Musicologie Westerville

Austin has a Music Technology degree from Capital University and has studied with Mark Flugge, Stan Smith, Bob Breithaupt, Eric Paton and Paul Wertico. He was the touring drummer for Phillip Fox band for three years and currently plays with numerous Columbus bands with styles ranging from alt-rock (Castile) and reggae to spacey rock (Urban Tropic, Sussman Can't Sleep) and pop (Kid Runner.) When Austin isn't thinking or talking about percussion (rare) he enjoys working with computers, pizza and film. He is also the co-founder of Tiny House Music Collective, a local musicians organization working to bring musicians together through discussion, inclusion and action.

Christy Campos is thrilled to join the staff of Musicologie as a beginner piano, Musicologie Jr., and vocal teacher. As a mezzo-soprano, she studied voice in San Diego for ten years under Wendy Kallen and the Uselman-Klein Vocal Studio, performed lead roles in numerous musical productions, and was often a solo artist in various concert settings. She has extensive experience directing children’s choirs, large-scale youth musical productions, and spent the last few years in San Diego teaching for Sing, Move, and Play Music Academy and Hope Music School.

She has been trained and certified through two internationally known early childhood music education programs and believes that everyone is musical! Her passion for her students creates a warm and welcoming learning environment where mistakes are embraced as learning opportunities and joy is abundant. Christy believes that learning the language of music should be available to every child because music enriches all of life; it is her hope that she can help her students discover their unique musical voice and encourage a lifelong love of making music.

Erik Meininger is a piano, percussion, and drum set instructor with 8 years teaching experience. His teaching experience includes instruction of students ranging from kindergartners through retirees, beginners through advanced college preparatory instruction. His philosophy is to suit lessons individually to the student, with an emphasis on developing versatility and fostering life-long enjoyment of music for the student. From the casual learner to the advanced performer, he will offer students the techniques they need to become confident musicians at any level.

He holds a Minor in music from Ohio Northern University and is an active performer in Central Ohio. He has been the principal percussionist with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra since 2010 and is also a percussionist with the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra. He also performs with rock bands The Ghost Town Railroad and The Neighbors Kids. He has past experience performing in jazz bands, wind bands, and marching bands. He has performed with jazz luminaries Louis Bellson, Clark Terry, and Arturo Sandoval; classical artists Janos Starker, Hillary Hahn, and Bill Boggs; and has supported pop performers Michael Feinstein, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Chris Thile. He has also provided comedic rim-shots for Bob Newhart!

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.

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!

Lauren Nelson is a mezzo-soprano who recently relocated to Columbus from Chicago. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance with a focus in classical voice. At university, she sang the role of the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas and was involved in Chamber Choir and Concert Choir.

Lauren actively participated in the local music scene in Chicago where she played many solo shows as well as with local bands such as The Mason Burrow Sound and Peasantry. She has experience recording solo projects and with bands like The Kuhls. Lauren has been playing locally in Columbus since she was in high school with bands like Becca & Lauren, The Ark Band, No Cash Value, and The Quasi Kings. During her time in Columbus she has also played the roles of Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray and Mrs. Sowerberry in Oliver! The Musical.

Lauren enjoys teaching all ages and genres including classical, musical theatre, jazz, and pop. She has the skills and patience to mentor students looking to gain knowledge in songwriting and recording. Lauren creates a fun and positive learning environment for her students and looks forward to sharing her love of music with others.

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.

Thomas Crouch grew up in Virginia and started piano lessons at 8 years old. When he was 14, he moved to Portland and studied with internationally renown pianist Lena Vozheiko, former professor at the St. Petersburg conservatory.  Under her tutelage he placed 3rd nationally for MTNA high school division,  received honorable mention in the 2007 national Modern Music Festival And received a young artist achievement award for the state of Washington.  Thomas attended University of Puget Sound where he studied under Dr. Tanya Stambuk and graduated with a Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance.  While at UPS Thomas placed first alternate in the 2010 MTNA young artist solo division.  With the Puget Sound Sax Quartet, Thomas placed at the 2011 MTNA National young artist chamber division with an original transcription of the Dvorak Piano Quintet op. 81/a by Fred Winkler.  He performed for numerous masterclasses  and was asked to perform many original works for the 2011 National Composers Symposium hosted by University of Puget Sound.   With Cellist Chrisitna Wu, Thomas took top prize in the Beatrice Hermann young artist competition and the duo was asked to perform for masterclasses held by the Tokyo String Quartet and composer Daron Hagen.  Thomas and Chrisitna, along with violinist Grace Yoen, were often asked to play as ambassadors for the School of Music at recruiting functions and local schools. As a soloist Thomas was invited to perform for Seattle’s Northwest Artist series hosted by Steinway and at the Perugia International Music Festival.  While completing his studies Thomas also maintained a private studio through the University of Puget Sound Community Music Program where he taught an array of ages and levels.

Music has been a part of Harrison Belew's life from an early age. Some of his first memories are of his father accompanying his sister on piano as she sang. At 8 years old he picked up a guitar and there was no turning back. Harrison studied under the great Scotty Anderson and wrote his own charts for his high school marching band. He attended Capital University and studied with Stan Smith, graduating with a degree in jazz studies in 2018. Harrison has played with touring bands and performed with numerous Grammy winning artists. You can catch him around town with various local acts, and playing festivals that are staples of Columbus’ eclectic culture. He loves to teach students of all ages and believes that if they put their mind to it, anyone can play a musical instrument at any level they want.

