Piano
Emily Bargen
Drums
Christopher Boggs
Ensemble and captain of the drum line. Chris started taking drum lessons at the very young age of 4 years old! He LOVES to play music and enjoys teaching all percussion (full set, marimba, xylophone, concert snare, and aux percussion) and sharing his passion with others! When not teaching, Chris loves playing for the main services at 2|42 as well as the youth groups. He has played in many college honors bands including Albion (2019, 2020), Central MI University (2018, 2019), Western MI University Band day (2018, 2019), MI State University performing arts camp-audition only Bronze drumline (2017, 2018, 2019), and Livingston County Symphony Orchestra (2018). Chris earns superior ratings at both the district and state level for solo and ensemble and enjoys learning from other instructors. Chris plans on pursuing a degree in music education in college!
Dance
Sarah Cartier
Sarah has been dancing since she was 5 years old! One recreational dance class many years ago turned into a lifelong journey through dance, and Sarah has been dancing for 16 years and counting. The only thing Sarah loves more than dancing herself, is teaching dance to kids of all ages and sharing the joy that dance can bring! Sarah currently teaches for four dance programs, one being School for the Arts. She loves many styles of dance, including ballet, tap, hip-hop, pointe, contemporary, and lyrical. Sarah is also a certified Rhythm Works Integrative Dance instructor.
Piano, SFTA Director
Stacy Christensen
Born and raised in Concord, New Hampshire, Stacy Christensen began playing piano at age 6. She has a passion for sharing the gift of music with others, and started instructing students in piano at age 16. Also a teacher by education, Stacy holds both a B.S. in Math Education and a Masters of Education. She has taught Montessori elementary and high school, working alongside many different ages to help students grow and gain confidence in their skills. Stacy loves working one on one with students, and skillfully combines her educational background with her excitement for and knowledge of piano here at School for the Arts.
Guitar
Ryan Concienne
Ryan has been playing guitar since the age of 12. His formal music education has included private lessons with a few very talented instructors; and earning a certificate from Berklee College of Music. His most notable musical endeavors have been with the pop-punk band, A Hero Falls, recording multiple albums and playing a multitude of shows including local festivals, radio performances, and a Midwest tour. Also, while getting his master’s from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, he played lead guitar in the school’s modern rock band, Risky Business. Ryan is currently involved in several other musical projects. Some of the best things in my life have come through music, and he hopes to share that legacy with the students at SFTA!
Voice
Jessica Culver
Jessica fell in love with singing early in life. In high school, she sang in choir and was involved in several musicals. Jessica received her Bachelor of Vocal Performance at Grace Bible College where she sang nearly all the time, including a yearly dinner theatre and as the lead in the opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors”. She’s been active in her local worship teams and choirs by singing and even directing; she has also sung in a number of weddings. Her passion for kids and education is evident in her three kids, two of whom she home-schooled for 3 years and the third who can sing the ABC’s even though he’s too young to know the letters yet! She is looking forward to sharing her love of music with students and helping them develop their talents.
Voice
Austin DuBois
Austin is currently a junior at the University of Michigan studying voice. Growing up he was heavily involved in community and school theatre performing in everything from The Wizard of Oz and West Side Story to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In high school, he was a part of the top choral and acapella groups and arranged multiple pieces for both. He has worked with the senior musical theater group “Beyond Belief”, based in Novi, as a musical director multiple times over the last couple years. In 2018, he began playing as a dueling pianist where he continues to sharpen his skills in performing every week.
Piano
Marilyn Floyd
Marilyn has taught piano to hundreds of students ages 5-70 for over 20 years. She is skilled at pinpointing her students’ interests and at helping them achieve their next steps in music. She studied music at Julliard and holds a certificate from the Richards Institute (Education Through Music – ETM). ETM promotes physical, mental and social growth through language, song, movement, and interactive play. In recent years, Marilyn has done extensive study in teaching boys and teens, chords, and online piano lessons. She has developed and taught group piano Chord courses. She holds a B.S. in Journalism with a minor in voice at the University of Kansas.
Marilyn is also a freelance blogger/writer. She has worked on mission trips in the mountains of Guatemala and the San Blas Islands of Panama, survived a stroke after childbirth, and grew up raising pigs in rural Kansas. She and her husband have raised three extraordinarily creative boys and a beautiful daughter born in Guatemala.
She looks forward to helping you/your student take their next steps in music!
Flute
Gail Green
My name is Gail Green and have lived in Brighton for 5 years. I have 30 years of teaching experience as a K-12 music teacher and private flute teacher throughout Michigan. I graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor degree in K-12 instrumental and vocal music education, flute major. Currently, I am the Director of the Michigan Flute Orchestra that consists of Piccolo, C Flutes, Alto Flutes, Bass Flutes and Contrabass Flute. We perform all over the Greater Detroit area which includes the DIA and the Detroit Public Library. I have performed with the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra, International Symphony Orchestra (Port Huron, MI and Sarnia, Canada) Saginaw Symphony, Midland Symphony, Port Huron and St. Clair pit orchestras, West Michigan Flute Choir (WMFA) and Delta Flute Choir, Blue Water Woodwind Quintet, Blue Water Occasions, Blue Water Trio, Iridescent Flutes and currently performing with the Motor City Flutes and Trio Dolce. In addition to directing and performing I also adjudicate MSBOA Solo & Ensemble Festivals at the District and State Levels. Being the President of the Southeast Michigan Flute Association (SEMFA) has been a lot of fun. We plan annual festivals, recitals, and workshops for the flute community. I enjoy photography, sports, travel, and all styles of world music.
