Private Music Lessons

Note: This page, and all related information, rates and linked documents, pertain only to current Stevenson High School students who are enrolled in a Stevenson music course. For all others, please see the PREP web page.

All students interested in getting the greatest enjoyment from their involvement in Stevenson’s music ensembles are encouraged to supplement their classroom experience with private music lessons. Enrollment in private lessons greatly enhances individual technique and performance skills, and is strongly recommended by the music faculty. The Music Department has arranged for highly-qualified professional instructors to offer individual lessons at Stevenson before, during, and after the regular school day. These instructors have been carefully chosen based on their teaching experience, education, and performance credentials.

Instructions for Students & Parents

Please download and read the Music Department Private Music Lesson Guidelines.
Please print and complete a PML Application Form and turn it in to your music faculty, PREP office, or private teacher any time. You may also fill out the Private Music Lesson Application online.
Once a teacher has been assigned, the teacher will contact you to discuss lesson day/time. You will then receive an email from the Stevenson PREP office with online registration instructions.
Students must register for the full semester (or remainder of semester from start date). Students are strongly encouraged to continue lessons for the full school year.

Registration must be completed and fees paid in full before the first lesson of each semester.

2024-25 Music Lesson Rates

Private Music Lessons

30 minute lessons: $35/lesson
45 minute lessons: $52.50/lesson
60 minute lessons: $70/lesson

Private Music Lessons During the School Day for Stevenson Students

23 minute lessons: $32.5/lesson
47 minute lessons: $65/lesson

If you have questions about the program, please contact your student’s band, choir or orchestra teacher.

Private Instructors:

Baritone/Tuba

Bass

Bassoon

Cello

Nazar Dzhuryn

A native of Lviv, Ukraine, cellist Nazar Dzhuryn graduated from Lviv Music School, where he studied with Evgeny Shpitzer, and he earned his Master of Music degree at Moscow State Conservatory under Igor Gavrysh. Upon graduation, Dzhuryn taught at the Moscow Conservatory as an assistant professor before moving to Chicago in 1998. Since then he has been in high demand as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and teacher.

He has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras in the United States, Europe and Russia over the past decade, and his solo recitals for Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and the PianoForte Salon Series have been broadcast live on 98.7 WFMT. In addition, Dzhuryn has given numerous solo recitals and master classes in Russia, Ukraine, Croatia, South America, South Korea and the U.S. As an orchestra musician, he has performed under conductors such as Georg Solti, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniel Barenboim and Helmuth Rilling.

Dzhuryn serves on the faculties of Northeastern Illinois University and the Naperville School for the Performing Arts. He also has coached chamber ensembles for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. His students have won prizes in numerous competitions, including the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, and the Chicago Chamber Music Competition.

Dr. Cloudia (Ching-Yun) Huang

Ching-Yun Cloudia Huang started her musical training in piano at age of 4 and cello at age of 7. She received her bachelor’s degree in music performance and education from National Taiwan Normal University, and both master’s and doctoral degrees (DMA) in cello performance from Michigan State University, where she received full scholarship and served as a graduate teaching assistant to Professor Suren Bagratuni. Cloudia did her pedagogy training with Dr. Tanya Carey who inspired her to become a teacher. She has also been part of international music festivals and master classes. She has won the New Taipei City regional cello competition numerous times and the National Taiwan chamber music competition.

As a performer, she has given solo recitals and performed as a sectional cellist with chamber ensembles and orchestras in USA and internationally, including Taipei Century Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, West Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Chamber Opera, International Chamber Soloists, Whiting Park Festival Orchestra and Rockford Symphony Orchestra. As a passionate educator, Cloudia believes that every individual is talented and capable of playing a musical instrument if they are given the right tools and instructions. She would like her students to look at life in the manner that every child can learn something if they put in the effort, and that it is not dependent on, or measured based on their talents nor intelligence. Even though not every student will become a professional musician, her contribution is to encourage a sense of accomplishment, develop their love of music and the arts, and most importantly enrich their lives and souls through the musical education she offers. She currently serves as a cello teacher and chamber music coach at Music Institute of Chicago and Stevenson Hight School, Music for Youth, and has her private studio in Arlington Heights. When she is not with her cello, she loves to spend time with her family, paint, learn to dance and travel.

