Musicologie Grandview

Joseph co-founded Musicologie with his wife Kay after years of playing, recording and touring in their band Bella Ruse. He graduated from Hope College in 2008 and studied everything from audio engineering to philosophy. He has been playing drums and guitar since he was 8, studying piano and theory since he was 5 and teaching since college. He has composed music for Showtime, MTV, Bulgari, Anthropologie, Amazon and the Vancouver Film School, scored two films, written and produced songs on seventeen (and counting) albums for many different artists, composed the music and lyrics for a full length musical and written scores (no pun intended) of songs for other theatre productions.

In addition to running Musicologie, Joseph operates Musicologie’s scholarship project, The Musicologie Fund, and collaborates with schools around Columbus like ACPA and The Graham School to help kids learn about recording. He continues to compose and produce music for his production company BLASTY BLAST.

Devin Copfer is a music teacher, performer, and arts entrepreneur based in Columbus, OH. Beginning her fifth year teaching in Columbus, she is excited to be at Musicologie and growing her violin and viola studios. Devin has studied with Dr. Kia-Hui Tan, Leonid Polonsky, Mark Rudoff at The Ohio State University and Liesl Langmack at the Sato Center for Suzuki Studies in Cleveland.

In addition to being a solo performer, Devin has extensive experience performing chamber music. She was a founding member of the Scarlatto Quartet which has recorded with artists such as the Dan White Sextet and Collective Reaction. Devin was the recipient of the Brahms award, a scholarship she won through her performance of the Brahm’s Horn Trio. As a member of the Ohio State Symphony Orchestra, she was the recipient of the Damrosch Scholarship and also held a principal position for three seasons. She is now a section member of the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra and McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra. Devin has recorded three albums and continues work as a violinist, pianist, and vocalist with Oliver Oak, an indie- folk band and brainchild of Kyle Tucker, and is performing in their upcoming national fall tour. She has also performed with artists such as The Speedbumps (Cleveland) and The Cordial Sins (Columbus).

During her years at OSU, Devin studied music as well as how non- profit arts organizations relate to art and music entrepreneurship and how non-profit and commercial arts collide. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management from The Ohio State University. Devin is also an avid sailor and when she is not practicing, performing, or teaching, you can find her on any of the Columbus inland lakes or on Lake Erie near her hometown of Cleveland, OH. Devin teaches violin lessons and viola lessons at Musicologie.

Benjamin graduated from The Ohio State University with a BA in Psychology and a minor in music. While at Ohio State, he performed as a member and squad leader in The Ohio State University Marching Band, the OSU Jazz Ensemble, Art Blakey Jazz Combo, the OSU Symphonic Band and several other groups in the OSU School of Music. He performs frequently with Vaughn Weister’s Famous Jazz Orchestra, the Rick Brunetto Big Band, and has also performed with the Columbus and Cleveland Jazz Orchestras. He is a key member of several Columbus acts, including The Bluewater Kings, Al Son del Iya and The Big Badd, and continues to do freelance work in Columbus and the surrounding areas.

Benjamin firmly believes that the ability to understand and create music is a universal trait present in all human beings, and within all of us is a master artist waiting to emerge. He hopes to awaken in his students a sense of passion and a can-do attitude when it comes to learning to play music of all varieties!

Megan Callison is a vocalist and pianist from Aurora, Illinois. She received her bachelor’s degree in voice performance at Illinois Wesleyan University and is currently pursuing her Master of Music and Singing Health Specialization at The Ohio State University. Megan is a student of Professor Loretta Robinson and has performed with OSU Opera and Lyric Theatre and Opera Project Columbus in several productions, such as A Quiet Place by Bernstein and The Merry Widow by Lehar. Megan has been teaching for the past 4 years and performed with Prairie Fire Theater’s Children’s Opera Outreach program for 3 years, educating students in low-income areas about the arts. While currently pursuing classical music, she was raised on musical theatre and enjoys teaching a wide variety of genres!

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!

