Our Teachers Make Learning Fun !
We have been providing private music instruction in Naperville since the day we opened for business in 1974.
We are very proud of our staff of instructors. Most have been with us for years, and we are always adding quality staff members who meet the high standards we maintain for music instructors. In addition to their education and experience, every member of our teaching staff has also completed our own proprietary training program which ensures that all of our instructors are able to meet the needs and expectations of the students and parents who have selected us as their source for private music instruction.
Our teachers must be both inspirational and effective as they teach music to our students. We want the students to have fun, but they must also learn. Each member of our teaching staff is dedicated to meeting these goals. In addition to our teaching staff, our administrative staff is always ready to help students and parents at any time.
Ryan Bigeck has been teaching woodwind instruments for three years. He has a degree in Comprehensive Music Education and his K-12 Music Certification from Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University. He is currently employed as the director of beginning band and orchestra, intermediate band, and advanced band levels at George Washington Middle School in Lyons, Illinois. Most of his interests involve music, but outside of music he enjoys football, pop culture, and martial arts. He was a member of Del Souls and In Full Swing big band, has performed as a freelance musician, and has been a clinician for a number of festivals and Solo and Ensemble competitions. Ryan specializes in teaching classical, blues, funk, soul, and be-bop music. He focuses in lessons on fundamentals and proper technique, but believes that ear training is important as well. He aims to make students better, more sensitive musicians.
Andrea Bustin is a recent addition to the Naperville Music staff, but has been teaching guitar for four years. She also enjoys playing banjo, mandolin, piano, and singing. She has studied classical guitar for ten years and received her undergraduate degree from the College Conservatory of Music. Outside of music, she likes cooking, philosophy, and reading. Currently, she plays banjo, mandolin, and electric for a contemporary worship service. Andrea specializes in teaching classical and bluegrass guitar, though she is versatile and will teach most styles of music. Andrea believes that notation is crucial for success, and places the emphasis in her lessons on technique and note-reading. She is happy to teach these concepts through music that interests the students.
Evan Dunn has been teaching guitar and bass for 4 years. A Naperville North High School graduate, he is currently in his 3rd year at Columbia College Chicago studying Audio For Visual Media (Film and Television Scores). Outside of school and work, he keeps himself occupied with more music. He does session work all over the city of Chicago for various artists, and is currently playing live with his band The Alaya Conscious. Evan is almost always either in the studio, practicing, or playing live. He has been a finalist for both Guitarmageddon and Beatlefest, and has even played over seas in Liverpool, UK for an International Beatlefest. Evan will teach any genre of music, but especially enjoys teaching blues and rock. Jazz, acoustic, and pop are next on the list. Evan applies theory to teaching in a fun way - he believes that fun is crucial to the learning process and that the student needs to want to play.
Lucas Gillan has been teaching drums for six years. He also enjoys playing guitar and performs as a solo singer-songwriter. He will be graduating from Northern Illinois University in December with a major in Jazz studies and a minor in journalism. While many of his interests revolve around music, he also enjoys current events, reading, writing and coffee. He performed with the NIU Jazz Ensemble for the last two years, and can be seen playing in many settings in the Chicago area, including small jazz groups, rock and funk bands, and even symphonic orchestras. Before moving here, he played with similar groups in his hometown of Tucson, AZ. Lucas specializes in teaching jazz, rock and Latin styles, but enjoys all styles and works on the different genres with individual students. He stresses groove, time and loose hand technique when teaching drums. Lucas believes that music is very exciting and that the teacher should do everything in their power to motivate students to be excited about music. He encourages student input and creativity, even if it may interfere at times with prescribed lesson plans.
Grant Gustafson has been teaching guitar and bass for over two years. He is currently getting his degree in Jazz Studies from North Central College. In addition to music, Grant enjoys art, photography, and literature. He was a part of several blues and rock bands in his early years of playing and has performed country-influenced music as well. More recently, he has been heavily involved in Jazz and composition. He enjoys teaching jazz, blues, rock, country, and folk styles of playing. He believes that theory and discipline are important, as they allow players to more fully express themselves while always maintaining the idea that we began this out of love for the instrument and music in general.
Stephanie Hanusa has been teaching woodwind instruments for ten years. She started her education in flute performance at DePaul University and is finishing her degree at Wheaton College. When she is not playing her flute, she enjoys traveling overseas and reading. Although she enjoys teaching multiple styles and instruments, she specializes in classical and improvisatory/jazz flute. She believes that musicians should be good stewards of their talents and should take the time to develop them both for fun and to serve others with them. She has very high expectations for all of her students, and believes that the student’s attitude toward playing is very important.