Piano
Jay Laura
Piano
Eun Young Lee
Eun Young is a professional pianist and a piano teacher who actively performs both in the U. S. and Korea. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Music from Ewha Women’s University in Korea and later received her Performance Diploma from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. In 2019, she graduated from the University of Michigan with her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance, where she was awarded a full scholarship. Eun Young has won numerous competitions such as the American Protege Competition and Concert Artists International Virtuoso Competition. She also has been featured as a soloist at several well-known venues: she has performed in Carnegie Hall in New York three times and had a concerto concert with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra at Hill Auditorium in 2019. As an enthusiastic piano teacher, Eun Young strongly believes that her mission is fostering students’ interest and curiosity about music while she conveys her musical knowledge to students so that they can actively incorporate music into their lives.
Violin
Paul Lundin
Paul is currently living in SE Michigan where he is a freelance violinist. He has performed locally with Ann Arbor, Flint, Midland, Saginaw, Oakland, and Rochester Symphonies. He studied at the University of Iowa where he earned Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Violin Performance. Most recently while living in Wisconsin, he performed with the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Waukesha, and Green Bay Symphonies and held the post of Concertmaster for the Racine Symphony from May of 2000 until 2008. In addition to performing, he was a sabbatical replacement at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point (2001) and was adjunct instructor at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin for 8 years. Formerly, he was a fulltime member of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra from 1992-1999, was on the faculty of Northwestern State University and Centenary College and concertmaster of the Longview (Texas) Symphony. He received critical acclaim as soloist in Longview playing Erich Korngold’s “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra” in 1998.
Piano
Christine Maiorana
Guitar
Austin Netherton
I’m Austin Netherton and I have been teaching acoustic, classical, and electric guitar for 10 years. I studied classical guitar at Concordia University where I majored in Music and minored in Contemporary Christain Music. I’m currently in the Masters of Music Composition program at Michigan State University. My favorite part about teaching guitar is building meaningful relationships with my students and helping them achieve their goals. Depending on what my students want to focus on, lessons will often incorporate: playing their favorite songs, music theory, reading, songwriting, improvisation, and creative expression. By setting clear goals, actively encouraging, and focusing on what’s important musically to my students, we are able to have fun and see the most improvement.
Piano
Marianne Potter
Marianne started playing the piano at the age of five and studied piano at Rochester College while pursuing her Elementary Teaching degree. She took classes at Schoolcraft College through their Piano Teacher’s Program, when she first began teaching piano. Marianne finds joy in seeing young children master a new skill and develop their musical abilities. She believes piano not only enriches lives, but also is a great teacher of discipline and contributes to higher success in other academic areas as well.
Guitar
Steven Prevett
Steven Prevett is an active composer/songwriter, performer and instructor from Flint, Michigan. He graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Music with a focus in composition and classical guitar. As a multi-instrumentalist, he has developed a unique style of playing, ranging anywhere from classical to broadway to popular music. His most recent successes includes the original musical about dogs, “3 Pekes in a Pod,” co-written by Quincy Dobbs. Other works include the original score for Central Michigan University’s production of William Shakespeare’s “Pericles”, music scores for various short films, & original music for live comedy sketch acts in Chicago. His current performance acts are the classical guitar &accordion duo “Everything but the Polka”, the classical guitar group “The Phly Boys” and the husband & wife comedy-duo “Melon 2 Melon”. As an instructor, Steven has had the pleasure working with many wonderful students of all ages. With over five years of teaching, he has had the opportunity to watch students grow and reach their goals as growing musicians. Steven strongly believes in the importance of music education, that music should be explored and shared with everyone.
Piano
Anastasia Ries
Hello, my name is Anastasia and I was born with music intertwined within my soul. From the age of 6, I have been playing the piano. It is without a doubt my favorite musical instrument. I immigrated from Russia in 2013, formerly known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I obtained my Bachelor of Russian Classical Piano and a Master’s Degree in music and Choir Direction, from the State University of Culture while in the USSR. I have been teaching piano for over 20 years in both Russia, and the United States. I have taught students of all ages ranging from ages 5 to 50 years old. I absolutely love to teach piano and to assist my students in developing their musical talents. I also teach my students the discipline of becoming a pianist and performing to the best of their ability. At the same time I hope to create in my student’s a passion for the piano and develop a lifelong desire to continue improving their skills as a pianist.
Piano
Larisa Soboleva
Born in Chisinau, Moldova, Larisa Soboleva began her piano studies at the age of five. In 2003, she was accepted into the National Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts in Chisinau. In 2008, Ms. Soboleva received a full scholarship from Rowan University to study with Professor Veda Zuponcic. She was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Miami in 2012, where she completed her doctorate studies.
During her years of study, Larisa has won prizes in National and International Competitions in Moldova, Ukraine, Romania and the US. She has performed with the National Orchestra of Teleradio Moldova and the orchestra of Rowan University. Ms. Soboleva is the holder of two Masters Degrees in Piano Performance, from the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts and Rowan University, where she graduated with the Jacob Steinway Award, given to the most outstanding pianists graduating. She successfully combines performance activities with piano teaching and looks forward to working with you at SFTA!
Drums
Timothy Stockdale
A native of North Canton, OH, Tim initially studied at Zampino’s Drum Shop. While there, he explored rudiments, jazz, rock, funk, fusion, Latin, and Afro-Cuban rhythms, and earned many outstanding ratings in solo and ensemble competition. Over the years, he has played with numerous jazz and worship bands, and he currently drums with the 2|42 band. Tim’s teaching style involves demonstration, discussion, and playing together with the student. He uses books as a reference to communicate established ideas and concepts as a foundation for creativity while holding musicality at the center of rhythmic artistic expression.