senior she was named to the all state honors jazz ensemble. She was featured in an article in Downbeat magazine while in high school, and wasalso invited to perform in Helsinki, Finland with the National Honors Orchestra.
Michelle attended DePaul University where she performed in the orchestra and jazz ensembles and other small ensembles. While at DePaul she studied cello with Bill Cernota and Larry Gray and bass with Larry Gray. Post college she has performed and taught all around Chicago and across the country in many different musical ensembles playing many styles of music. Michelle has been teaching for over 30 years and believes that any time spent sharing music with others is time well spent!
Hope Arthur (Piano, Voice & Accordion)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays & Thursdays
Hope Arthur is a classical and ragtime musician who holds a B.M. in piano performance as well as a B.A. in German studies. She graduated with the Outstanding Senior award for Music and an Outside Field. A composer, performer, and instructor with a special interest in ethnomusicology, Hope has more than ten years of teaching experience with students of all ages and musical interests. In 2012 Hope was the winner of the IPFW Concerto Aria Competition and was a soloist with the university orchestra. Also in 2012 Hope traveled to Saarburg, Germany, to perform at the Saarburg Seranaden, a festival featuring chamber music. In 2014 she was a featured artist at Schloss Stubenberg (Castle Stubenberg) in Stubenberg, Austria. She is the founder of the Hope Arthur Orchestra, a musical ensemble that focuses on performing original bodies of work and collaborating with arts organizations such as Fort Wayne Ballet, Mikautadze Dance Theatre, Fort Wayne Cinema Center, Pyroscope Entertainment and many more. Her ensemble won an Artie Award in 2013 for Outstanding Collaboration with Fort Wayne Ballet, Too. Since graduating, Hope has been focusing on expanding her audience through touring nationally and she also continues to collaborate with filmmakers, musicians, artists and dancers locally and across the world. Hope is very excited to join the team at Music Makers and to explore music and art making in Illinois.
Jan Benson (Piano)
Teaches private lessons on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
“If one can learn something as complex as a spoken language, one can learn the language of music regardless of innate musical ability, especially if it is taught in a similar fashion. The fine arts are an expression of the soul. Our art both shapes and is influenced by our culture. The importance of engaging with the arts in some form for emotional and physical health as well as life enrichment cannot be overemphasized.”
Mrs. Benson has always known she wanted to be a musician and a music teacher. She loved playing school, performing on the piano for family, and organizing neighborhood talent shows as a child, and her first experience teaching music was actually during her high school years when she offered piano lessons to neighborhood children. She brings to Music Makers over 20 years of experience teaching general and choral music to DuPage County K-8 children in the public school system, and she currently teaches in Naperville School Dist. 203.
Mrs. Benson earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree at the Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction degree from Concordia University in River Forest, IL. While also a bassoonist, having played for 10 years with the Fox Valley Symphony, Mrs. Benson draws heavily on her 12 years of piano training on a daily basis for all of her music instruction. She is delighted to be part of the Music Makers team and guide others on their musical journeys!
Ann Bourjaily Maney (Music Director, Music Makers Theatre & Salt Creek Singers Children’s Choir)
Ann received her bachelor's and master's degrees in piano performance/ pedagogy from Saint Mary's College and Northwestern University, respectively. She has been involved in musical theater as a musical director and accompanist at Music Makers since 2000. In addition to Music Makers, Ann also works at St. John of the Cross as director of the Cherub and 5 Alive Teen choirs, St. Francis Xavier as an accompanist, and Nazareth Academy as a choir director. When she's not tickling the ivories, she's tending to her 4 wonderful children.
Rose Cloud (Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute)
Teaches private lessons on Thursdays
Rose Cloud is thrilled to be joining the Music Makers team this. As a saxophonist and educator she is passionate about supporting students in a positive environment to discover their place in music and believes everyone has the ability to do so. She received her bachelors in Music Education from Eastern Illinois University, where she graduated with University Honors and Departmental Honors in Music. Her thesis project, ¡Salsa! Synthesis: The History and Development of Afro-Cuban Music, founded a salsa band at EIU, taught dance instruction, educated about Afro-Cuban history, and provided live music for the Charleston and University communities. This project was also inspired by her love of Spanish, which she has studied for many years, both in the US and abroad. During her junior year she was honored to receive the university’s most prestigious award, the Livingston C. Lord Scholarship in Education, and she continues to strive for excellence as a lifelong learner and teacher.
