Band – John Christian
John R. Christian is the Director of Music at Rabat American School (RAS) in Rabat, Morocco and serves as the Editor/Communications Director for the National Catholic Band Association. At RAS, he teaches all MS/HS Concert and Jazz Bands, MS Music Technology, and HS Chorus. Prior to his current appointment, he served as Director of Bands at schools in Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania. He has also held higher education posts at Southern Catholic College, Barry University, and Alma College.
Mr. Christian has been a Guest Conductor at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Pearl Harbor, and at the Australian Band and Orchestra Association Convention in Melbourne, Australia with the UW-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble. Some of his engagements have included conducting at the MENC National Convention in Minneapolis, MN, Rollins College, and the Columbine Concert Band Festival in Colorado. Mr. Christian has also conducted honor bands, clinics and lectured at higher education institutions on Music Education in Independent/Parochial School in ten states. He has participated at the Southeastern Center of the Arts Forum on Integrative Arts Education.
A champion of new music, Mr. Christian has commission over 10 works for band and has participated with American Composer’s Forum on the Bandquest Project. This year he will begin collaboration with the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and Daehn Publications to commission 10 composers honoring members of the Armed Forces and their stories.
He earned his Bachelor of Music from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Masters of Arts in Education with concentrations Curriculum and Instruction from Central Michigan University. He also has done post-graduate study in Instrumental Conducting and Music Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Central Michigan University, and the Essential Ellington Band Director Academy sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. His professional memberships include the MENC, NCBA, NBA, CBDNA, The Conductor’s Guild, and is Life Long member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
General Music – Steven Chetcuti
Steven Chetcuti is an Instrumental/General Music teacher in Somers, New York, where he conducts two middle school concert bands, a jazz ensemble, and has taught General Music to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders for the past 27 years. Mr. Chetcuti is the author and designer of www.theradiohour.net, an online interactive music curricula that combines history, analysis and interactive technology to help his students understand the importance of music in our society.
Recently a presenter at the European Music Educator’s Conference in Darmstadt, Germany, Steven has presented The Radio Hour curriculum at the Connecticut, California, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania State Music Conferences as well as the Eastern Division MENC conference (2005), the International Music Technology Conference at Indiana University (2003-2009), and the International Association of Jazz Educators conference (2001).
Currently a doctorate student at North Central University in Instructional Technology, he is a member of the National Association for Music Education (MENC), the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), the Westchester County School Music Association (WCSMA), Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Lambda Theta, and Phi Mu Alpha.
Chorus – Mary Jennings
Mary Jennings teaches general and vocal music and is part of the leadership team at Hammond Middle School, a 2008 Maryland Department of Education Blue Ribbon School, in the Howard County (MD) School System. She directs four choirs with over 180 singers at the school. She has written general music and choral curriculum at the state and county levels, and is an ongoing contributor to the Maryland State Curriculum Project. She has presented workshops at the state and national levels on a variety of topics such as National Standards in the Arts, Developing Musical Theatre Programs, Preparing Your Choir for Festival Adjudication, and Differentiation and Assessment in the Music Classroom. Her publications include program guides for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and an entry in Strategies for Teaching Middle Level Guitar (MENC).
For the past two years she has served as both Chorus and General Music Mentors for the MENC website. She also is a member of the MENC website advisory panel. In November 2008 she presented two workshop sessions at the Nebraska Music Educators Association fall conference in Lincoln.
She was a member of the planning committee for the first Maryland Junior All State Chorus, and is a past director of the Howard County Middle School Chorus. She is a frequent adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor for middle school and high school choral festivals. She continues to serve as a teacher education mentor for Towson University and the University of Maryland.
She has conducted the Heritage Singers in a performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs, as well as When I Hear Her I Have Wings (Mark Templeton, Santa Barbara Music Publishing). She is the current Repertoire and Standards Chair, Jr. High and Middle School, for the MD/DC Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). This summer she will present a workshop on middle level choral music at the Voices United regional conference at George Mason University. On the national level she has written choral reviews for Choral Journal, the official publication of ACDA and articles on choral music for Bel Canto, the chapter newsletter. Her most recent article on choosing choral repertoire was included in the January 2009 issue of Teaching Music. She has commissioned two pieces for women’s choir: Some of These Days (Paul Rardin, Santa Barbara Music Publishing) and Benediction I (J. N. Shaumeyer, unpublished).
Each year she and her siblings endow the De Loache Music Award at the University of Delaware. This award is based on scholarship, musicianship, and enthusiasm, and is given to a returning member of the marching band. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, professional music fraternity for women, and is currently Director of the SAI Philanthropies Summer Music Scholarships Project. She has written articles for the fraternity’s journal, Pan Pipes. She has presented workshops on effective scholarship and grant applications at the fraternity’s conventions in Orlando and Chicago.
She and her husband John live in Bowie MD, and enjoy singing with various choral and musical theatre groups in the area. They recently performed in Guys and Dolls, Sound of Music, and Crazy For You.
Orchestra – Sue 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.
Jazz – Sebastian Bonaiuto
Sebastian Bonaiuto received his Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University, studied music theory at the New England Conservatory of Music, and received his Master of Business Administration from Boston College.
Mr. Bonaiuto began his career teaching music at Westwood (MA) High School where, in addition to his conducting responsibilities, he designed and implemented a four-year music theory curriculum. Mr. Bonaiuto’s high school ensembles achieved competitive excellence and received honors and awards from the New England Scholastic Band Association, the Massachusetts Instrumental Conductor’s Association, and the Massachusetts All-State Conference.
Appointed Boston College’s Director of Bands in 1989, Mr. Bonaiuto designed and implemented a comprehensive Bands Program that includes wind bands, jazz ensembles and athletic ensembles. Since then, Mr. Bonaiuto’s ensembles have achieved national distinction and acclaim. The Jazz Ensemble has received accolades and awards at the University of Nevada at Reno Jazz Festival, The Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival and the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival.
Mr. Bonaiuto maintains an active schedule of guest conducting and adjudicating. He has conducted honors jazz ensembles in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Mr. Bonaiuto regularly hosts ensembles from throughout the nation in workshops and clinics at Boston College.
Guitar – Dan Holmes