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Regina Nixon
PCM Executive Director
Curriculum Designer and Instructor
Mrs. Nixon joined PCM in January of 1999 with a wealth of administrative and musical skills to draw from. She has a strong background in administration including customer service skills, scheduling, salary cost planning, accounts payables and receivables, inventory control, contract negotiations and organizational management. Mrs. Nixon has been involved in every aspect of PCM's business and is instrumental in continued program growth and curriculum development. Mrs. Nixon has attended ASU, Tempe, AZ.- School of Music, Honors Program and the Music Theatre Program as a recipient of The Barbara Long Opera Award. She has attended Glendale Community College-Music Studies with an emphasis in guitar performance. Proficient in piano, guitar, voice and acting. Principal teachers include Bonnie Lou (Toigo) Olander, Charles Hulihan, Michael Wieser and Patricia Irby. Further studies in master classes with Enrique Madriguera, Frank Koonce, Mesut Ozgen, and Nikita Koshkin. Received a first place award in the MCCCD outstanding Performers Competition for Chamber Ensemble, Guitar. Received a second place award in the MCCCD outstanding Performers Competition for Solo Instrumentalists, Guitar. Regina Nixon has presented several professional development workshops in assessment, working with music and reading, and music movement and emergent literacy on a city and state level. Most notable, she has presented for The Maricopa County Libraries, The Arizona Library Association, and Kindercon, An annual State primary Educators Conference. Mrs. Nixon is a local music educator and music minister. She has worked as a Special Education Aide for the Glendale Elementary School District under the direction of Barbara Wilson, Principal. Completed training from the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton, N.J. to teach early childhood developmental music programs August 2000 and June 2001. Mrs. Nixon has a working knowledge of Arts Standards Rationale.
Cynthia Elek
PCM Artist, Early Childhood Specialist, Music, Movement, and Literacy, and World Music, Arts Integrated Programs, Curriculum Design, Professional Development.
Singing along with her parents' recordings of My Fair Lady, South Pacific and La Traviata are fond musical memories of her youth. She participated in church and school choirs, but not until she reached Oberlin did she realize she was much more interested in voice than the piano at which she'd slaved for 12 years. The dream come true: earning her Masters of Music in the (University of) Maryland Opera Studio under Leon Major. But her best training has still been on-the-job. She can pinpoint her development as a singer and actor to three affiliations: designated singer in Arioso Chamber Ensemble, an instrumental group she helped found in Anchorage, AK; Masters of Music student in the (University of) Maryland Opera Studio; and professional actress with InterAct Story Theatre, Maryland. The varied demands of singing 20th century repertoire, playing multiple roles in single operatic productions and working in the improvisatory, kinesthetic style called for in childrens theatre made her the artist she is today. Ms. Eleks tenure with InterAct led her to arts-integrated teaching in the classroom and devliering professional development workshops to teachers. She prepared residencies for the Kennedy Center Community Partnerships and the Choral Arts Society artsACCESS in the Washington, DC, public schools, and was a member of the Early Childhood Music faculty at Washingtons Levine School of Music, where she also participated in Senior outreach. Ms. Elek is a roster artist for the Arizona Commission on the Arts, a Master Teaching Artist for Wolf Traps national program and a national presenter for the Kennedy Centers Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers division. She has created a variety of integrated arts curricula and is called upon to share her expertise with others both in and out of her field, providing numerous professional development opportunities.
Deborah LaMee-Killebrew
Voice, Choral Studies, Early Childhood
Deborah LaMee-Killebrewis an experienced vocalist and teacher with over 15 years of professional training in opera, classical song, music theatre and choral music. She received her Master of Music degree in Voice Performance and Opera from the New England Conservatory of Music and her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Arizona State University. Deborah continues to work toward a professional singing career and was last seen in recital in October 2007. She has taught private voice lessons for eight years, both in Phoenix and Boston, and is experienced in directing and developing choirs at the high school and middle school levels. In addition to her commitment to building strong and healthy singing voices in her students, Deborah is also dedicated to introducing and instructing music to young children.
