Band – Richard Cangro
Richard M. Cangro, Ph. D., is a new faculty member at Western Illinois University as an Assistant Professor of Music Education. He was formerly a band and orchestra director for the West Hartford (CT) Public Schools. He was also most recently the music director/conductor for the Concert Winds, co-conductor of the Concert Orchestra, and a member of the trumpet faculty at the Hartt School Community Division, University of Hartford. Dr. Cangro received a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, a Master of Music Education from the Hartt School, and a Ph.D. in Music Education also from Hartt. With his dissertation focusing on applying cooperative learning strategies to instrumental music learning, Dr. Cangro continues to investigate the nature and effects of student interaction at all levels of music learning.
Dr. Cangro is active as a presenter, consultant, guest conductor, and guest teacher for developing musicianship. He has presented for several school district in-services and at numerous local, state, regional, and national music educator conferences. During the summer of 2006, Dr. Cangro was an invited presenter for music educators in Taipei, Taiwan. He contributes regularly to music educator publications is currently working on a book describing and detailing learning strategies and social interaction in music learning.
Dr. Cangro has experience teaching music at all levels, from preschool students to graduate students, and has conducted elementary through high school bands and orchestras. He is a certified Mentor/Cooperating Teacher and formerly a consultant and portfolio assessor for the Connecticut State Department of Education Beginning Educator Support and Training (BEST) program in music. Dr. Cangro was a member of the Executive Board for the Connecticut Music Educators Association as the chairperson for the Professional Affairs Commission and as the Curricular Resources Chairperson.
As a trumpet player, he has performed with a variety of groups in many different idioms including the American Brass Quintet, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey’s Circus, Action Park Bavarian Brass and Big Band, symphonies in CT, NJ and NY, the Manhattan Opera company, the Ivoryton Playhouse as well as brass quintets, jazz combos and musical pit orchestras. His major trumpet teachers include Ray Mase, Chris Gekker, Vincent Penzarella, Robert Nagel, Susan Slaughter, and Laurie Frink.
General Music - Denise Guilbault
Denise Guilbault is Assistant Professor and Music Education Coordinator at Rhode Island College where she oversees the undergraduate and graduate music education programs. She is also the faculty advisor for the collegiate chapter of the Music Educators National Conference.
Before coming to Rhode Island College in 2006, Dr. Guilbault taught early childhood music, elementary and middle school general music, middle school and high school instrumental music, and high school jazz ensembles for 26 years in Michigan. In addition, she has experience teaching in a variety of school settings: a community music school, private school, public school, and an inner-city school in Detroit, MI.
Dr. Guilbault received her Bachelor of Music in Education, Master of Music in Saxophone Performance/Woodwind Specialist, and Ph.D. in Music Education from Michigan State University. She also received certification from the Gordon Institute for Music Learning in early childhood music, general music, and instrumental music at Michigan State University and the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Guilbault has conducted pedagogical workshops, consultations, and research presentations on the international, national, state, and local levels. She contributed a chapter to the book The Development and Practical Applications of Music Learning Theory (GIA Publications, 2005). Dr. Guilbault’s research is published in the Journal of Research in Music Education and the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education.
Professional memberships include the Gordon Institute for Music Learning, Rhode Island Music Educators Association, and the Music Educators National Conference. Dr. Guilbault is currently the Publications Commission Chair for the Gordon Institute for Music Learning and is past president of the Michigan Chapter.
Chorus – Seth Gardner
Seth Gardner currently teaches classroom and choral music at Haverford Township Middle School in Havertown, Pennsylvania. He came to Haverford in 1979 and has taught classroom, choral, and instrumental music at the elementary and middle school/junior high levels. Prior to coming to Haverford, he taught choral and instrumental music in junior and senior high school levels at Lackawanna Trail Jr/Sr High School in Factoryville, Pa. Mr. Gardner was a string bass major at Ithaca College, graduating in 1975 with a Bachelor of Music degree. Graduate courses, with a choral emphasis, were taken at Ithaca College, West Chester University, and Villanova University.
