Private Lesson Teachers

       We believe very strongly that students who take private lessons will be successful on their instrument because they have good adult mentors. The list of teachers that we endorse are the very best teachers in the Lake Zurich area, and we believe they will assist each of our students in their music studies. Many of these teachers have hours either during the school day at LZHS, or in their homes after school and in the evenings/weekends. Find the teacher that works best for you. We can offer recommendations if you are having any trouble or have questions.

 

Private Lesson Teachers 

Lake Zurich #95

LINK TO CURRENT LIST 

Clarinet

    Joyce Stenzel has played clarinet with the Northbrook Symphony for 15 years, serving as principal for the past 11 years.  Her undergraduate music studies brought her to Wheaton College (IL), where as a junior she was winner of the Concerto Competition.  She then went to DePaul University for a Masters of Music degree, studying under John Bruce Yeh of the Chicago Symphony.  In addition to free-lancing, she has performed in various groups in the Chicago area including the Civic Orchestra, Wheaton Symphony, West Suburban Symphony, and North Shore Concert Band.  In addition to teaching clarinet privately, Joyce homeschools her three children. With her musician/teacher husband, Steve, they attempt to keep up with the schedule of their kids' musical, athletic, and church activities.  Any spare time left is given to practicing, running, tending a vegetable garden, and reading all kinds of books.

Percussion

      Brett Baxter is the instructor of percussion at Saint Xavier University and the percussion specialist for the Lake Zurich, IL School District. He has performed with the Northwest Indiana Symphony, the New Philharmonic, the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. Brett has also performed with the chamber ensembles Marimba Sol de Chiapas, Third Coast Percussion and the Michael Burritt Percussion Group.

     In 2005, Brett was the winner of the Music Teacher’s National Association’s annual Young Artist Percussion Competition. He was a soloist on the winner’s concert in Seattle, WA. He has performed on the Percussive Arts Society’s Day of Percussion programs in Missouri and at Columbia College in Illinois, where he performed the world premiere of Ed Martin’s Skipping Stones for solo vibraphone. Brett is an active clinician in the region, most recently presenting a masterclass at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and working with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s percussion section.

     Brett holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri – Kansas City where he graduated magna cum laude and a Master of Music in Percussion Performance and Literature from Northwestern University. His teachers include Michael Burritt, Jim Ross, Paul Wertico and Dr. James Snell.

Trumpet

     Mark Hoffman is a graduate of Northern Illinois University where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Studies.

     After graduation, Mark toured nationally and internationally as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra before returning to the Chicago area, where he continues to play as a freelance trumpeter. He is also an experienced trumpet instructor and has been teaching trumpet lessons to students of all ages for nearly 20 years.

     In addition to his trumpet career, Mark oversees the music at Meadows Christian Fellowship where he has been on staff since 2011.

Flute

     

Trombone

    Josh Torrey plays trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, tuba, and writes music in Chicago, Illinois. He can be heard with his Nonet, as well as with Spocket, Brooke and the Nice Things, Heisenberg Uncertainty Players, Shout Section Big Band, Blueshift Big Band, and many others, and occasionally tours with The One And Only Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He also teaches low brass and jazz improvisation lessons in Chicago at Lyriq School of Music, in suburban Chicago at Hinsdale South High School, Riverside-Brookfield High School, and Lake Zurich High School, and online.

Saxophone

    Ian Letts is a saxophonist and woodwind-doubler in the Chicago land area. Having graduated from Northern Illinois University with degrees in Jazz Performance and Music Education, Ian has had the privilege of studying with saxophone professors Stephen Duke, Rich Moore, and Geof Bradfield, as well as other jazz faculty members including Ron Carter, Art Davis, Kelly Sill, Fareed Haque, Willie Pickens, Tom Garling, and Rodrigo Villanueva.
    Ian performs in a wide variety of styles including jazz, salsa, top 40, rock, and funk. He currently performs with a diverse array of bands, including Close to You: The Music of the Carpenters, The Pete Ellman Big Band, Jose Valdez and the Mambo All-stars, Breezy Rodio and the Windchill, and Bill O'Connell's Skyliners Big Band.