Kristine
​Dizon

Kristine Dizon (born 1988) is an international artist and teacher who has performed in  Europe, Asia, and the Americas. A passionate music educator, she has taught clarinet masterclasses in Armenia, Cyprus, Thailand, Perú, and Poland. Kristine served Visiting Professor at the University of Saint Joseph - Faculty of Creative Industries in Macao, China in 2018. Kristine has been a part of several socio-cultural and educational projects that include the  Philharmonie de Paris-Project DEMOS, Conservatoire de Montargis (Orchestre á l'école), and the Minnesota Project Opera. She has premiered works by Agnieszka Zdrojek-Suchodolska, Nicolas Bacri, Kryštof Maratka, and Reinaldo Moya. In 2017, she guests taught at the VI Taller para Jóvenes Clarinetistas organized by Clariperu, served as part of the international jury for the V Concurso de Bandas Escolares 2016 where she held a residency with PeruBandas and taught clarinet masterclasses in Cusco and Lima, Peru. 

An avid researcher, she has recently published an article with Alvaro Barbosa  "The Film Sound Analysis Framework: A Conceptual Tool to Interpret the Cinematic Experience" in the Journal of Science & Technology of the Arts. Research has been published in music & academic journals that include the Journal of Science and Technology, Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, European Journal of American Studies, Clarinet and Saxophone, and The Clarinet. 
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Kristine Dizon is the Co-Founder, Programming Director, and Resident Conductor of the Gran Canaria International Clarinet Festival. She was also one of the co-founders of the American Single Reed Summit and serves as the Coordinator of the International Clarinet Competition. Kristine performs exclusively on F.A. Uebel Clarinets, Silverstein Works, and Barkley Brazil Mouthpieces. 

Asher
​Nalley

Asher Nalley is a musician and educator located in Bangor, Maine. He began studying music starting with guitar lessons at the age of nine, and continued on to participate in programs such as the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and the FestivalMusicAlp held in Tignes, France. He holds a degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of Kentucky. In addition to performance, he also focuses on music theory and history, and has an interest in studying and teaching about the relationship between music and color. His instrumental teaching specializes in plucked strings including all levels of guitar, bass, and ukulele. He teaches students from preschool age to adults and enjoys teaching online to students around the world.
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Briana
Marquez

Briana Marquez, 23 years old, was born in Alabama but raised in New Mexico with her Mexican parents. Her parents would always go back and forth to Mexico since they lived very close to the frontier. She was raised with English and Spanish as her native languages.
 
Since she was very young, she knew she wanted to be a teacher, she enjoys spending time with children, and she is known for being very patient with them, that’s why she decided to go to college and major in Education. Since she began college, she started working as an ESL online teacher which she has been doing for 2 years. She has also been a volunteer for 5 years, teaching various subjects across the country of Mexico, during her free time.
 
She has a 7-year-old niece with ADHD, daughter of a single mom, full-time worker, and student. She helps her niece with online school and homework. She is glad she chose this career path where she can help others learn something new but especially those in need. 
 
She believes that her job as a teacher is to be a guide, learning from them is just as important as what they learn from her. She also believes each child has their own abilities and struggles, she can understand that, help them grow and blossom inside the classroom no matter what their learning skills are. The joy of seeing a kid being excited from something they learned, even if it was as simple as a single word or sentence, is incomparable.
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Maria
​Mercedes

Mercedes was born in Mexico City, and lived there until her graduation from high school at Colegio Merici. She comes from a Catholic family with ancestors from Spain and France. Mercedes has two brothers and two sisters and a 15-year-old son. She communicates in Mexican Sign Language with her son, with whom she lives in San Clemente, California. She has studied American Sign Language for five years and continues to learn and take courses in American Sign Language and Deaf culture.  During the adoption process of her son Mercedes became involved in promoting the education of Deaf children in Ensenada, Mexico. She volunteers part-time as a treasurer for a civil association in Ensenada, Mexico, that hires native signers to instruct Deaf children and teenagers. She also is the founder and financial agent of the California non-profit corporation Hands That Talk, which sends aid to support the payment of teachers of Deaf students who are completing their basic education (preschool to high school).

​Mercedes completed a bachelor and master degree in Music. As a Kodaly specialist, she has taught general Music and instrumental Music in several public school districts in southern California since 2001. Spanish was added to her California teaching credential as a World Language authorization. Mercedes loves teaching Spanish and American Sign Language to students in elementary, middle and high school. Learning in general, and particularly about Music and ASL, continue to bring great joy to Mercedes and sharing that experience with learners only deepens that joy.