Hector F. Martinez, www.nosotrosound.com
Siku (Pan Pipe Flutes), Guitar, Latin American Music, General Music
One of the founding members of Nosotrosound, a band that specializes in Latin American Cultures, Hector Martinez specializes in flutes and vocals. He is also an excellent guitarist. The band has cut 2 cds and has over 10 years experience performing in the South West. Mr. Martinez has a vast repertoire of rhythms in his repertoire, ranging from the mournful to the festive, and has a familiarity with more than 12 typical instruments. He performs a variety of songs from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Mexico among other countries. ) Hector learned the Andean music while studying at Universidad de Guadalajara in Mexico. Besides being an excellent musician and performer with Nosotrosound, Mr. Martinez in a long time music educator in the Isaac School District and is bilingual. He pulls from his experience as an artists, and a classroom educator elegantly interweaving art with academics in his curriculum, De Colores.
Porangui Carvalho McGrew
After School Programs, Percussion, Brazilian Music
Reared among three cultures, Brazil, Mexico and the U.S., Porangui has had the unique opportunity of learning, performing and teaching with a variety of musical instruments and across diverse genres from an early age. Proficient in world percussion, guitar and voice, Porangui draws from his ethnomusicology training at Duke University and cross-cultural background to teach and perform. As a recording artist, Porangui has been featured on albums with a variety of groups in diverse genres from flamenco to latin funk. His musical compositions and soundscape designs have been used in both independent theatrical and film productions. Porangui's sonic diversity include projects ranging from an interactive art installation at the Contemporary Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina to spinning records for WXDU radio.Porangui has performed & traveled with numerous renowned artists worldwide from touring Europe and recording with the BBC in London at the Jazz Cafe to sharing the stage with such sonic pioneers as Bobby McFerrin & DJ Spooky. Experienced in teaching diverse populations, Porangui has had the privilege of working with inner-city youth in both Brazil and the U.S. in the field of Prevention using the arts to build resiliency and community. As a volunteer, he pioneered the first music program for Seriously Mentally Ill Adult clients through PSA Art Awakenings in Phoenix, Arizona and continues to teach & direct Grupo Liberdade (grupoliberdade.com), a local community drum ensemble dedicated to freedom of expression through the arts. Currently, Porangui serves as faculty for the Global Medicine Education Foundation where he teaches on manual therapies and expressive arts therapy with an emphasis on healing through sound & movement. He is an accompanist for the Dance Department at Arizona State University and maintains a performance and workshop schedule that enables him to share his passion for the healing arts. More information available at www.porangui.com
Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes
Piano, Voice, Clarinet, Beginning Guitar, Wolrd Music, Composition
Dr. Rhodes recieved her Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Has her specialty in Curriculum Development and Minored in Music. She is a certified Teacher through the Arizona Department of Education. She has taught piano, voice, clarinet to students of all ages, and provides instruction in classical, contemporary, jazz, and spiritual music. Has taught undergraduate/graduate education courses in the areas of mathematics and science, multicultural education, music education, and educational psychology. Held a principalship at St. Paul Cathedral School in Birmingham, AL. Founder for Rhodes Consulting Services where she provides in-services, seminars, and presentations/consultations to schools, districts, universities and corporate businesses in math/science education, music education, multiple intelligences, cultural diversity, global education, instructional technology, problem based learning, program development and curriculum design. She has published serveral teacher education books including Elementary Teacher's Guide to Multiple Intelligences.
