Brass and Percussion Teachers
Keith Powell, French Horn
BA (French Horn Performance) Stony Brook University, NY; MM (Music Composition) Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Additional study: UW-Milwaukee; Hochschule für Musik und Drama, Hannover, Germany with Howard Hillyer, William Caballero, Douglas Hill
Teaching style and philosophy:
Individuals learn in different ways. Music should be taught to take advantage of a student's strengths and weaknesses.
4 years teaching at the Academy
26 years teaching:
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh
Musik Innovations, Pittsburgh
Member of:
Green Bay City Band - Principal Horn
Substitute Horn - Fox Valley Symphony
Renaissance City Winds (1982-87)
Performances with orchestras in McKeesport, Johnstown, Altoona, Westmoreland County, Butler, Oshkosh, Chautauqua,Wheeling, Larchmont and others.
I have performed with a wide variety of musicians including: Lee Tomboulian, Eddy Arnold, Michael Martin Murphy, The Moody Blues, Roberta Peters, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Bernadette Peters, Maureen McGovern, Shirley Jones, Art Garfunkel, Vic Ferrari, and Shari Lewis & Lambchop among many others.
Professional organizations and affiliations: International Horn Society
Prizes and Awards:
Governor's Citation (New York) 1974
Regent's Scholarship -1974-78
Out-of-State Tuition Waiver (Wisconsin) 1979-81
Interesting fact: My music compositions and arrangements have been performed by orchestras and chamber groups in New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin and elsewhere.
Ryan Smith, trumpet
Michael Ratsch, percussion, is a magna cum laude graduate of Lawrence University and holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. He taught instrumental music in the public schools for 32 years, the last 30 of which were for the Little Chute Area School District. He currently provides percussion instruction for individuals and at the New Horizons Band with the Academy of Music. He also maintains a private studio at Appleton Christian School, where he gives lessons on wind instruments to beginning to intermediate level students. He has performed with the Fox Valley Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, Green Lake Music Festival Orchestra, Wisconsin Symphonic Winds, the UW-Fox Valley Concert Band, and the Appleton City Band, where he is assistant conductor. He is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, National Band Association, and Percussive Arts Society.
Anne Witherell, low brassEastman School of Music (MusB); Stanford University (MA, PhD); Lawrence University (Wisconsin Teaching Certification Music Prek-12). Additional study: piano with Linda Sparks; historical dance with Wendy Hilton
Teaching style and philosophy:
I welcome students of all ages, whether the goal is to contribute to school or community ensembles or to pursue a career in music.
19 years teaching at Academy
29 years teaching
low brass at Stanford University
UC Santa Cruz Band, Mountain View, CA
Appleton Area School District
Member of:
performing ensembles, opera and symphony orchestras, early music ensembles and a brass quintet in CA
The Appleton City Band
Professional organizations and affiliations:
The International Trombone Association.
Prizes and Awards:
The Enriched Instrumental Instruction Program (for minority students) which I directed received a Presidential Growing Up Taller Award. The Anne Witherell Award was established to provide an annual scholarship for private music lessons.
Interesting fact:
I enjoy accompanying my students.
