January Students of the Month

The Van Cleave Family

In the early afternoon on Mondays, there’s an influx of piano students at Harris, all from the same family. One, two, three, four…in walks the Van Cleaves! These energetic kiddos take piano lessons with Cristina Vlad and Heera Jang. Help us congratulate Gable (14), Dane (12), Elise (9) and Petra (6) as our January Students of the Month!

Four students in piano lessons is a lot to handle but, as Cristina shares, “their parents do a great job in keeping them on track with practice and preparation.” Having their siblings in lessons also creates a challenge for each one to learn and improve. Cristina says she especially appreciates the Van Cleave’s drive to perfect their pieces close to recital time so that they are sure to perform well.

This month, we’ll step aside and let these students tell you a little about themselves.

More about the Van Cleaves:
How long have you taken lessons?
Gable: 5 ½ years
Dane: 5 years
Elise: 3 years
Petra: 5 months

What are your favorite pieces to play?
Gable: Allegro Grazioso
Dane: The Fly’s Adventure
Elise: Morning Has Broken
Petra: Dancing with Frankenstein; Hey, Hey Look at Me; My Invention

What is something new and exciting you have learned in lessons lately?
Gable: I learned about ostinatos (I think that’s what they are called)
Elise: A song gets more fun if you practice

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories?
Gable: There was that time we had our apologetics tournament before the recital on the same day, and I was really tired. Then when I got up on stage to introduce myself, I ALMOST went into my illustrated oratory!
Elise: My first [recital]
Petra: I’ve only had one recital and I yelled into the microphone

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
Gable: Hunting, trapping, guitar building
Dane: Farming
Elise: Knitting, Crocheting, Playing Legos, Playing dolls
Petra: Puzzles, Games, Legos, Dolls

What is your favorite food?
Gable: Bread
Dane: Meat
Elise: Whatever mom makes me or oatmeal
Petra: Cheeseburger soup, potato soup, chicken and wild rice soup

What are your favorite classes in school?
Gable: Playing guitar
Dane: None
Elise: Piano
Petra: Math

What do you think is the best movie of all time?
Gable: The Hobbit
 Dane: The Avengers
Elise: Kit Kittredge
Petra: Curious George 2

What is a book everyone should read?
Gable: Cronk’s Scientific Coon Trapping
Dane: The Land Time Forgot
Elise: Fancy Nancy Super Sleuth
Petra: Curious George, Fancy Nancy, Encyclopedia Brown

What is a little known fact about you?
Dane: Like farming
Elise: I love horses
Petra: I’m the only one in my family that has curly hair. My mommy has never cut my hair!

Do you know any good jokes? (Share one with us!)
Gable: Okay, there are a bunch of snakes all tangled up on the floor in a huge knot, and no matter how hard they try, they can’t untangle themselves. And then one of them says. “Okay, so whose idea was it to play twister?!”
Dane:
Q: Why did the raccoon cross the road?
A: To show the chicken it could be done
Elise: Want to hear a dirty joke? A pig fell into the mud.

What is your favorite quote?
Gable: Lazy is as good as dead
Dane: Give me liberty or give me death.
Elise: I love my mommy and my daddy.

December Pet of the Month

Meet Courageous, the “grand” pet of Barb Carlson, a violin student at Harris. who no longer has pets of her own.  Barb says he is not courageous at all—just spoiled.

Do you have a furry friend?
Now accepting submissions for the
January Pet of the Month! 
Send your entries to: info@harrisacademyofthearts.com

December Student of the Month

Avery Smith

If you have any goldfish crackers, share some with Avery Smith– it’s her favorite food. This bright and bubbly 13 year old takes piano lessons and flute lessons at Harris. Her flute instructor, Sherri Brouillette, says, “Avery is very fun to work with and I really enjoy having her in lessons.  She has a great sense of humor and is extremely smart with many musical interests, including music history, ukulele, and flute.”

Avery is learning an important lesson all musicians learn at some point – it’s okay to make mistakes! Avery’s piano instructor, Vicki Harris, says she and Avery share some similar qualities. “We want to always put our best forward…making mistakes doesn’t always fare so well internally.”