John Allen is a bassist, composer, and arranger. He graduated from the Ohio State University in May of 2015 with a B.M. for Jazz Bass Performance where he studied with Andy Woodson and Dr.Paul Robinson. He first picked up the electric bass when he was ten years old because his brother said he couldn’t play the guitar and became interested in jazz his freshman year in high school.

He has played all over Columbus with a number of high-profile musicians like vocalists Mary McClendon and Jeannette Williams, pianist Bobby Floyd, saxophonists Shawn Wallace, Michael Cox, Matt Adams, and Pete Mills. John has also played in the Cab Calloway Orchestra, is the bassist/arranger/composer in the Liz Woolley Band, and is a composer/bassist for the Columbus, OH band Safety Squad as well as a growing and diverse number of other musical projects. His dedication to the practice of the bass tradition along with a continuing search for his individual sound has made him one of the more sought after musicians in the Columbus, Ohio music scene. John joined Musicologie in Grandview in 2016.

Jenna Johnson is an experienced professional pianist and vocalist currently based in Columbus. She is highly trained in classical and jazz styles as well as improvisational piano. Jenna’s extensive background in public performance includes music leadership in houses of worship since the age of 12 and community involvement through various musical groups and theatre companies in the Greater Grand Rapids area.

Jenna graduated summa cum laude from Western Michigan University in 2015. During university, Jenna performed in multiple music groups on and off-campus and began teaching music lessons for friends and fellow students.

Jenna is a proud member of the Clintonville Community Choir and leads weekly worship at New Albany United Methodist Church.

Harrison Paul is a recent graduate of The Ohio State University School of Music with a background in Jazz Performance and Composition. During his time at OSU, he studied with Tim Cummiskey, and Kevin Turner on Guitar along with Dr. Paul Robinson and Andy Woodson on Bass. He learned the foundations of composition and arranging from Kris Johnson and Anthony Stanco. He has also spent time working in the music industry in New York City as a Audio Engineer for Razor & Tie producing Kidz Bop as well as the imprint reissue label Analog Spark. He has experience playing in Big Band Swing, Hard Bop, Traditional New Orleans Jazz, fusion, and Latin Jazz ensembles at the colligate level as well as Soul, Funk, Rock, Hip Hop, and Folk genres. He can be seen playing with a variety of groups in the Columbus area from his Jazz trio to local hip-hop group Booty&theKidd, and previously with Columbus band CAAMP

Harrison’s teaching style focuses on development in many facets. Whether his students are just beginning their musical journey or farther along, he focuses on four fields of development: technique, musical fluency, community, and personal growth. There is something to be learned from every aspect of music and there is an incredible amount of depth and breath to every genre. He wants students to delve into whatever music inspires them, and hopefully they learn something about themselves along the way.

Andrew Richard has been playing drums since he was 6 and performing for over 20 years. He graduated from The Ohio State University in May of 2013 with a B.M in Jazz Studies drum set Performance under the instruction of Jim Rupp. Though having extensive studies in Jazz, he is versatile in the many other areas of music such as Latin, Country, rock, metal and classical music.

Justin T. Swain (Fields) is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and a Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy where he was awarded “Most Outstanding Graduate Associate” and was a student of both Dr. Scott McCoy and Dr. Robin Rice. Justin served for two years as the vocal performance area’s administrative assistant and taught applied voice as a graduate teaching associate within the OSU School of Music. Prior to completing his graduate studies in music, he completed a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Ohio State, and completed an Associate of Arts degree at Columbus State where he assisted in the piano lab and was awarded the prestigious “Man of the Year” award for his contributions to the campus through his volunteer work and with various student organizations.

A Columbus native, Justin has served as Opera Columbus’ Teaching Artist (2018), been featured in the Columbus Italian Festival (2012 & 2018), in concert with Harmony Project Columbus (2015), with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra (2016 & 2018), with Opera Project Columbus (Maestro Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi 2017), has given a number of public and private recitals, and has performed four world premiere works. Additionally, Justin has performed numerous times with Opera Columbus as a chorister, on the main stage (Baron Duophol in La Traviata 2016), as a member of their touring Education Outreach program for two seasons (2015 & 2017), Opera On The Edge (Marcello in La Bohème 2016), as a member of The Voice of Freedom touring performance group (2018-2019), and returns to perform this Autumn in Twisted 3, a collaboration with BalletMet and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi 2019).