Adam Huff has been teaching guitar and bass for eight years. He received his BM in Classical Guitar and an MM in Classical Guitar from the College Conservatory of Music at Cincinnati. Outside of music, his interests include reading fiction, playing sports and games, and watching movies. Adam has performed in 5 solo recitals at the CCM and has done about 100 tour concerts throughout the state of Ohio. He enjoys teaching classical guitar as well as rock and pop music. Adam is traditional but laid-back in his approach to lessons. He expects that students learn to read, but the music is negotiable.
Jeanette Klover has been teaching piano for six years. She studied Fiction Writing at College of DuPage and Columbia University. In addition to playing and teaching piano, Jeanette enjoys learning to play new instruments and writing. She has played numerous recitals on piano, and also played flute in marching and concert band throughout middle and high school. She specializes in teaching classical and popular music. Jeanette differentiates instruction in order to best teach a wide variety of students by focusing on improvement rather than completing a piece of music. While she likes to make the lessons fun for all students, she is able to adapt to teach even the most serious of students.
Brian Lee has been teaching violin and viola for six years. He received his degree in communication from Purdue University and studied violin at the Northshore Music School. He also enjoys playing guitar and producing music. Outside of music, Brian enjoys football, tennis, and golf. He has been a finalist for the Illinois Young Performers and received 1st place 4 times for ISSMA. He also performed as the assistant concertmaster with the Northwest Indiana Symphony. He specializes in teaching classical music. Brian learned from his teachers what type of teacher he wanted to become. He desires to make learning as fun as possible. Instead of forcing it on students, he wants to be able to bring out the love for the instrument in the student.
Meera MacDonald is excited to be a part of the Naperville Music staff again after taking time off to pursue her Bachelors of Arts Degree in Music from Lawrence University. She is very interested in ethnomusicology and in being a part of musical ensembles. She has performed in the past in recitals and ethnomusicology lectures. Meera specializes in teaching classical music. She believes that music lessons should be goal-oriented, and she will work to fit lessons around what a student desires to learn.
Craig Meyer has been teaching guitar, bass, trumpet, French horn, banjo, and mandolin at Naperville Music for over six years. He has attended Northern Illinois University, Kishwakee Valley College, and Waubonsee Community College. In addition to playing and listening to music he enjoys drawing, painting and spending time with his wife and children. He began his musical career playing trumpet in concert, marching, and jazz band in grade and high school. In high school he also began playing guitar in the school’s jazz band. More recently he has played guitar and been the singer for a rock band. Currently he is working on a solo recording project. Craig specializes in teaching rock, jazz, blues, classical, and folk music. He believes that each student should strive to be a good musician so he focuses his lesson on developing the student’s ear, reading music, improving technical skills, learning lots of songs, and having fun.
Natalie Mount has been teaching piano and voice for seven years. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a Master of Arts in Arts and Liberal Studies from North Central College. In addition to listening and playing music she enjoys art, specifically painting. Natalie has performed professionally for weddings, funerals, and group shows as both a vocalist and a pianist. She specializes in teaching everything from classical music to the blues and says that variety is important. In lessons, Natalie likes to have a good time. Her biggest goal for her students is to get them to a point where they can play what they like and find their niche. She acknowledges that this requires practice and hard work, though, so she balances the fun with the effort it takes to make these improvements. It is also important to her that her students grow to be well-rounded so they can choose from a variety of styles
Corey O’Donnell has been teaching brass instruments for over seven years. He has his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education (trumpet emphasis) from Eastern Illinois University. When he is not playing his trumpet, he enjoys singing, playing piano and guitar, TV, and talk radio. He has performed professionally for weddings, funerals, and group shows. Some of the groups that Corey has performed with are the Wheaton Municipal Band and the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Community Band on trumpet, and with the Sandwich Community Band on tuba. He is currently performing as a trumpet player wotj the Lewis University Jazz Emsemble. Corey specializes in teaching a variety of genres including Rock and Classical. He enjoys pieces by Haydn and Hummel. Corey believes that students will enjoy music if they do and play things that appeal to their individual interests. He believes that the environment in lessons should be fun, but he takes learning very seriously. He stresses that practicing daily is essential to a student’s success.
Roger Pierce has been teaching piano for six years. He has a BS from Northern Illinois University and an AA from Waubonsee Community College. He has also studied at Southern Illinois University, Elmhurst College, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Western Iowa Tech. He is a Master Level brass and woodwind instrument repair technician and has interests in aviation, motorcycles, and marine aquariums. He has performed at the Kansas City Jazz Festival, the Cincinnati Jazz Festival, the Notre Dame Jazz Festival, the Elmhurst Jazz Festival, the Governors State Jazz Festival, and The Louis Armstrong Memorial Jazz Festival in Paris France. Roger specializes in teaching both concert repertoire and jazz music. He is equally comfortable teaching young beginners and adults. Roger focuses his teaching on developing solid technical ability and theoretical knowledge. These skills will allow students to play whatever style they may want to learn. He believes that fun comes with achievement and aims for the students’ satisfaction as they learn to play the piano well. He acknowledges the fact that learning piano is hard work, but also that it is fun and rewarding. He aims to combine the effort and enjoyment of this journey to help students achieve their goals.