Rose grew up on a small farm in central Illinois and spent the majority of her childhood caring for chickens and horses and helping her parents grow organic produce to sell at farmers markets. It was there that she discovered music and spent her free time singing and practicing trumpet as a beginning band student, eventually discovering her true love, the tenor saxophone. She went on to earn highest honors in district and state concert and jazz ensembles. She loves just about every way of expressing life through music and can frequently be found practicing classical or jazz saxophone, dancing salsa, singing show tunes and jazz standards, or playing in pit orchestras. She teaches 5th and 6th grade band in Downers Grove Grade School District 58 and coaches the middle school jazz bands. She taught private lessons for several years while at Eastern and is looking forward to working with students at the Music Makers Studio.
Katie Cousins (Violin, Viola)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays
"Everyone, no matter how young or young-at-heart, has a unique viewpoint to reveal, and music is an ideal universal language in which to do just that. Learning a new art should be both enjoyable and challenging; through music, students of all ages not only learn how to work with an instrument, but also how to diagnose and approach difficult problems, exercise critical thinking, and learn to work with others to reach a common goal. In lessons, I aim to create an environment in which students feel comfortable exploring both technical processes and an awareness of sound - music reading, ear training, listening, and an appreciation of musical history are all important facets of my teaching."
Violinist Katie Cousins is a versatile performer and teacher with a passion for an enormous range of musical styles, and she has been featured on stages across the US and Europe. Currently based in Chicago, Katie regularly performs with several ensembles throughout the Midwest, including the Illinois, Kalamazoo, Peoria, and Northbrook Symphonies. A lifelong lover of the stage, she has also appeared with many musical theater and opera orchestras from Chicago to New York.
With a special passion for chamber music, Katie has enjoyed sharing both masterpieces and hidden gems of the repertoire with international audiences. She is a founding member of SomArté, an actively touring piano trio based in Chicago, as well as a member of the Living Room players, a chamber music collective based in Oak Park. She has worked with members of the Emerson, Pacifica, and St. Lawrence string quartets, and in the fall of 2011 co-founded Isosceles, a violin-saxophone-piano trio with which she toured across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US.
Katie holds a M.M. and GPD in Violin Performance from the Hartt School in Hartford, CT. Before completing her graduate studies at Hartt, Katie received a B.S. in Music Education from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a strong advocate for the development and strengthening of music programs in schools across the US, and has been teaching in private, small group, and classroom settings for over 15 years.
Lauren Culver (Violin, Viola)
Teaches private lessons on Saturdays
Lauren Culver has been studying the violin since she was four. She is an alumnus of the Merit School of Music as well as the Western Springs School of Talent Education. Throughout high school, Lauren traveled around the world to locations like Cuba and Iceland with the Chicago Consort violin ensemble. She made her soloist debut with the West Suburban Chamber Orchestra in 2019.
Currently, Lauren is a senior undergraduate student at the Chicago College of Performing Arts pursuing a double major in violin performance and music education. Her current teacher is world-renowned pedagogue Almita Vamos. Lauren has held the position of principal second violin in the CCPA chamber and symphony orchestras. Lauren has a passion for teaching and has maintained a private violin studio since she was in high school. She spends her summers working and volunteering at music camps for orchestra students. Outside of violin, Lauren enjoys composing music, baking, and reading.
Joshua P. Daniels (he/him/his) is a graduate-educated composer and vocalist based in the Northalsted community of Chicago, Il. While studying for his Bachelor of Arts in Music at Spring Arbor University he won their Composition, Vocal Performance, and Vocal Leadership awards. Additionally, he won Spring Arbor University's 2018 Christmas Carol Composition Competition. He then moved on to earn his MMus in Composition from Central Michigan University while also working as graduate assistant. There he taught both ear training and music theory classes for undergraduate music majors and minors.