Justin has also been featured at Ohio State where he performed the role of Maximilian in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, premiered the role of Aedeta in Ohio State’s historic performance of Cadman’s Ramala: Land of Misty Water, participated in the Opera Scenes program, annual cabaret, performed both the National Anthem and Carmen Ohio at the Spring 2018 Commencement ceremony, was the undergraduate finalist of the vocal performance area for the annual concerto competition as a Sophomore, was featured as a guest artist in concert with the OSU Wind Symphony, and has collaborated on several voice recitals of his colleagues. Further, Justin has been the recipient of numerous scholarships and talent-based awards including the Helen Swank Voice Scholarship, Bliss Virargo Excellence in Singing Award, Lieutenant Deselm Award for the Advancement of Choral Arts, Brahms Cash Grant, Most Outstanding Achievement in Voice, and several academic-based awards.

A strong advocate of the art of the song recital, Justin has performed several solo recitals and is a champion of the vocal music of Afro-English composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor having been the first on record to both perform and record several of his song cycles in their entirety.

Kate Merryman is a soprano originally from the Northern Virginia/DC area. She recently graduated from The Ohio State University with a Master of Arts in Vocal Pedagogy and Singing Health Specialization where she served as a graduate teaching assistant and was awarded the Margaret Speaks Vocal Scholarship Award. She also graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from George Mason University.

Her performance repertoire includes opera, musical theatre, and concert works. Her most recent roles include Elvira in #UncleJohn with Opera on the Edge (coming fall 2017), Lisette in La Rondine, Belinda in Dido & Aeneas, and Johanna in Sweeney Todd with The Ohio State University Opera and Lyric Theatre. She also sang the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute with Opera Columbus’s “Opera Goes to School.” Other performance credits include Les Misérables (Cosette), Into the Woods (Cinderella), Legally Blonde: The Musical (Elle Woods), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator). She was nominated for a WATCH Award for Best Lead Actress in a musical for her role as the Narrator and also received a Broadwayworld.com nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Local) for her role as Elle Woods. Her concert works include soprano soloist for Fauré’s Requiem with the St. Veronica Catholic Church in Chantilly, VA and soprano soloist for Handel’s Messiah at Bluffton University.

Kate has taught private voice lessons for over six years to students of all ages and levels. She has experience teaching various genres such as classical, musical theatre, pop, and jazz. It is her passion to help students discover their own voice and explore the many possibilities their voice has to offer.

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” -Maya Angelou

Kay graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors in vocal performance and psychology and a minor in piano. She has 15 years of piano and voice teaching experience with students of all ages and levels. She began teaching private lessons when she was in high school and taught at her Bexley home until 2014 when she started Musicologie with her husband Joseph.

Kay has toured nationally with folk/pop band Bella Ruse as lead vocalist and keyboardist for 4 years, opening for artists like Sarah McLachlan, Heart, Metric, and Kimya Dawson. Her songs and performances have been heard in commercials, film and television including placements on MTV and Showtime. Performer Magazine called her voice ‘truly unique’.

Liz Woolley studied classical voice and piano at Snow College, which quickly morphed into a love for jazz. She received her jazz education from both Snow College and the University of Utah. She has traveled internationally to both Italy and Singapore to perform classical and jazz works.

Following her performance education, Liz finished her degree at Utah State University in Logan, UT in music therapy. While in Logan, Liz was a vocalist, mandolinist, and songwriter in two local bluegrass bands (The Pretty Darns and Dry Lake Band) and she lent her vocals and original tunes to many bluegrass, pop, hip hop and folk recordings for various artists. Along with albums with her bluegrass bands, Liz has released two solo jazz albums, “A Little Bit Romantic” (Dec 2011) and “Do Love” (Nov 2014).

Liz works as a music therapist for children with autism at Helping Hands Center for Special Needs in Columbus, OH. She has taught both piano and voice for many years and is excited to be teaching lessons at Musicologie.

