Private Lessons

Dr. Rachel Kaplan is a freelance flutist in Austin, Texas, where she performs with Austin Flute Project and Cedar Park Winds. She has performed with the Waco Symphony Orchestra, Round Rock Symphony, Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra, Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, Tucson Chamber Orchestra, Art.if.Act Dance Project, Tucson Masterworks Chorale Orchestra, Arizona Symphony Orchestra, Ratio H Wind Quintet, Pasticcio Chamber Players and the Ludovico Ensemble. She has also performed alongside renowned jazz flutist Paul Horn and has appeared as a guest artist at Delta State University. In addition, Dr. Kaplan has performed at several National Flute Association Conventions. Her performance travels have taken her to the Bahamas as a guest of the Bahamian National Youth Choir and to England to work with Clare Southworth, Helen Brew and Michael Cox. She has performed for Susan Milan, Walfrid Kujala, Mimi Stillman, Nan Raphael, Alexa Still, Bradley Garner, Jan Gippo, Kathleen Chastain, Leone Buyse, and the McCormick Duo. For two years, she held the position of librarian for the National Flute Association, maintaining the music collection of more than 15,000 works kept at the University of Arizona. In this capacity, she presented at the annual convention in New York City. Dr. Kaplan served as President of the Austin Flute Society from 2016-2019. As President, she
organized the annual Flute Festival, bringing in internationally renowned Guest Artists including Conor Nelson, Nestor Torres and Jim Walker. She also helped develop a Collegiate Division of the AFS Young Artist Competition and a Youth Flute Choir for students in the Austin area. She has adjudicated for the Texas Flute Society’s Donna Marie Haire competition, the Austin Flute Society Young Artist Competition, the TMEA Region and Area Auditions, the Floot Fire Virtual Soloist Competition, the Arizona All-State Festival and the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra. In addition to her private studio, she is a faculty member of Floot Fire, teaching summer workshops as well as TMEA All-State Masterclasses. Dr. Kaplan has presented her research at the Hawaii International Conference for Arts and Humanities. She holds degrees from the University of Arizona (DMA), the Boston Conservatory (MM) and the University of Miami (BM). She has studied with Helen Blackburn, Geralyn Coticone, Brian Luce, Christine Nield-Capote and Claire Johnson.

Elizabeth Spicer graduated magna cum laude from Texas State University with a degree in music education. She started her career as a middle school band director in Leander ISD. From here she went on to teach private lessons full time for six years in Pflugerville ISD. Throughout the past 18 years and present time she has been a full time private flute lesson teacher for multiple middle and high schools in Leander ISD. Elizabeth currently plays with the Cedar Park Winds and has been a member since 2009. In her free time she enjoys mountain biking, reading and watching her own two children play in the high school band.

Tricia Moore graduated from Texas State in 1996 with a degree in all-level Music Education. She has taught elementary music for the past twenty-six years. Music has been a long life passion since she started playing the piano at the age of six. She has continued to teach private clarinet and piano lessons over the past twenty-seven years at the end of the school day. Tricia just finished a Master’s in Education in May of 2022. She has the experience to work with all students and meet their individual needs. Tricia’s son Joshua is a Junior attending The University Of Texas in Austin. Her daughter Leah graduated from Vista Ridge in May and was in the Vista Ridge Band all four years of high school. Tricia has a special place in her heart for the Ranger Band and loves teaching the students at Vista! She has seen the benefits of Private Lessons in her children from ages three to eighteen. Private lessons can give students the opportunity to grow, be independent, and gain confidence to achieve their goals. In her free time, she plays her clarinet in the community band, “Band of the Hills”, in Cedar Park. She also enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and her two golden retrievers. Cadence and Coda are working hard to become therapy dogs.

Ben Kessler is an active saxophonist and music educator in Austin, Texas. He regularly plays with the Vintage 15 Big Band and is a founding member of the Austin Saxophone Ensemble, where he also serves as the group’s Financial Director. Ben has also performed with the San Antonio Symphony, San Antonio Philharmonic, Austin Symphony, and Round Top Festival Orchestras. As a recording artist, Ben can be heard on albums on the Naxos, University Records, Austin Saxophone, and Hollywood Records labels.

Ben is passionate about music and saxophone education. He maintains a large private studio in Austin, TX, regularly presenting master classes, coaching student chamber ensembles, and teaching the ASEYouth summer camp. Previously, he was Lecturer of Saxophone at Texas A&M University- Kingsville. As an avid proponent of contemporary chamber and large ensemble music, Ben has commissioned, premiered, and recorded new works by Dan Welcher, Donald Grantham, Cater Pann, John Makey, Kevin Puts, Steve Bryant, John Mills, Jack Wilds, Chris Ozley, Michael Mikulka, and David Adams. Ben can also be seen and heard in the 2009 film Bandslam and on the motion picture soundtrack.

