Fine Arts

Music Conservatory

The St. Cecilia Academy Conservatory of Music continues a long tradition of excellence in music under the patronage of Saint Cecilia herself, the patroness of music. Our Conservatory of Music studios are open to elementary and high school students from across the Dominican campus and surrounding areas. Our commitment to all students and families is to provide excellent training by highly competent musicians and instructors who have studied and performed with their own instruments for decades! In addition, each teacher has pursued continuing education in the best pedagogical practices worldwide and across the centuries.

The practice of music adds joy to life. Many formal studies have shown that the study of music engages the whole brain and body while building individual confidence, personal discipline, and patience.

At SCA, we believe that we were born to make music! Psalm 98: 1-7 (excerpts) “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things… Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn.” Though we do not at this time have any ram’s horn instructors, we as faculty, make the following commitments:

To provide a joyful experience in the learning process
To foster mutual respect between teachers and students
To continue our own adult learning and become ever more proficient and effective teachers

All styles—Classical, Pop, Broadway, Jazz, Liturgical, and more—will be taught in the Conservatory, with the permission of each instructor and in keeping with good pedagogical practice for each student regarding age and personal progress.

All Instruction (with the exception of Suzuki violin)
30 minutes x 15 weeks = $610

45 minutes x 15 weeks = $837

60 minutes group lessons x 15 weeks = $503 (non-violin)

Private violin instruction, without group, is available by prior permission of instructors only at the rates listed above.
60 minutes private violin = $1095

Suzuki Violin Instruction: (Levels determined by instructor)

Beginner - 30 minutes/30-minute group x 15 weeks = $716

Intermediate - 45 minutes/45-minute group x 15 weeks = $788

Advanced - 45 minutes/60-minute group x 15 weeks = $929

The 15th week concludes with a studio performance show.

Lessons are not refundable. All students must inform their coaches and club directors of their commitments immediately. For a very limited range of issues, we will try to accommodate families (such as incremental athletic tournaments that could not be forecast in advance or serious personal illness with a doctor's note.)

If school is canceled, we will work with students to reschedule lessons.

Contacts

Student Registration

You will be contacted to set up a lesson time, and once agreed upon, you will then be sent the link to pay. Registration is not complete until payment has been received. If payment is not received within two weeks, your lesson time will be given to someone else.

* Please complete this form for each child taking music lessons.
* Returning students will have priority to schedule to continue studying with the same teacher.
* Please read the forms below:
Media Release
Medical Release
Handbook

*Student First Name

*Student Last Name

*Student's Current School

*Parent First Name

*Parent Last Name

*Parent Email

*Parent Phone Number

Student status

New Conservatory student

Student status

Returning Conservatory student

If returning student, please list instructor's name:

Please check all that apply.

*I would like to schedule:

Piano lessons are full. If you have questions please email srelise@stcecilia.edu

I have read and agree to the Medical Release, listed on the Event Detail Page

I have read and agree to the Media Release, listed on the Event Detail Page

I have read and agree to the Handbook, listed on the Event Detail Page

Instructors

Elizabeth Browne

Elizabeth Browne has studied and performed with some of the finest musicians in the world, under the auspices of prominent arts organizations, such as the Aspen Music Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific. Browne’s teachers include Andrés Díaz, Jean Michel Fonteneau, Michael Reynolds, Stephen Geber, Katinka Kleijn, William Grubb, Cassell Grubb, Peter Sukonik, and Jean Dexter, who introduced a three-year-old Elizabeth to the cello. Browne plays as principal cellist of the Tennessee Philharmonic, as a member of the Nashville Music Scoring Orchestra, and as a substitute with the Nashville Symphony. In the popular music realm, she can be heard on the recordings of Evanescence and Zac Brown Band, as well as several video game, movie, and TV soundtracks, ranging from Call of Duty: WW2 to My Little Pony: The Movie. In addition, Browne is a past winner of the instrumental grand prize at the Christian Artists National Talent Competition. She obtained her Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and her Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance and voice performance from Boston University, where she graduated summa cum laude.
Marcina Clark

