Music Faculty
Department Chair, Visual & Performing Arts
Music Program Director
Coordinator of Music Theory, Composition, and Music Technology Studies
While primarily a composer of chamber works and intermedia pieces, Dr. Schindler received numerous commissions from the Western Illinois University Theatre Department for music for their Mainstage productions, including Life is a Dream, The Tempest, Comedy of Errors, The Shadow Box, and many others), and from 做TVs Theatre Program (Blood Wedding, Measure for Measure, She Kills Monsters, and others). In addition, he has been the resident music director for 做TVs musical theatre productions since 2011.
Dr. Schindlers primary focus is the exploration of the theatrical side of concert music. To this end, he has created intermedia pieces that incorporate multiple slide projectors, lighting effects, and require a certain level of theatrics from the musicians involved. His first piece in this multimedia cantata genre, the enthusiastically received The War Poems, used five slide projectors with hundreds of World War I era photos, synchronized to his musical setting of poems by Siegfried Sassoon. The second large-scale work in this genre was based on texts from Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology, entitled Ghost Voices: Songs from a Cemetery.
Karl Schindler has won Distinguished Teaching Awards from 做TV and Arizona State University.
Courses Taught: Music Theory/Aural Perception, Electronic Music I-III, Sound Synthesis, Sound Design, Survey of Broadway Musicals, Music Composition private instruction
Education: BM, University of North Texas; MM, University of North Texas; DMA, Arizona State University
Coordinator of Instrumental Studies
Dr. Rose French is the founder of the Mill Ave Chamber Players, a chamber ensemble that has been recognized locally and nationally for its work over the past 15 years. She has been a contributing artist at the International Horn Symposiums in Ithaca, Los Angeles, London, Natal (Brazil), Brisbane (Australia), and Cape Town (South Africa), where she also won the Dorothy Frizelle International Horn Excerpt Competition. In the Southwest, Rose is principal horn of the West Valley Symphony and performs with the Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, Tucson Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony, Orquestra Sinfonica de Monterrey, Orquestra de Baja California, and has toured China twice as principal horn of the American Festival Orchestra. Rose has been a guest artist and chamber music coach at the Saarburg International Chamber Music Festival (Germany), Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the Arizona Chamber Music Experience.
She served as Exhibits and Advertising Coordinator for the International Horn Society, maintains a private studio, and teaches at Rosie's House: a non-profit music academy that provides free instruction and instruments to under-served youth. She has published two books, Rangesongs (2012) and Horn Players Songbook (2015), both published by Mountain Peak Music.
Courses Taught: Community Band, Survey of American Music, Survey of Music History, Mexican Music History, Introduction to Music Theory, French Horn private instruction
Education: BS & BM, Duquesne University; MM, Arizona State University; DMA, Arizona State University
Coordinator of Vocal Studies
Honors Program Director
Dr. Kenny Miller joined 做TV as the Coordinator of Vocal Studies and director of the Choirs at 做TV in 2008. With the choirs, he has prepared and conducted Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore, Vaughan William's In Windsor Forest, Rutter's Requiem, Thompson's Frostiana, Beethovens Choral Fantasy, and many others, including the Arizona premier of Gene Koshinski's Concerto for Marimba and Choir with Percussion.
Dr. Miller is also the founder, Executive Director, and singer with the early music ensemble HELIOS: a modern renaissance. Their first album, 7, was released in 2021 and can be streamed and purchased on all of the major streaming services. He is a former singer and an assistant conductor of the Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale, with whom he recorded the highly acclaimed album Northern Lights, released on the Chandos label in 2012 and the 2016 Grammy Award Winning Rachmaninoff All-Night Vigil. Additionally, he is the co-founder of ArtSong Rising, which aims to continue the tradition of art song throughout the west coast region of the US. In 2019, Kenny was featured as a singer and arranger on internationally acclaimed guitarist Nils Lofgrens recording Blue with Lou.
Kennys performance studies have led him to work with Ian Partridge of Londons Royal Academy of Music and Stephen Banfield of Bristol University, England. His conducting and performance practice studies have included the involvement of such musicians as Siegbert Rampe and Stanly Ritchie.
