Piano - Vocal

Instruments taught: Violin/Viola/Cello/Piano 

 Year at AMA: 2021

 Education/Background: Northern Arizona University, Music Education with Instrumental Emphasis

Extended Biography: Amber Berry is a music educator and violinist native to Arizona. She began playing the violin at 7 years old, and continued to pursue her musical career through college. Amber graduated summa cum laude from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Music Education, with an instrumental emphasis. While in Flagstaff, she performed as violinist in NAU’s Symphony and Chamber orchestras, Orchestra Northern Arizona, and as a guest for NAU Women's Choir. She was also a vocal member of the NAU Women’s Choir, and a member of the NAU Handbell Choir. While a student, Amber studied under Jeff Norman, Shelley Rich, Louise Scott, and Karin Hallberg. Amber teaches primarily through the Suzuki method for strings and piano, and focuses on a curriculum built around musicianship, performance, and music theory. In her free time, she plays handbells for the handbell choir at St. Matthew United Methodist Church.

Instruments taught: Vocal/Piano

Year at AMA: 2021

Education/Background: Northern Arizona University, Music Education and Choral Music

Extended Biography: Brooke Wochner has been involved in the music community in the East Valley for her whole life, taking voice and piano lessons while growing up to now teaching them. She has played piano for all of her music career and began in choir and voice lessons throughout her middle school and high school years. In her high school years she participated in the AMEA Regionals and All-State honor choirs while also continuing choir at school, as well as piano and voice lessons. She began teaching private lessons during college and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Choral Music and a minor in Psychology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. As a performer, Brooke is currently the soprano staff singer in the Christ Church Anglican choir, has been a member of the Shrine of the Ages Choir that tours internationally, the NAU all-treble a cappella group “The Axecidentals”, the NAU Women’s Chorale, the Northern Voices vocal jazz ensemble, and on the piano has accompanied for private voice students as well as for select high school and middle school choirs.

 Instruments taught: Piano/Synthesizer and Guitar

 Years Experience: 24 years - Piano/15 years - Guitar

  7 years teaching privately and in studio

Year at AMA:  2021 

Education/Background: Music Education - Mesa Community College

14 years of piano instruction

Electrical Engineering - Arizona State University

Something no one knows about ME:   Drew is an unpublished novelist thanks to quarantine 

Extended Biography: Drew is a Mesa, AZ native. As an alumni of Dobson High School, Mesa Community College, & Arizona State University he’s made friends and planted roots all over the valley. Drew performed in the Choral Arizona Music Educators Association (AMEA) Regionals & All-State all four-years of high school and has a deep love for singing. A frequent performer, Drew is represented by Leighton Agency in Scottsdale and has done multiple educational tours with the Southwest Shakespeare Company. He’s performed musically and acted with theatres across the state, including Hale Centre Theatre, Stray Cat Theatre and the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. Drew’s national television debut was in the fall of 2018 on FOX’s Inside the Manson Cult: The Lost Tapes and has been seen on many local and regional commercials. 

Instruments taught:  Viola/Violin/Cello/Bass and Piano

Year at AMA:  2021

Education/Background: Northern Arizona University, Music Education and Instrumental Music   

Extended Bio:  Kevin Wilcox is a music educator and violist native to the East Valley. He has played violin and viola throughout his entire musical career and started teaching privately in his high school years. He earned his bachelor's degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Instrumental Music and graduated cum laude from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. Kevin teaches both traditional and Suzuki formatted instruction for strings and piano, and focuses on a balanced curriculum of tactile instrument performance skills, music theory, aural training, and musicians’ wellness. As a performer, Kevin has served as the Principal Violist for the NAU Symphony, Chamber, and Lyric Theatre Opera Orchestras, as well as a violist/violinist for the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Northern Arizona, and the Scottsdale Philharmonic. He has studied under Jacquelyn Schwandt, Louise Scott, Karin Hallberg, and Michelle Wachter and has attended masterclasses by violists Margaret Miller and Hsiaopei Lee. 

Outside of his professional obligations, Kevin is also a freelance composer and amateaur novice conductor.

​​Instruments taught:  Piano

Years Experience: 12+

Year at AMA:  2016  

Background:    

Matthew began playing the piano at age 7 and had a few different teachers into middle school. In 6th grade while living in Pensacola, FL, he began receiving instruction from a college music professor, Bob Sherwood, and studied under him partway into his college years. During these years with Mr. Sherwood, he competed in yearly Sonata contests, Concerto contests, and Theory/Performance competitions. One of his highlights from this time was winning a competition to perform the Warsaw Concerto with the PJC/UWF Wind Ensemble. While in high school, he also received training in sacred music and has been involved in church music in various capacities for many years. He started teaching piano in the mid-nineties in North Carolina. More recently he taught in the Phoenix West Valley from 2009 – 2015, during which time he gave private lessons to more than 30 students.

 ​​Instruments taught:  Band/Strings/Piano

 Years Experience: 20+ years  

Year at AMA:  2021

Education/Background:  Associates in fine arts and Bachelors in Music Performance with an emphasis in Flute from Colorado State University

Something no one knows about ME:  Stephanie LOVES video games! When She isn’t playing music she is playing video games and streaming to Twitch 

 Extended Biography:    

Stephanie started playing piano when she was 4 years old. When she got to middle school, she chose to do Flute in band and Violin in Orchestra. After a year, she switched to string bass and continued with Flute in band. Stephanie was fascinated by the complexity and differences between all the instruments in both band and orchestra so she started learning them all. From then on, whenever she came across an instrument she didn’t know, she strived to learn it. Stephanie is currently part of 3 performing ensembles. She plays flute in a flute/guitar duo where they play at private business events and weddings. She plays Bagpipes in Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band where she performs at highland games and competes across the midwestern states and occasionally in Scotland. Stephanie also plays in a Celtic punk/folk/rock band where she plays Bagpipes, Flute, Piccolo, Violin, Bass Guitar, Concertina, Harmonica and spoons. 

Instruments Taught: Guitar/Bass/Drums

Year at AMA:  2021

Education: B.S. degree in Music with a minor in Modern Worship.

Bio: Tim is an Arizona native who has attended Mesa Community College and recently graduated from Arizona Christian University. He is currently the Music Director at Via Church where he leads the worship teams through rehearsals and services every weekend. He is mainly a guitar player but also plays piano, bass, and drums.