Meet Our Creative Arts Instructors
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WOODWORKING
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Mark Williams - aka. "Mr. Fix It" began his interest in fixing things and working with his hands while he was in high school at Pioneer. 30 years later he has acquired an enormous collection of tools and skills.
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What Mark's Students are Saying:
"Mark is very knowledgeable. I love his classes and hope they continue for years."
- J. Kyle
"I never thought I would be using power tools and making projects from wood but the instructor's patience and guidance made it seem easy."
- A. Turner
"Mark always comes up with simple solutions to tough woodworking problems."
- J. Hallberg
"I liked that you could choose your own project. Power tools rock!"
- S. Somoza
Current Classes:
Woodworking With Power
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Jamey Armine
What Jamey's Students Say:
"The scope of the project was realistic and acheivable and the instructor was helpful and engaged, Thanks for a great class!"
- T. Benson
"I made a table I can use! Can't wait for the next class."
- G. Healy
"Great Class! The instructor's passion for the topic really came through."
- D. Cooney
"I've gained exposure to so many tools that I would have been afraid to purchase without the hands on experience. Very helpful and informative!"
- T. Burch
Classes:
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Joe Kyle is an experienced woodworker who enjoys creating wood items for his grandchildren. He supervises the Open Lab on Thursday nights.
Current Classes:
Woodworking Open Lab
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MUSIC
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Carlos Palomares has a BA in Music from University of California, Berkeley and a MA in Musicology from the University of Michigan. He has taught music classes at U of M and WCC. He has over 15 years experience in music performance, education, and production. He enjoys sharing his passion for music with students of all levels and is particularly skilled in tailoring lessons to the student's needs and interests. As a guitarist he has performed across a diverse spectrum of musical genres but is especially passionate about his heritage of Cuban/Latino music.
Website: www.carlospmusic.com
Current Classes:
Blues Guitar
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Alex Johnson is the owner of Ann Arbor Music Center where hundreds of students learn to play guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, horns, and more weekly. He also has classes for ages 10 to 90 in Rock, Blues, and Jazz band performance. Alex has been playing guitar, bass, and drums himself for 30 years. In 2008 he was a finalist in a national contest to win the title "King of the Blues."
Website: Ann Arbor Music Center
Current Classes:
Back in the fall.
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Michael Glenn has been making music since the age of four. After years of lessons with great piano teachers in the Chicago area, Michael moved to Arizona to study music at Arizona State University. While earning a degree there, Michael was heard playing in venues from concert halls to back corners of night clubs. Since graduation, Michael has mainly been working to create great music in churches; an experience that has allowed him to play, work, and teach musicians ranging in abilities from the finest studio musician and professor to the most basic beginner.
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Website: Just Once Classes
What Michael's Students Say:
"This class was very informative. I learned alot in a short period of time." - B. Turner
"This course exceeded my expectations." - A. Price
"Very knowledgeable instructor. Great class!" J. Hill
"Outstanding class." - K. Baynor
Current Classes:
Instant Piano
Play by Ear - Any Instrument
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Linda Jones has a Masters degree in choral conducting from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors in Music Education from the University of Texas. She has also trained at the Voice Care Network. She brings a wealth of experience working with choirs in the area including the Swing Singers, the Celebration Singers at FUMC, the Chancel Choir at Saline UMC, and the Chancel Choir at University Reformed Church. She has taught music in schools for 16 years. Currently, she teaches music at Chapelle Elementary in the Ypsilanti Public Schools and directs the Chalice Sparks, a children's choir at the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor.
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Kelly Close has taught singing, performance, piano, Voice Movement Therapy (VMT), and music theory fundamentals to individuals and groups for the past 15 years. As a professional singer, Kelly has performed in classical recitals and as a soloist with the Bozeman Symphony and the Intermountain Opera in Montana. She has also performed in jazz, rock, pop, and musical theater genres. Kelly has a Bachelor of Music Education in Studio Voice, a Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy, and is a Registered VMT Practitioner (VMTR). Kelly’s primary objective is to offer a holistic, non-judgmental, versatile, and creative approach to the study of voice that encompasses the physical, emotional, and psychological processes of realizing authentic expression.