Jeremy Jarvis
Percussion, After School Programs, Composition, Theory and Ear Training
Jeremy Jarvis believes that music is a gift of immeasurable love. As a composer/performer, his purpose is to materialize part of this gift and bring it to life.He holds a masters degree in Music Composition from Arizona State University. He studied composition at ASU with James DeMars, Jody Rockmaker, and Rodney Rogers. He earned his bachelors degree at West Virginia University, where he studied composition with John Beall and David Taddie. He additionally took percussion lessons at WVU with George Willis, Adam Mason, Al Wrublesky, Matt Schoonmaker, Kurry Seymour, Sean Roberts, and Paschal Younge. He spent his first two years of college at the University of Wyoming, where he gained crucial percussion performance insight from Steve Barnhart. Mr. Jarvis has been an active member of the Society of Composers, Inc. since 2002. He has served as President of the WVU chapter and Secretary of the ASU Chapter. He also has served as a Teaching Assistant for the School of Music at ASU. For two years he managed ear-training classes for an undergraduate music theory curriculum. As a teacher, Mr. Jarvis strives to impart a special love for music to the students. He stresses and clarifies the influences that musical traditions have on the present environment. His main goals are to make sure that students appreciate what they learn in class, and relate what they learn to their everyday musical experiences. Mr. Jarvis currently resides in Mesa, Arizona. In addition to composing and performing, he spends his time teaching children of all ages through the Phoenix Conservatory of Music and private lessons. His artistic commitment is to to open minds to the beauty and ecstasy of life.
Chrystal Smothers
Violin and After School Programs
Chrystal Smothers began playing violin at the age of 9, in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. She has been teaching for over twelve years, both privately and as a group instructor. Ms. Smothers made her international solo debut in 1998 with the Civic Youth Orchestra of San Diego, on their European tour. Her violin teachers include Stephen Boe at Ohio University, James Stern at the University of Maryland, and Danwen Jiang at Arizona State University. Ms. Smothers has extensive orchestral experience, performing with orchestras in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Arizona and California. An avid chamber music lover, she has attended summer festivals in Pennsylvania- Music at Penns Woods, and the Manchester Music Festival in Manchester, Vermont. Chrystal has had the pleasure of working with such artists as The St. Lawrence String Quartet, The Juilliard String Quartet, The Brentano String Quartet and Arnold Steinhardt of the Guarneri String Quartet. In May, 2008, Ms. Smothers will receive her Bachelors degree in Violin Performance from Arizona State University.
Renee Saxon www.reneesaxon.com
PCM Faculty Member, Early Childhood Specialist, Youth Guitar, Voice and World Music
Ms. Saxon has been a licensed KM instructor. She currently conducts Kindermusik programs in the East Valley. She also conducts a private voice studio. Ms. Saxon is the former director of the Girl Scout Melody and former co-director for the Music! Words! Opera! program for Girl Scouts, Arizona Cactus Pine Council in conjunction with Arizona Opera. Ms. Saxon studied voice under Ms. Amy Gingrich-Perciballi and has played piano and guitar since her teens. Renee is pursuing credit in Music Education. Ms. Saxon is state certified as a substitute teacher. Her undergraduate degree was in English Literature, her Masters in Organizational Management. She worked in Corporate America for 23 years before venturing out to develop voice accompaniment software that she is presently marketing to music publishers. Ms. Saxon is a member of the American Music Conference and an associate member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Dasha Hlavenka started her musical studies at home with her mother at the age of five. Ms. Hlavenka holds Bachelor and Post-Baccalaureate degrees of Music in Violin and Piano Instruction and Performance from the Conservatorio Nacional de Música Antonio Neumane in Guayaquil, Ecuador as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Violin Performance from Arizona State University. Ms. Hlavenka is currently a violinist with the Arizona Opera, she is also string faculty member at Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children and Music Works Academy. Ms. Hlavenka is a member of MENC (Music Educators National Conference) and ASTA (American String Teachers Association.)
Rod Hendrix
Guitar
Rod Hendrix studied music at Mesa Community College, Arizona State University, and Berklee College of Music. He will receive his M.Ed. in Secondary Education with a K-12 Music Endorsement in May. He began playing guitar in bands during the 60s. He has taught private guitar lessons for three years. Rod has studio and stage experience and for the last two summers has toured China with a band. Rod is the VP of the East Valley Music Teachers Association (EVMTA) and a member of The Choral Directors of Arizona (ChoDA) as a member of The National Association for Music Education (MENC). His focus is on rock, classic rock, country, jazz and blues for guitar and electric bass for beginning and intermediate levels.