Billy McPhail is a versatile saxophonist who has performed with many distinguished ensembles, including the San Antonio Symphony, Austin Symphony, Nash Hernandez Orchestra, and the University of Texas and Victoria College Wind Ensembles. An active chamber musician, he is a member of The ELISION Quartet, and founding member of both Austin Saxophone Ensemble and BAMF quartet. Billy can be heard on ELISION’s debut recording and ASE’s album “Plunge.”

Billy has arranged and published many works for saxophone solo and ensembles, some available on Musepub. He has served as an instructor for Temple College and maintains a distinguished studio of private students. Billy frequently leads master classes and adjudicates for schools across Texas.

Dr. Amy Burgus is a native of Iowa. Dr. Burgus is the principal oboist of the Central Texas Philharmonic and second oboist of the Victoria Symphony and Brazos Valley Symphony. She has also performed with the Austin Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony, Temple Symphony, Kingsville Symphony, and other Central Texas groups. While in Iowa, she performed with the Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Quad City, Southeast Iowa, Oskaloosa, and Ottumwa Symphonies. Dr. Burgus has been a concerto soloist with the Round Rock Symphony, Brazos Valley Symphony, Balcones Symphony, and the Luther College Wind Ensemble. Besides performing in the orchestral setting, Dr. Burgus enjoys chamber music. She performed with her woodwind ensemble Passeri at the 2016 National Flute Association Convention in San Diego.

Dr. Burgus currently maintains a studio of over 50 oboists in the greater Austin area. Her students consistently rank well in District, Region, Area, and State auditions, and many receive the high distinction of achieving a position in the TMEA All-State Orchestras and Bands. She presented a lecture at the 2010 Louisiana Music Educators Conference regarding the development of middle school oboists.

An active participant in the oboe community, Dr. Burgus was a key coordinator of the 2005 International Double Reed Society convention held in Austin, Texas. Over 1000 participants from around the globe joined together for a successful week of concerts, classes, discussions, and lectures covering all double reed instruments. She later performed at the 2010 International Double Reed Society conference in Norman, Oklahoma.

Dr. Burgus is currently the adjunct instructor of oboe at Concordia University in Austin, Texas, and has previously served on the faculties of Texas A&M – Kingsville and Grinnell College. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Luther College with majors in oboe performance, business management, and music management. She also received a minor in communications, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa, where she studied with Mark Weiger, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin under the tutelage of Rebecca Henderson.

Eileen Kane is a horn player and music educator currently residing in Austin,Texas. Ms. Kane has cultivated a strong, extensive horn studio of roughly 60 students, from the Round Rock, Lake Travis, and Leander Independent School Districts. Over the past eleven years, Ms. Kane has taught private horn lessons to a wide variety of students ranging from the beginner to collegiate level in the states of Texas, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Students from Ms. Kane’s horn studio have experienced success at regional, state, and national levels.

Ms. Kane is very dedicated and invested in her role as a music educator. She teaches horn with the goal of fostering a sense of curiosity, discipline, patience, persistence, and teamwork that can not only be applied in a musical setting, but also to other facets of life. Private lessons are meant to empower students with new strategies and individualized goals that can propel their learning and understanding of the horn and music as a whole. Ms. Kane believes that with proper guidance and efficient practicing habits, the horn can be an accessible medium of artistic expression for anyone, regardless of age, skill, background, etc.; and she is grateful to have the opportunity to help so many students find enjoyment and success through horn playing.

She earned a master’s degree in Horn Performance at the University of Akron, studying horn under Dr. Margaret Tung and Professor Lisa Fink. As a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Akron, Ms. Kane taught horn lessons, coached chamber ensembles, taught music history classes, directed horn choir rehearsals and studio classes, and managed marketing and recruitment. Additionally, Ms. Kane holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and a minor in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she studied horn with Dr. Heidi Lucas and Dr. Jack Scandrett.

Ms. Kane is a huge advocate of providing valuable chamber music experiences for horn players of all ages. While mentoring high schoolers as a full-time Residence Hall Coordinator at the internationally-renowned Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan during the 2016-2017 school year, Ms. Kane also taught a Horn Choir class as part of the Interlochen Intermester Series.  Also, she has directed numerous horn choirs in Texas, created an annual “Horn Day” in RRISD, and directed the winning horn quartet of the 2022 International Horn Society Youth Day Pre-University Horn Quartet Competition. Additionally, Ms. Kane enjoys being on faculty for the Austin Horn Camp, which is a summer camp that provides a creative outlet and invaluable learning experiences for middle and high school horn players in the area.