“Avery has come a thousand miles over the last two years,” Vicki continues, “in simply relaxing, enjoying the music and ‘going with the flow.’ As a result, she has grown so much in her playing. The confidence she has developed has made her become such a stronger player.  I am really proud of her and the progress she’s made!”  

When she’s not learning life lessons at Harris, Avery makes breakfast for her family every weekend morning (hey, we’ll hire her!). She also enjoys playing volleyball, traveling, shopping, reading, and skiing. Help us congratulate Avery on being named our December Student of the Month!

More about Avery:

What other instruments do you play? 
Ukulele and singing

How long have you taken lessons? 
Piano for 5 years and flute for 2 years

What are your favorite songs?
“Fools Gold” by Fitz and the Tantrums
“Paper Doll” by John Mayer

What is something new and exciting you have learned in lessons lately? 
That people are more accepting of you when you make mistakes

What are your goals with music lessons? 
To be okay with making mistakes

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories? 
I sang and played guitar to the song “Mean” by Taylor Swift

What is your favorite quote?
“It’s not the mountains we conquer but ourselves.”

What do you think is the best movie of all time? 
Napoleon Dynamite

What is a book everyone should read? 
“Every Day” by David Levithan

Avery sharing her love of music with her dog, Jagger.

Welcome: Guitar Instructors

Garrett Hope

Garrett Hope teaches guitar, string bass, composition, and theory at Harris. Born into a family that valued and practiced music daily, he studied piano, clarinet, guitar, and bass as he was growing up. Though he tinkered with sequencing and song writing, it wasn’t until he began studying composition at university that he found his musical passions – composition and teaching.

Garrett has graduate degrees the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Garrett has taught composition, music theory, music technology, and ear training as adjunct faculty at several institutions, but after completing his DMA, Garrett taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Pennsylvania.

Returning to Lincoln after teaching in Pennsylvania has allowed Garrett to focus on composing new music, and also to teach at Harris Academy of the Arts.  When it comes to teaching, Garrett offers a wide repertoire variety – including rock, pop, alternative, blues, jazz, religious, and much more.

Lee Heerspink

Lee Heerspink teaches guitar and string bass at Harris. He is a rare multi-talented musician and educator. He earned his music education degree from Hope College in Holland, MI. Jazz became such a passion that Lee continued his education at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. After completing his master’s degree, he spent time teaching and performing in West Michigan. 

In 2010, Lee auditioned and accepted a position playing guitar in the US Air Force Heartland of America Band in Omaha, NE. For 4 years he served as musical director for multiple Air Force rock and top 40 bands providing high-energy, morale-boosting concerts to troops both stateside and overseas. 

After being honorably discharged in the fall of 2014, Lee and his wife Bethany moved to Lincoln, NE, where they now reside.  When not teaching or playing music, Lee and Bethany enjoy cooking, watching Detroit Tigers baseball, and hanging out with their English bulldog Edward.

November Student of the Month

Doug Atkin

At Harris Academy of the Arts, we know that music is something that lasts for life. And we’re proud to be the musical home of numerous adult students, all of varying levels and playing various instruments, who embody that fact. We’re thrilled to count Doug Atkin as one of them.

Doug is a civil engineer by trade, an outdoor enthusiast, an amateur beer brewer, and a piano student at Harris Academy of the Arts. He has studied piano with Heera Jang for three years, but he has been playing a total of 40 years, taking lessons off and on. “Doug is a very nice pianist with fine technique and good musicianship,” shares Heera. “I have been amazed at how well he practices his pieces (very advanced ones!) in the midst of his busy life as a successful engineer.”

Doug’s goal with music is simple: to become a better pianist. We have had the privilege of hearing his success in reaching that goal during every student recital since his time at Harris. Congratulations, Doug, on being our November Student of the Month!

More about Doug:

What other instruments do you play?
During High School, I played clarinet, saxophone and French horn.  I’ve only kept up on the piano.

What are your favorite pieces to play?
I like to play mostly classical pieces.  These have included various pieces by Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Chopin, Shubert and others.

