KATELYN GEARY is a voice and piano teacher from Lincoln, Nebraska. She is a professional classical singer, currently pursuing a Master of Music in Opera Performance at Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA. She has 9 years of formal piano training in addition to collegiate level piano work. She has a Master of Arts in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Currently she performs and works in the Boston area.
Katelyn believes in developing a student`s natural curiosity for learning through a flexible teaching process that responds to the varying stress that can impact young students. She believes that her students benefit from an exposure to a variety of styles of music, centered on a classical singing technique and music theory to promote healthy and knowledgeable music performance. She supports her students as they work to find their unique sound, incorporating her experience with Vinyasa yoga and body-mapping to promote self-esteem, confidence, and physical awareness. Katelyn believes that great performances come from age-appropriate understanding of music and poetry, through the use of acting and imagination exercises to help her students communicate clearly and honestly.
Finally, Katelyn hopes to inspire a life-long love of music and the learning process through fun and exploration that her students can apply to all aspects of their lives.
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OSTIN MEMBRENO is a classically trained pianist, vocalist (dramatic bass baritone) and composer/songwriter. While Ostin`s academic background lies in classical voice and piano education, his musical life began as a young teenager with the electric guitar and rock music. Before deciding to study music professionally, Ostin attended private lessons for many years. Upon encountering the depth and beauty of classical music, he desired a deeper understanding of what he was hearing to elevate his own compositions. The easiest and best way to do this, he concluded, was to learn the piano and read the pieces himslef. Studying under a variety of different teachers during those years, he grew up experiencing many effective styles of teaching. While serving as a church musician for local parishes, Ostin was given the opportunity to perform weekly for hundreds of parishioners. In this time, he also directed and accompanied church choirs in preparation for holiday services.
Between classical piano and voice, Ostin has performed at the professional level dozens of times during his attendance at UMass Dartmouth. Ostin has sung with the university`s choir, their exclusive audition-only a cappella chamber choir, and the university`s Opera ensemble.
His core educational philosophy revolves around his belief that beautiful music can happen at any age with any student, and at any speed.
Experience and credentials:
Music Education, UMass Dartmouth
Performed with UMD`s audition-only chamber choir a `Capella group.
Hundreds of weekly live performances serving as a church musician (piano, guitar, and vocals)
Studied Opera, Classical, jazz, and contemporary styles of singing
Studied Classical, Jazz, and contemporary styles of piano accompaniments
Years of choir experience
Independent artist
Teaching since 2019
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MICHELLE MURRAY is singer and instrumentalist from Walpole, Massachusetts. She is a classically trained mezzo soprano whose background is in musical theater and classical voice, though she also loves singing pop, rock and folk music.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music, Vocal Performance with a minor in French and Francophone Studies from Muhlenberg College in 2019.
Michelle is also an accomplished pianist who began playing at the age of 5. For the last 3 years, she lived in Munster, Ireland, after receiving her Master's Degree in Irish Traditional Music Performance from the University of Limerick in 2020.
After graduating, Michelle taught Bachelor of Arts in Voice students at the Irish World Academy, University of Limerick. She has also been performing frequently around Ireland in concerts and festival gigs with Irish band Seoid, and has enjoyed singing and playing flute and tin whistle in Irish music sessions.
Her vocals were featured in an Olay advertisement in China.
For Michelle, the best part of teaching is seeing her students delight in their own progress and accomplishments.
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ABBY MILLS is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island where she studied Music Education with a focus in Piano and Voice in 2022. She is a mezzo soprano and professional pianist and accompanist. She had sung and accompanied many choirs throughout her lifetime, including ensembles at the Filedheacht Music School, South Shore Baptist Church, and First Baptist Memorial Church of Weymouth.
In 2024, she finished her second year as the Choral Director at Woonsocket High School. She brought her chorus to festivals such as the Great East Music Festival and the Rhode Island Music Educator Association (RIMEA) Senior Ensemble Festival where they won multiple awards. Along with the Chorus class, she also taught a variety of General music classes during the school day, including Piano Keyboarding I and II, Music Appreciation, Music Technology, and History of American Pop Music. She also worked alongside the Theatre Department as the Music Director for the musical Hairspray.
Her passion for education shows in her time spent volunteering with RIMEA. She was appointed co-Manager for the Junior All-State Mixed Chorus for the second year in a row. This auditioned group features the top 7th to 9th grade chorus students from school districts across the state of Rhode Island. She works alongside directors and conductors to organize this ensemble during the springtime.
Currently, she is the Music/Chorus/Band Teacher for Davisville Middle School, located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. She teaches the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade choruses as well as 6th Grade Beginner Band. She also teaches General Music classes and works collaboratively with the Music Department across the North Kingstown School District. In her free time she enjoys gardening and spending time at home with her cats.