Courses Taught: Survey of Music History, Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, Community Choir, Voice private instruction
Education: BM, Arizona State University; MM, Arizona State University; DMA, Arizona State University
Coordinator of Piano Studies
Pianist Jessica J. Yam, DMA has developed an international career as soloist, chamber artist, masterclass teacher, lecturer, juror, and director of various artistic programs. Accolades include the Chopin Foundation of the United States Scholarship as one of two national recipients of her generation and orchestral engagements with Baltimore, MusicaNova, New England Philharmonic, Young People Symphony orchestras, among others. terna Sirius, her duo with Swedish-American pianist Elias-Axel Pettersson, has concertized and given masterclasses across North America.
Jessica is Artistic Director of distinguished Arizona Piano Institute and co-directs Southwest Piano Festival in Albuquerque. She is on faculty at Adamant Music School in Vermont alongside a globally-renowned roster, teaching at their summer festival for gifted preparatory to doctoral level pianists.
Dr. Yam has been on faculty at Arizona State University; the Maricopa Community Colleges; Southwestern College; Rosies House, a music academy for socioeconomically-underprivileged students, where she co-chairs the piano department; and served on staff at San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory and Adult Extension Divisions. Yam maintains a private piano studio in Tempe, Arizona. Her students have won numerous prizes from local to international levels and gone on to prestigious programs.
Courses Taught: Class Piano, Intro to Music Theory, Survey of American Music, Private piano instruction
Education: BM, Eastman School of Music; MM, San Francisco Conservatory of Music; DMA, Arizona State University
Born and raised in Phoenix, Rachael Bastien has enjoyed an extensive performance career, singing multiple operatic, musical theater roles, concerts, and recitals in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. She has represented Arizona as a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, been a finalist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, and an honoree in the Manhattan School of Music Concerto Competition. Mrs. Bastien continues to enjoy a rich performing career paired with her passion for teaching and helping others reach their artistic and educational goals.
Courses Taught: Class Voice, Voice private instruction, Jazz History, Hip-Hop Music & Culture,
Education: BA, Northern Arizona University; MA, Manhattan School of Music
Kevin Bock is an active freelance musician and educator in the greater Phoenix area. Mr. Bock has been fortunate to perform all over the world as an orchestral musician in Europe, Asia, North, and South America. He has performed with the Utah Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival, Arizona Opera, Castleton Opera Orchestra, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and frequently with the Phoenix Symphony. Mr. Bock has shared the stage with some of the worlds finest conductors, including Frederick Fennell, John Rutter, Leonard Slatkin, Lorin Maazel, and Simon Rattle, among others. As a chamber musician, Mr. Bock has performed at the International Trumpet Guild's Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, the International Horn Society's Conference in Natal, Brazil, and the International Tuba-Euphonium Conference in Tucson, AZ. In 2012 he joined members of the Dallas and Phoenix Symphonies for a brass quintet concert series in Trinidad and Tobago.
Courses Taught: Tuba & Euphonium private instruction
Education: BM, Arizona State University; MM, Arizona State University; GD, New England Conservatory
Kendra D'Ercole began her musical career as a piano accompanist and theater musician. She has since taught music theory and ear training extensively for over two decades and has been a professor at 做TV since 2004. As a composer, she views all music as valuable, and she enjoys discovering the worthy aspects of each piece with her students. Her own creative interests center predominantly around vocal music, inspired by the emotional capacity of text. Her recent song cycle, Laughs and Sighs: Four Songs on English Poetry, was released by Albany Records on baritone Robert Barefield's 2018 album, Light Enough. Having directed the music programs for several elementary schools in Southern California, Dr. D'Ercole is also very enthusiastic about early music education and creating music for young ears. Continually inspired by her two children, she is currently focusing on a collaborative album of fun songs which highlight music theory concepts for kids.
Courses Taught: Music Theory I-IV, Aural Perception
Education: AA, Rancho Santiago College; BFA, University of California at Irvine; MM, Northwestern University; DMA, Arizona State University
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mike Dominguez has taught mariachi music at the elementary, middle, and high school level in the valley since 2003. He began his career with Cartwright Elementary School District Mariachi Serenata, which was comprised of students from Justine Spitalny and Starlight Park Elementary. In 2008, he started Mariachi Las Pumas at Raul H. Castro Middle School in the Cartwright Elementary School District. Mr. Dominguez has been the Director of Bands, Orchestra, and Mariachi at Maryvale High School in the Phoenix Union High School District since 2015. In 2016, Mr. Dominguez, with the help of his students, created Phoenix Unions only select mariachi ensemble, Mariachi Panteras de Oro. Mr. Dominguezs students have performed for the Arizona School Board and Arizona Latino School Board Associations, the Arizona State Senate, American Blood Association, Luke Air Force Base, Heard Museum, Phoenix Cinco de Mayo Celebration, many community events including weddings, and twice as an honor group performance at the Arizona Music Educators Association Conference.