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What Kelly's Students Are Saying:
"I gained confidence that I could actually sing!"
- C. Harvey
"This class was exactly what I wanted - basics, breathing, anatomy, and a practice CD!"
- J. O'Neill
"Such a high quality learning experience! Thank you."
- L. Babcock
"I really liked the combination of technical skill building along with personal and emotional skill building."
- N. Willard
Current Classes:
Fundamentals of Singing
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Warren Mc Arthur holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from Michigan State University and a Master of Music Education from Wayne State University and a Master of Science in engineering also from Wayne State. His career spans 45 years teaching music in public and private institutions. He strives to bring his love of music to all his students.
What Warren's Students Say:
"This was a great class. I enjoyed the visual as well as auditory music scenes."
- V. Gaynor
Current Classes:
MusIQ Club: Beginning Piano - Adults
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Joe Zsigray
"Arousing the passion for learning in others is a primary source of joy in my life. It is this goal that drives and motivates me to teach in life long learning programs. Teaching classes in music and the lively arts is the means for achieving this goal."
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What Joe's Students are Saying:
"I'm leaving class with an excellent sense of how I can take home what I learned in class and build on it."
-J. Steiff
"Great class, even if you have no musical training."
-A. Domino
"Joe is a patient, kind, supportive, and enthusiastic teacher. I was astounded by how much I learned in two hours!"
-k. Kaleski
Current Classes:
Back in Summer
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Literary Arts
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Susan Ashmore is an experienced English teacher and workshop facilitator. She believes that every person is a writer who deserves a safe environment in which to experiment, discover their voice, or perhaps revive the creative process.
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What Susan's Students Say:
"Susan is very positive and supportive. She's an inspiring facilitator!"
- C. Roncoli
"This class made me write. Susan always said, "Your flashes of genius won't occur if you don't show up.""
- E. King
"This class was a safe and supportive environment where I grew as a writer."
- J. Nelson
Current Classes:
Creative Writing Workshop
Finish Your Fiction
A Resume That Works
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Pat Kuessner is an experienced teacher with a passion for writing and teaching.
What Pat's students are Saying:
"I keep taking this class because it really makes me focus on my writing."
- J. Schmidt
"I wanted to work on a totally different project and Pat found a way to make it work."
-J. Fedel
"Pat K. always encourages us to write more & read our stories to classmates. This is the fourth time for me."
-T. Fournier
"The teacher is warm, encouraging, and well prepared."
- G. Mason
"Pat Kuessner is totally interesting and pays attention to each student. She makes you feel like she knows you and is interested in you."
- L. Authement
Current Classes:
Your Life as Story
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What Debbie's Students Say:
"I learned a great deal and am very inispired to continue my writing." - M. Frazer
"Ms. Merion was well prepared.....gave helpful tips on publishing, was very organized and engaging. Great class!" - S. Negrette
"The instructor was pleasant, knowledgeable about the subject and treated student's questions with respect." - J. Turek
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Debbie Merion, M.S.W. is an award-winning author, writing consultant, and writing coach who uniquely combines the skills of a well-published writer with the savvy sensitivity of an educator and social worker.
Her eighty essays and articles written for publications and business clients have appeared in the Ann Arbor Business Review, Ann Arbor Observer, Huron River Review, Crazy Wisdom Community Journal, Medicine at Michigan, and Movement. She received the Detroit Society of Professional Journalist's 2003 Excellence in Journalism Award for “The Depths of Despair” in Hour Detroit, and five awards from the Society for Technical Communications for two computer manuals, including the "AIS-5100 Vision Programming System Developer's Guide."
A former college English instructor, she is a popular motivational speaker and enthusiastic educator.
Current Classes:
Back in the Spring
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