Dan Rectenwald has been teaching guitar for four years. He comes to Naperville Music with his Bachelors degree in Classical Guitar Performance from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Most of Dan’s interests involve music, and he loves to branch out to listen to classical, jazz, rock and more obscure world music. He has played many solo concerts throughout his years of study, and those performances have even led to a solo performance on live radio. Dan specializes in teaching classical, rock, and jazz guitar, but does enjoy teaching other genres as well. He believes that the student should have a positive experience while learning guitar. He teaches songs and aspects that students like, and pushes his students toward becoming comprehensive musicians, rather than just guitar players.
Vera Reid is a recent addition to our Naperville Music teaching staff, but has been teaching piano for over five years. She holds her BA from Northeastern Illinois University. Outside of music she enjoys cycling both long and short distances, walking, movies, and healthy cooking. She performed in many recitals growing up, and has also given vocal recitals, and has been a choir director for Christmas, Easter, and Spring concerts. Vera specializes in teaching from the Faber and Faber and Alfred books and also likes to teach Gospel music. She is open to different types of music that are available for students to learn. In lessons, Vera is very open and positive with an emphasis on encouraging student success.
Kitty Rich has been teaching the instruments of the woodwind family for about 5 years. She is currently a student at Northern Illinois University and is majoring in Elementary Education with an endorsement in music. She has performed with the NIU Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony and also with the Kishwakee Orchestra. She specializes in teaching classical music, but will also teach the basics for students wishing to pursue jazz music. She wants for her students to have fun with music, but also to understand music. It is important to her that students listen to music and study it, rather than just learn how to play it.
Gina Roeser has been teaching violin, viola, and cello at Naperville Music for about eight years. She taught violin in Green Bay, Wisconsin for five years prior to moving to Naperville. She has experience teaching students with developmental disabilities, as she has taught lessons to students attending the Krecji Academy. She has her BA in Music (violin emphasis) from North Central College. When she is not playing her violin she enjoys singing and dancing. She has performed in many ensembles since arriving in Naperville including the Naperville Festival Orchestra, NCC Concert Winds (clarinet), NCC Concert Choir, NCC Express Show Choir, and pit orchestras for countless musicals at NCC (she was on stage for two of them). She is currently performing as a ceremony violinist for weddings and with the first violin section of the Fox Valley Philharmonic. Gina is currently a member of MENC and IMEA (Music Educator’s National Conference and Illinois Music Educator’s Association). She specializes in teaching classical music, but also loves to teach fiddle, and can teach beginning jazz students. She believes that music should be fun and that playing should be playing. She believes that the focus should be on tone, posture, and intonation because being successful at your instrument makes it more fun, and Gina works with many of the local teachers to ensure success in lessons and in the school music program.
Brian Tredup is a recent addition to the Naperville Music staff, but has been teaching guitar for over a year. He is currently pursuing his degree in Jazz Studies from North Central College and is studying with John McLean. He enjoys playing music with friends and attending a variety of concerts (and will travel coast-to-coast to do it!). He has performed in multiple ensembles throughout school and likes to write his own material to play at gigs. Brian specializes in teaching Jazz and Rock, but does also enjoy teaching country and classical as well. In lessons he likes to present concepts for learning in as many ways as possible while keeping the students engaged. He believes that students should not feel pressured, but should learn the joy of expressing themselves through music.
Matt Weis has been teaching guitar and bass for four years, and we are very happy to have him back on our staff. He has his AA in Arts from the College of DuPage, and is currently pursuing his Bachelors degree in Education (with a focus on students with special needs). While he is usually busy performing with his band, he also enjoys volleyball and dogs. The band that he is currently performing with has played three of the largest music festivals in the country and has played in nearly every club in Chicago. Matt specializes in teaching improvisation, blues, jazz, bluegrass, and rock music, but enjoys teaching other genres as well. He believes that students should learn to speak with their instrument and play with their heart and soul.
John Zver has been teaching drums for 19 years. He has received the bulk of his musical education through college, years of private lessons, and thousands of performances. Outside of music, he enjoys politics. Currently he is performing with Thadeus Project (ThadeusProject.com). John prefers a comprehensive teaching style and will teach students that want to study any genre of music. He believes that good equipment is essential to learning and loves commercial pop.
Now that you know a little bit about our instructors, you can see what some of our customers are saying about us by clicking this link
WHY WAIT ?
We would invite you to enroll with us today. The sooner you enroll, the sooner you can start enjoying the fun that learning an instrument can bring. Give us a call, or visit our studio. We would be happy to provide any further information on our program.
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Or give us a call at 630-355-1404
Read our free article on how to get the most from your music lessons at:
5 Ways to Get the Most From Your Music Lessons