Matt Patti is a vocalist and pianist from Dublin, Ohio, currently in his final year of study at The Ohio State University, pursuing degrees in both Music and Computer Engineering. Matt studies classical voice under Professor Loretta Robinson and also has a background in musical theatre and pop music. Most recently, he has performed with the OSU Opera and Lyric Theatre in several productions, such as Candide by Leonard Bernstein.

Matt is also music director of his co-ed a Cappella group, The Ohio State of Mind (OSM a Cappella), who recently made history as the first collegiate group from the state of Ohio ever to advance to the International Championship of Collegiate a Cappella (ICCA) Finals - the competition from the movie, Pitch Perfect!. With his group, Matt had the opportunity to perform among the top ten competitive groups of the year at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. As music director, Matt arranges pop songs for as many as eight voice parts, and is responsible for leading and teaching his peers.

Hoping to combine his passions for music and engineering, Matt dreams of going into music production and audio engineering, while of course continuing in his love of performing and teaching, as well!

Nate Smith teaches guitar, bass, beginning piano and beginning drums. He also has years of experience running rock band programs for kids and has played all over the world. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in jazz performance, where he studied under Dr. Paul Robinson and Andy Woodson. Nate has toured with the OSU jazz ensemble in Europe, plays with local jazz and rock musicians, and performs regularly with the Westerville Symphony Orchestra.

Nathan’s curriculum incorporates the essentials of a musical education while simultaneously catering to each of his students’ personal interests. His experience in jazz, rock and classical music allows him to communicate a broad understanding of music. His ability on multiple instruments makes him a great teacher for students who want to explore a variety of musical directions.

Nathan received his Bachelor of Music from the Ohio State University with a double major in piano performance and music history. There he accompanied several choirs, and co-founded the OSU New Music Collective, a group dedicated to the performance of contemporary composers. He attended the Conductor’s Retreat at Medomak in Maine where he studied orchestral conducting with world renowned pedagogue Kenneth Kiesler. He has served as associate conductor for the Ohio State University’s productions, including Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Puccini’s La Rondine, and Cy Coleman’s City of Angels.

Nathan has concertized widely, working as pianist for Opera Columbus, BalletMet, Opera Project Columbus, Columbus Children’s Theater, the Ohio State University, and other major institutions and companies in central Ohio. As a teacher, he has taught over 300 students in the Columbus area. He currently works accompanying and coaching languages for voice students at the Ohio State University and freelances for a diverse array of performances, including pop concerts, voice recitals, chamber music and opera.

Regan Tackett, soprano, holds a degree in Vocal Performance from Oakland University and a masters degree in Voice Pedagogy from The Ohio State University. A current student of Dr. Scott McCoy, Ms. Tackett’s recent engagements include winning the OSU Concerto Competition and the Wilson Competition. She additionally enjoyed performances as Queen of the Night with Opera Columbus’s “Opera Goes to School” production of The Magic Flute, as well as the opportunity to perform the role of Cunegonde in Candide with Ohio State Opera & Lyric Theatre. Ms. Tackett enjoys a variety of musical genres and performs twentieth-century modern works as well as classical-period works.

Nick Terelle has been a dedicated musician for over 18 years and graduated from the College of Wooster in 2010 with a Bachelor's of Music in Theory and Composition. In 2016, Nick received his Master's of Music in Jazz Pedagogy from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. His master’s thesis focused on teaching adolescent youth and designing an adaptable teaching curriculum that focuses on each student’s musical goals, needs, and interests.

For over seven years, Nick has been active in the Columbus area (with a brief sabbatical teaching in Cleveland), and loves to perform, educate, and share his passion for music. Nick's musical influences include Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, D’Angelo, Tera Melos, and John Barry.

Robert Mason is a pianist, teacher, and arranger from Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from OSU with a BM in Jazz Studies and a minor in Music, Media and Enterprise. He performed with The Ohio State Jazz Ensemble and did an extensive tour in China. Robert has studied privately with legends Mark Flugge, Dave Powers, and Bobby Floyd and apprenticed with local greats such as Shawn Wallace, Cedric Easton, Chris Brown, Milton Ruffin, James Gaiters, Jerry Powell, and Gregory Pearson.

