Rose Schmaltz has had a passion for music since a young age. As an active member of the Calgary flute community, she has played in many community ensembles including Front Row Centre Musical Theatre, FCC Jazz Flute Big Band, Badlands Passion Play and the Calgary Wind Symphony. Rose has been playing the flute since a young age and now has a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry with a Minor in Music. She has participated in lessons and masterclasses with Rachael Flatt, Bernard Blary, Lea Pearson, Wissam Boustany, and Ian Clarke. She has also taken pedagogy courses with Katherine Emeneth and Terri Sanchez. She travelled to St. Andrews Scotland in 2013 to participate in the Scottish International Flute Summer School. She is currently a member of ARMTA (Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association) and CFMTA (Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Associations).
Rose has 17 years of teaching experience varying in all ages of students from beginner to advanced levels. She has experience teaching band clinics, group lessons, and private lessons. Her students have received high marks on RCM exams, including Regional Gold medals, Provincial festivals, and successfully auditioned for MRU ensembles. She enjoys maintaining a fun environment while challenging the students’ abilities. During lessons Rose works on technique, music theory, RCM repertoire, Disney and Broadway music, duets and more.
Read MoreFor nearly half a century, Ryan Aguilar has been immersed in music. At the tender age of six he began tinkering away on the piano and shortly after, picked up guitar, bass, ukulele, and vocals. His naturally gifted ear revealed an almost sixth sense for replicating the tunes he heard on his grandmother’s radio. He was insatiable. Soon, Ryan found himself at college for piano and vocals and then university, majoring in piano performance at Southwest Texas State. Since 1993 he has played in several quintessential Texan rock and country bands (Derringer, Sheila Marshall, The Triumphs) touring the southern US, Canada, and even into Mexico. Then in 2003, he felt nudged to give back all he gained on the stage—he began to teach others how to be rock stars. His personal mantra, ‘practice as joy’, sets the tone for each lesson. Watching students’ faces light up when a piece comes together is what continues to stoke the fires of his musical and teaching passion.
Read MoreRyan Ronksley completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Calgary for classical guitar in 2009. In April of 2006, he received a Music Performance Diploma from Mount Royal College. Ryan enjoys teaching all types of music such as rock, pop, classical, folk, acoustic, bass, and flamenco. Ryan has taught acoustic, electric and bass guitar for over sixteen years at Chinook School of Music.
Read MoreSarah is an actor, singer, and emerging playwright born and raised here in Calgary. She is a passionate teacher and artist who strives to inspire compassion and joy through her work in opera, theatre, and even TV (if you’re a fan of The Last of Us, you may have spotted her at the very beginning of Episode 5)! She was recently nominated for a CAT Award for her performance as Mercutio in Full Circle Theatre’s Riverona. Other recent performance credits include Calgary Opera’s Arias and Ales (soloist), as well as The Elixir of Love, The Marriage of Figaro, Macbeth, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Canadian Premiere), and Carmen with Calgary Opera’s Chorus. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in both Theatre and Music from Dalhousie University, and is so excited to begin her second year teaching at Chinook School of Music!
Read MoreSarah was raised in Calgary and from a young age has had a passion for music. She grew up learning to play the piano and eventually expanded her field to include concert band and string orchestra as well as chamber music. She regularly attends festivals, recitals, and musical gatherings such as the Alberta Piano Teachers Association Festival and Calgary Classical Piano meetups. In addition to the work Sarah does throughout the year, she annually attends CASSA Piano Camp and Lethbridge Piano Intensive in the summertime in order to further develop her musical skills.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys travelling and weightlifting. She believes that everybody deserves to experience the joy of music and brings that philosophy to life through her teaching.
Read MoreSarah was raised in Calgary and from a young age has had a passion for music. She grew up learning to play the piano and eventually expanded her field to include concert band and string orchestra as well as chamber music. She regularly attends festivals, recitals, and musical gatherings such as the Alberta Piano Teachers Association Festival and Calgary Classical Piano meetups. In addition to the work Sarah does throughout the year, she annually attends CASSA Piano Camp and Lethbridge Piano Intensive in the summertime in order to further develop her musical skills.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys travelling and weightlifting. She believes that everybody deserves to experience the joy of music and brings that philosophy to life through her teaching.
Read MoreShannon (Magee) Roy combines both creativity and skill in the lessons she teaches. She has performance training from the Royal Conservatory of Music and received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Ambrose University. Shannon has performed all over the world and she performs locally and nationally with her duo Georgia Sound, who have released two CDs. Shannon believes that every one of her students is unique and requires a unique teaching style. She wishes to instil in all of her students that music is about having fun, being creative, and loving what you are doing.