Clarinet

Andrew Carpenter

Described as “…an artist of great skill and rare sensitivity,” Andrew Carpenter has performed extensively as a concert saxophonist. He has presented recitals at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church and on Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series broadcast on WFMT-FM; appeared as a soloist with several bands and orchestras and on several Chicago-area new music concerts; and has performed numerous orchestral engagements, including concerts with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra.

Carpenter also has performed as a clarinetist in numerous orchestral, musical theater, and chamber music engagements. He is the saxophone instructor at Carthage College and teaches saxophone and clarinet students of all ages. Mr. Carpenter holds a bachelor of music from Ithaca College and a master of music from Northwestern University. His primary saxophone teachers are Dr. Steven Mauk and Dr. Frederick L. Hemke, and his primary clarinet teacher is Leslie Grimm. Visit Mr. Carpenter’s website here.

Claire Werling

Claire Werling is an active orchestral clarinetist and teacher in the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest. She is currently second clarinet of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with the South Bend, Southwest Michigan, Northbrook, Racine, Peoria, Kankakee Valley, and Lima Symphony Orchestras. Claire has been teaching private clarinet lessons for over a decade, and has been a part of the PREP private lesson faculty since 2015. In 2018, Claire started the SHS Clarinet Ensemble and has worked to facilitate rehearsals and performances while creating a sense of community for SHS clarinet students of all levels. Claire’s private studio and group teaching extends not only through the halls of Stevenson, but across the city of Chicago and ranges from students as young as third grade up to adults honing their craft in community ensembles. Her students have gone on to be accepted at the ILMEA District and State Levels, Midwest Young Artist, and the Merit School of Music Conservatory Wind Symphony and Philharmonia. Claire holds degrees in music performance from Northwestern University and Bowling Green State University and won both schools’ concerto competitions. Her primary teachers include Steve Cohen, J Lawrie Bloom, Kevin Schempf, and Spencer Prewitt.

As a teacher, Claire strives to give each student an individual experience based on their needs. From building fundamentals that enhance and develop ease of playing, to preparing for competitive auditions and careers in music, to learning the simple delight of making loud noises; Claire wants each student to find their voice, trust their intuition, and learn how perseverance, focus, and joy can create success in not just music, but everything they pursue in life.

Drums/Percussion

Zack Marks

Zack Marks is a highly regarded top call live and session drummer in the competitive city of Chicago music scene. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Jazz Studies from prestigious DePaul University in Chicago, where he studied under some of the finest musicians and educators in the world. He studied drums and percussion with Bob Rummage, Joel Spencer, Fred Selvaggio, Mike Green (Lyric Opera), and Al Payson (Chicago Symphony Orchestra). He also studied arranging and composition with Bob Palmieri and Tom Matta, and jazz pedagogy with Bob Lark. Zack is also an accomplished educator in his own right, having taught all over the Chicagoland area. Today, Zack does studio work from his state of the art recording studio, runs his own private lesson studio, teaches at prestigious Stevenson High School, and plays in many different groups across the Chicago area, including Bonelang, Bonzo Squad, Bumpus, Terrible Spaceship, and New Nostalgia. You can see Zack playing all across Chicago and on tour with Bonelang, New Nostalgia, and Bumpus, or playing every Thursday night at aliveOne Chicago with Bonzo Squad.

Flute

Hideko Amano

Flutist Hideko Amano was born in Japan and came to the United States at the age of 12. Upon arriving in America, she began studying flute under Ms. Susan Levitin, and soon won many young artist competition awards. Ms. Amano earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she studied under the prominent flutist Paula Robison. She gave a joint performance with Ms. Robison in a concert series for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. She continued her musical education in Paris, France and in Chicago studying with Mathieu Dufour, who had joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as principal flutist. While studying in Paris, she also performed in many international Chamber Music Festivals and concerts in Italy, England, Israel and Morocco. Since her return to Chicago in 1998, she has continued her career as an active recitalist. She has performed on the WFMT 98.7 Monday Evening Series and Dame Myra Hess Concert Series at Cultural Center. In 2018, she was invited to the International Flute Festival in Lima, Peru as their guest artist to perform with the orchestra, giving recital and masterclasses.

