CORISSA BUSSIAN

TEACHES
Voice
Audition/performance preparation
Vocal song/accompaniment composition/arrangement
Chord/chart reading

AGES
7 to adult

EDUCATION
Master of Music, Vocal Performance/Opera Studies; Rice University
Bachelor of Music, Vocal Performance; DePaul University

CURRENT OPENINGS (FALL TERM - SEPT 5 TO JAN 20)
NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW STUDENTS

WORDS TO DESCRIBE MY TEACHING STYLE
Fundamentals based
Individually focused 

Corissa uses the foundations of classical technique, which allows vocal flexibility and healthy singing for any style. Her ultimate goal is for students to comfortably and confidently apply their vocal capabilities in many different genres. Through this she focuses on self-confidence growth and improving the nerves of stage fright and creatively putting oneself out there to tell these musical stories.

Lessons with Corissa start with vocal exercises to not only warm up the voice, but to also focus on technical breathing, support and vowel placement. Then, student and teacher choose repertoire to apply practicing music theory, vocal technique and musical artistry and to master each song to be performance ready.   

In her spare time, Corissa enjoys yoga, going on traveling adventures, baking, and hiking/walking with husband Carl and son Bruno.

MAIRE CLEMENT

Teaches

Voice

Ages

9 - Adult

Education

Master of Music degree in classical Voice Performance from the University of Louisville

Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music

Certified Transformational Voice® teacher

Lessons

Private Lessons

Group Classes

30 minutes, 60 minutes

Words to describe my teaching style

Creative

Intuitive

Compassionate

Informative

Artistic

As well as a cross-genre singer, songwriter and voice teacher, Maire is also a certified yoga instructor. She utilizes her varied background to cultivate a supportive environment for creative expression and experimentation. She implements gentle yoga postures to support breathing and mindfulness for singing. Students of Maire will learn about breathing, projection, how to expand their range, vocal health, artistry, and finding their authentic voice. She believes everyone’s voice is worthy of being heard.

Each lesson is individualized for each student’s needs and goals. That being said, they usually begin by checking in. Because a singer’s instrument is their body, it’s important to understand how they are doing and what might be affecting their singing. Following this, Maire leads warm ups for the body including breathing exercises and vocalizations that warm up the voice and get everything aligned in the spot that feels the best. After warm-ups, they typically work on a piece of music. This could be a song that either the student chooses, or one that Maire assigns. She prefers when students sing music that resonates with them.

In her spare time, Maire likes to play music with her husband Davey (She is a beginning fiddler). She also likes to write songs, play board games, watch Netflix, go on hikes, and read books.

EMMY ERICKSON

Student Teacher

Teaches

Voice
Piano

Ages

Voice: 7 to adult
Piano: 5 to adult

Education

BM Vocal Music Education K-12 (finished with schooling, completing my degree with a professional semester in student teaching)

Lessons

Private/one-on-one lessons

Words to describe my teaching style

Adaptable
Vibrant
Exploratory.

Emmy offer a fresh perspective as a newly graduated teacher. She also has a formal education with very recent research and pedagogy. She has studied vocal pedagogy and science which focuses on free and released singing through body mapping, awareness, and anatomy. She values both classical training and technique, yet also highly value training in modern, contemporary styles & techniques - both adding value to the whole singer/musician. She thoroughly believe that lessons have to adapt to the individual musician, and this plays out in the ways that educators word and approach various techniques. 

In a voice or piano lesson, warmups are essential. This allows for time to vitalize whatever body parts are utilized and to explore what is possible in the voice/hands. Technique and performance skills will be addressed in every lesson and weaved into both the formal curriculum & repertoire.

Emmy is a huge gym rat and loves to be moving. She has a huge passion for health & fitness, which translates into the way she conduct her lessons: total body awareness and control. Hiking, tubing, camping, etc. have been activities that she loves to do whenever she gets the chance to be outside! She is an absolute foodie & loves to explore and try different spots in the cities. She also loves watching sports, reading books, journaling, and spending time with her family.

MARY GUSTAFSON

TEACHES
Suzuki Piano 

AGES
4 – Adult 

EDUCATION
BA in Piano and Music Education from the University of St. Catherine 

NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW STUDENTS

WORDS TO DESCRIBE MY TEACHING STYLE
Personalized
Encouraging
Committed to healthy playing

Mary teaches using the Suzuki method, which prioritizes learning by listening, parents as partners in the teaching process, and cumulative review. Because students learn by listening, they learn to quickly and easily memorize their music and gain confidence sharing their music with others. 

 Early in their first year of study, they begin traditional music reading alongside their Suzuki study. They become versatile musicians who are dedicated and disciplined. 

 Having parents involved in their lessons and daily practice helps them value piano practice as a special time with Mom or Dad. Her adult and older students enjoy learning to improvise and play from chord charts, as well as traditional piano.