Read MoreGrowing up in China, Siyan started her piano journey at the age of three. Her passion for music and the piano drove her to achieve the Level 10 certificate from China Conservatory of Music in Grade 5 and win many prizes in national competitions held in China before she came to Canada in 2016. Beyond competitions, with the help of her most respected mentor Mr. Wu Di, Siyan had the privilege of engaging in transformative master classes with acclaimed pianists such as Engle Marilyn, Shen Wenyu, Wang Xiaohan, Yao lan etc. These invaluable experiences enriched Siyan’s musical understanding and further honed her technical skills.
Siyan continued her piano journey after coming to Canada. She achieved first class honours in her Royal Conservatory of Music examinations, and the certificate of RCM Elementary Piano Teacher program. She is currently earning a minor degree in Psychology at the University of Calgary. Siyan possesses a strong passion for music and a deep love for teaching it to others. She thoroughly enjoys working with children and helping them discover the joy of music.
Read MoreSusan Leontaridis graduated, with a Bachelor of Music, from McGill University in 2001.
Her singing career has taken her across Canada and to the international stage.
She has performed in opera, light opera, musical theatre, and in various solo and collaborative recitals.
Some of her past roles include: Linfea in the McGill Opera rendition of La Calisto, Eurydice in Jacopo Peri’s Eurydice, Elsie Maynard in Yeomen of the Guard, and Tessa The Gondoliers. Susan also enjoyed 3 rewarding seasons with Calgary’s own Cowtown Opera Company and performed 3 summers with the cast of the Gros Morne Summer Music festival.
Susan has been a vocal coach for Cantare Children’s Choir, Calgary Actor’s Studio and for Storybook Theatre’s Ellie Tim’s Project and their most recent Student Summer Intensive Program.
This will be Susan’s 13th year as a private vocal instructor at Chinook School of Music! She is both creator and coach for the the Indie Performance Program at CSM.
Susan lives in Calgary with her husband Leon and their 4 beautiful daughters.
Read MoreSusan Leontaridis graduated, with a Bachelor of Music, from McGill University in 2001.
Her singing career has taken her across Canada and to the international stage.
She has performed in opera, light opera, musical theatre, and in various solo and collaborative recitals.
Some of her past roles include: Linfea in the McGill Opera rendition of La Calisto, Eurydice in Jacopo Peri’s Eurydice, Elsie Maynard in Yeomen of the Guard, and Tessa The Gondoliers. Susan also enjoyed 3 rewarding seasons with Calgary’s own Cowtown Opera Company and performed 3 summers with the cast of the Gros Morne Summer Music festival.
Susan has been a vocal coach for Cantare Children’s Choir, Calgary Actor’s Studio and for Storybook Theatre’s Ellie Tim’s Project and their most recent Student Summer Intensive Program.
This will be Susan’s 13th year as a private vocal instructor at Chinook School of Music! She is both creator and coach for the the Indie Performance Program at CSM.
Susan lives in Calgary with her husband Leon and their 4 beautiful daughters.
Read MoreTony Zazula was born and raised in Grande Prairie, Alberta. He has 16 year of musical experience which includes performing and teaching since 2017 and composing for over a decade. Tony also created his own Youtube channel, Zazulastudios which highlights his guitar performances of standard repertoire, original compositions and his arrangements of anime and game music.
Tony began his formal college training in Grande Prairie and then moved to Lethbridge, Alberta to further his studies in classical guitar performance. It was at the University of Lethbridge that he further developed his craft, knowledge and love for the classical guitar - graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree.
Tony can help you prepare for an RCM exam, a university audition, or to develop your understanding of music and hone your skills further. His teaching style is focused on building a strong foundation to help every student succeed in their musical goals.
Read MoreSince the age of four, Willa has been working with the Chinook School of Music in violin technique. She was a student in the school’s very first group violin class, and has been training with instructor Patricia Higgins ever since. Willa is trained in the Royal Conservatory of Music’s violin syllabus and has worked with several of CSM’s chamber ensembles from early on in her time at the school. She has thoroughly enjoyed substitute teaching young violinists, and is training to become a professional dancer as she pursues a teaching path. Willa believes the greatest advantage offered to violinists is their ability to balance challenging musical technique with profound artistry, and looks forward to sharing her joy of violin with the students she teaches.
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