He completed an outstanding senior recital in 2019 with 5 performances of original compositions, including one by the Spring Arbor University Chamber Choir – which he was president of for two years. His recital also included several vocal performances on advanced literature including Franz Schubert's Der Erlkönig, W. A. Mozart's "La Vendetta" – from Le Nozze di Figaro, and Samuel Barber's "The Desire for Hermitage" – from the song cycle Hermit Songs. In graduate school he continued to take voice lessons where he studied the music of Mozart and arias from Samuel Barber's Vannessa.
Juliet Dawson (Violin, Viola)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays
Juliet Dawson is a violist/violinist who has been passionate about string music ever since she was tricked into playing the viola at age 11. Since then, she has received her BM in viola performance from the University of Michigan and her MM from the Hartt School of Music.
As a chamber musician, she has performed as part of Hartt’s prestigious chamber program Performance 2020, along with colleagues and professors from both U of M and Hartt. She performs with the Living Room Players, a diverse collection of professional musicians in the Chicago area, and is also a member of the Elements Ensemble, a group of musicians that most recently performed in Iceland. Currently, she is head of the Chamber Music Program at Music Makers of Western Springs, and coaches and performs with all the student ensembles.
As a soloist, Juliet debuted with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra in 2007. Since then she has appeared in scholarship showcases as well as faculty concerts. She performed with the Hartt Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the 2012 Paranov Concerto Competition, performing the first viola concerto in over a decade of the competition’s history. In 2017, she performed as a duo artist for the Church of Beethoven, and in 2018, as a solo artist for the David Adler Center Performing Artist’s Concert Series.
She has acted as principal and section viola of her scholastic orchestras, as well as regional, baroque, and opera orchestras in Connecticut, Iceland, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and New York. She is currently playing in orchestras in only three of those states.
She has been teaching private lessons since she was 16 years old, and works actively at the David Adler Center and also Music Makers of Western Springs.
As of 2019, she has joined the faculty of the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL, as the professor of violin and viola.
Sujata Gazder (Piano & Voice)
Teaches private lessons on Fridays & Saturdays
"I believe that a solid grounding in note skills, rhythm and technique is very important. After learning the basics, a musician must look inside themselves to find their expression and create their art. I believe in creating a safe and enthusiastic environment for my students to explore that part of themselves. Enabling a student to access that inner expression allows them to grow not only as an artist but also as a person."
Sujata has over 25 years of teaching experience. She is able to teach both classical and popular styles on the piano and is comfortable with both children and adults. Sujata studied under the Royal School of Music, London until age 18 in India. She was the youngest finalist at the All in Your Box competition in 1988. (She gained admission to the Julliard School of Music.) Sujata received a bachelors and masters of music at The Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University. She majored in music theory with a minor in piano performance. She taught for three years at the Chicago Musical College from 1995 to 1997 and at Music Makers of Western Springs from 1996 to 2006. From 2006 to 2014 Sujata continued her teaching privately, and she has since rejoined Music Makers' faculty on Fridays and Saturdays teaching both private lessons and group classes.
Mary Gibson (Piano)
Teaches private lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays
Mary holds a Bachelor of Music Degree and Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the Chicago Conservatory College with a voice minor.
Her musical journey includes private piano instruction, choral educator/conductor of 32 years: those being spent at Montini Catholic High School, Lombard (12 years) and Lake Park High School, Roselle (20 years). In her role as choral educator Mary has served as vocal director for numerous musicals. Her choral students have participated at the All-State level at the Illinois Musical Educators Associations (IMEA) Choral Festivals.
Mary has also enjoyed being the vocalist for the Glen Ellyn Jazz Ensemble. She has worked with college level students as an accompanist for the Elmhurst College Choir Program under the direction of Susan Moninger.
Mary enjoys the collaborative efforts of parent, student and teacher in creating and developing the immense joy of music.
Emma Gingold (Piano)
Teaches private lessons on Thursdays
Emma Gingold (emmagingold.com) is a collaborative pianist with a decade of experience accompanying and teaching throughout Chicagoland. During her career, Emma has served as a staff accompanist at Triton College, Fenton High School, Lyons Township High School, and Spirito! Singers. She also plays for church choirs and festival soloists, and provides music direction for area theatres like LTHS, Morton West High School, and Summer Place Theatre. Emma has a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from North Park University and a B.A. in English Literature from Knox College.
