AD Business Management and Information Systems Technology, Blue Ridge Community College

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Mr. Allen has a deep love for music and feels that every child should have an education in the arts. He has played percussion for over 20 years in many different styles, including rock n roll, jazz, country, and show tunes. He is a highly sought after performer in the Shenandoah Valley and has performed in many local choral productions and musicals. Mr. Allen has taught private percussion lessons at VMA for over 15 years and is also a local drumline instructor.

Music Performance, James Madison University 

Thomas Allen has performed in a wide variety of ensembles in the Valley, including Symphonic Bands, Jazz Bands, and many small ensembles at JMU including the Invicta Saxophone Quartet. These ensembles have taken him to perform at the annual Navy Saxophone Symposium, the 2022 VMEA conference, the JMU production of Chicago, and multiple university outreach events. Outside of JMU, Tommy has performed in many community theater productions with ShenanArts, Blue Ridge Community College, and local public schools. 

Music Theory, University of Massachusetts

Mr. Clark joined the faculty of VMA in 2015 and has been teaching privately since 1972.  He has studied with great guitarists such as Sal Salvador (Stan Kenton’s guitarist), Jazz artist Ted Dunbar and Barry Galbraith of the NBC Orchestra.  Mr. Clark is a highly sought performer locally and has performed with various jazz, rock and R&B groups in New York and throughout New England.  John performs regularly throughout the region with his group "Johnny's Blue Locomotive" which includes several VMA instructors

B.M in Music Education and Flute Performance, University of Florida

Carolyn’s passion for music began at a young age when she started learning the piano and followed by the flute. She attended the University of Florida, where she earned a degree in music education and flute performance. After teaching middle school band in Florida public schools, Carolyn began her career as a military musician, first playing with the Band of the Air Force Reserve at Robins AFB in Georgia as an active duty musician. She is currently stationed at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base with the Air National Guard Band Of The South located in Knoxville, Tennessee. As a member of the military, she has traveled all over the country, performing for military ceremonies, community events, and concerts. In addition to her work in the Air Force band career field, Carolyn is also a member of the Albemarle Pipes & Drums band, where she plays the bagpipes. This unique and challenging instrument has become one of her favorites, and she enjoys the sense of community and tradition that comes with playing in a pipe band. Carolyn is also an accomplished freelance musician, including performing with the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra. She teaches private lessons locally and is a busy mother of four children.

B.M. in Music, Shenandoah Conservatory;  M.M. in Music, Shenandoah University

Ms. Dillard is an accomplished musician, teacher and performer.  She has taught violin, viola and cello privately, in public schools and at the college level since 1991.   As a performer she has performed with the Shenandoah Symphony, Cumberland Valley Chamber Players, Frederick Symphony, Charlottesville Symphony and more.  In addition to her private studio, Ms. Dillard is a freelance violinist performing regularly throughout the region. 

Bachelor of Music Education, Univ. of Wisconsin; Master of Education, Montana State University

Bruce Fox is a retired middle school/high school band and orchestra director having worked in public schools in Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, and Virginia. He has also taught in private schools in Switzerland and Germany. He has music education degrees from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Montana State University.  Bruce is primarily a trombonist and currently plays locally with the Stonewall Brigade Band and Boxcar Speakeasy traditional jazz combo and also participates in the Drum For Fun African drumming group. Bruce is also a professional tour guide giving historical tours in Staunton as well as in Washington, D.C, Boston, and New York City.

BA in Psychology in Music Cognition and Evolutionary Musicology; Ethnomusicology; Oberlin College

Mr. Green is an accomplished and highly sought musician, performing professionally across the United States on banjo, guitar and bass with a variety of musical groups including Roosevelt Dime and the New York based Red Rooster. In addition to his extensive performing and recording experience, Mr. Green has taught privately for more than ten years. His studio of students are of all ages, from as young as 8 to 74. His instruction and lesson plans are custom tailored to fit the needs of each student. In addition, Mr. Green is a Lead teacher of early childhood music and arts classes at Kids at Work for children ranging from two months to five years of age. Mr. Green's experience both as a performer and teacher make him the perfect choice when looking for banjo instruction in the valley.

BA in piano, Berklee School of Music; MA in Ethnomusicology, U of Washington in Seattle; PhD in Music Ed, New York University

Dr. Havis teaches classical and jazz piano, electric bass, improvisation and composition. She plays piano, synthesizer and electric bass for music theater and other venues, and has written several plays for children with music. She teaches all ages and levels using the Socratic method, critical thinking, and programmed learning with the goal of discovering and applying aesthetic principles.  She's been teaching piano since 1991 and moved to Virginia in 2012.

