Educational Team

General Music

Anna Railsback

Anna Railsback is from Haymarket, Virginia. She is in her second year at Shenandoah Conservatory studying flute and pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. She is passionate about music education and is heavily involved in several student organizations that focus on advocacy and service in the music community. Outside of school, Anna enjoys the outdoors and spending time with her family and friends. She is thrilled to be a part of the team and to be working toward creating meaningful musical experiences for students.

Woodwinds

Olivia Kinsey, Flute

Coming Soon!

Anna Waters, Oboe

Anna Waters is a first-year Band Director/Music Teacher at a middle school in Gaston County, NC. Before accepting her teaching position, Anna graduated from Western Carolina University with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Although the oboe is Anna’s primary instrument, she was been fortunate to perform on mallets during her marching band career, as well as bassoon throughout her four years of high school.
Anna has a passion for teaching music in a way that emphasizes accessibility and diversity. She strives to include these aspects into her every-day music program and hopes to share this mindset with current and future musicians. She looks forward to working with the individuals of Making Space to make music more accessible to everyone and spread kindness and thoughtfulness.

Stephen Dubetz, Clarinet

Stephen’s a nice guy and a decent clarinet player. He’s been playing for over a decade and has at least one degree (second one on the way) to suggest he’s done a good job so far. Bowling Green State University felt confident enough to grant him an undergraduate degree in Music Education and (fingers crossed) Kent State University will do the same for a Master’s degree in Clarinet Performance. Teachers include Amitai Vardi, Kevin Schempf, Willow DiGiacomo, and Lee Gibson.

Ben Grochowsky, Saxophone

Ben Grochowsky is a Band/Choir Director and Music Teacher at a K-8 school in western Illionis. He graduate summa cum laude in 2020 from Western Carolina Universty with his B.M./B.S.Ed. in Music Education. Ben started playing alto saxophone in the sixth grade and has performed regularly since. At Western Carolina, principal saxophonist of the Western Carolina University Wind Ensemble for three years. In 2019, Ben was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society. Along with the saxophone, Ben plays and teaches lessons on clarinet and piano. Outside of teaching and performing, Ben researches topics in the field of musicology and has presented at national conferences. In his free time, Ben enjoys hiking, watching movies, playing with his cat, and spending time with friends.

Jadon Schuler, Bassoon

Jadon Schuler is a computer scientist and bassoonist studying under Dr. Michael Harley at the University of South Carolina. While there, he has played with both premier ensembles, the University of South Carolina Symphony Orchestra and the University of South Carolina Wind Ensemble, the latter of which was selected to perform at the College Band Directors National Association National Conference. Additionally, he has played the Bruch Chamber Orchestra, as well as numerous other chamber ensembles featuring original works by modern composers. Jadon has also participated in pedagogical events run by the university such as the USC Band Clinic and Double Reed Day, where young bassoonists come to learn both the fundamentals and more advanced topics. While in high school, Jadon played with the Virginia Winds Academy (formerly the Northern Virginia Youth Winds) under the direction of Dr. Denny Stokes, as well as numerous honor ensembles including the All-Virginia Orchestra. He also marched quads with Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology's marching band and indoor drumline.

Brass

Maddie Kaba, Trumpet

Maddie Kaba (she/her) is a musician and educator from Millstone, NJ. She has performed in a variety of ensembles on flute, trumpet, and as a vocalist. Maddie is an experienced veteran of drum corps, having marched trumpet with the Raiders, the Phantom Regiment, and the Bluecoats for a total of five years. Maddie received her Bachelors in Music Education from The College of New Jersey in 2019, where she was the founding President of the Nu Alpha chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity. She is currently the Band Director at Reading Fleming Intermediate School and serves as the Assistant Marching Band Director and Assistant Winter Guard Director at Robbinsville High School. She teaches private lessons independently and as an adjunct teacher at Cornerstone Music Studios. Outside of the music scene Maddie is a registered yoga teacher and enjoys reading, painting, and embroidery. She is a proud plant mom and loves to spend time in nature. Maddie is thrilled to be working with the Making Space team!

Julia Terry, French Horn

Julia Terry is our French horn instructor. She is 20 years old from Millville, NJ but currently goes to school for Music Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. She studies under Gregory Miller and Austin Sposato. Julia has been in UMD’s top ensemble as well as the marching band and University Band. She has been a member of the Rowan Youth Orchestra, Atlantic Youth Brass Band, and New Jersey State and Region Ensembles. When she’s not playing horn, she has played the mellophone with Raiders in 2016 and 2017 and the Cadets in 2019 and 2020. Her favorite thing about playing the horn is being able to hear it playing all of the cool themes in movies! Julia Terry is incredibly excited to help the next generation figure out what makes the horn such a special instrument!