Emma enjoys sharing her love of piano with students of all ages and abilities. She started piano lessons as a painfully shy, unenthusiastic seven-year-old, which is why she always approaches lessons with empathy and an open mind. Emma’s students learn classical technique that they can apply to their favorite types of music, from Beethoven to musical theatre to rock, pop, and jazz.
Emma lives in Elmwood Park with her husband, her dog, and her cat.
Fritz Gross (Violin)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays & Fridays
Fritz knew from 2 years of age that he wanted to play the flute, but he ended up falling in love with the violin. He began at age 3, using the Suzuki method and even played at the Chicago Symphony Center at the Memorial Service for Dr. Shinichi Suzuki at the age of 11. He lived for a time in the Caribbean, playing in local churches and schools and teaching the Suzuki method on the island of St. Eustatius. While in St. Eustatius, he was sanctioned by the government of Holland to work with an island composer for a performance to be attended by the Governor. He came back to the States in 2003 and promptly went on a European tour, playing in Budapest, Prague, Vienna and the Czech Republic.
Fritz was partially homeschooled while in the Caribbean, and went on to receive scholarships to both Indiana University and Valparaiso University (Indiana). He attended Valparaiso, majoring in Music Performance (Violin). He excelled at Valparaiso both in groups and competitions. He currently works with the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest and has stood in as Concert Master under Maurice Boyer. He is comfortable with all genres including Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, Rap, Reggae, Country, Blues, Jazz and Musical Theatre.
Andrea Harder (Director, Music Makers Theatre)
Andrea Gail is thrilled to be directing again after a hiatus from theatre. With a BFA in acting from Adelphi University and a Master's Degree in Theatre Directing from University of Essex in London, Andrea spent many years both directing and stage managing in Chicago and NYC. While Shakespeare and Modern Dramas tend to be her theatrical focus, her first love was musical theatre. Andrea's earliest memory at the theater was seeing Meet Me in St. Louis at Drury Lane in the mid 80's, which is where she fell in love with big Broadway musicals. In her spare time, Andrea loves spending time with her nephews and nieces, hanging with her fiesty little dog and eating her way through the Chicago culinary scene.
Rob Hynes (Guitar, Bass Guitar, Ukulele, Banjo, Mandolin, Rock Band Instructor)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays - Thursdays
"My teaching philosophy centers around making lessons and practice fun through the exploration of a wide variety of techniques and styles. It is my belief that this is the key to growth. I strive to instill a firm understanding of music fundamentals and instruct while using the student's favorite songs as examples. Skills developed during lessons are sight reading, improvisation, ear training and more."
Robert Hynes has been an instructor at Music Makers of Western Springs for over ten years and enjoys the chance to share his love of music through private & semi-private lessons, guitar ensembles, and Rock Band. Instruction is available for all styles of guitar including classical, jazz, rock, blues, slide/bottleneck, country/bluegrass, and pop. Other instruments offered are bass guitar, ukulele, banjo, and mandolin. Skills taught in lessons include sightreading, ear training, chord comping, song and solo transcription, technique development and songwriting. Robert is also responsible for guitar repair at the studio.
Having written music & performed with a wide variety of groups throughout the Chicagoland area for almost 20 years, Robert has built an impressive live-performance resume including stops at the Taste of Chicago, Park West, and House of Blues. The Robert Hynes Band - a group featuring his original compositions - has shared the stage with acclaimed national acts such as Buckwheat Zydeco, the Mighty Blue Kings, Rusted Root Trio, Leo Nocontelli (guitarist of the Meters), and CJ Chenier. He has performed in wedding bands, jazz ensembles, blues bands, cover bands, and done studio work for other acts as well.
Robert first learned guitar and piano at a very young age from his father, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist. Piano, guitar, voice, and viola lessons were continued at school and at the house of a next-door neighbor who was an instructor. Robert has attended Downers Grove South High School, Davea Career Center (Media Technology), and College of DuPage, and has received countless hours of private guitar instruction from the area's finest guitarists.