Rebecca A. Cairo,
M.Ed, Professional Development
Rebecca Cairo is a veteran educator who received her musical training at Lawrence Conservatory in Appleton, Wisconsin. She earned her M.Ed in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood at Arizona State University. Highly trained in school leadership and reform strategies she also holds a certificate in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Currently she is pursing post-graduate studies toward a doctoral program that will focus on integrating music with other disciplines to maximize learning in all areas. Rebecca has studied with nationally renowned expert in early childhood music Dr. John Fierabend, of the Hartt School of Music and uses his "Early Steps in Music" curriculum in working with preschoolers. As well, she has studied the Kodaly Method under Sr. Lorna Zemke at Silver Lake College in Wisconsin. An Arizona certified teacher K-12 in the areas of Education, Music, Reading, and Curriculum Supervision, Rebecca has taught Preschool through Grade Six, Vocal/General Music, Parenting Education, and has conducted extensive staff development, as well as taught at the college level. As a member of Arizonas State Solutions Teams, she is certified as an Arizona State Standards Technician by Superintendent Tom Horne, and is called upon to work collaboratively with those schools identified as "underperforming" to develop plans for renewal and improvement. For additional information you may contact Ms. Cairo at RebeccaCairo@asu.edu
Mandy McDevitt (Bopp)
Piano, Voice, and Early Childhood
Mandy holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Arizona State University. Originally from Whitehorse, Yukon Canada, Ms. McDevitt obtained her Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick Canada. She is the Phoenix representative for the Royal American Conservatory Examinations. Ms. McDevitt is in demand as a clinician, lecturer, performer and adjudicator. She currently holds a position as Faculty Associate with the Piano Prep Program at Arizona State University and maintains a piano studio of 40 students in Tempe, AZ
Ruth Lara Vichules
Voice, Guitar, Spanish Programs, World Music, After School
Bebop meets bolero in this vocalists' contemporary interpretations of American jazz classics and Latin roots music. Trained in the music conservatories of North America and the streets and villages of the Mexican hinterland, her far-ranging influences are evident in her choices today: In a concert, one may hear a traditional Mexican corrido such as El hijo desobediente, and also the be-bop classic Joy Spring . . . in Spanish! Her expressive delivery is understood by the audience - no matter what language they speak. Recent Concert and Residency hosts include: Casa Romántica, San Clemente, California Frye Elementary School, Chandler, Arizona Casa de la Cultura, Oaxaca, México Arizona Western College, Parker, Arizona Ruth will release a new CD, "Jazz over the Border," in 2006. She currently performs as a soloist, with percussionist/vocalist Eric Zang (see Vichules & Zang Duo), and with a jazz trio.
Jeremy Benjamin Runyan
Guitar
Currently Enrolled at Arizona State University, Major in Guitar Performance. Has been Playing Guitar for 13 years and Classical study for seven years. Graduated from Deer Valley high school in 2002. Third Place Winner in the Maricopa Music competition in the category of Ensemble ( guitar quartet ). On staff at Valley Spring Church of God, Plays on the worship Team, Involved in Mission Work, and Outreach.
Elizabeth Thomasson
Piano, Early Childhood Programs
Elizabeth graduated summa cum Laude with her Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from Arizona State University. She was the Music Director at Sequoia Secondary School and works with Arcadia Music Academy. She maintains an excellent rapport with her students based on honesty, good communication, and high standards of student objectives and progress.