Courses Taught: Mariachi Ensemble
Education: BME, New Mexico State University; MEL, Northern Arizona University.
Alex Duke is a cellist from the Phoenix area dedicated to sharing his love of music with his community. Alex studied at Arizona State University, learning under the instruction of Thomas Landschoot. He enjoys continued collaboration with numerous groups in the greater Phoenix area, including Burn City String Quartet, Vintage Clothes, Oh My Ears, Cantilena Chorale, and the Oracle Piano Society. In addition to his work as a performer, Alex maintains a private studio of cello students and teaches through institutions including 做TV, Mesa Community College, as well as the Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe public school districts to pass on what he has learned to the next generation of musicians.
Courses Taught: Cello private instruction
Education: BM, Arizona State University
Dr. Spencer Ekenes enjoys an active career as violinist, chamber, and orchestral musician. Spencer is a member of the Burn City String Quartet, Associate Concertmaster of Sedona Symphony, and Principal Second Violin with MusicaNova Orchestra. As an Arizona resident, Spencer has performed with AZ Musicfest Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, and Arizona Bach Festival. During the summers, Spencer performs throughout Mexico in chamber ensembles and serves as concertmaster for the OperaMaya Orchestra.
As an educator, Dr. Ekenes has taught for the Gilbert Public Schools and is active as an adjudicator and clinician throughout Arizona. Passionate about inspiring the next generation, Spencer is a Teaching Artist for the Tetra Chamber Music Institute, and works as their Program Coordinator for their year-round program. Dr. Ekenes has presented and taught masterclasses at several high schools, colleges, and universities throughout Mexico and the United States.
Courses Taught: Violin private instruction
Education: BM, Brigham Young University - Idaho; MM, Arizona State University; DMA, Arizona State University
Dr. Qing Nadia Feeken is an accomplished performer and educator. A native of Tianjin China, Nadia has had solo performances in many cities in China, Australia, and the United States, including Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall in New York City. She also enjoys collaborating with other musicians and exploring varieties of ensembles and new music. Aside from performing, Nadia thoroughly enjoys teaching piano. Her students have won national competitions and have been accepted to university music programs. Dr. Feeken has been teaching at 做TV since 2022.
Courses Taught: Class Piano, Piano private instruction
Education: BM, Washburn University; MM, Arizona State University; DMA, Arizona State University
Wes Hawkins is a percussionist and music educator in the Phoenix area with a diverse array of experiences. Wes is the Regional Director for UpBeat Percussion, a hand drumming and rhythmic literacy program for Title I schools in Phoenix. He is the owner of the Rhythm Is Life Percussion Studio, and maintains an active roster of private students, many of whom have gone on to receive regional, state, and national accolades, or have gone on to earn graduate degrees, teach percussion at the college level, or become professional performers. Wes also leads the Rhythm Is Life Steel Band, and is in demand as a drummer/percussionist for several musical organizations in the Phoenix area.
Courses Taught: Jazz History, Percussion Ensemble, Steel Pan Ensemble, Percussion private instruction
Education: BM, University of Arizona; MM, Arizona State University
Dr. Sabrina Hu enjoys a versatile career as a performer, educator, and director. She has performed in many prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, the National Concert Hall in Ireland, and recitals throughout major halls in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Sabrinas performances have been broadcast live on BBC, RTE and RTHK television and radio. Previous teaching positions have included Rhodes College in Memphis TN, Lycoming College in PA, and the National University of Ireland. Sabrina has performed in several orchestras, including the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Wexford Opera Orchestra, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and the Phoenix Symphony. As an avid chamber musician, Sabrina is a member of Trio Festivale and a Woodwind Quintet, the Mill Avenue Chamber Players in Phoenix, AZ. Sabrina is also founding Co-Artistic Director of the innovative chamber music festival in Europe, The Walled City Music Festival in Derry, Northern Ireland.