Claire Jakubisin (Vocal Director, Salt Creek Singers Children’s Choir)
Claire Jakubisin is the choir director for the Salt Creek Singers. She started her love of music at an early age singing in her church’s children’s choir in La Grange. Claire earned her Bachelors of Music in Music Education from Butler University in Indianapolis and then her Masters in Music Education at VanderCook in Chicago. She recently was the director of the choirs at Marian Catholic High School. She has taken choirs to perform at Carnegie Hall, New York City and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN. In addition to teaching the Salt Creek Singers, Claire also sings and cantors at St. John of the Cross and St. Francis Xavier parishes.
Raleigh Kathman (Guitar, Bass, Piano)
Teaches private lessons on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
A guitarist and musician originally from Chicago, Raleigh earned his Bachelor of the Arts degree in Guitar Performance from Columbia College Chicago. While attending Columbia, he also studied guitar privately with David Bloom at the Bloom School of Jazz. In 2017, Raleigh was invited to attend a six month apprenticeship in Berlin, Germany to study composition as well as advanced practice techniques with composer and touch guitarist, Markus Reuter.
He has been teaching private guitar lessons and directing performance based ensembles for close to a decade both in the Chicagoland area and more recently in Northeast Ohio. His students have performed full concert sets at venues such as Buddy Guy’s Legends, House of Blues Chicago, the Fender Center in California, Brother’s Lounge, Beachland Ballroom, and many others.
Raleigh has performed with and contributed writing to a diverse array of original songwriters and artists in Chicago and Cleveland. He has performed with the Columbia College Blues ensemble at the 2013 Chicago Blues Fest, at Navy Pier with the jazz-funk outfit Friends of the Program, as well as with modern rock ensembles Pavlov3 & the Gabriel Construct who performed alongside John Zorn at the Progtoberfest music festival hosted by Reggie’s Rock Club. Raleigh is currently composing music for the touch guitar as well as continuing to work on developing a new curriculum for the instrument.
Dave Kelly (Drums)
Teaches private lessons on Thursdays
Drummer-vocalist David Kelly has been playing drums for 25 yrs. He studied jazz performance at the University of North Texas and California Institute of the Arts. He played drums professionally in Los Angeles for 10 years. Dave toured for 5 yrs with The Drew Davis Band, a country band with a top 100 hit on the Billboard charts, opening for Hootie and the Blowfish on their final tour. The band also appeared on an episode of Gene Simmons Family Jewels in 2009. Dave also has a background in sound engineering. He currently is a member of the band, Classical Blast, and has recorded 3 albums with them on the Toucan Cove/Universal label, based in Seattle. The band performs throughout the Midwest. Dave lives in Darien, IL.
Ben Lansing (Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo, Dobro, Lap steel)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays
"As a teacher, I create individual lesson plans for each student, according to age, experience, preferred style(s) of music, and long-term goals. I have taught students from age 5 to over 70. One of the biggest challenges in teaching musical instruments is keeping the student excited enough to practice regularly. I generally teach through songs that are easily recognized. This allows the student to hear when he/she is performing the song correctly, and the result is immediately rewarding. While teaching songs, I look for opportunities to introduce the appropriate theory (chords, scales, technique, etc.) so that students can play the songs and understand the harmonic structure. I work with every student to help promote a good sense of time and feel, which I believe is an essential part of making music."
Ben Lansing began playing guitar at fourteen, influenced by various rock and metal bands of the day. Taking lessons in Memphis with a local blues guitarist, he learned early on the importance of tone, rhythm, and groove. That first teacher taught him how to improvise and play slide guitar, which has become a dominant aspect of his playing and a specialized aspect of his teaching.
Another unique element of Ben's playing style is his use of hybrid picking (incorporating both a pick and fingers simultaneously). This versatile picking technique allows for sounds and note combinations not possible with pick or fingers alone.
Since moving to Chicago in 1998, Ben has played in many bands, both live and on studio recordings. These bands range in style from rock, blues, country, folk, funk, fusion, traditional and free jazz, to many types of "world" music. His ability to play traditional West African guitar styles has lead to performances with international artists, and he has toured Europe and America playing American roots music.
In addition to playing many styles of music, Ben also enjoys playing many different stringed instruments, including electric, acoustic, slide, and fretless guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, dobro, lap steel, and banjo. Playing a variety of styles and instruments has garnered him studio work with other artists and for tv and film soundtracks.