In addition to her performing career, Ms. Amano also maintains a growing private studio. Her students have won numerous competitions and went on to study at major universities. She has students who attended and are attending Juilliard, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Illinois, Northwestern University, Cleveland Institute, and Indiana University. She is the director of Chicago Summer Flute Workshop at Midwest Young Artists as well as their flute instructor and the chamber coach during the regular season. She is also a faculty member of Chicago Pathway Musical Initiative. From 2003 to 2007, Ms. Amano was an adjunct professor of flute at DePaul University in Lincoln Park, Illinois. She also served as an adjunct professor at Carthage College, WI,College IL, University of Wisconsin-Parkside until May 2022. Presently she teaches at Harper College and Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL.

Agatha Lee

Agatha Lee has been playing the flute for decades. She holds a degree from the University of Missouri and a masters from Northwestern University. Her long list of accomplishments include having performed with orchestras in Korea and the United States. In addition to being an accomplished flutist, she is an experienced teacher. She currently works at Stevenson and has years of teaching experience.

Guitar

Julie Goldberg

Julie Goldberg is the first guitarist to earn a doctorate in music performance from Northwestern University, and also holds degrees from the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University and College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.

An associate professor at VanderCook College of Music and NorthPark University, Dr. Goldberg directs the Chicago Community Classical Guitar Orchestra, and leads the Annual Day of Guitar Festival. She has taught clinics and master classes in Wisconsin and Vietnam, and is a frequent adjudicator of guitar contests and competitions.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Goldberg performs as a solo guitarist, and in the Avanti Guitar Trio. Her community outreach performances earned her the honor of being named Guitarist of the Year by Classical Guitar Alive magazine. Dr. Goldberg is the co-author of 100 Classical Guitar Lessons. Her educational guitar ensemble arrangements are published by Guitar Chamber Music Press and Guitar Class Resources.

Braedon Hofmann

Braedon, like many guitarists, had his roots in rock and roll but now holds MM in Lute and a BMA in Classical Guitar and Composition. Braedon thoroughly enjoys teaching and approaches learning an instrument with passion to cultivate and nurture an intimate connection to the instrument and music. The importance of theory, technique, and musical understanding is incorporated in every lesson ensuring practicing and playing becomes a pleasure. Instruments are vehicles of expression for the soul, the whimsical, and the folly.

Harp

Raquel Coleman

Born and raised in the music communities of Oklahoma and Texas, Raquel Coleman found her place in the world behind a harp. Forging her way to the Windy City, Raquel performs and teaches in Chicago. Her passion for the harp is expressed through her work with pedagogy, academia, and community building. Raquel believes the harp should be available to everyone, while still honoring the instrument’s incredible unique elegance and history.

Raquel freelances throughout Chicagoland, and the surrounding Midwest. Playing for weddings and private events allows her to explore some of the city’s most elite venues while adding an elegant touch to the entertainment industry. Raquel has also enjoyed performing with professional ensembles such as the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and LaCrosse Symphony Orchestra. Besides a healthy performance schedule, Raquel has a robust harp student roster. She currently teaches ages 8 to 73. She is also very proud of her collegiate studio at Olivet Nazarene, where she is Adjunct Harp Faculty.

Raquel is a huge animal lover and would jeopardize her pristine concert black in order to cuddle her Australian shepherd, Jasper. Raquel has a B.M. in Music Performance from the University of North Texas, completed under the tutelage of Dr. Jaymee Haefner and a M.M. in Music Performance, completed under the tutelage of Marguerite Lynn Williams.

Electric Bass/Jazz Bass

Sam Peters

Samuel Peters is jazz bassist and music educator based out of Chicago, Illinois. He completed his master’s degree in jazz studies at DePaul University, studying under Dennis Carroll and holds his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from the University of Illinois where he studied with Larry Gray and Chip Stephens. Samuel maintains a busy performance schedule in the Chicago area performing jazz clubs including Andy’s, the Fulton Street Collective, Winter’s, Le Piano, and the Green Mill.

In addition to performance, Samuel has been active as a teacher for over 10 years. He has worked with students of all ages and abilities, teaching styles including jazz, salsa, rock, funk, pop and more on both the upright and electric bass.

French Horn

Jazz Saxophone

Oboe

Piano

Tatiana Naumova

Tatiana Naumova earned a master’s degree in music from Gorky State Conservatory in honor of Glinka. In Russia, she taught piano and music theory at Arhalgelsk Music College, composed music for the Arhalgesk Youth Theater, and taught piano at Gorky Music School.