Courses Taught: Flute Choir, American Jazz and Popular Music, Rock Music and Culture, Flute private instruction
Education: BM, Mannes College of Music; MM, Royal Northern College of Music; DMA, Michigan State University
Matt Kirkpatrick was born and raised in San Diego, CA. He has been in the Marketing and Promotions Department of the Radio Industry for over 20 years, starting at Q106, Channel 93.3, and Magic 92.5. Kirkpatrick moved to Phoenix in November of 2000 to work at KKFR/Power 92.3 where he spent seven years as a Promotions Coordinator and later Promotions Director, also hosting an underground hip hop show called Friday Night Flavas. In 2007, Kirkpatrick left Power 98.3 to work at KZON/101.5 Jamz as the Marketing and Promotions Director for two years and started another underground hip hop show called Rhyme and Reason. He also worked as the Promotions Director for KAJM/Mega 104.3 and KNRJ/101.1 The Beat as well as in Artist Management and DJing all over the Valley.
Courses Taught: Music Business, Music Industry Entrepreneurship, Self Promotion for Music
Christopher Hughes has been immersed in choral music since second grade, guided by his belief that music is a universal language and a natural form of expression. An accomplished tenor, he sang eleven seasons with the Sonoran Desert Chorale and has also performed with Canto Vivo Chorale and the Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers. For the past fourteen years, he has served as Choral Director at Betty H. Fairfax High School, where he has twice been named Certified Employee of the Year. He is the schools Performing Arts Instructional Leader and former Gifted Facilitator. A dedicated leader in music education, he has served on the AZACDA board and ACE board in various roles and is currently the President of Arizona Choral Educators Association. He received the O.M. Hartsell Excellence in Teaching Music Award in 2023 and has conducted numerous honor choirs including All-State Middle School, Northern Arizona Honor Choir Festival, and various district honor choirs.
Courses Taught: Voice private instruction
Education: BMEd, Northern Arizona University; MEd Northern Arizona University; MEd, Arizona State University
Rob Kroehler is a Phoenix, Arizona-based singer, songwriter, producer, studio musician, and educator.
Between 2008-2010, Kroehler was the primary touring guitarist for Grammy-winning band fun. In 2015, Rob co-wrote the song A Million Stars along with Andrew Dost of fun., producer Jack Antonoff (fun., Bleachers, Taylor Swift) and Andrew McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark fame for the Jack Black film, The D Train. Rob's original song Gonna Find Ya was featured in the 2016 film Who Gets the Dog? He has also written music for podcasts, radio ads, and contributed to original music for local television programming in the Phoenix area.
In addition to composing and producing, Kroehler received his masters degree in Music Education from Arizona State University in 2015 and began teaching various musical disciplines to students of all levels. Rob also performs and gigs with various musical acts in the Phoenix Area and is an avid NBA fan.
Courses Taught: Songwriting, Guitar private instruction
Education: BA, Arizona State University; MMEd, Arizona State University
Laura Meador teaches guitar courses at 做TV. Additionally, she is a certified Instrumental Music Teacher with Phoenix Elementary School District No.1 and Education Coordinator with Guitar Foundation of America. Before pursuing her degrees at Arizona State University, she was also an alumna of MCCCD, having studied guitar chamber music and orchestra with Chuck Hulihan and private guitar with John Alverado. Masterclasses participated in are Roland Dyens, Odair Assad, M獺ximo Diego Pujol, amongst others. Laura has studied with Paul O'Dette at Fondazione Italiana per la Musica Antica in Italy and with Gerald Garcia at International Guitar Festival Iserlohn in Germany, and is a graduate of ASU Gammage's Teaching Artist Program (TAP) for Kennedy Center Arts Integration.
Courses Taught: Class Guitar, Private guitar instruction<
Education: BA, Arizona State University; MM (Music Education), Arizona State University; MM (Guitar Performance), Arizona State University;
Ajay R. Patel has been a music educator in Arizona since 2001. He has been a teacher in the Tempe, Chandler, and Gilbert school districts, and is currently the Assistant Director of Orchestras at Mountain View High School in the Mesa Public School district.
Mr. Patel has served as the Symphony Orchestra conductor for the East Valley Youth Symphony since 2006. He also established the Chandler Academy for the Performing Arts (CAPA) in 2009, a summer music program serving the students of the Chandler Unified School District and the local southeast valley community.
