Britten McGonigal
TEACHER, PRIVATE VOICE LESSONS
Britten McGonigal is a dedicated 4th-year soprano student at the University of Regina pursuing her Bachelor of Music Performance degree. She has a varied repertoire that showcases a range of styles with musical sensitivity.
At the UofR she has earned the Imre Szabados Scholarship, the Jeniffer Faro Affeldt Memorial Music Performance Award and Dr. Dominic Gregorio Entrance Award. She also has performed in numerous studio and noon hour recitals, and recently held a successful third-year
voice recital. Additionally, she has attended various workshops and most recently completed the 10-Day Development for Singers Program at Opera NUOVA in Edmonton and performed in their Song & Aria Showcase.
Carol Shellenberg
DIRECTOR, YAMAHA GROUP TEACHER, AND FLUTE LESSONS
Carol Shellenberg began her music adventure playing the flute in the Regina Lions Band at the age of eight. For many years she was involved with the concert and marching aspects of the band program. At the age of ten it was recommended that Carol began taking private lessons. In these early years she completed grades two through five of The Royal Conservative examinations on piano as well as flute and has most recently completed her Grade 10 in flute performance. She was also involved in competitions in the city of Regina, Sask. Along with flute Carol was a part of the music scene in Regina through voice, and piano in her youth. Carol graduated with her Bachelor of Music from Ambrose University where she enjoyed being a part of choir, orchestra, and solo flute performances. While Carol continues her work in her musical career, she is also working on her Early Childhood Education through Lakeland College.
Carol has been a private flute and piano teacher for a number of years, and has had a number of students ranging in musical experience and age. Carol has also worked as a musical instructor to children in earlier years (6 months – 3 years of age) teaching the basics of music and demonstrating a wide variety of musical genres using Yamaha and Music Adventures. Carol thoroughly enjoys teaching music, as she believes it equips an individual with a lifelong love and knowledge for a universal language.
Grace Becker Lau
TEACHER, PRIVATE PIANO LESSONS
Grace Becker Lau comes from a very musical family. Starting from the age of eight, she began learning cornet and flute, and played with the Salvation Army church band for four years. She began her piano journey at the age of eleven, and took private lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Long and McQuade for nine years, and went on to play both piano and flute in several school ensembles. Throughout her time in piano competitions she has received four gold and two silver medals, forming a love for performing that carried over into playing piano for various school and charity events.
Grace sees music as a valuable lifelong skill that brings many opportunities to become parts of musical community's and an outlet for stress and emotion.
Maria Guidos-Albert
TEACHER, PRIVATE VIOLIN & PIANO LESSONS
Maria Guidos-Albert is a Saskatchewan native, and after living in Manitoba and Ontario for over 20 years, is now based in Regina. She is a violinist and a pianist, having her Performance A.R.C.T.s in both instruments. She is an alumni of Brandon University with a Performance Degree in Violin, and has studied with Ernest Kassian, Francis Chaplin, Gwen Hoebig, Nandor Szederkenyi, Dana Mazurkevich, and Sally Thomas, in both private and summer studies.
Previous Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin in the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and of numerous chamber, and small ensemble orchestras, she is presently a member of the Regina Symphony Orchestra.
Guidos-Albert is an active chamber player, including ensembles such as the Timmins Symphony Quartet, and presently, a quartet comprised of Regina Symphony players (Amelia Borton, Andrea Hedlund, and Megan Zak), duos, trios, and ensemble works with people such as Simon Fryer, Natalie Williams Calhoun, Amelia Borton, Oxana Ossiptchouk, Marcelle Guidos, and Natalia Chabukiani.
Teaching since 1983, Guidos-Albert has a full studio of private lessons and chamber coaching.
Maya Scheer
TEACHER, PIANO LESSONS
Maya Scheer began her journey of music at age five taking group lessons with Music for Young Children. This set her up with the basics of musical theory, improved her sight reading, and advanced her playing as well as playing a song with others. After five years of group lessons, Maya switched to private piano lessons where she studied levels 1-10 of The Royal Conservatory Celebration Series books, as well as continued studying music theory. At the age of 12, Maya joined the elementary school concert band program for students in Winston Knoll Collegiate’s feeder schools, and one year later joined the Jazz Band program. In the concert band, Maya played first-chair trumpet for four years and earned a scholarship for a summer band camp program where she also earned the first-chair placement. In the Jazz band, Maya started as a trumpet player, but eventually picked up the position of piano player in the band as well, moving between each instrument for different songs. In her first year in the Jazz band, she received the Junior Jazz Award for the Winston Knoll area. Although Maya is just beginning her journey of teaching music, her experience in a variety of learning environments allows her to understand different approaches of teaching. It is her top priority to provide students with a welcoming and constructive environment where they feel comfortable and eager to learn.