Since moving to the United States in 2001, she has established a diverse and successful career, teaching piano at People’s Music School, Southport Performing Arts Conservatory and many private students. Naumova is an active performer; in 2012, she worked in music preparation with the Lyric Opera of Chicago on works such as Aida, Rinaldo, and Showboat.

She performs regularly as a collaborative pianist in a wide variety of styles, including recitals with saxophonist Andrew Carpenter and performances with folk singer Megon McDonough. She also works as a collaborative pianist with Joffrey Theater Academy and Visceral Dance Company, and enjoys performing in musical theater productions.

Claire Birmingham

More information coming soon!

Piccolo

Saxophone

Andrew Carpenter

Ben Girffin Jr. (Jazz Saxaphone)

More information coming soon!

Claire Werling

Claire Werling is an active orchestral clarinetist and teacher in the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest. Born and raised in Ohio, Werling is currently second clarinet of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with several other symphony orchestras.

She also has won concerto competitions at Northwestern University and Bowling Green State University, where she earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music performance. Her primary teachers include Steve Cohen, J Lawrie Bloom, and Kevin Schempf.

She is a woodwind sectional instructor for the Merit School of Music’s Bridges Program, where she teaches beginner techniques on clarinet, saxophone and flute for Chicago Public Schools.

Theorbo

Braedon Hofmann

Trombone

Trumpet

Joshua Jern

Joshua Jern is a trumpet/flugelhorn player, composer, arranger, and teacher living and working in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Oak Forest High School in Oak Forest and received a B.A. in Trumpet Performance from Millikin University in Decatur, IL and an M.M. in Jazz Studies from the Chicago College Of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Jern has studied with such noteworthy teachers as Bobby Shew, Roger Ingram, Rob Parton, Tito Carrillo, Tom Garling, and Ray Sasaki.

Joshua Jern has performed with numerous acts and ensembles, including the Buddy Rich Big Band, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Florence Henderson, The Temptations, The Drifters, Patti Page, the Rob Parton Big Band, Shout Section Big Band, the John Burnett Orchestra, Chicago Skyliner’s (Bill O’Connell) Big Band, Heritage Jazz Orchestra, and Alan Gresik’s Swing Shift Orchestra, to name a few. He has played trumpet on international rock tours for Pritam Chakraborty (Bollywood) and Amanda Y Diego Verdaguer (Latin America). He has played for two Chicago mayors (Rahm Emanuel and Richard M. Daley), London mayor Sadiq Khan, former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, and former U.K. Prime Minister John Major . He’s played in countless venues throughout the Chicagoland area- the many theaters in the city and outlying suburbs, ballrooms of the wonderful hotels and convention centers on Michigan Avenue, and nightclubs in all parts of town such as Fitzgerald’s in the west suburbs, Andy’s Jazz Club in downtown Chicago, and the famous Green Mill on the north side. An accomplished veteran of the orchestra pit, Joshua Jern has played trumpet for countless local Chicago and national Broadway tour musical theater productions. Jern has traveled to all seven continents performing on numerous cruise ships for major and boutique cruise lines. A prolific recording artist, Joshua Jern has recorded in numerous studios throughout the Chicago-land area for many creative and commercial projects.

Jern started the Joshua Jern Jazz Orchestra in 2019, which features the top jazz and big band musicians in Chicago. The JJ Jazz Orchestra has released two albums of original music to critical acclaim, Midnight Stroll (2019) and Lockdown (2021).

While maintaining a rigorous performance schedule, Joshua Jern also finds time to focus on music education. As an educator, clinician, and adjudicator in suburban Chicago, he has the opportunity to present practical knowledge of pro-level performance in accessible ways to help students along their path of ultimately experiencing the enjoyment of creating music. Jern also maintains trumpet studios at several schools in the Chicagoland area, teaching students from beginners up through collegiate level.