What is your occupation? Tell us a little bit about what you do.
I am a civil engineer by training.  I started my career with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) designing bridges.  I spent 12 years with UDOT doing a variety of highway engineering related jobs.  I worked as a consultant engineer for 10 years and then joined the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2007.  I have been the Assistant Division Administrator for the FHWA Nebraska Division since March of 2010.  The FHWA oversees the Federal funding that goes to the States for Highways.  In my job, I work closely with the Nebraska Department of Roads on Nebraska Highways.

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
I enjoy woodworking.  I recently built a cedar strip canoe with my daughter Hannah.  I enjoy outdoor activities, hiking, hunting and fishing, although that has slowed down some since moving away from Utah.  I also like to brew (and drink) my own beer and cook outdoors.

Instructor Spotlight

Katie Morris

Originally from the small town of Utica, NE, Katie Morris grew up in a musical home. Her mother played piano and encouraged singing around the house, and even influenced Katie’s decision to play the flute. (She wanted to play the French horn instead!) From a young age, Katie has come to value music education for its ability to teach the importance of hard work and other life skills. “To help students realize what they can accomplish in music and life is what makes teaching worth it,” she says.

Before the move to Lincoln and coming to Harris Academy of the Arts, Katie completed a degree in music education from Doane College in Crete, NE and then taught K-12 vocal music for Plainview Public Schools. Now, she has a long line of teaching duties at Harris: voice, flute, piano, Kindermusik, Treble Maker Show Choir, and Children’s Music Academy.

When she isn’t teaching, Katie loves to spend as much time as she can with her husband and family. Her love and ability for cultivating relationships flows into the lesson room where she strives to build close connections with her students. Seeing her students accomplish their goals in lessons is one of the best parts of her job. “It makes my heart happy to see all my students succeed.”

Read Katie's Bio >>

More About Katie:

How long have you played your instrument?
I have played piano and sang since I can remember. I began playing flute in 5th grade so 12 years?

How did you get started playing your instrument?
My mom is a piano player and was always making me sing around the house and for home videos.
She played the flute also and encouraged me to play it even though I had already planned on playing the French horn! She played flute songs all over the house and eventually I gave in. I am very glad. 

What is a little known fact about you? 
I had braces from 3rd grade until I was a junior in high school. I learned to play the flute with braces on and had to relearn quite a bit once I got them off!

What is your favorite kind of music?
I like any music that is going to make me feel something! A good beat, thoughtful lyrics, emotional instruments –anything like that.

What is your favorite food?
Mashed potatoes and peanut butter… but not together!

Do you have a fun or inspiring story to share about teaching lessons?
I just love it when a student understands something they have been working so hard to obtain! [Something like] a hard rhythm or a vocal technique. It makes my heart happy to see all my students succeed. I had a student last year who didn’t really know she could sing. By the end of the year she sang a solo at our final concert. To help students realize what they can accomplish in music and life is what makes teaching worth it.

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories?
At my junior recital in college I was so nervous I skipped a whole verse of one of my songs! My accompanist just stayed right with me, though, and no one knew! He is the best and we worked together enough that he knew what to do. Everyone one makes mistakes and I felt awful after it happened, but when I realized that no one noticed and that my partner and I still got a standing ovation at the end… I realized a little mistake does not mean the end of the world.

Katie with husband, Scott

November Pets of the Month

Meet Sapphire (left photo), Cloudy (right photo, left) and Snowstorm (right photo, right). They belong to piano student Nate Pribil and family.

Nate’s mom, Jennifer, shares:

Cloudy is our boy and quite the handful.  He has made it up to our ceilings with his agility jumping from the floor to counter, to microwave, to ledge and all the way back down again.  Snowstorm is a girl and laid back, only watching her brother get into mischief.  They both turned one on October 4th and give Sapphire, our girl husky, trouble as soon as she walks in the door.  Sapphire is anxiously waiting for that first snow again so she can bury her head and roll around with the kids.

Do you have a furry friend?
Now accepting submissions for the
December Pet of the Month! 
Send your entries to: info@harrisacademyofthearts.com