...Music for All Ages.










Faculty Biographies

Katherine Barley | Ronald Dubois | Jane Schwarz | Carolyn Hills |
Doris Weir | Jennifer Madge | Nicole Myers | Carrie Walsh |
Michelle Vallier | Tara Yaney | Mary Moser | Gina Glenn |
Marina Nielsen | Laura Block | Maria Sensi-Sellner

Katherine Barley

Katherine Barley, known to many of us as Kiki, has taught at Suzuki workshops and summer institutes all over the world, including Israel, Puerto Rice, and Canada. Specific institutes are too numerous to list.

Here is a list of Kiki's accomplishments:

1980- M. Mus. In piano performance, Ithaca College, Ithaca New York

1974- Post-graduate study with Jeaneane Dowis of Julliard School

1973- B. Mus. With Distinction in Piano Performance, Eastman School of Music, b Rochester, New York

1983- Designated a Piano teacher Trainer by Suzuki Association of the Americas

1996- to present- Pittsburgh Music Academy, Carnegie, PA- Founding partner, vice- President, Academy Director, Piano Department Head, and chamber coach. Responsible for all musical course offerings, hiring of faculty, curriculum design, Planning of recitals and concerts, recruitment and placement of new students, Suzuki Piano teacher training, teaching of private and group lessons, chamber music coaching and daily operation of the school

1982-1988- Ithaca College, Ithaca New York, Instructor on Suzuki Piano. Responsible for teaching masters degree students in a two year program leading to a M. Mus. In music Pedagogy with a Suzuki Emphasis. Taught the actual pedagogy to first-year students. Also sat on committees in the School of Music, evaluated candidates’ auditions and Master’s recitals, and participated in their final oral exam.

Jennifer Madge

Jennifer Madge, violinist, receiver her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where her principal teachers were Charles Stegeman and Huei-Sheng Kao. Other teachers include Andre Grabiec at the Wichita State University, and Masao Kawasaki and Won Bin Yim at the Aspen Music Festival. Ms. Madge has performed at the Music Lives! Contemporary Music Festival in Pittsburgh, PA, the Sunflower Chamber Music Festival in Topeka, KS, the Western Slope Summer Music Festival in Crested Butte, CO, and the Summer String Fling Jazz Festival in Boston, MA. Ms. Madge has served as Associate Concertmaster of the Johnstown Symphony, Principle Second Violinist in the Westmoreland Symphony, and violinist in the Erie Philharmonic, McKeesport Symphony, and the Wheeling Symphony. She is now performing with the Pittsburgh Opera and Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestras, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and the Gateway to Music and the Arts String Quintet. Currently, she is performing with the Pittsburgh Opera and Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestras.

In addition to her performing career, Ms. Madge is an active violin teacher, and has served of the faculties of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra, Musik Innovations School of Music, and the Seton Center Suzuki School. She is a certified Suzuki teacher, having completed training with pedagogues such as Vera McCoy-Sulentic, Linda Fiore, Lorraine Fink, Edward Kreitman, Doris Preucil, Tom Wermuth, and Linda Case. Currently Ms. Madge is the Violin Department Chair at the Pittsburgh Music Academy.

Nicole Myers

Cello Teacher
Nicole L. Myers is an active performer, teacher, and recitalist in the Pittsburgh area. Originally from Lancaster County, PA, Ms. Myers received the degrees of Master of Music (2004) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (2002) in Cello Performance with Honors from Carnegie Mellon University. During her six years at Carnegie Mellon, Ms. Myers studied with principal cellist of the Pittsburgh Symphony, Anne Martindale Williams. From 2002 to 2004, Ms. Myers was a founding member and manager of the Starling String Quartet, the Honor's Quartet of Carnegie Mellon University, performing for renowned cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich in 2003 and for the first annual National Performing Arts Convention in 2004. The Starling Quartet performed live on WQED radio in addition to giving live interviews. Ms. Myers served as principal cellist of the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic for four years, including their Carnegie Hall performance in New York City in 2000, and has performed as principal cellist for Carnegie Mellon Chamber Orchestra concerts under the direction of Pittsburgh Symphony concertmaster Andres Cardenes. In addition, she has been principal cellist for many Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh productions in the past several years. Ms. Myers performed with the CMU Contemporary Ensemble's collaboration with the Pittsburgh Symphony for their “Day of New Music” concert in 2000 and as principal cellist of Carnegie Mellon Baroque from 2003 to 2004. An Andrew Carnegie Society scholar, Ms. Myers is also a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Ms. Myers coordinated the CMU Philharmonic's Student Orchestral Committee and served on the committee from 2001 to 2004.