Tuba/Euphonium

Viola da Gamba

Katherine Shuldiner

Katherine Shuldiner graduated from Oberlin Conservatory in viola da gamba performance under the tutelage of Catharina Meints. She performs in Chicago and nationally with ensembles such as The Newberry Consort, BBE: Bach and Beethoven Experience, Bella Voce, Apollo Chorus and Elmhurst Symphony, Washington Bach Consort, La Follia Austin Baroque, and Bel Canto Chorus and the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra. Becoming a fixture in the Chicago baroque music scene, Katherine specializes in all things viola da gamba including soloist, consort, and continuo roles for a wide range of projects. Recent performances include soloist for Bach’s St. Matthew and St. John Passion and, in the summer of 2023, Katherine will be performing at Boston Early Music Festival with The Newberry Consort. She served a two year term on the board of the Viola da Gamba Society of America and currently serves on the board for both the VdGS 3rd Coast and the Oak Park Recorder School. Katherine’s newest project is her YouTube channel: Baking Music with Kate for which she received an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). When Katherine is not performing, she enjoys teaching the viola da gamba to children and adults alike. In the summer, she teaches at early music programs throughout the United States such as, Madison Early Music Festival, Mountain Collegium, VdGSA Conclave, and Whitewater Early Music Festival where she is also the viola da gamba program director. Feel free to connect with Katherine through kateshuldiner.com and through her YouTube channel.

Violin/Viola

Bruno vaz da Silva

Bruno Vaz da Silva began studying viola in 2004 in his native Brazil at the Escola de Musica de Brasilia. After one year, he placed in a solo competition and had the opportunity to perform with the Orquestra Sinfonica da Escola de Musica de Brasilia, performing the G Major Viola Concerto by Telemann. He graduated from the conservatory in two and a half years, a program which normally takes eight years, and then enrolled in the University of Brasilia.

Bruno has gained much experience as and orchestral and chamber musician. He has worked with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Indiana Symphony, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Bruno worked under conductors such as Cliff Colnot, Ricardo Muti, Susanna Malkki, Alastair Willis, Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Andrew Davis, Jaap Van Zweden, Mei-Ann Chen, Alex Klein, and Harry Bicket. With the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he had the opportunity of working with Yo-Yo Ma. Bruno was a founding member of the YOURS (Youth Orchestra Urban Rita Simon) Project Chicago, which is an El Sistema music program for unprivileged students, where he worked until 2012. Bruno completed his undergraduate in music performance at North Park University where he studied with Charles Pikler, Chicago Symphony former principal viola and his MM at DePaul University, studying with Rami Solomonow, Lyric Opera of Chicago former viola principal. Bruno has judged many competitions such as solo and ensemble, ILMEA, and orchestra sitting auditions. Today, Bruno is a freelancer in the Chicago area performing concerts with several orchestras, teaching private lessons, writing arrangements, and performing with the Cloud Gate String Quartet for weddings and events.

Renee Henley

Renee Henley is a graduate of Northwestern University with both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Violin Performance. After beginning private lessons at a young age, she joined the community youth orchestra at the age of 8 and has continued to play in orchestral ensemble settings ever since. Her performance schedule is kept full with concerts of all forms including musical pits, quartet gigs, and full orchestra performances. She is a tenured member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and has performed with many other regional orchestras in the surrounding states. Recently, she has played in the musical pits for Les Misérables, Baby, The Music Man, and She Loves Me, among many others. Along with teaching private violin and viola lessons, Renee coaches chamber ensembles, audition masterclasses, and sectionals

Raquel Gonzalez

Raquel Gonzalez received her Bachelor's Degree in Music (2017) from the University of Colorado Denver. She teaches and performs throughout the Chicago area. She has been a section violinist with the Chicago Composers Orchestra, JAM Orchestra, and Lakeview Orchestra. Raquel performs original solo pieces with violin and electronics, and has been a studio musician for numerous bands throughout the midwest.

Istvan Loga

More information coming soon!

Voice

Sarah Hibbard

Sarah Hibbard is a masterful musician whose voice has been described as a shimmering soprano with a resounding quality reminiscent of the golden age of singing. She has performed throughout the United States, Germany, Italy and Israel. In addition to her performance credentials, Hibbard completed her doctorate in performance, and teaches at Stevenson High School and the College of Lake County. Many of her students have gone on to professional singing careers.

Ellen Singer

Ellen Singer received her Bachelor of Science degree in Choral Music Education from the University of Illinois, and her Master of Music degree from DePaul University. Singer has more than 30 years experience teaching private voice lessons to children and adults. She works as an adjudicator and clinician for middle and high school choirs, and as an adjudicator for the Illinois Music Educators Association. In addition, Singer serves as the President for the Northern Illinois Music Conference which runs Solo and Ensemble contests and Organization contests for hand orchestra and choir in the north and northwest suburbs.

Ryan de Ryke

More information coming soon!