Ben continues to play and record with a number of artists in the Chicago area. He strives to continue advancing both technically and creatively as a musician and to continue to evolve his unique approach to stringed instruments.
Andrea Lara (Piano)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays
With a BA in Music, Ms. Andrea has been implementing her music experience onto many students around the western suburbs of Chicago. After graduating high school, Ms. Andrea received her Associates of Arts at the College of Dupage. She also worked as a clerical assistant at the McAninch Art Center, there she worked on behind the scenes for concerts and other performances. She transferred to Elmhurst College and continued studying private piano and saxophone as well as joining symphonic band and saxophone quartet. Other music courses that Andrea enjoyed taking were conducting and music literature. Ms. Andrea has experience in teaching pre-kindergarten and young elementary students. Whether it’s early childhood, adults or special needs, Ms. Andrea can accommodate anyone’s needs to be a successful beginner musician!
Jamie Lynn
Rockstar Office Manager
Jamie is the friendly face behind our front desk, with an extensive 10 year background in education and behavior therapy, assisting students from 3 to 14 years old. She is a lifelong advocate for animals and children and an accomplished artist and writer, who has always held a deep passion for all things art, music, and education.
When she isn’t busy behind our helm, you can find her offering her creations at local art and oddities markets, teaching creative workshops, running her long-time dream and passion project, the “Skeleton Crew Theatre Co.,” or occasionally displaying her art in local gallery shows.
Jamie absolutely loves connecting with new people and can’t wait to get to know and assist you in pursuing your love of music and theater while growing your talents with us.
Jeremy & Gwen Michor (Owners and Studio Directors)
Music Makers is a family-owned business run by Jeremy & Gwen Michor of Western Springs. The school was started in 1978 by Jeremy’s mother, Penny Wright, with Penny teaching in her home until the move to Grand Avenue in 1986.
Jeremy took over the business in 1995 with his wife Gwen joining him in 1998. Jeremy and Gwen believe that the school’s professional staff, friendly atmosphere, and wide variety of programs are what draw students of all ages and talents to Music Makers. They are the proud parents of four beautiful children, all of whom are involved with Music Makers lessons/theatre classes. In his spare time, Jeremy also co-directs the Spirit Choir at St. Francis Xavier in La Grange and enjoys singing and playing guitar in the locally popular band, Hidden Village.
José Ormaza (Drums)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays, Tuesdays, & Wednesdays
Born in Quito-Ecuador, José began his musical studies at the School of the Ecuadorian National Symphony Orchestra. He moved to Chicago in 1998 where he received his undergraduate degree in Jazz Studies at Columbia College. He completed his Masters degree in Percussion Performance at Northeastern Illinois University. He has played with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and with the Ecuadorian National Symphony Orchestra as a soloist. He has toured and recorded with the Grammy nominee Cuban artist Chuchito Valdez. Currently, he is active performing around the Chicago area playing in a variety of bands covering different styles such as Jazz, Rock, Latin Jazz and Funk.
Marie’s passion for music and singing started at a very young age. Her mother would always tell her that she could never see her while walking home from school, but would always hear her.
At 8 years old she was singing in Gospel Choir’s in Germany where she grew up, and getting Solo’s in every school choir that she was a part of. At thirteen years she moved to Florida where you might have seen her singing as a Busker on Clearwater Beach. She also performed at Festivals and gigs all around Florida while attending PCCA (Pinellas County Center for the Arts) which is where she began her education in Classical Music. While attending PCCA, she studied Music Theory, Piano, Music History, Private Voice Lessons and participated in Recitals twice a year. She also studied songs in Latin, Italian, French and German.
After graduating she wanted to continue to study Music and moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College Chicago where she studied many different genres of music. She received her Bachelor’s in music and since graduating has been teaching private voice lessons to all ages. When Marie is not teaching voice lessons or performing, she is spending all her time with her cat or singing karaoke with friends.
