Musicologie Dublin

As a kid, Matt Murphy couldn't stop tapping rhythmically on desks, chairs, tables, and sisters. He spent countless hours at the piano plunking out movie scores, pop songs, and video game themes until his mother decided that maybe music lessons would be a better outlet. After attending Denver University for jazz performance, he has since turned that annoying habit into a profession.

He has toured the U.S and Canada leading bands on drums, piano and even beatboxing, playing in styles ranging from jazz, latin, rock, and even a video game cover band. With an infectious enthusiasm for music education he brings a broader and practical approach to piano and percussion.

His influences include Ben Folds, Shel Silverstein, Picasso, Mr. Rogers, Jack DeJohnette, Miles Davis, and every music teacher he ever had. A native of Colorado and brand new to Columbus, with his 15+ years of teaching experience he is eager to invigorate children's lives with music!

Megan Rainey is a pianist and singer from Ashville, Ohio. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a BM in Piano Performance, and later from James Madison University with an MM in Piano Performance. During her time in school, Megan studied both piano and voice while working as a professional accompanist, vocal coach and classroom piano teacher. She also competed frequently on the university level as a solo pianist in the central Ohio and Shenandoah Valley areas, and has performed with chamber ensembles in Luxembourg and Germany.

Megan’s goal as a teacher is to help create musicians who are passionate and well-rounded. With an equal focus on ear training, theory, injury-preventive technique and improvisation, she aims to introduce her students to a variety of styles and help them find music that speaks to them personally. She has years of experience teaching musicians of all levels, from beginners (both children and adults) to seasoned professionals.

In addition to teaching, Megan is the assistant director and accompanist for the oldest German singing society in North America, the Columbus Maennerchor. She also appears frequently in Columbus venues with her cabaret rock band, Backwards Blackbirds, as well as her family's retro folk rock group, The Raineys.

Joe graduated in 2008 from the Capital University Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance. During his college career Joe studied music performance, and pedagogy with Dr. Gail Lehto Zugger, Dr. Michael Cox, and Dr. Lisa Jelle. Though his studies focused primarily on the clarinet, they also included saxophone, woodwind methods, music theory, composition, and voice.

In 2012 he had the opportunity to serve as a producer on the album Insteption for the Dick and Jane Project, a Columbus based non-profit which empowers students through songwriting. Joe worked directly with young people to transform their lyrics into professionally recorded songs.

He has over 10 years of experience teaching students of all ages and ability levels, and is excited to teach through Musicologie!

Dr. Szu-Yu Chu, is an internationally active interpreter of classical vocal performing art. As a life long lover of music, she started her classical music studies with piano at only four years old, which was proceeded by her attendance to music specialty schools during her high school career in Taiwan. After high school, she achieved her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts and Master’s of Music from Taipei National University of the Arts. She then went on to finish her doctorate degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University at age of twenty-nine. As an international traveler, Dr. Chu has visited different cultures. These different cultures have influenced her musical style and can be seen in her concerts, recitals and awards throughout her musical career. Over the last ten years she has become fully experienced in giving music lessons and has worked with students from age 5 to adults. In addition, Dr. Chu became a member of the United State Army Reserve Command Band in 2015, as a keyboard player, and has been serving since then.

Joshua Hill hails from the proverbial 'one stoplight' town in the Southeastern Ohio village known as Lewisville-population 176. Joshua started playing guitar at age 13 and was immediately enamored with the sounds of Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Stevie Ray Vaughan and particularly anything that was injected with the blues tradition laid down by masters such as B.B. King, Robert Johnson and Albert King. At the same time studying classical guitar from a teacher over an hour away in St. Clairsville, Josh became versed in the music of Fernando Sor, Francisco Terrega and Andres Segovia.

In 2001 Joshua was awarded the first guitar performance scholarship at West Virginia University. This was his first encounter of bebop and modern jazz stylings and would ultimately be a life changing experience that led to the attendance of the Ohio State University in 2003. There Joshua was awarded two performance scholarships, and met many of the musicians he currently plays with in and around the Columbus, Ohio area.

Joshua Hill plays with several bands and artists in Columbus, Ohio including the guitar trio Birdshack, cover band Popgun, Miles Davis tribute band Sanctuary, B-3 organist Tony Monaco, R&B band Hoodoo Soul Band, and Brooklyn-based jazz group Huntertones.

Kristen Elliott is a violinist, teacher, composer, and local businesswoman from Columbus, OH. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a double Bachelor of Arts in Music and Psychology, and is a recent MBA graduate from Capital University.

Raised in Dublin, Ohio, Kristen has been playing violin since the age of five. Growing up, she participated in multiple local music-based organizations, including Chamber Music Connection and the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras.

