Our Staff

Felipe is a current high school student who began playing piano at the age of 8. It’s been his favorite hobby ever since then! Felipe is both dedicated and focused when it comes to his goals. He works hard to continually improve his piano skills! Felipe is passionate about teaching and enjoys helping students grow […]

Aidan is currently a high school student, and has been playing piano for 12 years and trombone for 5 years. This year, Aidan will be performing with the EYSO Youth Symphony and the Sterling Brass Quintet on trombone. He has also been an active member of an FTC robotics team for the past five years. […]

Brianna is currently a sophomore in high school and has been playing for 10 years. Some of her favorite artists are Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Laufey, and Marina and the Diamonds. Her other hobbies include writing, drawing, singing, and taekwondo. She enjoys writing and drawing for the newspaper at her school as well as writing […]

Erin started playing the piano at the age of 4 and took up the flute at 11. During her middle and high school years, she was heavily involved in band, choir, and musical theater. Recently, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Business from Elmhurst University, where she was a member of both the Women’s […]

Alex Cassara has been playing the violin since the age of nine and holds an associate degree in music. With extensive studies in violin, viola, piano, and classical voice, Alex primarily performs as a singer with the Chicago Master Singers. However, Alex has more experience teaching violin and viola, having taught these instruments for nearly […]

Ayaka is a dedicated violinist with 10 years of experience and currently attends Larkin High School for the music academy. Passionate about music, she enjoys encouraging others to explore this wonderful subject. Outside of music, Ayaka loves playing soccer and spending time with family, friends, and pets. As an educator, Ayaka aims to help students […]

Paul’s journey in music began at age eight with classical piano lessons. He became immersed with Haydn, Mozart, Bach, and Chopin and then later with the Great American Songbook and Jazz. At age twelve, Paul made the decision to take up the drums and with that began his dual commitment to the worlds of piano and percussion. […]

Jimmy is a recent graduate from Northern Illinois University with Bachelor’s Degrees in both Music Education and Trumpet Performance. Throughout his time at NIU, he trained under notable music figures, refining his trumpet, French horn, and band arranging skills. Actively engaged in Chicagoland’s music scene, Jimmy is both a teacher and performer. His standout performances […]

Jacob has been taking music lessons since the age of 6. He has taken music classes in Jazz guitar at the University of Illinois Chicago as well as classical guitar and commercial piano at Belmont University. He has been teaching for 3 years and hopes to pass his passion for music onto his students!

Gideon has been learning music since he was very young. Music has been an enormous part of his life. He currently plays cello, piano, and trumpet. He also participates in the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra as a cellist and in the West Suburban Homeschool Band on trumpet. He has enjoyed teaching cello and piano at MECA […]

Kelvin has been playing the piano since age 6 and took private lessons throughout that time until starting college. In that span of 12 years, Kelvin played a great variety of pieces by greats such as Chopin, Mozart, and Beethoven. Since age 10, he has begun competing yearly at the state level in events such […]

Diane studied voice for twenty (20) years, starting with Therese Longergan, then continuing with Emily McKnight at Milikin University, Phyllis Curtin at Boston University, and Lucille Halfvarson and Neva Baily at Chicago’s Merit Music School. Diane also studied piano for ten (10) years. Although classically trained, she sang in a band for several years and […]

Leena has done doctoral work at the University of Michigan in voice performance and received her Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance from the Boston Conservatory. She has taught on voice faculties as an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College, and several […]

Claire recently received her master’s degree at DePaul University in Viola Performance. She was involved in DePaul’s Concerto Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and 20+esemble. She received her Bachelors in Viola Performance from Northern Illinois University in 2019 cum laude. Claire is an avid Chamber music player and has attended summer festivals such as Credo Music Festival […]

Paolo started playing the cello in the 4th grade and has been playing for the past 8 years. Paolo attends South Elgin High School and has developed his playing in various chamber groups and festivals! Paolo would like to discover as many perspectives on music as possible and hopes to instill that passion in his […]

Vito graduated with a degree in classical guitar performance from UIC in 2022, but takes a profession in both electric and classical guitar! Vito has opened for many national acts, some of which include Angel Vivaldi, Andy James, and Scale the Summit. He’s also performed locally around the city, accompanied the UIC choirs, and performed […]

Grace has been playing the piano for ten years. She has also been learning to play the organ for four years. Grace enjoys sharing her knowledge of music with her students and loves seeing the progress they make from week to week. She graduated from high school this year and hopes to continue studying music […]

Anya is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degrees in Performance, Music Education, and Finance at Northern Illinois University. She studies trumpet with Dr. Mark Ponzo and supplements her academic work with conducting lessons from Deb Shofner, former ILMEA State President. In addition to teaching brass, she also teaches strings and general music as part of the […]

Brett is a 2019 graduate of St. Charles North high school and currently attends the University of Iowa. He picked up a guitar in 2010 and has been practicing (lessons at MECA) and refining his skills ever since and is bringing his skill-set to MECA as a beginning guitar teacher. While at St. Charles North, […]

Terin picked up the guitar in 2010 and has been playing (lessons at MECA) and refining her skills ever since and is bringing her skill-set to MECA as a beginning guitar teacher. She attends St. Charles North where she was chosen to play guitar as a member of the jazz workshop. Terin has a broad […]