Marco Severini (Guitar)
Teaches private lessons on Tuesdays and Saturdays
Marco is a native of Brookfield and has been studying the guitar since he was five years old. Marco was a member of the Pro Musica Children’s Choir in Oak Park for ten years, and as a high school senior at Riverside Brookfield High School, Marco was a member of the school choir and jazz ensemble. During his senior year, Marco was awarded the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award and took first in state for Male Vocalist as a tenor in choir for IMEA. Music has always been his passion and he continued his music education at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. While at Berklee he studied guitar and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Writing and Production. Some of the styles that have influenced Marco’s guitar playing are jazz, fusion, blues, rock and metal; emphasized by guitarists such as Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Al Di Meola, Wes Montgomery, and John Petrucci. Marco looks forward to help pass on the love of music he has to all of his students.
Sonia received her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Youngnam University in South Korea. After she graduated, she worked as a middle school music teacher for 21 years, as well as conducting both string orchestra and choir. While working as a teacher, she enjoyed getting to know her students one to one and tried hard to make students enjoy music as much as possible when students are learning. When she moved to the United States, she started working as a private lesson teacher and as a piano accompanist and choral conductor in a local church in Denver, CO for 7years.
Seong Shin is a pianist/educator, and she is thrilled to join the Music Makers team this year. In her free time, she likes to play piano and sing with her daughters and play with her cat.
As a pianist and educator, she is passionate about getting to know her students and willing to help them to find their potential and discover their talent.
Yvette Smith (Voice)
Accepting clients via ZOOM on Saturdays
Yvette Smith (Mezzo-Soprano), is a native of North Carolina where she earned her Bachelors’ degree at UNC-Greensboro and her Master of Music degree specializing in Opera Performance from The University of Maryland at College Park. Ms. Smith has been a full-time chorister at Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2008. During her time there she has covered or performed roles in many operas including Schwertleite in “Die Walkure”, Bronka in “The Passenger”, The Voice in “Parsifal”, First Maidservant in Elektra, “Rigoletto”, the voice of Antonia's Mother in “Les Contes D’Hoffman”, “Hercules”, and Mutter in “Lulu”. The mezzo-soprano’s other opera credits include Erda in “Siegfried” (Wagner Society of DC) Rosina in “The Barber of Seville” (Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia), Katisha in “The Mikado” (Washington Savoyards), Third Lady in “Die Zauberflote” (National Philharmonic Chorale) Emilia in “Otello” (Summer Opera Theatre) and First Maidservant in “Elektra” (Washington National Opera). She has been seen as a concert and Operatic soloist at many prestigious venues such as National Philharmonic, Washington National Cathedral, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Sarasota Opera, Lake Shore Symphony, Chicago Metropolitan Orchestra, Choralis, National Orchestral Institute and Horatio Alger Awards ceremony in oratorios and concerts. In 2008 she performed a solo recital at the White House for former President George W. Bush. Ms. Smith is an accomplished concert and opera stage artist and has soloed in over forty oratorio and concert works with orchestra. She has been a district judge with the ILMEA since 2017, has been a guest clinician at the University of Kentucky in Lexington teaching lessons and a Masterclass and was also a guest clinician at the Downers Grove High School Voice Competition. This season at Lyric Opera in addition to her full-time chorus position, she will be covering the Governess in “Queen of Spades,” Schwertleite in “Die Walkure” for Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Mrs. Charlton in “Dead Man Walking.”
Kristopher Spike (Piano, Theory)
Teaches private lessons on Fridays
"Learning music is like learning about life. Sure, you will learn about scales and arpeggios, chords and harmony, rhythms and riffs, technique and performing. But on a bigger scale, you will learn some things you can apply to every aspect of your life. How to set goals and develop strategies for achieving them, how to tap into your inner powers of perseverance and determination to succeed, how to identify problems and find solutions. Most importantly of all, you learn about beauty and the joy of sharing that beauty with the people around you. Music lessons build character and are as much about shaping a good person as they are about creating a good musician."
Kristofer Spike is an Australian composer and pianist now living in Chicago. Kris attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he got a Bachelor of Music Education degree and also a Licentiate Performer's Diploma from Trinity College, London. After finishing his degree he worked as a freelance pianist playing many different types of music and has spent many years teaching and accompanying in schools and from his home studio. As a composer, Kris has developed a unique style which draws upon many influences but always aims to feature soaring melodies and rich harmony. Many of his pieces have been inspired by his concern for environmental issues and with his group, Wind Energy he has produced 5 CDs of his compositions. He has given concerts in most Australia's capital cities and his music is regularly played on fine music radio stations. Some of his large collection of compositions can be found on his YouTube channel.