Kelly Spencer, Trombone

Hey folks! It's great to connect with you. My name is Kelly Spencer (she/her) and I’m originally from Charleston, SC. I have my BA in Trombone Performance and Business Administration from Furman. I then went on to get my Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. I'm now serving as a pastor in Indianapolis, IN. Outside of work and music, I love spending time with my wife, Katie, and eating good food! Humbled, I'm grateful for this opportunity to dig back into my trombone days and contribute to this meaningful project.

Amy Hernadez, Euphonium

Amy Hernandez is a second-year Music Education major at the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA where she plays classical euphonium. Amy was a member of The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019 and previously marched with The Cadets2. As the 2021 President of Co: VMEA, Amy spends her time advocating for music in and out of school. Amy also serves as the Vice-President of SC: NAfME where she organizes conferences and curriculum at Shenandoah.

Sean Ferguson, Tuba

Sean Ferguson (he/him) is a music educator and performer from central New Jersey. His performance career spans across many ensembles, both in the marching arts and the professional music scenes. Sean has marched drum corps with Raiders, Bushwhackers, and Phantom Regiment. Since aging out, he has been gigging around the NY/NJ metropolitan area for 6 years. Sean is currently the Director of Bands at Dunellen High School. Outside of his day job, he is the assistant director for the South Plainfield High School marching band and visual tech for the 7th Regiment drum and bugle corps. He is also an established arranger and drill writer for many marching arts ensembles around the tri-state area. Sean takes great pride in presenting clinics on diversity and inclusion programs in the marching arts at the NJMEA conference every year.

Concert Percussion

Sean Slattery, Concert Snare

Sean Slattery (he/him/his) is a percussionist and educator from southeastern Pennsylvania. He is currently finishing an undergraduate degree in instrumental music performance at the Wells School of Music at West Chester University, where he has been a member of the wind symphony, percussion ensemble, and wind ensemble. Sean also has experience in the marching arts, having served as drumline captain for the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps as well as the West Chester University Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band. He is the percussion caption head and arranger for the Methacton High School Warrior Marching Band, as well as co-director of the Methacton High School Indoor Percussion Ensemble. Sean is excited to help contribute to Making Space and be a part of such an outstanding committee of educators.

Prince Jackson, Auxiliary Percussion

Prince Jackson is a percussionist from Selma, North Carolina currently majoring in Music Education at Western Carolina University. He began playing music when he was 6 years old. His first instrument was piano, but he switched over to percussion when he got to middle school. Throughout high school Prince was an All-District and State Percussionist. In college he performed with many ensembles such as The WCU wind ensemble, Pride of the mountains, and the WCU percussion ensemble. Outside of his university, he performed with Equinox Percussion and 7th Regiment during the 2018 WGI and DCI season. In 2019 Prince was accepted into a Summer festival to study under So Percussion and many other world-renowned performers and composers. Aside from music, he really enjoys running, hiking, watching anime, and learning new recipes.

Marching Percussion

Alejandro Gallo, Marching Snare

Alejandro Gallo is a freelance percussion instructor based in NJ. Alejandro's performance experience includes both drum corps and indoor percussion. He marched with the Hawthorne Caballeros (2011, 2013-2016, 2018), the Dansville White Sabers (2017), and the Raiders (2012). All of his winters were spent with WGI World Class Finalist United Percussion (2014-2016). Alejandro's instructional experience includes serving as the battery coordinator for the WGI Independent A Class Finalist East Coast Percussion (2017, 2018), along with several high school groups in Northern New Jersey. He is currently the percussion caption head at the Passaic County Technical Institute. During the week he is the director of the Community Charter School of Paterson Indoor Percussion Cougars, where young musicians aging from 4th through 8th grade learn to perform during the competitive USBands Indoor season.

Amundeep Singh, Marching Tenors

Amundeep Singh is a software engineer and former quad player with the Blue Devils (2016-2017) and Blue Devils B (2015). He is born and raised in the Bay Area, California, but currently resides in Seattle after graduating with a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2019. Outside of his job, he is an aspiring music producer with upcoming work in a video game soundtrack as well. Drumming has always been a big passion of his and he hopes to teach and share his experiences with other musicians!

Lucas Smith, Marching Cymbals

Lucas Smith is from Herndon, Virginia, and is currently studying Marketing at George Mason University with a minor in graphic design. He has marched cymbals at George Mason Indoor Drumline for three years in 2018, 2019, & this current 2020 season. For outdoor, he has marched cymbals with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps during the 2018 season. Lucas currently teaches virtual cymbal lessons and is passionate about growing the marching cymbal community.