Marcina Clark – Group Voice (Grades 2—3), Group Voice (Grades 4-5), Private Voice (Grades 6 – 8), Piano An Indiana native, Ms. Clark has lived in Nashville for more than 30 years. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Belmont University, with a major in Piano Pedagogy and a minor in voice. She has been an accompanist for the children’s choirs of the W. O Smith Nashville Community Music School and Blair School of Music, as well as for local Chorister’s Guild Festivals. For the past 15+ years, she has served as Coordinator of Music at St. Ann Catholic Church, where she leads an adult choir and is a paid soloist. Prior to teaching at Overbrook Catholic School, Ms. Clark taught PK-8 Music & Guitar Lab and directed both an elementary and middle school choir at St. Ann Catholic School. She has sung with the Nashville Symphony Chorus, The Chapel Sessions Singers, where she also served as accompanist, and the Charles Heimmerman Chorale. As the choral director and general music teacher at Overbrook School, Ms. Clark brings years of liturgical, choral, vocal, Kindermusik and Orff experience to the SCA Music Lessons Program. Ms. Clark came to Overbrook School in 2017. She teaches music to PK3-8th grades and is music director for the school musical, the hand bell ensembles and other various musical programs.
Antonia Ferguson

Mrs. Antonia Ferguson—Private Violin (K-12), Group violin, Recording Studio Techniques, Toni Ferguson is a professional violinist with over 35 years of teaching and performing experience. She is the co-founder of the Suzuki Center of Nashville, on the faculty of the Overbrook School and the director of the St. Cecilia Academy Chamber Ensemble. She has been recognized and received twice, the Tennessee Governor’s School Outstanding Teacher Award. In addition to teaching, Mrs. Ferguson has performed in Washington, D.C. at The Kennedy Center and currently performs with regional orchestral groups, professional theatrical productions, private events, weddings, wedding receptions and charitable fundraisers. Mrs. Ferguson attended the University of South Carolina (BME 1980) and was awarded the Maria Monkton Scholarship for Music Education. She has also continued her violin teacher training through the American Suzuki Institute at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. Mrs. Ferguson and her husband Jim, have one daughter who is an accomplished violinist!
Debbie Lowry

Mrs. Debbie Lowry—Beginning to Intermediate Piano A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Debbie Lowry has maintained a career as a piano teacher/accompanist for over forty years. She currently is in her fourteenth year with Overbrook, St. Cecilia, and surrounding schools. She formerly taught at Jan Williams Music Studios and Shuff Music, and she operated a full private studio for students of all ages and ability levels. Mrs. Lowry is passionate about fostering music education and making it accessible and fun for all age groups, and she has attended and participated in many different piano pedagogy workshops focusing on these ideals. As an accompanist, Mrs. Lowry specializes in the Suzuki repertoire; she has been staff accompanist in the Blair School of School of Music Suzuki Department for over thirty years, and she frequently accompanies students from several area Suzuki studios as well as the Middle Tennessee Suzuki Association. Mrs. Lowry holds a Bachelor of Science in piano from David Lipscomb University, where she studied with Frances Crutcher. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Tim; their two sons have gone on to become successful professional musicians, violist and composer Christopher Lowry, and violinist Nathan Lowry.
Dawn Seidenschwarz

Mrs. Dawn Seidenschwarz—Beginning HS Piano, Organ Dawn Seidenschwarz is Organist/Choir Director for the traditional service at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Choir Organist at the Cathedral of the Incarnation and Assistant Choral Director/Accompanist at Saint Cecilia Academy. Her organist experience began as teenager in her hometown of Stuttgart, Arkansas, and she has since that time had opportunities to accompany worship and choirs in churches of many denominations and locations including Tokyo, Venice, Quebec, San Francisco, Little Rock, and for the last 30 years in Nashville. She taught piano for several years both in her hometown and at St. Cecilia Academy. Ms. Seidenschwarz earned a Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from Middle Tennessee State University where she studied with Dr. Polly Brecht. She holds the Service Playing and Colleague certificates from the American Guild of Organists. She is a long-time member of the Nashville Chapter of AGO and has served as secretary and on the executive committee. Most notably, she is the beloved choir accompanist for St. Cecilia Academy!
Alan Suska