Since graduating from college, Kristen has spent her time outside of her full-time profession as an IT business consultant performing as a classical, folk, rock, pop, and looper violinist. She has also performed with multiple local musical groups around Columbus, including her personal band, Elliott Collective, and her other primary group, Clemens and Co. She composed and released her first full length album in September 2018 (self-titled "Elliott Collective"), as well as a live classical composition in the fall of 2017 (titled "Cosmic Thoughts"). Kristen has also recorded professional studio strings for several musicians and groups in Columbus.

Kristen's mission as a violin teacher at Musicologie is to provide a fun, engaging environment in which her students can explore their passion for music on the violin. Her teaching combines the essentials of a solid musical education with an equal focus on the student's unique interests and goals.

Cassondra Kahr is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Throughout her musical career, Cassondra has appeared in a wide collection of theatrical productions as well as a variety of vocal projects. In addition to solo work, Cassondra spent a large amount of her time in college performing with ensembles such as The Ohio State University Chorale, Symphonic Choir, and Women’s Glee Club. Though having extensive studies in classical singing, she has experience in many other areas of music such as musical theater, jazz, and pop!

Elizabeth Graiser is a graduate of The College of Charleston with a BA in violin performance. 

Elizabeth has studied under Grammy Award-winning conductor and violinist Maestro Luiz Haza of the National Symphony Orchestra and Jorge Peña of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Elizabeth also studied at The Brevard Music Center (NC) and The Cannon Music Camp (NC) receiving merit scholarships from both organizations.

When Elizabeth was a freshman in high school she began teaching violin through an outreach program for underserved children in her community. Born into a family of educators, teaching came naturally and she has seven years of experience teaching violin.. She continues to share her passion and knowledge of the violin along with basic piano and music theory.

While at The College, Elizabeth studied with Yuiry Bekker, concertmaster of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. She has also studied with Lee Chin Siow, one of Singapore’s first violin soloists on the international classical stage. In 2015, she made her debut performance at the Charleston Piccolo Spoleto Festival and performed as a soloist at the 2017 Piccolo Spoleto Festival. In 2018, Elizabeth was accepted on scholarship into the Charleston Chamber Music Intensive under the teachings of Miles Hoffman (American Chamber Players)

Elizabeth is the Artistic Operations Associate at the Columbus Symphony (OH). She continues to perform with Central Ohio orchestras including Greater Columbus Community Orchestra, Hilliard Bach Ensemble, and the New Albany Symphony Orchestra.

Jeanmarie Strawbridge is a pianist and teacher in Columbus, Ohio. She has earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as two Masters degrees in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy, both from The Ohio State University.

During her time at Ohio State, Jeanmarie held a full-time associateship, teaching undergraduate group piano classes, for which she was given the Outstanding Graduate Associate Award. Jeanmarie also was a winner of the Ohio State Concerto Competition and performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the university symphony. Additionally, she has presented lecture recitals on teaching and performing topics at state conferences and is involved in Music Teachers National Association and Ohio Music Teachers Association events. She is also a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers and has had her students participate in the annual Guild Auditions. With over 10 years of teaching experience, Jeanmarie hopes to foster a love for music, superior technique, a high musical aptitude, and a sense of achievement in each of her students.

Beyond her teaching, Jeanmarie has served as a pianist for the Columbus Ballet (BalletMet) and has worked with members of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, as well as Opera Columbus.

Johnathan Pearce grew up in Fayetteville, GA and began playing the trumpet at age 10. With a desire to professionally pursue his instrument, he attained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2011 and his Master of Music from The Ohio State University in 2015, both in trumpet performance. While at OSU, he had a Graduate Teaching Associateship in the Brass Techniques class while performing in various ensembles. Johnathan’s twenty years of playing experience informs his teaching and philosophy that music, first and foremost, should be an enjoyable experience. His mission is to instill that in his students and help them achieve their own musical goals.

Patrick is a singer, pianist, actor, dancer, songwriter from Gahanna, Ohio. He graduated from Otterbein University in 2012 with a BFA in Musical Theatre and lived in NYC for 3 years shortly after. Back in Columbus he is heavily involved in the professional theatre scene having performed in recent productions with Columbus Children's Theatre, Short North Stage and Imagine. He is also a working accompanist.

Patrick has taught private lessons for several years and thrives on the philosophy that the learning process is ongoing. He absolutely loves watching performers both young and old enrich their lives with music. As one of Brian Cheney's former students, Patrick believes that singing is easy and we all have the ability to tap into our own unique instruments. As a Suzuki method beginner to frequent Guild competitor, Patrick also understands the practicality and importance of honing one's skills on the 88 keys.

Patrick also writes, records, and performs his own music and loves attending open mic nights around the city.