Fairmount
School of Music Faculty
Mr. Anthony Anastasi – Brass
- BMus: Cleveland State – Tony
is a band director in the Cleveland School System. His first teacher
was his father who is below. He later studied with Charles Couch
of the Cleveland Orchestra. Tony teaches private trumpet, trombone,
French horn, and tuba for us.
Mr. Vincent James Anastasi – Brass – BMus: Peabody
Conservatory – After playing trumpet for three years with the Navy Band, Jim studied with James Burke, principal trumpet of the Baltimore Symphony; he received further training with Donald Reinhardt of Philadelphia. For ten years, Mr. Anastasi traveled with road bands and since has taught privately for over thirty-five years. He has been a brass teacher at The Fairmount School of Music for thirteen years. He currently performs with TOPS: Tough Old Pros Swing Band.
Mr. Don Bosley - Guitars
- BMus: Cleveland State University - Mr. Bosley currently performs
with Tricky-Dick and the Cover-Ups, as well as for weekly services
with the Gospel Choir at Rivers of Living Waters Church. He has
been teaching private guitar lessons for three years and founded
two student led ensembles at CSU: the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble
and the CSU Chamber Ensemble for New Music. He served in the
United States Marine Corps Reserve, including 1 active duty deployment
to Iraq and was Honorably Discharged as a Sergeant.
Mr. Jim Brenner- Banjo-
Although Jim attended the Miami University of Ohio, he learned
how to play the banjo in clubs such as the Kenmill where Vernon,
Ralph Stanley, and Sonny Osborne showed him techniques in between
sets. He formed the groups, “Lost Bob & the
Ozone Ramblers” and “The Bottom Line”. He taught
bluegrass banjo at Goose Acres Folk Music Center for ten years and
upon its closing, he began to teach for FSM.
Ms. Emily Cornelius- Violin- MMus: New England Conservatory and
BMus: Oberlin Conservatory- Emily is a member of the Canton Symphony
Orchestra and plays at the Breckenridge Music Festival every summer.
She was a teacher through the Oberlin Approved Student Teaching
Program for three years and taught kids from the community in group
classes. She is somewhat new to the Cleveland area and teaches
on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays.
Ms. Sheela Das- Flute,
Pennywhistle - BSci and BArts: Purdue University. Ms. Das performs
in the Greater Cleveland Area with Inrish, an Irish and Folk
band that she founded and as an artist with Roots of American
Music. She is a Flute
Soloist at St. Dominic Church in Shaker Heights and has been awarded
several Performance Scholarships by Cleveland State University's
Department of Music.
Mr. Ray DeForest – Electric
and Upright Bass – Ray
started playing electric bass in 1968. He has since studied as
an Upright Bass major at Cuyahoga Community College, taking private
lessons with Harry Barnoff, principal Bassist, Cleveland Orchestra.
He has played with a variety of local bands as well as national
acts including Clark Terry (trumpet), Odean Pope (Sax Choir), and
Johnny Johnson (pianist with Chuck Berry).
Ms. Halida Dinova – Piano – AD:
Cleveland Institute of Music and DMA: Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory
(St. Petersburg, Russia)- Halida Dinova resides down the street
from FSM but has performed in Russia, Mexico, Canada, the United
Kingdom, Italy, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, and
Argentina. Ms. Dinova has been teaching students of all ages
and levels for twenty years and is excited to bring her expertise
to children and adults here at FSM. see www.metronomeinc.com for
more information on Halida.