Raised in Gahanna, Ohio, Robert began taking piano lessons in third grade from a couple named Adam and Betsy Grimes. He began jazz piano lessons in high school with Columbus staple, Mark Flugge, who not only helped him grow as a musician, but challenged him to become a better person.

Robert has won numerous awards for jazz performance including the Louis Armstrong Award for outstanding musicians while still in high school. He also received several scholarships at OSU including the Atkin Jazz Scholarship, Tom Battenberg Jazz Scholarship, and the George and Janice Scantland Jazz Scholarship.

Robert currently performs with a number of groups in Columbus including Mojoflo, and his personal jazz ensemble The Robert Mason Trio. He also leads worship every Sunday at Flintridge Community Baptist Church.

Vince Huzicka is a violinist and violist from Youngstown, Ohio. He currently studies Music Education at The Ohio State University with Dr. Robert Gillespie and viola with Dr. Juliet White-Smith. Vince has been awarded by the OSU School of Music in the field of Music Education for the past two years in a row.

Vince served as a teaching assistant for the Canfield Suzuki Strings and Boardman Orchestras Summer Class Program near Youngstown. He also serves as the Columbus Youth Orchestra Chamber Strings Orchestra 1st Violin coach.

In addition to his teaching experience, Vince has recorded and performed with the Youngstown Scoring Stage. He placed 3rd in the Galante Competition of the Yehudi Menuhin Chamber Music Seminar in San Francisco. Vince also won the Maestro Award for Solo Performance from the Chicago Heritage Music Festival. Huzicka served as personnel manager and violist of the Christ Church String Quartet and the Boardman String Quartet for 4 years.
Vince enjoys working with students of all ages and hopes to encourage as many people as he can to love music.

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!

Armond Wimberly is a multidisciplinary musician, educator, and yogi in the Columbus area. Born in Toledo, Ohio, he began his musical expedition at the age of twelve and was inspired to pursue a career in music by his High School Orchestra Director, Wasim Hawary. His passion for music would strongly intensify and cement after the performance of his first major arrangement, “An Adele Medley” by the Toledo Symphony when he was fifteen.  

Armond graduated Cum Laude at The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Education. While at Ohio State, he studied Viola with Dr. Juliet White-Smith, Violin with Dr. Kia Hui Tan, and String Pedagogy with Dr. Robert Gillespie. While in Toledo, Armond studied violin with Toledo Symphony members, David Dyer and Virgil Lupu. He also studied piano with the Dr. Michael Boyd and was selected as one on the winners for the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition, performing the 1st movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor. While at OSU, he received a variety of honors and awards including the School of Music Award in Musicology, the David Meeker Scholarship, String Education Scholarships, and more. He also gave a TEDx talk in 2018 entitled “From Bach to 2pac” which discussed the parallels between hip-hop and Classical music.

An active performer, Armond has performed in a diverse array of ensembles in a mixture of styles including the Ohio State University Symphony Orchestra, University of Toledo Symphony Orchestra, various jazz combos, and chamber groups. He was also one of the co-founding members of the 5 of 5 string quintet - a string quintet that plays in eclectic styles. This ensemble performed at a Toledo Symphony post concert gala, at the Toledo Museum of Art for the opening of Kehinde Wiley’s exhibit, and at local venues around Columbus such as the Ohio Stadium. Armond is a huge advocate of breaking barriers and has performed in unconventional contexts such as hip-hop clubs with DJ’s  and at house parties. His solo performances often utilize loop pedals, improvisation, and audience participation.

Armond strives to create social change through artistic service. He is currently the music director of Urban Strings Columbus - a local chamber youth Orchestra with the mission to promote more representation amongst black musicians in the symphonic realm while simultaneously preserving the musical culture of the African diaspora within orchestral institutions. This ensemble has performed at a plethora of venues around Columbus and with major acts such as Imani Winds and Black Violin.   

Armond believes that every student should have access to a quality musical education. His teaching style is holistic and incorporates body awareness, improvisation, ear-training, theory, and singing. His instruction is uniquely tailored to meet the needs of each student.