Laura
Palladino​

A choir director, soprano soloist, and music & language teacher, Laura Palladino made her professional debut as a chorister with Connecticut Grand Opera at age 17.  She was graduated from Boston Conservatory of Music with a B.Mus. in Vocal Performance, followed by studies in the MFA program in Voice at SUNY Purchase.  Laura has performed with several New York-based opera and operetta companies, including Opera Northeast, New England Lyric Operetta, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, and L’Opéra français de New York, as well as abroad with the Rome Opera Festival.

A resident of French-speaking Québec for over 20 years, Laura studied in the program Français langue seconde at Université Laval, a French-language institution.  She also was graduated with a B.A. in éducation musicale (Music Education) from Université Laval and has taught music in French at both primary and secondary French-language schools.  Laura has also studied direction chorale (Choral Direction) with Alliance Chorale de Québec in Montréal, and is active as a choir director and sacred music soloist.  Passionate about music and languages, she knows that when students are having fun, they’re learning!

Monica
​Bowers

Monica Bowers is a certified teacher with over 10 years of experience in teaching. Monica’s first language is English, and she is also fluent in Spanish. She was born and raised in the south Texas border town, Laredo, TX. Having parents of Mexican descent, Monica has been immersed in the Spanish language since birth. To this day, she enjoys singing, reading, and speaking Spanish.

Monica received a B.A. in English from Texas A&M International University in 2011 and became a certified teacher in 2014. Her certifications are in Early Childhood Education, English Language Arts, ESL, and Bilingual-Spanish education. Monica’s teaching career began in 2013 as an English Language Arts classroom teacher. She decided to pursue teaching certification in Bilingual-Spanish education after noticing many of her ESL students struggle with Reading and Writing in English.  As a bilingual educator, Monica learned invaluable skills that have helped her support her students navigating a second language. Throughout her teaching career, Monica has strived to improve by attending educational workshops. In 2015, Monica was invited to attend a summer-long conference at the University of Texas at Austin where she learned all about the Reading and Writing Workshop and how to use these skills with both English and Spanish speakers. 

After becoming a mother in 2018, Monica decided to leave the classroom and become an online educator. She began her journey with online teaching in April 2019. She is passionate about bringing smiles to her students' faces and making class engaging and memorable. She currently resides in San Antonio, TX with her husband and toddler. She is passionate about personalizing each student’s learning experience and seeing her students gain confidence in speaking, reading, and writing.

Reuben
Carvalho

An Electronics and Communications Engineer by qualification, Reuben Carvalho believes that music is where math and art converge. As such, he enjoys helping students understand the nuts and bolts of making music through lessons peppered with creativity and logic. A choir director cum classical and fingerstyle guitarist, he has over 20 years of experience with a wide variety of musical expressions, including chant, sacred music, classical, country, blues, contemporary rock, and traditional and ethnic. He is of the firm opinion that a strong base in music theory and solfeggio can serve as a launch pad for creating music that has structure, balance, relevance, and depth.
In his online teaching, Reuben uses his expertise in digital marketing and communications to engage with students through mediums that are interactive and visually appealing. He has taught students of all ages, from young learners embarking on their musical journey to professionals seeking to pursue a hobby. He frequently writes for voice and intends to take each of his students on the compositional path, believing that every student has what it takes to speak in a musical language; the tools that music theory offers merely provide direction and impetus. Reuben welcomes you to a time of discovering the musician in you!

Saida
Sanchez

Saida Sanchez is an experienced Spanish teacher and librarian with over 27 years of teaching experience in traditional and online settings. She enjoys teaching children not only about the Spanish language but in creating a positive and fun atmosphere where learners can feel comfortable speaking in Spanish. She has a Bachelor in Bilingual and ESL Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Spanish from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Saida also holds a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University and became a certified Legacy Master Technology Teacher through the University of Texas in Brownsville. Throughout her teaching career, she has had the opportunity to teach students from PK through high school as a bilingual and ESL teacher. As a librarian, she often says that she went from a regular school classroom to the biggest classroom in a school, the library. Saida loves working with learners and inspiring them to always reach their goals as they go through their learning journey.
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​As a language teacher, she firmly believes that students must use and practice the language in order to learn and maintain it.  In her class, all her students are given the opportunity to speak, practice and demonstrate what they are learning.  Because of her vast teaching experience, she is able to determine how learners are doing and scaffolds her teaching to ensure all students are successful and challenged. Saida is ready to welcome your learner and embark on the wonderful journey of Spanish learning. Sean bienvenidos a la clase de español de la Maestra Saida.