Lesson Teachers

We believe very strongly that students who take private lessons will be successful on their instrument because they have good adult mentors.  The list of teachers that we endorse are the very best teachers in the Oswego area, and we believe they will assist each of our students in their music studies.

Flute - Dr. Cate Hummel
Founder and director of Dr. Cate's Flute Camp in Naperville since 2000, for flute students ages 12-15.   DMA and MM from Manhattan School of Music in New York.  A Doctor of Musical Arts from Manhattan School of Music is a degree designed to make the recipients performer/scholars and includes three full recitals, an orchestral excerpt jury, two years of course work, comprehensive exams and a dissertation. More than 25 years teaching experience at colleges, community music schools and private studio. Solo debut recitals at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, Dame Myra Hess recital broadcast on WFMT, and other recitals including appearances at Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, Donnell Public Library Center in NY, Harold Washington Library in Chicago. For more information, go to www.fluteline.com.

 
Flute - Ashlee Schneider

Flute - Gwen Petersen
Bachelor of Arts - Western Illinois University; Master of Music - University of Kansas (Lawrence);Graduate of Oswego Community High School.  She has work experience in the following: West Suburban Symphony Orchestra - Piccolo/3rd Flute;West Suburban Chamber Orchestra - 2nd Flute/Piccolo; Wheaton Symphony Orchestra - Piccolo/3rd Flute - 1990; 20 years Private Teaching Experience.  Previous Instructors include Mary Louise Poor, Gerald Carey, John Boulton, and Sue Calebaugh-McKeever. 

Oboe - Judy Schneider
Judith Schneider is a music educator and oboist. She graduated with Bachelor of Music Education Cum Laude from the School of Music Montclair University in New Jersey. She also studied oboe with James Lakin at the University of Iowa for two years. While in Germany with her husband, who was in the Air Force Band, she created and taught two elementary bands in Wiesbaden, Germany. Mrs. Schneider taught music in the Westwood N. J. Schools for five years.  After raising three children who are all musicians, she taught Band and Music Appreciation in the Englewood Cliffs N. J. Schools for eighteen years. She was the assistant editor of the classroom music series, Music and You.  Judith Schneider has performed a professional oboist throughout her life, performing as principal oboe with the N. J. Philharmonic, Seton Hall Chamber Symphony, and the Garden State Band. She has also performed on Oboe and English Horn with the New Jersey Pops, St. Peter By the Sea Orchestra, Ridgewood Symphony, Wycoff Chamber Players, and the Staten Island Philharmonic. Recently, the Schneiders retired and moved to Yorkville, Illinois to be near their musical family. Judi enjoys sharing her musical talents by teaching oboe, and clarinet to students in the Oswego and Yorkville area and being a grandmother.

Clarinet - Anne Marie Rozsa
Private Instructor of Clarinet and Piano.  Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance, University of Northern Iowa, 2003;
Master of Music in Clarinet Performance, DePaul University, 2005.  Principal teachers include John Bruce Yeh (Chicago Symphony Orchesra), Chris Hill (South Dakota Symphony Orchestra), Jack Graham (University of Northern Iowa),and Jeannette Fahrney (Mason City, Iowa.)  Teacher in Oswego Schools since 2005; six years private teaching experience.  She has performed with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Ohio Light Opera, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, Cedar Rapids Symphony, and the Maverick Ensemble.  She is a founding member of the clariconbrio clarinet trio, the RoseSpring harp-clarinet duo, and an active freelance player in the Chicago area.

Clarinet - Erin Roller
Bachelor of Music and a Master's of Music-Clarinet Performance and Pedagogy from Northern Illinois University.  In addition to her private studio, she is the Professor of Clarinet at North Central College in Naperville.  She is a permanent member of the Park Ridge Civic orchestra as well as a freelance musician in the Chicago area.

Bassoon - Kim Richter

Saxophone - Greg Stickeler
Greg has completed his Bachelor of music degree from The New England Conservatory of Music and his Master of Music degree from the university of Texas at Austin. He has been a recipient of numerous awards such as winning the Hamden Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, the first saxophonist ever to win. He also won the New England Conservatory’s Commencement Concert Competition where he played Debussy’s “Rapsodie” with the Symphony Orchestra. Recently, Mr. Stickeler won the Penelope Davis Hartt Award with the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Stickeler has played with many music groups including The Four Corners Saxophone Quartet, the Boston based fusion group “Hyptonic”, The Boston Civic Orchestra, The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, The Papermill Theatre, Reagle Players, Orpheum Theatre Company, Southwest Suburban College Jazz Band and the Rhythm Rockets. He teachers have included Bob Moses, Ken Radnofsky,Harvey Pittel and Jerry Bergonzi. Currently, Mr. Stickeler teaches saxophone and clarinet at Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Palos Hills and Tinely Park public schools. Furthermore, he is a faculty member at Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Downtown Chicago.

Trumpet - Gene Arnold
Born and raised in central Illinois. He studied trumpet with Herb Stoskopf of Peoria, and graduated with a BM in trumpet performance from Northwestern University. He studied at NU with Vincent Cichowicz and Luther Didrikson. Other teachers have been Bill Scarlett and Tom Crown.  Gene currently plays first trumpet with the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra and second chair with the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra. As an active free lance trumpeter he performs in wedding ceremonies, church services and community theatre productions.Gene has taught private trumpet lessons in the Aurora/Oswego area for about ten years. Gene and his family moved to Oswego five years ago. They have three children all of which play instruments, though not trumpet!