Anna Thamasett, Marching Mallets

Anna Thamasett (she/her) is from Northern Virginia and is currently a second-year student at the University of South Carolina. She is pursuing a degree in Music Performance for percussion as well as minoring in Chemistry. Anna marched drum corps with Carolina Crown in 2019 and participated in both marching band and indoor drumline all four years in high school (Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology) as a member of the front ensemble. She is also a member of the USC Percussion Society Board. For her Girl Scout Gold Award, Anna created a free percussion camp to encourage middle school percussionists to continue playing music. She is looking forward to working with Making Space in Music to help make music more accessible to everyone. Outside of music, Anna loves baking cupcakes, drinking tea while reading, and taking care of her many house plants.

Colorguard

Evy Maurojorge, Dance

Evy Maurojorge is our upcoming dance instructor. She loves that she has had the pleasure to experience all ages of people whether it be to teach education, dance, or gymnastics. She is 23 years old, from Manassas, Virginia, but recently moved to Los Angeles, California. In Northern Virginia she worked under the direction of Lindell Palmer for over 8 years in Fall/Winter guard, being WGI’s 2013 World Silver Medalist in Independent A. After high school she has had wonderful opportunities to work with other high school color guards in the community, as a dance tech, with hopes to inspire them with the message: they can bloom too- even under difficult environments. In (2019) her and her team became WGI’s Independent Open World Champions. In May of 2020, despite the pandemic, she finished her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction in PreK-3rd. Now she is pursuing dance amongst the industry in LA and intends to take the lessons and experiences she is learning in her training and pass it on to her students and peers. Evy believes everyone is on a growing journey, no matter your age, and when we grow together we become stronger.

Auxiliary Concentration

Michelle Lang, Voice

Michelle Lang is originally from Royal Palm Beach, Florida, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree and a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Western Carolina University.
Michelle was the soprano soloist in Poulenc’s Gloria, singing alongside the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra while they were in residency at Western Carolina University, and was awarded the winner of the Western Carolina Civic Orchestra Solo Competition with her performance of “Ach, ich fühl’s” from Die Zauberflöte by Mozart. Ms. Lang also currently enjoys singing soprano during the summer months with the Lake Junaluska Singers. In addition to performing, Ms. Lang is passionate about teaching vocal technique and building loving and supportive relationships with students. “I want every student to have the knowledge and confidence that they can sing whatever style they desire backed with a healthy technique that will last them for a lifetime, and for them to know that they always have someone to support and encourage them.”

Ash Ogata, Classical Guitar

Ash Ogata is a music education major at Western Carolina University studying instrumental education. Their primary instrument is classical guitar, with over 10 years of experience in private lessons, masterclasses, and performance. Ash has performed in private concerts and exhibitions, as well as studied with the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy for 7 years. Ash is an avid guitarist, playing repertoire from such artists as Heitor Villa-Lobos, Fernando Sor, and Agustin Barrios Mangore. Ash is all about inclusivity and building fun, lasting memories through music. Ash has also had experience playing tuba, trombone, and clarinet in their high school and college marching band, concert ensembles, jazz band, and indoor drumline. In their free time, Ash loves to listen to podcasts and video essays, as well as spending time with their family dog Lucky.

Nate Gittelman, Drum Set

Nate Gittelman is a drummer and percussionist from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. He is currently in his senior year at West Chester University, working toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion Performance. During his time at WCU, Nate has played drum set and percussion in a number of musical ensembles, including the West Chester University Symphony Orchestra (‘18-’19), Criterions Jazz Ensemble (‘18-’21), West Chester University Wind Ensemble (‘19-’21), and West Chester University Honors Jazz Combo (‘18-’21). Nate has also performed with United Percussion (‘18, ‘21), the Philadelphia Chorus, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, and various other non-collegiate ensembles. From 2018 to 2020, Nate held various positions teaching the Central Bucks South High School drumline and the Perkiomen Valley High School front ensemble. In addition, Nate has found joy in teaching individual percussion/drum set lessons through the West Chester University Community Music School and his own personal Zoom-format lessons. Following graduation, Nate plans to continue pursuing his passion for percussion through both performance and education.

Elad Zohar, Conducting

Elad Zohar is from Santa Cruz, California, and is currently studying for a degree in Computer Science at UC Santa Cruz. He has marched with the Vanguard Cadets as a trumpet player (2014-2015) and SCV as a trumpet (2016-2018) and drum major (2019). He has also spent a season in high school playing synthesizer with Homestead High School’s indoor percussion program. Elad currently teaches at Homestead High School and Los Altos High School as a visual instructor. In his free time, he enjoys playing Super Smash Bros, Rocket League, and Breath of the Wild.

Ally Hawkins, Piano

Ally Hawkins (she/her) has been teaching piano since 2018. A recent graduate of Western Carolina University’s Music Education program, she is currently pursuing a Master’s of Music in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Southern Maine. During her time at USM she is focusing on inclusivity, accessibility, and diversity in the world of private music lessons. Ally has experience teaching general music, face-to-face lessons, and virtual lessons. She has taught piano to students from ages three to ages forty-three!