Band – Terry Flanagan
Music Educator for 33 years in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. I have also adjudicated solos and ensembles in those states for 33 years . Still active as a trumpet performer, and I have both bachelors and masters music education degrees from Illinois State University in Normal Illinois.
General Music – Mary Stevens
Mary Neeley Stevens has been an Elementary Music Specialist for 29 years. She is currently a Kodály Music Specialist at Carter Academy for the Performing Arts, a magnet elementary school in Aldine Independent School District locating in Houston, TX. During the summer months, Stevens is an instructor at the Kodály Institute at the University of Houston and the Kodály Institute at Aldine ISD. Stevens received her Bachelor of Music Education from Morningside College, Sioux City, IA, and Master of Music in Music Education with Kodály Emphasis from Holy Names University, Oakland , CA. Stevens has presented several music and arts-integration sessions at district, state and national levels. She has written music and arts-integration curriculums for the elementary level, including Carter Academy Performing Arts Curriculum and Chronicle-In-Education lessons. Stevens is the Texas Music Educators Conference Member-at-large and Kodály Educators of Texas Secretary, as well as, serves on the Young Audiences of Houston Education Committee and the Chronicle in Education Advisory Board. Stevens was selected as Aldine ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2007-2008. She is actively involved performing in the Houston area in professional and semi-professional musical organizations including the Houston Grand Opera Chorus.
Chorus – Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker is in his fifteenth year of teaching music in Missouri where he has taught both vocal and instrumental music in grades 5-12. He is currently the director of vocal music at Pacific High School where he conducts the Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Women’s Chorus, Men’s Chorus, Chorale, PHS Singers and Pizzazz Show Choir.
He currently serves as the MCDA R&S Chair for High School Choirs and has previously served MCDA as the East Central District Representative and as the East Central District All-State Coordinator. He is a recipient of the Missouri Choral Director’s Association “Prelude Award” and is a two time member of “Who’s Who among American Teachers”. His choirs have sung at the Missouri Music Educators State Conference and have won 1st place at the World’s of Fun Music Festival in Kansas City, MO.
He is the Director of Music at the First Baptist Church of Gray Summit, Missouri. He also conducts the Washington Civic Chorus in Washington, Missouri. Ken is a member of MENC and ACDA and serves as an adjudicator and clinician throughout Missouri.
Tucker holds degrees from Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University and Southwest Baptist University. In addition, he has post-graduate work from the University of Missouri.
Ken and his wife, Jill, reside in Union, MO with their children, Emma 4, Bradley 2, and their cats, Jasper and Rosco.
Orchestra – Janine Riveire
A not-quite-native Texan, Janine Riveire began playing contrabass at age 11. During high school she was chosen to perform with the Texas All-State Orchestra for three years; she earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of North Texas in 1983, where she received the Symphony Orchestra Scholarship. After moving to California in 1987, Dr. Riveire earned her M.A. in music with honors at California State University, Northridge. She completed her D.M.A. at the University of Southern California in 1997, with a specialty in music education. At Northridge she was named outstanding music graduate in 1992.
In her 26 years of teaching she has taught in both public and private K-12 schools, as well as at the college level. Dr. Riveire is a specialist in strings education (ages 8-88), but has also taught general music (music fundamentals) and music history and has conducted both vocal and instrumental ensembles. Dr. Riveire is a tenured Professor in music at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, leading the music education program and acting as liaison to the teacher credentialing program there. A long-time member of the American String Teachers Association, Dr. Riveire has served as secretary and president of the Los Angeles section as well as the general board.
Trained in Rolland’s methodology, she has also studied the pedagogical approach of Kato Havas and connected string movement study to the work in theater and dance by Rudolph Laban. Her research explores the development of bodily understanding of rhythm and movement and how to defeat that famous stereotype that string players can’t count their way out of a paper bag.
As a contrabassist she enjoys playing with community orchestras, including West Hollywood Orchestra, Burbank Symphony and the Santa Monica College Symphony Orchestra. Her recent sabbatical study with Bert Turetzky yielded an enthusiasm for music for the unaccompanied bass, particularly for talking bassist. She cites her musical influences as being Gary Karr, Bert Turetzky, Kato Havas, and Ella Fitzgerald. As part of her work at Santa Monica College and USC, Dr. Riveire developed a textbook for mixed beginning- and intermediate-level string classes, which she calls A Common Core. The book was used for 10 semesters at Santa Monica. Dr Riveire is a frequent presenter at California Music Educators conferences, and has presented twice before at ASTA national conferences.
Jazz – Paul Haar
Acclaimed saxophonist Paul Haar has contributed his notable talent to numerous projects in both the jazz and classical genres and is recognized as being one of the most versatile young saxophonists on the scene today. In the jazz idiom he has performed with such artists as Dave Brubeck, Peter Erskine, Phil Woods and has backed such personalities as Lou Rawls, Tony Bennett, and the Temptations. He has recorded on the Sea Breeze label and is active in such groups as The Southwest Horns Jazz-Saxophone Ensemble; The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra as well has his own duo and quartet.
He has presented featured clinics and master classes at The 31st and 32nd Annual International Association for Jazz Education Conferences, The 59th Annual Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, IAJE Teachers Training Institute and has contributed articles to such publications as The Instrumentalist, Jazz Times Magazine, Jazz Times Jazz Education Editions (2003, 2004, 2005) and the Saxophone Journal where he is a featured columnist.
He is currently the Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Guitar – Ed Prasse
Edward Prasse is an MME graduate of the Florida State University College of Music. He currently heads the four-year guitar program and teaches sound engineering at Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida. Ed is currently the General Music Committee chair for the FMEA Executive board and is a partner in the guitar publishing company Class Guitar Resources, Inc. He is an active presenter/clinician for state MEAs, and guitar training workshops. He and his wife Lisa are the proud parents of three young children 9, 6 and 4. In his spare time he enjoys playing golf, grilling great food, a bit of sleep, and playing guitar!