Jason Snoddy has worked as a bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator. Graduating from Ohio University with a double major in Music Performance in Tuba and Music Education with Instrumental Emphasis, Jason then continued to earn a Master’s in Music Theory at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. During this time and beyond Jason has written, recorded, and performed with multiple ensembles and performers including Wolfmen, 6:5 Quartet, Largemouth Brass Band, Megan Wren, Julia Neville, Maxwell Hedron, and more.

Jason wants each lesson to wholly fulfill each student’s needs and goals. Because of the one-on-one nature inherent in music lessons, the goals and progression can be individualized for everyone. Whether a student aspires to be a professional musician, or simply wants to enjoy creating on their instrument of choice, they will feel welcome in their lessons to explore exactly that. Each lesson setting brings a unique set of discoveries for Jason and students to explore!

Originally from Elmore, Ohio, John David Nevergall’s formal music training began with, and focused upon, classical and jazz percussion. His work in vocal music came to the fore only after he completed much of his graduate education.  While spending his days working as a bus driver, John David made his professional opera debut as Rodolfo in Opera Columbus’ award-winning production of La Bohème. Since that time, John David has appeared around the United States, including engagements with Tulsa Opera, Nevada Opera, Central City Opera, Cleveland Opera Theater, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. As a concert soloist, John David has performed numerous masterworks, including Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elias, and Handel’s Messiah. In April of 2016, he made his debut at Boston’s historic Symphony Hall as the Tenor Soloist for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of renowned maestro Ken-David Masur.

John David is an alumnus of the prestigious Boston University Opera Institute, where he was a student of Jerrold Pope. In addition to this, he has trained as an apprentice artist with Tulsa Opera, Central City Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera. John David was named a winner in the Boston District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2016. During the following year, he was selected as a Phyllis Curtin Artist by the Boston University Opera Institute. Along with these honors, John David has received awards from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, The Ohio State University, and Central City Opera.

Cole Harrison is a lifelong student of music. He began on piano as a child, learning by ear and then taking lessons in the Suzuki method. As an adolescent he played drums in a punk band and programmed synthesizers in an experimental electronic music group. In high school he got his first paid gigs as a drumset player while he apprenticed as a recording engineer. Between high school and college he worked as a hip hop producer at Supraphonic Studios. In college he became a jazz vibraphone player and world percussion specialist while supporting himself by performing as a keyboardist and vocalist in a top-40 cover band. After college he went to graduate school to study cognitive science and ethnomusicology, where he worked variously as a lab tech, teaching assistant, data analyst, and writer. As a scholar, he specialized in gestural rhythm, Deaf culture, and the effect of music on the parasympathetic nervous system. Currently, Cole is a full-time working musician, performing around 100 gigs a year, dividing the rest of his time between his students, his research, his writing, and most importantly his family.

Cole has been a teacher since 2005. He began his teaching career by wearing a grizzly bear costume and leading a class full of middle schoolers on a samba parade through their neighborhood on Halloween. Through the subsequent years he has broadened slightly from that early experience and taught a variety of instruments and subjects, from beginner piano lessons to undergraduate courses in music literature. He has had many wonderful teachers in his life and believes that the most valuable service any musician can accomplish is to effectively pass what they've learned on to others. His philosophy of teaching draws inspiration from the Finnish education system, in which lessons are designed to meet the student's individual needs in service of their goals, rather than to push them through a predetermined system of assessment. His favorite music educators are Fred Rogers, Barry Harris, and Leonard Bernstein.

Mercedes began studying violin at age 8 after learning about the different string instruments during a school assembly - a surprise to her family considering there isn’t a musical bone in their lineage. After studying primarily classical music, Mercedes discovered her love for contemporary performance and moved to Boston where she received her Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production from Berklee College of Music. During her time at Berklee she studied Jazz under Mimi Rabson, traditional Middle Eastern music under Simon Shaheen, and Contemporary/Pop under Mike Block.

After graduation she relocated to New York where she performed and managed projects for commercial advertisements with Antfood, a renowned music and sound design studio. She is a sought after studio musician and has recorded for local bands including Saintseneca, Mungbean, Montezuma, and international artist Charlotte Dos Santos. She also performs with the McConnell Arts Chamber Orchestra and holds looping workshops to discuss songwriting through the means of looping. Outside of teaching, Mercedes spends her time experimenting with various loop and effects pedals in a constant quest to create new textures and evolve her sound.

Linnea grew up in Avon Lake, Ohio and has been teaching for 8 years. She is currently finishing her final year at The Ohio State University, where she will earn degrees in music and psychology. Her musical experience began when she started to learn piano at age 8.  During her time at Ohio State, she was a violin major, but was also a trumpet player in the OSU marching band, performing in more than 10 states across America. Linnea also has a strong background in flute, as she performed as a high school soloist in both Severance Hall and The Chicago Symphony Center. Linnea has received various awards and scholarships for her versatility in music and focus on growth in education.