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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 […]

Benjamin Gilbert

Cello & Piano

Ben started playing the cello when he was 10 years old and has continuously taken lessons for the last year and a half. Ben can be seen playing with the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO), the Hanson String Quartet, the HHS String Quartet, and many solo performances around the Elgin/Hampshire area. He also marches in […]

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 Paolone

Violin & Viola

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 […]

Krystina Belcina

Piano & Violin

Krystina has played both the piano and violin for more than 6 years. She has learned so much about expressing her creativity and love for music within her instruments and looks forward to passing that along to her students! She currently attends South Elgin High School and is a member of the Symphony Orchestra. Krystina […]

Daniel is a student at South Elgin High School and has a passion for teaching violin! He has been playing the violin for five years and has participated in numerous musical festivals and activities, including the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, the ILMEA Festival, and the Honor Music Festival. Additionally, Daniel performed a solo concerto with […]

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 […]

Diego Gomez

Guitar, Violin & Viola

Diego is currently a junior at Elgin High School and is able to teach violin, viola, and guitar! Diego’s main instrument is the viola, but he also practices and learns both voice and guitar. He has been continuously taking private viola lessons throughout the year. Diego has participated in a variety of musical activities, the […]

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 […]

Victoria started taking private piano lessons at age 5 and developed a repertoire of pieces by Debussy, Chopin, Clementi, and a variety of popular culture songs. Victoria has played as an accompanist for her church and high school choirs. She has also participated in solo and ensemble performances yearly. Music has been a huge part […]

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 (Anna) Gavin

Brass, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn & Baritone

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 King

Beginning Guitar & Bass (Online Only)

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 King

Guitar & Ukulele

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 […]

Bobby Reck

Guitar, Bass & Ukulele

Bobby has played guitar for over 11 years and has taught over 5 years. In addition to playing the guitar, he loves to play soccer, video games, spend time on the computer and watch movies. Bobby has studied music with Fareed Haque at Northern Illinois University. Some of his favorite bands include Rush, Metallica, Dream […]

Samantha Paige

Guitar & Bass (Beginning-Intermediate)

Samantha is a graduate of St. Charles East where she participated in the music department’s programs and has been teaching at MECA for over a year. She was enrolled in AP Music Theory and was a member of the Chorale. Samantha is a recent graduate of Elmhurst College and continues to teach and perform locally, […]

Kerena Moeller is currently third chair with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and section cellist with the Rockford Symphony and Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. Kerena joined the faculty of the Music Academy in Rockford and Elgin Community College in 2009. She is a certified Suzuki instructor. A British-born cellist, Kerena is an active member of the Moeller […]

Joanna Nerius

Beginning Violin & Viola (Online Only)

Violinist and music educator, Joanna is dedicated to helping students develop and refine their music. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in violin performance. Joanna has been teaching violin and viola actively since 2011. She is a certified Suzuki teacher who incorporates both traditional and Suzuki methods into her curriculum. Joanna […]

Dana Bellew

Violin & Viola (Virtual Only)

Dana studied music education at Illinois State University and received her BA in Performing Arts Management from Columbia College in Chicago. In addition, she received her BM in Music Education in 2013 and also holds a K-12 Teaching License with a Music Content Endorsement. Dana did her student teaching at John Shields Elementary School in […]