His 7th and 8th grade select choir, “Seventh Heaven,” has performed for the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) Biennial National Conference, twice for the MENC Eastern Division Conference, and seven times for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) State Conference. They were selected by PMEA to represent Pennsylvania for the “We The People 200” United States Constitution Bicentennial celebration in 1987, and to perform five times at the State Capitol Rotunda. They have received 12 first place awards at Concert in the Parks and Music Showcase Festival competitions, judged best overall choir eight times, and highest scoring choir of the entire season four times.
Mr. Gardner has extensive instrumental performing experience in Broadway musicals and also as the bassist/vocalist for the commercial bands “Easy Street,” “The Tom Rudolph Orchestra,” and “The Robert Durant Quartet.” Personal honors include “Who’s Who in America,” “Outstanding Young Men in America,” and nominated three times for “Who’s Who Among American Teachers.” Seth Gardner is also a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator for Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), the “Music Showcase Festivals,” and Temple University. His professional memberships include MENC, PMEA, and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).
Orchestra – Susan Bechler
Susan Bechler retired in 2006 from the Victor Central School, Victor, NY, after 34 years as a public school music teacher. She specialized in string instruction for students in grades 1-8, and also conducted orchestras, chamber music, and choruses, and taught general music. Mrs. Bechler now teaches violin, viola and fiddling privately. She has NYS permanent certifications in music K-12 and elementary education N-6. She holds a Bachelor of Music with concentration in violin from SUNY Fredonia. She has over 60 graduate hours from Potsdam, Hofstra, New Paltz, Pace and Nazareth Colleges, and currently attends the Eastman School of Music part-time. A long-time hobby folk-singer/guitarist, Mrs. Bechler took up fiddling in 2000, and specializes in Cajun fiddle and Cajun band music. She is an adjunct staff person at Ashokan Fiddle and Dance, has conducted/taught for New Horizons International, and travels to Louisiana to study fiddle. Mrs. Bechler enjoys the out-of-doors, gardening, dancing, reading and knitting. She hopes to travel, study ornithology and volunteer. She remains vitally interested in the progress and expansion of string music education nationwide.
Mariachi – Daniel Gonzales
Jazz – Robert Larson
Robert Larson has been on the faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory since 1982. He has served as chair of the Instrumental Division, and is currently Director of Jazz Studies. He also holds the Harrison Endowed Chair in Piano. He is a jazz pianist, and teaches piano and all jazz-related courses. He performs regularly in the greater Washington D.C. area, with recent performances at Blues Alley, Washington D.C., and with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, Center for the Performing Arts, George Mason University. He is the pianist on the critically acclaimed CD Two Seconds to Midnight, by The Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra.
Larson produced two albums by the Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble, in 1990 and 1998. He directed the band from 1988 – 2000, during which time the ensemble performed with the finest jazz musicians in the world, including Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, Billy Taylor, Conrad Herwig, and many others. He arranged international tours with the band to Sweden (1991), Japan (1992), China (1993), Germany and Iceland (1996), Spain, Germany, Spain (1998), and as co-director, to Senegal (2002).
He has researched the early recordings of jazz pianist Bill Evans, and presented a paper at the 1989 National Association of Jazz Educators Conference, San Diego, CA. The article is published in the NAJE Paper Presentations, 1989.
Other publications include his article Improvising Without the Fear Factor, in the Virginia Music Educator’s Journal, Winter, 2008, and he is the author of Writing for the Small Jazz Ensemble, publication pending. Current research focuses on computer analysis of jazz rhythmic practices, focusing on tonal onset, swing ratio, and accent.
Guitar – Nancy Marsters
Nancy Marsters initiated the class guitar program at Leon High School, Tallahassee, Florida in 1977, developing a full four-year curriculum which continues to thrive. During her tenure at Leon she also began a steel band class, got grandchildren, and served actively in FMEA and MENC. She was honored as Leon High teacher of the year in 1992.
Nancy retired from classroom teaching in 1996. She has served as a member the MENC Guitar Education Team (formerly MENC Guitar Task Force) since its inception. Her tasks have included teaching GET summer workshops, working to promote the development of guitar curriculum in the schools, and serving as GET chair for three years. She is author of several curricular guitar texts and guitar ensembles.
Her dream: one day all American students will have the opportunity to choose guitar class as a part of their education.