An accomplished cellist, Mr. Patel has performed with many of the local community and professional orchestras in Arizona, including the Arizona Opera, the Chandler Symphony Orchestra, and the Arizona Pro Arte Orchestra. In the winter of 2011, Mr. Patel was the principal cellist of the American Festival Orchestra under the direction of Lawrence Golan.
Courses Taught: Community Orchestra
Education: BM, Arizona State University; MM, Arizona State University
Saxophonist Mary Petrich enjoys a vibrant career as performer and teacher. Her deep love for creativity and improvisation has led her to explore traditional and non-traditional approaches which have developed into a very personalized style of playing and teaching music. Her education focus includes improvisation for all players and saxophone study in both jazz and classical repertoire. She is co-founder/leader of Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising, a project in collaboration with The Nash, that supports youth jazz education for girls. As a performer, Mary has been pursuing her own vision in large and small group settings, with a special love for intimate collaboration of small group settings. She performs locally with The Phoenix Symphony, and has performed at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival and the MIM with Patty Peterson and the Jazz-Women All Stars. Additionally, she has worked with The Temptations, The AZ Music Festival Orchestra, Phoenix Chorale, and Charles Lewis, among others.
Courses Taught: Jazz Combos, Jazz Improvisation, Saxophone private instruction
Education: BM, Indiana University; MM, Arizona State University
Charles Sedgwick holds degrees from Carroll University, Whittier College and ASU. He has served as a music director and organist in several churches in his native Wisconsin, California, and Arizona. Dr. Sedgwick has been an educator since 1984, teaching music in several colleges and private schools. In 1994 he became the vocal music and piano instructor at Cortez High School in Phoenix, where he served until his retirement in 2016. He continues to work in education and in church music and is presently the organ instructor at 做TV. He teaches harpsichord as well as organ and has performed with several local baroque ensembles and orchestras as well as with the Arizona Bach Festival.
Courses Taught: Organ private instruction, Harpsichord private instruction
Education: BA, Carroll College; MA, Whittier College; MA, Arizona State University; DMA, Arizona State University
Dr. Stephanie Stickford is an active music educator and performer. Over the course of her career in Columbus, Ohio, and here in Phoenix, Arizona, she has taught choir and music appreciation at all levels, delivered presentations at state and national conferences, taught private voice and piano, served as a church musician and soloist, sung with jazz big bands and combos, and performed bedside concerts for hospice patients. She has recorded and performed with two Phoenix-based professional choral/vocal ensembles: the Grammy Award-Winning Phoenix Chorale for 17 seasons, and Helios: a Modern Renaissance for 7 seasons. Dr. Stickford teaches choir, guitar, and piano at North Canyon High School. She finds great joy in helping other musicians develop musical skills and pursue opportunities to perform for others.
Courses Taught: Introduction to Music Theory
Education: BFA, The Ohio State University; MA, The Ohio State University; DMA, Arizona State
University
Ray Thiry is a musician and educator based in Phoenix, AZ. In addition to teaching at 做TV, he teaches guitar classes at Carl Hayden High School and Rosie's House Music Academy. Mr. Thiry keeps an active performance schedule around the Phoenix area.
Courses Taught: Class Guitar
Education: BM, Arizona State University; MM, Arizona State University
Danya Tiller has been performing, conducting and teaching in the Phoenix Valley with choirs of all age ranges and levels for the past 20 years. For ten years, Ms. Tiller was the Artistic Director of the Phoenix Girls Chorus, and served as a member of the AzACDA board for seven years. She made her conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in 2016 with Vivaldis Gloria and 200 singers from across the USA, and has toured extensively performing with choirs both in this country and worldwide. Danya is an accomplished vocalist and a founding member of Helios, a professional early music ensemble, beginning its seventh season and releasing its first recording this fall. She is also embarking on her seventeenth season singing with the Grammy Award-Winning Phoenix Chorale.
Courses Taught: Treble Choir
Education: BM, University of Alabama; MM, University of Alabama
A resident of downtown Phoenix, violist Allyson Wuenschel is honored to be a part of a thriving musical and cultural center. Her passion ignites through performing and teaching; she believes in music as a means for connection, communication and expression and her greatest joy is sharing this with others. An active freelance musician in the Valley, Allyson performs with West Valley Symphony and MusicaNova and is a founding member of the Oracle Piano Quartet and the Burn City String Quartet.
Courses Taught: Viola private instruction
Education: BM, Boise State University; MM, San Francisco Conservatory of Music