Jon Studtmann (Guitar, Piano, Ukulele)
Teaches private lessons Mondays through Thursdays
"Since every student has a different background and a unique way of learning, I like to think that my teaching method is a combination of many methods. I feel it is important to adjust to the personality of the learner."
Jon Studtmann is a music educator and freelance musician based in the Chicagoland area. He has been teaching private guitar since 1993, and has been part of the Music Makers faculty since January 2017. Jon's teaching style focuses on learning proper guitar technique; reading music in standard notation, guitar notation, and chord symbols; exploring music theory; developing music appreciation; and expanding each individual student's repertoire.
Cody Talkie (Director, Music Makers Theatre & Voice)
Teaches private lessons on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
“It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”
Cody Talkie is a professional performer (last show in 2019...thanks COVID) and semi-recent college graduate with two degrees: Musical Theatre and Theatre Performance from North Central College in Naperville, IL. He has performed in countless high school musicals, collegiate musicals and plays, and cabarets. He has worked with Chicago Theaters such as The Other Theatre Co. and Greenhouse Theatre Company (performances in Machinal and Barney the Elf, respectively), and most recently, the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival (a regional theatre in OK) performing in Newsies!)
Cody is beyond thrilled to be stepping into his newest role as Musical Theatre Director! Cody has been in love with music since before he can remember, and he plans to use his passion and love for entertaining and performing to create an inclusive space where everyone feels welcomed and free to express themselves (all while singing and dancing!)
Cody’s passion for entertaining isn’t limited to theatre alone; Cody is an affiliated streamer on twitch.tv, which is probably where you’ll see him when not at the studio.
Marie’s passion for music and singing started at a very young age. Her mother would always tell her that she could never see her while walking home from school, but would always hear her.
At 8 years old she was singing in Gospel Choir’s in Germany where she grew up, and getting Solo’s in every school choir that she was a part of. At thirteen years she moved to Florida where you might have seen her singing as a Busker on Clearwater Beach. She also performed at Festivals and gigs all around Florida while attending PCCA (Pinellas County Center for the Arts) which is where she began her education in Classical Music. While attending PCCA, she studied Music Theory, Piano, Music History, Private Voice Lessons and participated in Recitals twice a year. She also studied songs in Latin, Italian, French and German.
After graduating she wanted to continue to study Music and moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College Chicago where she studied many different genres of music. She received her Bachelor’s in music and since graduating has been teaching private voice lessons to all ages. When Marie is not teaching voice lessons or performing, she is spending all her time with her cat or singing karaoke with friends.
Sydney Waleski earned her bachelor’s degree in music, with a focus in vocal studies, from Illinois State University in 2019. There, she directed and led a campus a cappella group (On The Brink of Normal) for 3 years, which helped build her passion for ensemble-directing and teaching music. She also led the group to their first ever International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella competition.
Besides her love of a cappella, Sydney has played the piano, violin, and viola for most of her life and is excited to share these life long skills with her students! She believes teaching is all about teamwork between the teacher and student to reach a shared goal.
When she isn’t doing music, Sydney is a member of the sales team at the Trek Bicycle Store in Downers Grove.
Marissa Zagoudis (Piano, Voice, Music Technology Advisor, Wee Sing Instructor)
Teaches private lessons on Mondays - Thursdays
"My students and I become music detectives in class. We search for clues, such as symbols, title, and tempo, to play the "mystery" piece technically and musically to the best of one's ability. We look and listen for matching measures to "solve" the song more efficiently."
Marissa was born and raised in Western Springs, IL. She attended St. Francis Xavier Grade School, Lyons Township High School, and North Central College. Marissa was involved in music activities throughout her school career and was blessed to have studied under talented mentors. She believes music has a unique ability to enrich people’s lives. Marissa earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and received her Type 10 Teaching Certificate from the Illinois State Board of Education in Spring 2010. As an educator, Marissa hopes to inspire others to develop an appreciation for music and to strive to reach their musical potential. She currently teaches beginner piano and voice lessons at Music Makers of Western Springs.