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Alyssa Wells graduated
from Seton Hill University with a B.A. in English Education and Art Education. She founded the Westland
Academy For The Arts in 2002, and currently oversees operations at the
school. In addition, Alyssa teaches piano, flute, creative writing, and
fine art classes and directs The Westland Flute Choir. She
believes that the humanities are an essential element of life and a vital
bridge to successful learning in any field.
Marianne Lewis teaches piano,
composition, theory, and beginning drumming. She believes that every
student is different and adapts her teaching to accommodate the needs of
each student individually. She teaches them the way that fits best with the
way they learn, and helps them to reach their personal goals. She encourages
them to enjoy performing and to be knowledgeable in music theory. Most of
all, after over twelve years of teaching experience, she has learned that
making it fun is the best path to success. Marianne is also a member of The
Friday Evening Music Club.
Natalie Williams teaches voice, clarinet, and piano. She
believes that education is a very individual experience and recognizes that
each one of her students have different methods of learning. She teaches
them accordingly in the way that will benefit them and help them grow the
most as musicians. It is a goal for all of her students to be complete
musicians. This means that developing musicianship, including but not
limited to musical interpretation, ear-training, theory and history, is as
important as learning to use the voice properly.
Natalie has had five years of experience teaching private lessons and four
years of experience teaching in a classroom. Her classroom experience
includes chorus, band and general music at both middle school and elementary
levels. All of her students are expected to practice regularly and are
encouraged to participate in performance opportunities, especially those
provided through the Community Music Program. She is an active member of
Music Teachers National Association, Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association
and the Westmoreland local chapter.
Tom Murphy began his musical journey by banging on pots and pans at
a very young age. He was born and raised in Latrobe and now resides in
North Huntingdon with his lovely wife and their young son.
Tom has a B.S. in Fine Arts with a concentration in Music Education from
Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is a music educator with the
Ligonier Valley School District and teaches general music K-5, Band, and
Chorus. Tom has been teaching privately for 12 years and enjoys teaching
young and old alike.
In addition, Tom has been actively involved with numerous marching bands in
Western Pennsylvania, including: Norwin, Greater Latrobe, Indiana, Yough,
and Elizabeth Forward just to name a few. He has toured extensively
with Drum and Bugle Corps and entertainment bands. Mr. Murphy has
performed with various community groups including Pittsburgh Civic
Orchestra, Mountain Playhouse, St. Vincent College, Ligonier Valley Players,
area high school musicals and church services/productions. As a
percussionist, he gives master classes and clinics throughout the music
community, as well as volunteering time and talents for such benefits as
Relay for Life, Rock for Life, and March of Dimes. Mr. Murphy
currently offers private instruction in percussion/drums and all band
instruments, such as flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, etc.
Joshua Carns' guitar program offers guitar and bass students a
wide-ranging curriculum that covers all musical bases. Beginners learn to
play with an emphasis on technique, developing rhythm, basic music theory,
and reading. The program then shifts to intermediate music theory,
intermediate reading, and beginning composition and performance. All
students are developed in a manner that they will be able to pass an
audition to any musical college of their choosing.
Valerie "Val" F. Uschock, LCAT, MT-BC,
NMT, Fellow, Academy of Neurologic
Music Therapy
Valerie has worked in the healthcare field for 16 years with an emphasis on
Neurological Rehabilitation for the last 10 years. Val is a Board Certified
Music Therapist and is a Licensed
Creative Arts Therapist in the State of New York. She is the owner of
Music Therapy Progressions, a private contractual company serving
clients throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Additionally, Val teaches
saxophone, flute, and recorder. She is an active member of The Pennsylvania
Music Teacher’s Association, an affiliate of the Music Teachers National
Association,
where she serves as Recital Chair on a local level and Local Associations
Chair on the state level. She performs locally with the Westmoreland
Symphonic Winds, Pastime Consort, and the Friday Evening Music Club. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy
from Duquesne University as well as her Fellow in Neurologic Music Therapy
from the Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State
University.
Rebecca Johnston graduated from Northland College with a major in Music
and minor in Sacred Music. Rebecca teaches private
piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, voice, and band/group instruction at the Academy.
Denise Frisko is currently working toward her B.M. in Music Education at
Seton Hill University. She is a member of the National Association for Music
Education, the Pennsylvania Music Educator's Association, and the
International Trumpet Guild. In the Greensburg area, she is involved with
the Westmoreland Symphonic Winds and the Westmoreland Youth Symphony
Orchestra. Denise is a strong believer that musicality should always be the
center of trumpet playing. She teaches her students to concentrate on
producing the most beautiful tone possible, at all times.
Contact Information:
fri5558@setonhill.edu
Jesse Bush is a graduate of Seton Hill University with a B.M. in
music education. He is currently a substitute teacher in the Norwin school
district and lives in Irwin. Jesse also assists the McKeesport Area High
School marching band. He is a freelance jazz and classical saxophonist. He
has performed with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, high school musical
ensembles, and local big bands. Jesse offers private lessons at WAFA to
woodwinds, brass, and beginning piano players in addition to a variety of
music workshops. Contact:
jesselbush@gmail.com
Jeffrey Maybury Donato grew up in
Ligonier, Pennsylvania, surrounded by the magic of nature, which influenced
him and fueled his already over-active imagination. A cartoonist at
heart, Jeffrey is in love with cartoons, comic books, and fantasy art, as
well as the Proto-Renaissance and the movements of the Expresssionists and
Fauvists. He began his art education at the Westmoreland County
Community College, earning his Associate’s Degree in Commercial Art and
Graphic Design. He then continued his fine art training at the
Savannah College of Art and Design, where he achieved his Bachelor’s of Fine
Arts in Illustration. Jeffrey is currently pursuing his Master’s
degree in Interdisciplinary Art at the Goddard College of Vermont. He
does freelance artwork for local clients, draws caricatures at special
events, and is currently working on a tarot deck, a children’s book and a
graphic novel. Jeffrey's first published work was a double-page spread
in the October 2010 issue of Faces magazine. A variety of Jeffrey’s
work can be viewed at: www.jeffdonatoillustration.com
Mary DePalma currently teaches workshops and private lessons in
visual art. She is a graduate of Seton Hill University where she earned a
B.A. in Art Education. She holds Pennsylvania teaching certification in Art
K-12. Mary loves teaching art as well as creating her own artwork. She is a
member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and both the National Art
Education Association and Pennsylvania Art Education Association. To be an
artist is to be curious about life; all art is a response to that curiosity.
It is her goal as a teacher to foster that curiosity in her students. Her
curriculum embodies a comprehensive approach to visual art including
in-depth study of art historical styles and movements, aesthetics, art
criticism and of course, the production of artwork utilizing a variety of
media and techniques.
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