Ms. Ann Marie Falcone – Clarinet,
Piano and Voice – MMus:
University of Arizona and BMus: Northwestern University – Ann
Marie is a soprano and clarinet soloist at Euclid Avenue Congregational
Church. She has performed clarinet with the Catalina Chamber Orchestra
(now the TCO) and Youngstown Symphonies and has been teaching private
lessons since 1994. Her students’ accomplishments include
being accepted to the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, the
Cleveland Youth Wind Symphonies (Principal Chair in 08/09), the
Contemporary Youth Orchestra, the CMSS Orchestra and winning a
Cleveland Heights High School senior solo. Students also
participate in studio recitals and OMEA contests. Ann Marie coaches
students in chamber groups at CHHS and is the Director of Education
at FSM. Wake up and Live Cleveland, an actor’s studio, interviewed Ann Marie
for their television show. The interview may be seen on YouTube here
Mr. Thomas Haywood Jr. – Drums – Tom
is a twenty-something old trap set drummer who has been playing
seriously for the last 9 years. He is a 2004 Musicians' Institute
(PIT) graduate, who has had the opportunity to play, record,
and/or tour with independent, as well as major label talent.
Thomas teaches a wide range of styles that includes Latin and
jazz to double bass drumming. Feel free to check out his website
for tracks of his playing at http://www.myspace.com/thomashaywoodjr
Mr. Dan Kish – Brass & Piano - BMus: Kent State University – Mr.
Kish has been teaching private brass and piano lessons since 1983.
He teaches adults and children. His success with young people is
due to his conscious effort to relate to them at their level to
help them play well and have fun at the same time. He teaches on
Sundays for FSM.
Mr. Sandy Love - Guitar - MMus: Wayne State University and BMus:
Eastern Michigan University- As an educator, Mr.Love has taught
in the Detroit and Southfield Public School systems. He has also
taught at MaryGrove College, Cranbrook Institute in West Bloomfield,
Michigan and teaches numerous private students. Mr. Love was the
musical director for Mo-Town's Miracles for two and half years
performing at concerts, clubs and doing local and national television
shows. He performs gospel with his group, The Gospel Connection
and popular music with his other group, The Love Connection.
Mr. Michael McNamara - Guitars - Mike performs and teaches regularly
at the House of Blues in Cleveland and with Passport Project. He
teaches a number of genres, including classical, flamenco, blues
and rock. He is currently pursuing dual degrees in Composition
and Classical Guitar Performance at Cleveland State University.
Ms. Machelle McNeal – Piano – BA
in Psychology and Philosophy: Cleveland State- With a solid background
in classical piano, Machelle branched out and performed with
her own jazz group for ten years. All of her students play on
the Fairmount Music recitals and are encouraged to memorize every
piece.
Mrs. Inna Saakova Onofrei – Piano – BMus:
Russian State College of Music - Originally from Russia, Inna
has been a private piano instructor since 1999. She has taught at
the Russian Municipal School of Music and was the piano accompanist
and choir director at Faith Community Church in Stavropol. She is
studying for her Masters Degree in Piano and Composition at Cleveland
State University.
Ms. Diana Pepelea – Violin – MMUS:
Carnegie Mellon University and BMUS: Cleveland Institute of Music - Ms.
Pepelea currently performs with the Canton Symphony Orchestra,
City Music Cleveland, Opera Cleveland, Erie Philharmonic, and the
Key West Symphony Orchestra. Aside from her orchestral curriculum,
she has won many National and International competitions in her
native Romania and enjoys teaching students of all ages.
Ms. Paula Pepperstone - Voice - MMus: H.L. Miller Cantorial School and BMus: Indiana University - Ms. Pepperstone teaches at Park Avenue Synagogue and Gross Schechter Day School. She was a cantor for Keneseth Israel Congregation in Kentucky and prior, earned her Bachelors degree in Voice Performance with a minor in Theatre and Drama and a Certificate in Jewish Studies and her Masters in Sacred Music and Diploma
of Hazzan.
Mr. Kevin Richards – Guitars – BMus: Cleveland State – Kevin
is the founder and Executive Director of The Fairmount School of
Music. Passionate about bringing American Roots Music into the
Cleveland schools, he is the founder of Roots of American Music,
a non-profit organization that teaches American history through
the Blues, Bluegrass, Folk and Jazz. He also teaches private guitar
lessons in all styles.