Bachelor of Arts, D. Ye. Zadora State Musical College, Uzhorod, Ukraine

Valentyna Hoidych has more than 10 years experience as a music teacher, piano instructor, and voice trainer, teaching hundreds of students.  She is mother to a wonderful 5 year-old daughter with a beautiful singing voice. She speaks four languages, English, Ukrainian, Hungarian and Russian.

Master of Music, Westminster Choir College of Rider University; BS in Music Education, Messiah College

Before returning to her hometown of Waynesboro, Ms. Lemasney provided vocal instruction to children, teens and adults at Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, NJ.  She became an early childhood music instructor Westminster in 2010.  Ms. Lemasney was selected for the prestigious NATS intern program in 2002.  She has completed the Shenandoah University CCM Vocal Pedagogy Program for commercial vocal music. Dawn plays piano, guitar, recorder, Orff percussion and is a licensed Musikgarten teacher.  She joined the faculty of VMA in the spring of 2016 and became Program Director in 2023.

B.M. in Jazz Studies, Shenandoah University

Mr. Moody joined VMA's faculty in January 2004. He is a highly skilled performer on both the saxophone and flute as well as an accomplished performer on many other instruments. In recent years, he has used his talents as a theater orchestra performer and soloist aboard several cruise ships. He has taught private woodwind lessons for more than 13 years and is an active member of the Stonewall Brigade Band of Staunton, Virginia and performs with the Vosbein Magee Big Band. Mr. Moody is the director and composer/arranger for the VMA SuperSax Big Band.  Mr. Moody is a published composer and arranger.

Praised by The New York Times for “bell-like clarity and surpassing sweetness,” The New York Concert Review for “sparkling coloratura perfection,” and in Opera News magazine for “sincerity and attractive lucidity,” Dr. Shumate has been a frequent soloist at Carnegie Hall and both David Geffen Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. Her recordings include “Messiah Refreshed” (Signum Records) recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, “Kassandra” (Navona Records), “La pasión según San Marcos” (Summitt Records), and “As the fireflies watched . . . chamber music of James M. Stephenson” (Klavier Records). She has performed internationally and throughout the US with opera companies, orchestras, and music festivals and is represented by New York’s Encompass Arts. She is featured on the May 2025 issue of Classical Singer Magazine and as a presenter she has been engaged by the National Opera Association, the National Association of the Teachers of Singing, the College Music Society as well as  numerous Universities across America. Her academic service at the University level includes many years of experience teaching voice and opera and she holds a DMA in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from Louisiana State University. Visit www.penelopeshumate.com to learn more.

B.A. Music, Emory and Henry College

Mrs. Smith has been a teacher for more than 25 years in the Wise County, Albemarle County and Waynesboro City Schools. She taught voice at Clinch Valley College in Wise, VA and has taught at VMA for five years. Mrs. Smith was Teacher of the Year in 2000 and 2004, and a Dawbarn Award Winner in 2005. She is a charter member of the Schola Cantorum.

B.A. Music, James Madison University

Gab Taylor is a music teacher with Buena Vista Public Schools. She is a recent graduate of JMU, who taught elementary general music in Richmond Public Schools for 2 years before moving to the Waynesboro area. She is primarily a trumpet player and has performed with the Richmond Concert band before her move. Gab is incredibly passionate about teaching music and relating instruction to each students’ specific interests and needs. During the 2020 pandemic, Gab was a part of a group of JMU students who provided free music lessons to students across Virginia to support during virtual learning. She uses a fun and silly approach in her lessons to engage students and foster a deep love and appreciation for music.

David has studied with great drummers such as Dave Weckl.  He has been teaching professionally for 18 years offering lessons on all styles of drumset performance. (Rock, Jazz, Latin, R&B, Pop, Country, Progressive, etc...)  Teaching traditional and matched-grip hand techniques (French & German) along with various heel-up and heel-down pedal strategies.   David also offers lessons on Bongo, Cajon, Baoule/Dondo, Djembe, Bodhran, and Asalato/Kashaka.

His curriculum ranges from music theory fundamentals in the time-honored classic "Progressive Steps to Syncopation" to such groundbreaking advanced works as; Rick Latham's "Advanced Funk Studies", Gary Chester's "A New Breed" and John Riley's "The Art of Bop Drumming"