In addition to performing, Ms. Myers has taught Suzuki cello to students of all ages at the Pittsburgh Music Academy (1999 to present). She also serves as Registrar for the Academy and Director of their summer music camps. Ms. Myers recently joined the faculty of Carnegie Mellon's Pre-College Program, teaching non-major cello students. Ms. Myers has performed with Cincinnati's MusicX Festival (2003), the Mannes Beethoven Institute (2003), the National Repertory Orchestra (2002), the National Orchestral Institute (2000) and the American Conservatory of Fontainebleau, France (2000). In the summer of 2001, she performed in a string quartet for three of rock singer Rod Stewart's “Human” Tour concerts.

Currently, Ms. Myers performs with the Fourte Piano Quartet, debuting in January 2005, and Cellofourte, a unique ensemble of cellists performing and recording contemporary popular music. An avid salsa dancer, she has given seminars for Eurhythmics classes at Carnegie Mellon University on the relationship between music and movement (2004-2005), danced for the Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Ensemble (2004), and taught folk dancing at the Greater Pittsburgh Suzuki Institute (2005).

Carrie Walsh

Violin
Carrie Walsh has received her masters of Music in Violin Performance from Duquesne University in 2002. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts in violin performance from Duquesne in May 2000, as well as attending Carnegie Mellon University as an undergraduate. She has studied with Charles Stegeman and Rachel Purkin Stegeman.

Carrie began playing violin at age six. Ms. Walsh played in the New Jersey Youth Symphony, where she was the assistant concertmaster. She also attended the Boston University at Tanglewood summer programs.

While in college, Carrie played for the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic, Carnegie Mellow Opera Theatre Orchestra, and the Duquesne University Symphony Orchestra. She has attended the Killington Music Festival in 1995 and 1996 studying under the direction of Margaret Pardee. In 1997 and 1999, Carrie traveled to France to act as a teachers assistant to Barbara Krakauer for Music Studies Abroad. She also attended the Sunflower Chamber Music Festival in Topeka, Kansas in 2002.

Ms. Walsh has received Suzuki training from Ithaca College under the guidance of Carrie Reunning-Hummel and Edward Kreitman. She continues to perform with the Altoona Symphony, Wheeling Symphony , and Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, as well as teach violin at PMA.

Recently in 2005, she became the Director of Marketing, and in the summer was a studio and group violin teacher at the Greater Pittsburgh Suzuki Institute.

Ronald DuBois

Classical Guitar
Piano
Mr. DuBois received a bachelor of Music in Music Education fro WVU (1976) and a Masters of Music Theory for Duquesne University in Pgh, PA (1990). HE began studying classical guitar in 1980 as a student of Charles Benincasa. He also studied under Dr. Nels Leonard (classical guitar teacher of West Liberty State College in West Virginia), Thomas Kikta (classical guitar teacher at Duquesne University), Edy Morel do la Prada, and James Boyce. He began studying piano at age 8, with his father being his first teacher. While in undergraduate music school a WVU, Mr. DuBois minored in piano study under John Hoskins.

Mr. DuBois began teaching private classical guitar lessons in December of 1980. In the fall of 1988, he began teaching a series of guitar classes in the Music Minor Program at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, where he continues to teach as a part-time instructor. Also, Mr. DuBois taught a guitar class at the greater New Orleans Suzuki Forum in August 1999.

In the fall of 1994, Mr. DuBois was introduced to the Suzuki Method of teaching music through his daughter’s violin lessons. As a Suzuki parent, he became very impressed with the quality of instruction of both the private and group lessons. The amazing results and rapid progress of the students in the Suzuki violin program revolutionized the way Mr. DuBois would teach his own guitar students, which he now refers to as his “musical conversation.” After researching this method for the guitar, he began teaching the Suzuki Method in February 1995, and currently teaches Suzuki private and group guitar lessons at his home and the Pittsburgh Music Academy.

In the fall of 1998, Mr. Dubois decided to rekindle his piano skills and to begin teaching piano lessons using the Suzuki approach. After studying this method for the piano lessons in December 1998 at his home studio, and currently at the Pittsburgh Music Academy.

