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.

Ms. Nicole Batson – Voice– MMus: Cleveland Institute of Music and BMus: Capital University. Nicole Batson is a soloist at Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights. Ms. Batson has performed with Opera Columbus and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. She was recognized in 2002 for her dramatic portrayals on the stage by the Ohio House of Representatives. Ms. Batson taught previously in Columbus as a private voice instructor and completed a combined two years intensive study in the field of vocal pedagogy.

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- BSci and BArts: Purdue University ˆ Ms. Das performs in the Greater Cleveland Area with Inrish, an Irish and Folk band that she founded. She is a Flute Soloist at St. Dominic Church in Shaker Heights and has recently been granted a Performance Scholarship to Cleveland State University.

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 been teaching private lessons for thirteen years. Her students’ accomplishments include being members of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphonies (Principal Chair in 08/09), CYO, and the CMSS Orchestra and winning a Cleveland Heights High School senior solo.  Students participate in studio recitals and OMEA contests. Some students have continued on to major or minor in music. Ann Marie coaches students in chamber groups at CHHS and is the Director of Education at FSM.

Mr. Kevin Giordano – Saxophone – BSci: Cleveland State University – Mr. Giordano performs with some of the areas most respected jazz bands, Case Western Reserve University Symphonic Winds and the Gottscheer Band in addition to many pit orchestras throughout Ohio. Kevin has also had the privilege of sitting in with Ted Witt’s Night Owls, a 1920’s Dixieland Jazz Band, and the Joe Mayer Big Band.  

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. James Kelley – Fiddle & Violin – has over 20 years of experience performing the Fiddle in the Irish, Bluegrass, Traditional American, Cajun, and Swing/Jazz styles. Jim created “String Fever”, and interactive music program for active seniors, assisted living groups and audiences with special needs in 2006. He gives lessons to students of all ages, from beginners on violin through intermediate and advanced fiddlers.

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.

Mrs. Tara Klein – Cello – BMus: University of Michigan, MMus: University of Miami, P.S. Diploma: Cleveland Institute of Music-Tara is a member of the Akron Symphony and has performed in touring concerts for Josh Groban, Kanye West, Smokey Robinson and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She also plays cello in a local band, the Unsparing Sea. Tara is certified in the Suzuki Cello Method and incorporates traditional pedagogy into her lessons. Tara teaches all ages and levels. Tara’s website is http://www.taraklein.com

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.

Ms. Libby Lubinger - Dance - BA in dance: Brooklyn College- Founder of the Fairmount Spanish Dancers, Libby is a native of Brooklyn, New York where she studied ballet and Spanish dance with Charlotte Steinberg and Lola Bravo. She moved to Cleveland in 1969. Libby has choreographed extensively for the company, has taught flamenco at the School of Cleveland Ballet, and is an instructor at the Cleveland School of Dance. In 1990, Libby received the Cervantes Award from Cleveland State University for her contribution to Spanish culture. She will teach Flamenco Dance beginning in January 2006.

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. Kyung Namgoong – Piano - BMus: California State University, Northridge – Kyung finished the Music Teaching Credential Program at California State in 2007 where she was a member of Pi Lambda Theta, the Honor Society and Professional Association in Education. She has taught private piano lessons for ten years. Her Bachelors Degree is in piano pedagogy.

Ms. Diana Pepelea – Violin – MMUS: Carnegie Mellon University and BMUS: Cleveland Institute of Music ˆ 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.

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. Inna Saakova – Piano – BMus: Russian State College of Music - Originally from Russia, Ms. Saakova 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.

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. Joseph Voye – Percussion – BFA: Ball State University.  Joe is a classically trained percussionist who studied under renowned timpanist Dr. Erwin Mueller for five years.  In addition to classical music, Joe is also an experienced jazz drummer who has played with saxophone great Bobby Watson on many occasions.  As a drum line instructor Joe lead two different Missouri schools to their first state finals performances.  Joe teaches all classical and drum set styles as well as marching percussion.

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 Abigail Williams. He has taught guitars to beginners, intermediates, and advanced students since 2004.