Ms. Meaghan Salton – Cello – Ms. Salton teaches private students through the Cleveland State University String Project where she also is studying for her Bachelors Degree in cello performance. Ms. Salton has performed with the Southfield Philharmonic and the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra.
Mr. Stephen Samuel – Saxophones, Flute, Jazz Improvisation – MMus Ed: Cleveland State University and BMus: Kent State University - Mr. Samuel currently teaches instrumental music in the Cleveland Public School System and has taught privately in various locations for 25 years. Mr Samuel has performed with Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, The Temptations, Spinners, and the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra. He currently performs throughout the city with various groups including Stephen Samuel and THE LITTLE BIG BAND.
Mr. Gary Siperko – Guitars – BMus:
Berklee College of Music- Mr. Siperko has over 20 years of experience
teaching and performing. He specializes in Contemporary and Classical
Guitar. Lessons focus on the application of Music Theory to Guitar
to help students acquire strong compositional and songwriting skills,
knowledge of chord construction, the ability to play scales proficiently,
and gain necessary skills needed for solo improvisation. In addition
to a wealth of teaching experience, his other achievements include
recording and producing two full-length albums achieving international
airplay, distribution and reviews, regular live performances in
Northeast Ohio and several European tours.
Mr. Chris Stolle - Children's
Drum Class - combined his interest in assisting people with special
needs and his love for drums when he became a facilitator for
The Rhythmic Arts Project. The “project” started
as a drumming class for people with disabilities; however, it has
now branched out to include children who are not disabled. Mr.
Stolle has worked with many children through different schools,
including Mayfield Heights Middle School and Via-quest Behavioral
Health of Ohio. He is a graduate of the Musician’s Institute
of Hollywood, California and is the father of a 6-year-old son.
Mr. Dominic Tancredi - Drums
- has picked up the sticks nearly every day for the last twenty-plus
years. Behind the drum kit by age 5, he's now a busy freelance
drummer who performs and records with several bands and artists
in Cleveland. He's also the owner of Woodshed Percussion Concepts,
his own percussion business that serves both internationally
touring acts and local artists. See http://www.woodshedpercussion.com.
Dominic eagerly shares his knowledge with drum students of any
age and ability and has taught thousands of lessons in various
styles to students of nearly every ability and age. Also see
http://www.dominictancredi.com
Ms. Deborah Van Kleef – Guitar – BA in English: York University. Deborah has taught guitar at Fairmount since 1995, working with beginners aged 3 to 80. Her first instrument was flute, which she studied with members of the Cleveland Orchestra, and in the wind performance program at York University in Toronto. A lifelong student of folk music, she began playing guitar in her twenties. Her song, “The Great Fast Food Strike,” was performed by Pete Seeger, at the historic Carnegie Hall concert marking the fiftieth anniversary of Smithsonian Folkways Records. She and the song were featured in WCPN's documentary, "Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin'," which aired on 160 stations across the country. In 2008 she released her first CD, "Work in Progress." www.deborahvankleef.com
Mr. Stuart Vokes – Guitar – MMus: Cleveland Institute
of Music and BMus: University of North Texas – Stuart has
been teaching classical and flamenco guitar to students of all
ages for nine years. He is a member of The Fairmount Spanish Dancers
where he sings and accompanies the troupe.
Mr. Rob Williams – Saxophones,
Flute, and Clarinet – Rob
has performed and recorded for 12 years with the Swing Lizards
and traveled widely with the Mike Patrone Quartet. He also does
educational performances in many Cleveland area schools with ROAM
and Young Audiences.
Mr. Michael Wilson – Guitars – BMUS:
Cleveland State University. Mr. Wilson plays lead guitar for
the touring band System Divide and is a former member of Abigail
Williams. He has taught guitars to beginners, intermediates,
and advanced students since 2004. He teaches for us on Saturdays.
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