Jane Schwarz

Piano
Jane has been a teacher at Pittsburgh Music Academy since 2001 , including teaching music theory I and II, and group classes, on a substitute basis, and teaching at Pre-Twinkle Camps in 2004 and 2005. This time also includes observing the teaching of Katherine Monsour Barley, Sue Vasquez, and Ron Dubois at Pittsburgh Music Academy’s Summer Institute 2005 and Patricia Pavlack in 2006.

Jane's educational experiences include:

* M.S.W, Children and Youth Concentration, University of Pittsburgh, May 1993.

* B.A. Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester NY, May 1991

* Participated in Suzuki Teacher Training and Apprenticeship in Books 1 - 3 with Katherine Monsour Barley, 2000 – 2005.

* Studied piano in the studio of Mr. Vincent Lenti at the Eastman School of Music, 1987 – 1991.

* Studied Music Theory, Ear Training, and Music History classes at the University of Rochester, 1987 – 1988.

* Studied piano in the studio of Maria Caruso in Pittsburgh, PA, 1983 – 1987, including chamber music workshops in 1984 and 1985.

* Studied Suzuki piano in the studio of Patricia Schaefer Pavlack, 1977 – 1983, including workshops with Carole Bigler and Valery Lloyd-Watts, Michiko Yurko, and Lorraine Landefeld.

Carolyn Hills

Education – University of Utah, Villa Maria, Associates Degree from Community College of Allegheny County, member of Phi Theta Kappa

Carolyn is married with four children and seven grandchildren. She has Suzuki Viola training through Book Seven and Suzuki Violin training through Book Three. Carolyn has studied viola with Richard Nibley, Arthur Shepherd, Paul Silvers, Stephanie Tretick, and violin with Sarah Blomquist. Her local performance experience includes concerts with the McKeesport, Butler, Westmoreland, and Wheeling Symphonies, Tuesday Musical Club Chamber Music & Ensemble, Cumberland Chamber Group, and Il Solisti d’Oakland Chamber Orchestra. Carolyn has taught at the Westmoreland Suzuki School, Seton Center Suzuki School, and is a founding member and the CEO of The Pittsburgh Music Academy, Inc.

Doris Weir

Teacher

Michelle Vallier

Violin Teacher
Michelle Vallier, violinist, has been teaching at the Pittsburgh Music Academy since 2006. She studied at Wichita State University with Jennifer John, receiving instruction in violin pedagogy from Jacqueline Dillon, co-author of Strictly Strings. Michelle transferred to finish her Bachelor of Music in Violin from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2000. While in Boulder, she had the chance to study Suzuki Book 1 with well known Suzuki pedagogue William Starr, author of several books and collections of pieces. In the fall of 2000, Michelle came to Pittsburgh to pursue a MM in violin at Carnegie Mellon, studying with Carolyn Huebl and Cyrus Forough. After graduation she did two years of further study in the Performance Residency Program, finishing in 2004.

Michelle has been teaching since the latter years of high school, and in several different venues and systems, including private studios, the Bloomfield Scholarship Program for underprivileged families, the Boulder Arts Academy, and Center for Young Musicians in Wexford, PA. She was an assistant chamber music coach at Meadowmount in the summer of 2002. As of July 2008, she will have received training in Suzuki books 1-5, at the University of Colorado-Boulder, the Ithaca Institute, the Pittsburgh Institute, and the Chicago Institute, working with teacher trainers William Starr, Carrie Reuning-Hummel, Kimberly Meiers-Simms, Michele George, and Teri Einfeldt.

Currently Michelle stays very busy teaching and freelancing. She performs with many regional groups, including the Wheeling Symphony, the Youngstown Symphony, the Erie Philharmonic, and the Academy Chamber Orchestra. She has also played with the Pittsburgh Opera and the Des Moines Metro Opera in recent years. Her “un-classical” gigs include “Let’s Be Frank” and the Nick Dialoso Orchestra.

Tara Yaney

Flute
Tara Yaney is a Pittsburgh-based musician and music teacher, playing flute, piccolo, clarinet and oboe. She has been teaching in the Pittsburgh area since 1999, and before that she taught in Alexandria, Virginia. She performs with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra as their principal piccolo player, and she has also performed with the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, the Ohio Light Opera Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute, the Duquesne University Chamber Singers and Concert Choir and the International Chamber Ensemble, among others. She earned her Bachelors degree in physics from the University of Pennsylvania, and then went on to earn her Bachelors degree in music from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University. She studied the Suzuki method with David Gerry. She has been teaching at the Pittsburgh Music Academy since the summer of 2003.