In her free time, Ms. Kane enjoys performing on horn in numerous ensembles. This includes performing in recitals with her faculty woodwind quintet Q360, subbing with the Austin Brass Collective during their inaugural season, and freelancing in several other local ensembles and educational outreach initiatives. Ms. Kane also had the honor of performing as a finalist in the 2015 MTNA Solo Competition, as the brass representative for Pennsylvania.

Billy Gayman, trombone/bass trombone, is currently the bass trombonist with the Central Texas Phiharmonic Orchestra, and Professor of Low Brass at Austin Community College.  He is a founding member of the Austin City Brass ensemble and is founder and director of the Austin Trombone Camp.  He has been a freelance performer and educator in the Austin Area since 1998.  He and his family reside in Round Rock.

Prior to moving to Austin, Billy attended the University of Texas at Arlington.  While at UTA, Billy served as a member of the UTA Trombone Choir, winners of the 1995 International Trombone Association’s Remington competition.  This award is presented annually to the top collegiate trombone choir, worldwide.  In 1998 he graduated with a BM degree in Music Theory and Composition.

After graduation from UTA, Billy moved to Austin to work as a teaching assistant at the University of Texas at Austin.  While at UT, he earned his MM in performance in 2000, and DMA in 2004.  During his time as the trombone studio teaching assistant, he founded the UT Jazz Bones, leading them to winning the 2001 International trombone association’s Kai Winding Award.  This award is presented each year to the top collegiate jazz trombone ensemble, worldwide.  In 2002, He was a member of the UT trombone choir, winners of the International Trombone Association’s Remington award.

As a tenor and bass trombonist, Dr. Gayman is an in-demand performer and teacher in the Central Texas Area.  He has performed with musicians across the United States, Europe, and South America.  As a teacher, many of his students have earned acceptance into top music schools, festivals and perform professionally, across the country.

Ryan Murray is a trombonist and music educator based in Austin, Texas, and is also the Second Trombonist of the Boise Philharmonic in Boise, Idaho. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, with Dr. Nathaniel Brickens. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, Ryan studied at Yale University, with Professor Scott Hartman. Ryan enjoys playing and teaching all kinds of music, for and with people of all ages. When he is not traveling to perform or teaching, Ryan enjoys playing disc golf, running, hiking, and any other outdoor activity.

Brett Blackstone graduated with honors from Texas Tech University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. During his time at TTU he studied privately with Dr. Kevin Wass on euphonium and James Decker on trombone. Additionally, Mr. Blackstone studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with world-renowned euphonium soloist David Childs.

As a performer, Brett Blackstone has competed in multiple national and international euphonium competitions including the Falcone Festival, the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference Competition, and the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition. He also performed as a soloist with the Texas Tech Symphonic Wind Ensemble after winning the Texas Tech concerto competition in 2010. He has served as both the solo trombone and solo euphonium of the Austin Brass Band, played with the Cedar Park Winds, and he is an original member of the Austin Brass Collective.

Mr. Blackstone loves teaching and maintains a studio of approximately 75 private euphonium students. In the past ten years, he has served on the private lesson faculty of at least fifteen different schools in the greater Austin area and has given lessons to more than 400 individual students. His students have been very successful in the TMEA audition process with students consistently earning spots in the 6A All-State bands. Blackstone’s students have also won several international solo competitions including both the Falcone Festival and International Tuba Euphonium Conference. Blackstone is also the co-director of Teupha Camp, one of the largest tuba/euphonium camps in the country.

Mr. Blackstone currently resides in Georgetown, Texas with his wife Amanda.

David Hummel was not born in Texas, but got here as fast as he could! After finishing his undergraduate degrees in Music Performance and Education from Texas Tech University in 2009 he completed his Master’s degree in Bloomington, Indiana at Indiana University, studying tuba performance. He has since been teaching low brass privately in the Round Rock, Leander, Georgetown and Austin Independent School Districts. He also is the co-founder of the summer tuba and euphonium camp Teupha Camp. During his time at Texas Tech, he was the principal tubist with the Amarillo Symphony for two years as well as a substitute with the Big Spring Symphony Orchestra. He has competed in several regional and international competitions, most recently being in the semi-final round of the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference’s Tuba-Euphonium Quartet Competition and the final round of the Mock Band Audition. He has been lucky enough to study with such notable teachers as Dan Perantoni and Kevin Wass. David is the principal tuba for the Round Rock Symphony and a tuba player in the Austin Brass Collective.