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Our Teachers |
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Ms. Amy Abbott Pappageorge, Owner
Amy holds a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.A. in Performance Studies from the University of North Carolina.
While studying Spanish in Seville, Spain she worked to bring literacy to unschooled gypsy children, an experience that inspired her to become a lifelong teacher.
She founded Musikgarten of Oak Park in 1996 and is excited to see her vision expand to more fully include her fellow teachers, parents, children, and the broader community. To this end, she and her daughter Ana have opened the HeartGarden studio. Building on Musikgarten's brilliant curriculum they are delighted to partner with parents and caring adults to nurture the heart values of our children.
Her love for family drives her to risk the adventure of stepping boldly into the vanguard of a movement to make parenthood creative, intelligent, and joyful.
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Ms. Anastasia Papaioannou
Ms. Ana earned her B.F.A in acting from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Champaign where she studied performance in both music and theater. She has been a part of the Musikgarten family for over 20 years, having watched her mom’s vision grow from its very early dreaming stages to the amazing program it is today. Ana is passionate about instilling compassion, courage and creativity in the hearts of little ones. She believes in the curriculum at Musikgarten and even more so the values-based enrichment that her mother has woven in. When not teaching at the studio Ms. Ana spends much of her time in the health and wellness world, as an internationally certified health coach (Heartful Health) and a continuing student of herbal medicine. She believes good health and a compassionate relationship with one another and the earth are the bases for a creative, loving, and purposeful life. While she loves and continues to consult adults, she hopes to bring her two worlds together and develop exciting new curriculum for her young students in Oak Park! |
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Ms. Maria Bolchert
Ms. Maria began teaching private piano lessons while studying music composition at De Paul University and has shared her love of music with children and teens for over 25 years. Maria discovered Musikgarten in 2006. She has taught all levels of Musikgarten and loves seeing the childrens' musical development as they progress through the various Musikgarten curricula. Maria is continually amazed and the students' musical knowledge once they reach the keyboard program and is excited to be a part of Ms Amy's teaching staff at Musikgarten of Oak Park.
Along with teaching at Musikgarten of Oak Park, Maria also provides music classes at Brookfield's Montessori Children's Community School and Little People Montessori in Lyons. Maria is an organist at Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Westchester.
For private lessons please contact Maria directly at: mbolchert@yahoo.com
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Ms. Laura Moglia Kelley
Ms. Laura received both her undergraduate (BME '97) and graduate (MME '00) degrees in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She has over 17 years of music teaching experience working with students as young as infants through 8th grade in a variety of settings that spans elementary/middle school classrooms, park district classes, private studio lessons, and choir rehearsals. Laura has continued her training through coursework at Vandercook (including Orff Schulwerk), workshops, and private voice and piano study, and she currently performs with City Voices, a choral ensemble. Attending Musikgarten classes with her two young daughters has been a joy over the years and she is thrilled to be part of the talented Oak Park Musikgarten staff. |
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Ms. Beky Koontz
Ms. Beky studied Music Education and Vocal Performance at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater in Whitewater, WI, and then at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, IL, where she received her undergraduate degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance. A vocalist and a piano player, she has taught students of all different age levels from Early Childhood to Adults, in various settings including Elementary/Middle/and High School General Music classrooms, private piano and voice studio, church Sunday school, and youth summer camps. She loves being a part of amazing teaching staff at Musikgarten of Oak Park and looks forward to making music with all of the wonderful families!
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Ms. Olivia Mullins
Ms. Olivia received her Bachelors in Music from Wheaton College in May 2018 with a major in Piano Pedagogy. She has studied the piano privately for over 17 years and has also studied violin for the past 12 years. She has over five years of experience teaching both instruments and has especially enjoyed teaching private piano lessons. She was originally drawn to the Musikgarten method through her experience with its keyboard curriculum when she was ateacher’s assistant at the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College. After learning about all the levels of instruction Musikgarten offers, she now believes that the method has excellent potential to impact the lives of children developmentally, intellectually, and even with public speaking!
Ms. Olivia grew up in Oak Park, IL and began her musical journey in various choirs, including the Cherubs and Schola choirs at Grace Episcopal Church with Dennis Northway, whose teaching on aural skills and appreciation for classical music paved the way for her career in the arts. From choir she moved to playing violin in the orchestra which has been one of the main joys of her life, especially in her four years in the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra. She enjoys organizing recitals for herself and her piano students to share their musical talents, and she also loves playing the violin and piano at her church, First Baptist Church of Oak Park.
Ms. Olivia is so excited to join the Musikgarten team to meet many different families in Oak Park and the surrounding communities, to explore the possibilities that the Musikgarten method provides, and work alongside the other fantastic teachers in the studio.
For private lessons please contact Olivia directly at: olivia.mullins@my.wheaton.edu
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Mr. Jim Goelitz
Jim Goelitz holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from The Music Conservatory of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. In addition, Jim has continued his training under the tutelage of jazz educator and composer David Bloom and has attended many Jamey Aebersold jazz education workshops at Elmhurst College.
For over two decades he has enjoyed teaching guitar, ukulele, bass as well as music theory classes to area students and families of all ages and levels. Jim is very excited to be joining the Oak Park HeartGarden faculty and is looking forward to sharing his many years of teaching experience with students in the program.
In addition to a full teaching schedule, Jim performs as a solo jazz guitarist and leads the Blue Groove Ensemble at venues and festivals around the area. He has also worked on radio projects including live performances with singer Jade Maze on Chicago Public Radio's WDCB, been a featured performer with the Stay Tuned Orchestra and has opened up for Jimi Hendrix drummer Buddy Miles as well as the Edgar Winter Group. For private lessons please contact Jim directly at: goelitzj@gmail.com
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