Trumpet - James Knabe - www.trumpeter.com
James Knabe began his studies at Inerlochen School for the Arts late in high school. Studies and experiences continued at Eastern Music Festival (NC), Operafestival di Roma (Italy), and Ashlawn-Highland Opera (VA).  James received his BM in music performance from the School of Music at the University of Iowa, and received his MM in music performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.  Principal teachers include Charles Schlueter (Retired Principal Trumpet, Boston Symphony Orchestra), Peter Chapman (Boston Symphony/Boston Pops), and David Greenhoe (Principal Trumpet, Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra and Lake Placid Sinfonietta). Additional studies with Nello Salza (Principal Trumpet, Rome Opera). Performed in masterclasses with Philip Smith, Frank Kadarabek, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Shew, and Norman Bolter.  James has performed solo and baroque ensemble recitals accross New England, the Midwest, as well as in Rome, Italy. Additionally he has served as principal trumpet with opera and concert orchestras in the Boston/New England area. Today, James continues a busy schedule of performances in the greater Chicagoland area as a soloist, church musician, and chamber musician. James is on the teaching faculty of several fine music schools in the Chicago area. 

French Horn - Eric Kaiser
 
Trombone - James Felts
Trombone student of Dr. Robert Gray; BS and MS degrees in music education from the University of Illinois; OHS Band Director from fall of 1964 through spring of 1994; 42 years experience as a private brass instructor.

Tbn./Euph. - Andrew Rosza
Private Instructor of Trombone, Bass Trombone, Baritone, Euphonium, Theory/Composition, Guitar/Bass.  Bachelor of Music in Theory and Composition, Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory, 2001; Master of Music in Bass Trombone, Cleveland Institute of Music, 2003; Performers' Certificate, Bass Trombone, DePaul University, 2005.  Principal teachers on trombone include Doug Bennett, Allen Kofsky (Cleveland Orchestra, retired), Tom Klaber (Cleveland Orchestra), Charlie Vernon (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Mark Fisher (Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra), and Floyd Cooley (San Francisco Symphony, retired).  Composition studies with Dan Adams, James Feldman, and Loris Chobanian.  Classical guitar studies with Andrej Mentschukoff and Loris Chobanian.  He has been a member of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra since 2004; He has also performed with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony, the Ohio Light Opera, the Elmhurst Symphony, and the Cedar Rapids Symphony.  In 2005, he was Composer-in-Residence for the Albuquerque Public Schools.  He is also currently a brass ensemble coach for School District 211.

Tuba/Euphonium - Kevin Harrison
Currently a Chicago based, freelance musician and private low brass instructor. He received a Bachelor of Music from Truman State University (Kirksville, MO) in 2004 and graduated with distinction from DePaul University in 2006 where he received a Master of Music degree. His principal teachers have included Steve Seward (Kansas City Symphony), Warren Deck (retired, New York Philharmonic), and Floyd Cooley (retired, San Francisco Symphony) in addition to private studies with such distinguished artists as Gene Pokorny, Charlie Vernon, Daniel Parentoni, Jennifer Montone, Mike Sanders, and Roger Oyster among others. Mr. Harrison spent the summer of 2001 as a student of the Eastern Music Festival and the summers 2003-2006 as a student of the Aspen Music Festival and School,one of the world’s leading summer music institutions. It was at Aspen that he gained unparalleled instruction with Warren Deck, world class orchestral experience, and worked closely with the members of the American Brass Quintet in solo and chamber music performance. Mr. Harrison is currently the principal tuba of the Northwest Indiana Symphony having won the job in the 2004/2005 season and gaining tenure the following season. He has performed with the Saint Louis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Ottumwa Symphony, the Lira Ensemble, the New Philharmonic, and the City Lights Orchestra. His solo appearances have included performances with the Northwest Indiana Symphony, the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, the Truman State University Orchestra, and the Truman State University Wind Symphony. Kevin Harrison has given several clinics and masterclasses throughout Missouri and in the Chicago area, and he currently maintains a regular teaching and performance schedule.

Private Percussion - Walt Schneider
Walt Schneider is a music educator and percussionist. He graduated with Bachelor of Music Education in Percussion from U.M.K.C. Conservatory of Music, and received a Master of Arts in Percussion and Music Literature from the University of Iowa. He served in the United States Air Force Bands, and was Percussion Leader in the USAFE Band. Schneider completed his Doctoral Studies in Percussion at the Manhattan School of Music studying with Paul Price. For thirty five years Mr. Schneider taught Band, Percussion and Music Appreciation in Tenafly, N. J., near New York City. During this time he was continuously performing with many orchestras and bands in the New York/Jersey area including the N. J. Philharmonic and the Garden State Band. He served as the New Jersey All-State Band Percussion coordinator for over fifteen years. In 2001, Mr. Schneider was chosen by the New Jersey Music Educators Association to receive the Governors Award in Arts Education.  Recently, the Schneiders retired and moved to Yorkville, Illinois to be near their musical family. Walt now performs percussion with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and is the drummer with the Yorkville Big Band. He looks forward to working with young people, who want to develop their musical and percussion performance.
 
Group Percussion - Vern Spevak
Vern Spevak is a graduate of Northern illinois University in DeKalb, IL where he was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree in percussion performance, while on a four year, full tuition scholarship.  Mr. Spevak was a member of the internationally acclaimed NIU Jazz Ensemble, where he performed and toured with jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Bellson, Don Menza, Clark Terry, Carl Fontana and many others.  As a private instructor and clinician, Mr. Spevak remains highly in demand with a large weekly roster of private students and is a percussion consultant to many schools throughout the Chicagoland and Northern Illinois area.  For more information, please go to www.spevakpercussionconcepts.com

String Bass - Mike Daley