Alan Suska— Private and Group Brass, Percussion and woodwind (flute, clarinet, saxophone) Alan Suska was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1980, having received an undergraduate degree in Music Education and a Masters in trumpet performance from Duquesne University, he moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music. Beginning his Nashville career at Opryland, Alan has continued an extensive career as a freelance musician and teacher. Currently, Alan is principal trumpet with the Murfreesboro Symphony and the Nashville Praise Symphony along with being the first call trumpet player for several contractors in the area. As an educator, Alan has been fortunate to have taught as an adjunct professor at Tennessee Tech University, Cumberland University, Lipscomb University, Middle Tennessee State University, University of the South, Welch College, and the Blair School of Music. Recently, Alan was the Director of Instrumental Music at Pope John Paul II High School. Additionally, Mr. Suska also travels extensively serving the Lord on musical mission trips and sharing the Gospel. Currently, he is the Band Director at Overbrook School.
Deidre Fominaya Bacco

Deidre Fominaya Bacco, Private Violin, joined the Nashville Symphony in 1982. During the 32 years with the Nashville Symphony, she recorded 26 CD's, 15 Grammy nominations and 7 Grammy wins. She holds a Music Performance degree from Bowling Green State University (Ohio), and studied with Dr. Eloy Fominaya (her father), Myron Kartman, Paul Makara, and Camilla Wicks. Prior to moving to Nashville, she played with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham String Quartet, Concertmaster of the Hidden Valley Opera Company in Carmel, California, the San Jose Symphony, Monterey Symphony, the San Rafael Symphony and the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico in Toluca, Mexico. She is a founding member of the Suzuki Center of Nashville, a member of the lessons faculty at St. Cecilia Academy, Overbrook School, and the W.O. Smith School, as well as assisted with Early Suzuki Childhood Education classes in East Nashville and Franklin, TN.
John Pennell

Mr. John Pennell—Private/Group Guitar, Group Ukelele John Pennell has been a member of the Overbrook/St. Cecilia lessons faculty since the Fall Semester of 2014 teaching Guitar, his primary instrument. John has a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University(1979 Magna Cum Laude) in theory/composition with a minor concentration in Classical Guitar. In 1980, Mr. Pennell was accepted into the Master of Music program at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he received a diploma in Musical Composition and Theory. During his tenure at the U of I, John picked up the Double bass as a secondary instrument to guitar and has become proficient in performing the instrument in various ensembles and genres since. In November of 2020, John received an Emmy Award for his song ‘Backroads’, (co-written w/ Graham Edwards) as part of a PBS documentary ‘Illinois Country’ , which began airing in March of 2020. Mr. Pennell also performs with his wife Julie Pennell (Julie and John Pennell) and they have released two albums worth of mostly original material. John was born in rural, east central Illinois, about two hours south of Chicago. He has lived in Nashville, TN since 1996 where he has pursued a career in songwriting. John was the original bass player in Union Station with Alison Krauss.
Graduate of Ball State University(1978), Opryland theme park shows(1978-96), Woodwind doubler (clarinet, flute/piccolo,saxophone,recorders, oboe), Performed in pit orchestra for over 100 professional musicals at TPAC and other locations, 200+ performances with Nashville Symphony (pops and classical) on saxophone and clarinet, TV and recording sessions, Nashville Jazz Machine, Nashville Jazz Orchestra, Chamber music and free-lance orchestra performances, 100’s of wedding ceremonies/classical and receptions/jazz&pop, Adjunct faculty- Tennessee State U, Austin Peay St U, MTSU, Taught over 300 private students (gr 5-12)
Shelley Schneider

Shelley Schneider, a native Texan and Baylor graduate of vocal performance, recently moved to Nashville to live closer to her parents. While in Texas, she taught private voice lessons in several colleges in Ft Worth, Houston and Austin. In addition to teaching, Ms. Schneider has also music directed and conducted several musicals. In 2010, Ms. Schneider studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Her performing career is diverse and includes Shakespeare plays, musicals, operas and cabaret shows. She has performed across Texas with Houston Grand Opera’s educational outreach program. Some favorite performances include Amy in Company by Sondheim and Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti by Bernstein. Recently she performed with a chorus accompanying Andrea Bocelli at Bridgestone Arena. Currently, Ms. Schneider is a professor in the voice department at Belmont University and Lipscomb University.