Lesson time includes getting rewards for listening to their Suzuki recordings, playing scales and transposing, learning a new piece by ear, refining their review pieces, and playing from their Faber reading books.  

 Throughout the year, students participate in practice games, music sharing (performance) prizes, summer reading program prizes, and the statewide Suzuki recital and award program.

Mary loves improvising at the piano and singing, riding her bike, reading, and relaxing with her family.

Mary is not accepting new students currently. Stay tuned for more information regarding Suzuki piano lessons.

JOHN ONDICH-BATSON

Teaches

Viola

Violin

Ages

6 and up

Education

B.A in Music from St. Olaf College

M.M. Orchestral Conducting from the University of MN Duluth

Lessons

Individual Private Lessons

Chamber Groups

30 minutes

60 minutes

Words to describe my teaching style

Passionate

Adaptable

Philosophical

Fun

John brings a conductor's viewpoint to teaching. He doesn't just teach how to play the instrument, but also the music theory and other skills (such as practicing hopefully) that accompanies the instrument. Two-way dialogue is critical in his teaching style as discussion about how to play the music compliments discussion about what the music means.

A typical lesson with John sets a routine that is adaptable to each student and what they are trying to accomplish. Most of the time this means beginning with scales/exercises and then progressing to the repertoire the student is working on. This includes ensemble music they may be working on as well as solo repertoire. In longer lessons, there is also more time for music theory training. 

In his spare time, John enjoys building and painting miniatures as well as playing tennis. 

ALEX RITCHIE

TEACHES
Voice
Audition Preparation

AGES
10 – Adult

EDUCATION
Master of Music, Voice (University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music & Dance)
Bachelor of Arts, Music (Harding University)

CURRENT OPENINGS
Mondays
No Availability

Sundays
No Availability

WORDS TO DESCRIBE MY TEACHING STYLE
Thoughtful
Encouraging
Conversational
Friendly

What sets Alex apart from other teachers is he brings his experience to serve each student's personal goals. He evaluates the student's current knowledge and skills and will devote energy to help each student achieve progress and develop confidence in their musicianship.

Alex begins each lesson by processing the prior week and discussing goals for the lesson. He spends the first half of the lesson becoming embodied with the student through stretches, breathing, and vocal exercises. The second half is devoted to refining repertoire and style.

In his spare time, Alex likes hiking, cooking, biking, and playing board games with his family.

AMY SCHENDEL

Teaches
Trumpet

Ages
10 – adult

Education
DMA in trumpet performance, University of Wisconsin - Madison;
MM in trumpet performance, Indiana University;
BM in trumpet performance, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Lessons
Private, partner or group lessons
30 minutes, 45 minutes or 60 minutes

Words to describe my teaching style
Kind
Nurturing
Motivational
Welcoming to everyone of all backgrounds

Amy has a depth of experience both in teaching and performing: 12 years of teaching experience as the Associate Professor of Trumpet at the University of Iowa and playing with the faculty artist-in-residence brass quintet, the Iowa Brass Quintet. She has two solo and chamber music albums: Uncommon Ground (published in 2014 by MSR Classics) and Full Power (self published). Students will receive a free copy of both albums upon starting lessons.

Every lesson is about helping the individual student to improve on the trumpet. Given that every student is unique, each lesson is structured according to what that student may need and desire to improve on. A typical lesson may look like beginning with a warm-up and fundamental exercises, followed by time to focus on a solo work/etude/exercises the student is working on. The lesson will wrap up with duets and possibly sight reading. In addition, students are introduced and encouraged to listen to a variety of trumpet artists through recommended recordings.

In her spare time, Amy enjoys reading, running, hiking, camping, and skiing.

KARIN VALDIZAN

TEACHES
Violin
Viola

AGES
5 – Adult 

EDUCATION
MM in Violin Performance, The University of Texas
BA in Music and German, Luther College

CURRENT OPENINGS
Tuesdays
3:00pm - 7:00pm

WORDS TO DESCRIBE MY TEACHING STYLE
Thorough
Accommodating
Patient
Encouraging

Karin takes great care to treat each student as the unique person that they are. Karin meets the student where they are at and helps to tailor the experience based on the goals of the student and family while using excellent resources in a variety of mediums. Learning the instrument should be a doorway to exploring and inspiring love of music as a lifelong journey.

Good technique and knowledge of fundamentals are part of every lesson. Both reading music and playing by ear are valuable skills each musician should develop. Using varied materials and games help with not taking ourselves too seriously and making learning fun! Students learn scales and technical repertoire to give them the appropriate skills to play whatever style or genre their hearts desire.

Karin plays in a vintage rock band (www.royshow.com) among other freelance playing and enjoys activities with her family and traveling when possible. She is currently in the process of learning Hardanger fiddle, the traditional Norwegian folk violin.