Mary Moser

Violin
Mary Moser, Violin, serves as adjunct faculty at Grove City College where she teaches applied violin and viola, and string methods. She is on faculty at Westminster College as Violin/Viola Instructor, a member of the Westminster College faculty string quartet, and Director of the Music Intern Teaching Program. Ms. Moser has trained in the Suzuki Philosophy with Ronda Cole, Michele George, Teri Einfeldt, and Stevie Sandven. She is a member of the Erie Philharmonic and plays regularly with the Youngstown Symphony and the Wheeling Symphony. Ms. Moser has been a soloist with the Grove City College Orchestra, Westminster College Orchestra, and guest clinician for many other institutions. She is also a proponent of modern music. Ms. Moser was Principal Second Violin for the Musica Nova Orchestra in Scottsdale, AZ, an orchestra dedicated to performing new music and was actively involved with the Arizona State University Contemporary Music Ensemble and premiered a variety of works during her tenure at Arizona State University.

Always in demand as a teacher, Ms. Moser holds a Master of Music in Performance and Pedagogy degree from Arizona \ State University with prior studies at Shenandoah University, and a Bachelor of Music in Performance from University of the Pacific. She was the violin teaching assistant at Arizona State University and an instructor of violin with Shenandoah University. Ms. Moser has worked with many other schools including Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh Music Academy, Carlow University, Mesa Community Arts Center, Phoenix Liturgical Arts Center, an independent music program for underprivileged children in Baltimore, Maryland and has also maintained a private studio since 1996. Ms. Moser attended the Rome Festival in Rome, Italy; Tanglewood in Lennox, Massachusetts; and the Aspen Summer Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado, where she studied with Valeria Vilker-Kuchment, Jennifer John and Paul Kantor. Her principle teachers include Dr. Katherine McLin, Jane Cromwell, Dr. Olivia Hajioff, and Dr. James Stern.

Gina Glenn

Music Together and Piano
Gina has been a Suzuki parent of two children since 1993. She has been teaching Music together since 2001 at PMA. Since the year 2000, she has been a Suzuki piano teacher. Gina has also been a Mt. Lebanon Montessori Music Teacher for 3 years(2003-2006). She has also taught at various summer music camps at PMA.

Marina Nielsen

Cello
Canadian born cellist, Marina Nielsen, holds degrees in cello performance from The Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and from Northwestern University. In addition, she holds a degree in music therapy from Maryville University. Marina has been involved in the Suzuki Method for the past 33 years, first as a cello student, then as a Suzuki teacher, and in more recent years as a Suzuki parent. She has performed with a the Grand Teton Music Festival, St. Louis Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony orchestras as well as with a variety of Baroque ensembles. She was a member of the Ars Femina Ensemble for ten years, performing in the United States and in Portugal and recording for their Nannerl Recordings label.
Marina lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Robert Lauver and their daughters, Madeline, Lily and Sophie.

Laura Block

Flute
Laura Block is completing her Bachelor of Music Degree in performance at Duquesne University, where she studies flute and piccolo with Rhian Kenny, Principal Piccolo of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She is a Duquesne University Presidential Scholar, and received the Presser Award for academic and musical excellence and was a runner-up for the Women's Advisory Board competition in her Junior year. Laura performs with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony and the Duquesne University Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Flute Choir, and Contemporary Ensemble. Laura was the intern for the Education and Community Engagement Department of the Pittsburgh Symphony during her sophomore year, and had the opportunity to organize Summer Strings Camp, create education materials for children's concerts, and even meet Fiddlesticks, the Symphony Cat! She has performed at Amy Porter's Anatomy of Sound workshop at the University of Michigan, George Pope's Summer Flute Experience at the University of Akron, and the Summer Flute Course at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Maria Sensi-Sellner

Maria Sensi Sellner teaches music theory, Music and Movement (based on Dalcroze Eurhythmics), and choir classes at PMA. A native of the Pittsburgh area, She is currently completing a Masters degree in music composition at Carnegie Mellon University, where she studies with composer Nancy Galbraith In addition, Maria is also working towards certification in both Dalcroze Eurhythmics and music education. She earned her BFA in Composition at Carnegie Mellon, as well as B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Maria is in her fifth season as conductor of the All University Orchestra at Carnegie Mellon and is currently a conducting student of Robert Page. She is a member of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, which performs regularly with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and has toured with the Robert Page Festival Singers in Russia and Finland. Maria is a member of the Conductor’s Guild and Sigma Alpha Iota, national music fraternity.
Maria's Webpage

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Revised: 04/28/2003