Andres Martinez
Guitar and Voice, Bilingual Programs
Andres Martinez masterfully mixes up a pop, flamenco, and Latin Jazz musical blend. This young, talented musician originally from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, immigrated to the United States in his youth. Coming from a musical family, he has a wealth of experience in several types of music, notably Latin and traditional Latin-American folk music. Andres Martinez performs on a variety of instruments, including guitar, cuatro (Venezuela) vihuela (Mexico) Congas and Timbales, He is also an outstanding vocalist. Andres Martinez now at the age of 19 is already a veteran, having jammed with AZ Latin music greats such as Nosotros, MexSal, Latin Rhythm and many others. He is also a part of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Andres started performing professionally at age of 12 with the group Nosotros. He is currently working on his first solo album.
Laura Meador
Beginning Guitar, Early Childhood
Laura Meador began her musical studies at the age of 5 singing in a childrens choir at church and continued singing in choirs through college where she sang at Carnegie Hall. Laura also began playing the violin at age 8 and continued playing. Later she was introduced to classical guitar while attending Phoenix College as an Art Major. Currently Laura attends ASU, is finishing her degree in Art History and attending Glendale Community College studying Classical Guitar Performance under the direction of Charles Hulihan.
Randi Meador
Voice and Early Childhood
Currently Attending Glendale Community College, Vocal Performance. Randi is a community music educator; working with PCM, Young Mozart's, and is a volunteer music assistant for the children's choir for North Phoenix Babtist Church
J. Fancisco Munoz
Guitar Programs
Currenlty Attending Glendale Community College for Guitar Performance. Has performed a series of solo and ensemble recitals at Loma Linda University in California, The Scottsdale Center for the Arts, West Valley Art Museum, and Glendale Community College. Has participated in Master Classes by Quaternaglia, lutist Paul O'dette, Ana Vidovic, and Professor Thomas Sheeley. Fransisco was the official guitarist (tocaor), for the Carmen Amaya Flamenco Dance School in Mexico.
Nancy Weeks
Choral and General Msuic
Born in Fresno, California, Nancy has devoted her life to the performing and fine arts. She is a graduate of California Baptist University. Music has been her avocation for many years during which she produced Chidrens Musicals, organized and directed Childrens Choirs. In pursuing Music Education she studied at Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University and Mesa Community College. Currently Nancy performs with the Sun Valley Chorale in Mesa, Arizona. Recent performances include Messiah, Schuberts Mass in G. Currently the Chorale is in rehearsal for Pirates of Penzance. Nancy is also a teaching artist with the Phoenix Conservatory of Music. Nancy is a certified Music Educator and has taught in the Mesa School District, Paradise Valley School District, Scottsdale School District and Globe Unified School District. She is a member of several professional organizations and a board member of the Arizona Kodly Teachers Society. Franklin Arts Academy is very happy to have Ms. Nancy Weeks as our Music Educator.
Bonnie Lou (Toigo) Coleman
Founder, Retired
M.M., Arizona State University; B.M. University of Texas at Dallas; additional studies at Eastfield College in Mesquite, Texas; the Conservatorio Superior de Musica in Tenerife, Spain (receiving Diplomas in 1982 and 1983); the Conservatorio Superior de Musica in Alicante, Spain (receiving a Diploma in 1984) under the direction of her principal instructor, Enrique Madriguera. Early studies at the Willowdale branch of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, Canada. Mrs. Olander also studied guitar with Robert Guthrie, Christopher Parkening, and Frank Koonce. Additional studies and visits with Andrés Segovia and Federico Moreno Torroba. Former faculty member at Arizona State University. Former Director of Guitar Programs at Glendale Community College. Ms. Olander holds a Diploma in Early Childhood Education from the Stratford Institute and has completed training from the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton, N.J. to teach early childhood developmental music programs August 2000 and June 2001. Selected as a delegate for the First ever Music Educators Delegation to Cuba, April 2001, People to People Ambassador Program. Mrs. Olander is a member of MENC and the Ambassador Program. Mrs. Olander is a member of MENC and the AMEA.
The Phoenix Conservatory of Music also has a roster of professional music educators available for special projects, notably:
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