Below is a sampling of the Artist-Teachers we’re proud to partner with for our programming. Many of these wonderful artist-teachers are renowned performers and passionate educators that live and work in the nation. They are committed to consistent student growth and excellence.
Pom Squad
Alexis is a current full-time psychology student at DePaul University. She’s been a cheerleader for 14 years, and was on the Varsity team all four years of high school.
Pulaski Coordinator, Voice
Kevin is currently the on-site coordinator for Pulaski. He’s a baritone who has primarily focused on the works of Mozart.
Piano & Voice
Wanxue Zhang is a classically trained soprano and pianist with an active performance career spanning Illinois, Connecticut, and Xi’an, China. She performs with NaperVoice and the Schola Cantorum at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.
Chess
Sydney is a Chess Instructor and CPS Academic Chess Coach who teaches students of all ages. She focuses on building confidence, strategic thinking, patience, and decision-making skills in a fun and supportive environment.
Voice/Piano
Jade Dashá is a Cleveland-born, Florida-raised, and Chicago-based soprano and music teacher studying under Dr. Viktoria Vizin.Jade began 2023 as a Smith Young Artist with Cedar Rapids Opera singing Miss Jones in the world-premier of Charlie and the Wolf, which toured local schools.
Guitar, Bass, Piano/Keyboard, Synthesis, Digital Audio Workshops
Samuel Laidman has a decade-long history of working in sound, composition, and post production for short and feature films, mini-series, and art installations. He has played and performed in various rock, punk, and metal acts over the years.
Guitar, piano, voice, songwriting, theater
Ali is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and educator with over a decade of experience in music performance and teaching. They hold both a BA in music and a BEd in primary/junior education.
Piano, Orchestra, Musical Adventures
Kai-Chun Chang, born in Taipei Taiwan, holds 3rd Trumpet position
of West Michigan Symphony Orchestra and 2nd Trumpet position of Battle Creek
Symphony Orchestra. He is also a piano teacher, music educator, and music lover.
Dance
Taraja Mumbeja is a dynamic and emerging artist based in Chicago, holding a BA in Dance with a minor in Hip-Hop Studies from Columbia College Chicago. Her primary style is rooted in House dance, shaped by her training with BraveSoul Movement, Kuumba Lynx, and Hiplet.
Violin, Viola, Piano
Phoebe holds a master’s degree in music performance from DePaul University. She enjoys a career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and teacher. She performs with many orchestras in the United States.
Guitar, Electric Bass & Ukulele
Originally from Novi Sad, Serbia, Sasha Brusin’s musical education and performance experience spans Europe and the United States. He is comfortable and proficient on guitar, electric bass, and ukulele in many styles of music including jazz, rock, funk, R&B, blues, latin, Brazilian to European ethic blends.
Guitar, Bass, Drums
Dan McLean is a professional musician and music instructor from Evanston. For the last 15 years, Dan has passionately shared his musical expertise with students of all ages, promoting a love for music that resonates beyond the classroom.
Violin
Before coming to Chicago, she was for more than fifteen years a part of “El Sistema” – a social program focused on providing free music education to children and young students- in Caracas, Venezuela.
Voice & Beginner Piano
Paige is a recent grad of Columbia College Chicago, where she received a Bachelor of Music degree. Paige got her start in music on the saxophone in elementary and later ventured into musical theater. She’s been releasing original music since 2019, and plays with her band Paige and the Kizers.
Voice, Piano
Russell is a member of Chicago choirs such as Music of the Baroque and Stare at the Sun. He teaches voice and piano lessons to students of all ages around Chicago.
Percussion
Django is a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago, where he studied composition under Sebastian Huydts and Ilya Levinson as well as Percussion under Jarrett Hicks.
Violin
Maria Bernal is a violinist from Colombia with a deep passion for both performance and music education.
Theater
Ashley is a multi-hyphenate theater artist who’s been working with children for 10 years, teaching all aspects of theatre including singing, acting, dance, and theatre tech.
Guitar
has been playing guitar for 10+ years and has his degree in Jazz Studies which he studied with Zvonimir Tot in the University of Illinois Chicago.
Voice
In college, Isaiah studied classical voice with bass-baritone, and renowned composer Damien Geter. He holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance and a minor in Piano Performance from PSU ’23.
Dance
Brendan Pinkett, a recent transplant from the greater Nashville, TN area, is a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator located in Chicago, IL. As a teacher, he offers knowledge in a plethora of styles such as contemporary, hiphop, tap, contact improvisation, modern, and more.
Dance
Sarah Sterling is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer from the Boston area. She graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in Dance and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology and a minor in Spanish
Percussion, Piano
Socrates Hwang is a percussionist in the Chicago area. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s at DePaul University studying Percussion Performance and Psychology. He hopes to obtain his PhD in Music Cognition and continue to teach music to young artists!
Dance
Sandy is multigenre movement artist from Chicagoland who began her professional dance career in Nashville in 2022. Sandy focuses on telling the stories of her communities through the themes of her work and choices of expression.
Guitar, Piano
Andre Baptista is a Brazilian-born musician and instructor, who moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College of Chicago in 2017.
Pom/HipHop Coach
Born and raised in Memphis,TN. Graduate of The University of Memphis with a BFA in Musical Theatre. He has been dancing for almost 20 years and teaching for 7 years. He began coaching pom in 2019 and has worked with all ages from Jr. teams to Varsity UDA teams.
Yoga
Peggy is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500) with more than 25 years of personal yoga practice and a passion for helping others move with strength, confidence, and awareness. She completed both her 200-hour and 300-hour yoga teacher trainings and also holds a 100-hour Pilates Reformer instructor certification.
Guitar, Piano, Bass, Voice
Alex Sopala is a rock and metal guitarist and bassist with expertise in audio engineering, mixing, songwriting, and orchestrating. He is a patient teacher and likes to meet his students where they are musically. Alex is excited about passing along his love of music and personally understands the impact that music education can have on a young person’s development and life.
Guitar, Piano, Drums, Bass, Voice
Colton trained at Berklee College of Music in Boston, specializing in vocal performance, audio recording, and music production. As an afterschool instructor, his goal is to make music collaborative, inspiring, and accessible.
Ukulele, Piano, and Beginner Guitar
Anna is a contemporary artist originally from Miami, Florida. Currently, she dances for Chicago Movement Collective’s Claire Bataille Legacy Scholarship and is working on her first solo music project!
Dance
Brennan is a proud alum of Northwestern University where she studied Theatre and Dance. Hailing from Ohio, she has 21 years of dance experience and when not teaching you can find her performing in local Chicago plays and musicals.
Piano, Guitar, Bass, Drums
Aval Stanley Zaucha is a multi-instrumentalist, music director, and producer. After getting into jazz and blues as a teenager, he attended DePaul University and acquired a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies. He teaches students of all experience levels and age ranges.