Maureen Hollins has a Performer’s Diploma from both the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Victoria Conservatory of Music; a Bachelor of Music Degree in performance piano from the University of British Columbia; the Professional Development Program from Simon Fraser University; and a Masters of Divinity Degree from the Vancouver School of Theology. She was inspired by teachers Audrey Mallinson, Dale Reubart, Winifred Scott Wood and Jean Coulthard.

 Maureen established her piano studio in Surrey in the late 1970’s, and since that time has adjudicated music festivals throughout British Columbia. As a clinician, she presents master classes and workshops for teachers and students. An enthusiastic pedagogue, Maureen shares time between the roles of teacher, church musician, liturgist, mentor and collaborative pianist. She is an active member of the Registered Music Teachers, South Fraser Branch.

 Maureen’s students are recipients of numerous awards from local festivals, the Victoria Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

 Maureen loves to teach. Sharing the skill of piano playing and discovering the meaning of music with young people continues to be a challenge and an honour.

 

 

 Sarona has one goal in life, and that is to truly make a difference in the lives of the singers she works with. She firmly believes that through Music a teacher does not only have the opportunity to teach music literacy and musicianship skills, but those life skills and qualities that are universally important. Those of love, compassion, humanity, respect, discipline, passion and joy! Born and raised in South Africa, Sarona completed her education degree in Pretoria where she majored in Math, Languages and Psychology, and specialized in Classroom Music, Voice, Choral Conducting, Drama, and Special Education. Her formal voice training culminated in postgraduate work at the Conservatory of Music at North-West University in Potchefstroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Aylard has travelled the world performing in Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Mexico, the USA and Ireland and of course, all of Canada.  She started her violin studies before her 3rd birthday at the Vancouver Academy of Music. During the high school years, her studies took her to private instruction at UBC and then on to post-secondary studies in Winnipeg at CMU and U of Manitoba for her performance major.  Competing during her studies in western Canada, she placed first in the Senior division at the BC Festival of the Arts, her “Sabeon Trio” twice competed at the National Music Competition and most recently she received the prestigious Okanagan Arts award. Teaching is also part of her passionate music career and she has spent years developing her Suzuki teacher training to combine it with her love of fiddling.  Cripple Creek has taken over for the Twinkle variations. A strenuous touring schedule has resulted in talking a step back from teaching, but Sue still makes time for the occasional workshop and adjudicating at festivals. After years of playing professionally in various Canadian orchestras and fronting the “Cats and the Fiddle” and “Rough Pearl” she has decided to limit her talents to the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, fiddling upstream with “Cod Gone Wild”, and recently she joined the internationally touring band, Rocky Mountain High, performing the music of John Denver.  Sue likes to describe her style as “rough pearl fiddling”. Her Baroque (translated to Rough Pearl) classical training is definitely evident in her arrangements and ability. As well as working freelance for other artists and recordings; she has 2 cd’s that feature her fiddle playing as well as two CD’s with Cod Gone Wild. Sue recently moved to White Lake with her husband and 2 kids but still manages the Maples Waterfront Resort in Sorrento. That is of course when she finds time between her family life and music career.

 

Caroljoy Green has been teaching Speech Arts and Drama classes for many years to students from pre-schoolers to teens and even senior citizens.  She feels passionately about helping speech arts students be empowered to "shine"!  She is the High School drama teacher at Cedars Christian School, in Prince George, BC and also teaches speech arts and drama in a local school for grades 5-7.  She teaches RCM Technical Theory Level 2 to a group of 9 high school students, and a separate class of 3 adults.  Each year she helps several elementary classrooms prepare choral speaking pieces for the Prince George Speech Arts & Drama Festival.  She serves as a sought-after substitute teacher for grades K - 12, including music.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Cum Laude, from Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL and has completed her RCM Grade 8 exam, with honors.  She is currently preparing her Grade 10 RCM exam.  She has two grown children who both speak well, thanks in part to the speech arts training they received from Deborah McGladdery.  In her free time, she enjoys green tea lattes, writing songs, and hanging out with her cuddly dog Sierra.