Faculty

Steve Jennings
Steve.Jennings@mcnallysmith.edu
Department Head, Ensembles
Faculty Member Since: 2009
Primary Department: Ensemble
Secondary Department: Percussion
Formal Education:BA in Music from Luther College

Professional Experience: As a drummer, Steve has explored many musical styles in the past 24 years including:  jazz, rock, r & b, soul, gospel, country, funk, bluegrass, and classical. He works with modern rock songwriter David Levin, the electric bluegrass band Over & Back, jazz / blues vocalist and actress Regina Williams, and leads his own modern jazz ensemble Story City.  Steve has performed and/or toured with such diverse artists as blues guitar legend Ron Thompson, the Platters, Yukiko Isomura, Jevetta Steele, Dan Aykroyd, Denis DeBlasio, Brian Gallagher, the Coasters, Connie Evingson, Julius Collins, John McCutcheon, and the late Bobby Peterson among many others.

Steve is the Director for the St. Cloud Area Jazz Bands, teaches privately and has mentored young musicians from Minnesota to Mexico. He has also studied with John Vidacovich, Ed Soph, & Phil Hey. With a BA in Music from Luther College, Steve is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Augsburg College.   
 

Aaron Barnell
Aaron.Barnell@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2002
Primary Department: Ensemble
Secondary Department: Percussion
Formal Education: BS Music Performance, University of Wisconsin, River Falls

Professional Experience: Dan Wilson (Semisonic), Peter Ostrusko, A Prairie Home Companion Radio Show, Bill T. Jones/Arne Zane Dance Company (NYC), Dance in the Dark (Southern Theater Mpls), Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (Washington DC), Composed original score for the feature film Strange As Angels and Theater Production The House That Crack Built, Trans World Aire Media Installation with film maker Craig Baldwin (Walker Art Center, Mpls). Other teaching experience: Concordia College (St Paul, MN), Jazz Camp West (San Francisco), World Cultures Magnet (St Paul, MN), Seward Montessori (Mpls), Cottage Grove Junior High (MN), Crestview Elementary, Guest Artist Teaching: Walker Art Center, Carlton College, Breck High School. Other training: Private study with : Afro-Caribbean Drumming Scholar and Master Drummer John Amira, Cuban Master Drummer John Santos, Frame Drum Master Glen Valez, Brazilian Master Drummer Nana, Ghanaian Master Drummer Sowah Mensah, MacPhail School for the Arts (Mpls), Eastern Music Festival (Greensboro, NC).

Debbie Duncan
Debbie.Duncan@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 1996
Primary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education: Wayne State University, Detroit

Professional Experience:   Debbie Duncan has 14 years of vocal training, including four years at Wayne State University-Detroit and a background steeped in jazz, gospel and Motown. Debbie is often called the “Working-est Singer in the Twin Cities.” Her opening concerts for Herbie Hancock, Stephane Grapelli and Miles Davis received rave reviews. She has also performed with Bob Seger, Mitch Ryder, Bobby Watson (Horizon), Mark Murphy, Von Freeman, Marlena Shaw, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Joe Henderson, Jimmy McGriff, John Hendricks, and more. After 10 years working the LA nightclub circuit, Debbie moved to Minneapolis and has since worked with Rupert’s Orchestra, Synergy, The T.C. Jammers, Back to You gospel group, The Girls, and she regularly sings in all of the top local jazz venues. Debbie has 4 solo CDs to date: Nice one for Boo, Live at the Dakota, It Must be Christmas, and her latest, Traveling at the Speed of Love. Other teaching experience: Jazz clinician. Awards and Honors: After receiving numerous Minnesota Music Awards, Debbie was the first recipient of the “Perpetually Outstanding Performer” award. Memberships: Twin Cities Jazz Society.

Steve Faison
Steve.Faison@mcnallysmith.edu
Assistant Department Head, Ensembles; Director of Outreach
Primary Department: Ensemble
Secondary Department: Voice

Professional Experience: Steve is one of the most versatile performers in the Twin Cities, working as an instrumentalist, guitar, bass, percussion, vocalist, producer, arranger, and recording engineer in sessions and live performances. Steve has performed locally, nationally, and internationally, and is best known for his vocal work with Samoa and Moore by Four. He has studied under such notables as Fran Colby, Ed Shaughnessy, Owen Clark, and Ron Keezer.

Charles Fletcher
Charles.Fletcher@mcnallysmith.edu
Primary Department: Bass
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:M.M. Suny New York, B.A. Bucknell University

Professional Experience: An accomplished electric bassist, Charles brings his 4-string, 5-string, and 6-string fretted and fretless bass talents to a wide variety of performances. He has worked with accomplished acts, including Jimmy Valentine, Lamont Cranston, Doug Maynard, Mick Sterling, and the TC Jammers, among others. Charles has also performed with regional and national jazz groups Northcoast and Glen Helgeson’s Axis Mundi.

Dr. Jay Fuchs
Jay.Fuchs@mcnallysmith.edu
Department Head, Music Theory
Faculty Member Since: 1992
Primary Department: Music Theory
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education: Ph.D. Music Theory and Composition, University of Minnesota; M.A. Music Theory and Composition, University of Minnesota; B.A. Voice, Minnesota State University Moorhead

Professional Experience: 20 years as a band leader, singer and piano player; 15 years as a college teacher; composer of orchestral and choral works: author of a Music Theory book; and recently served as a music consultant to the Science Museum of Minnesota on their exhibit called Wild Music, which is about music in nature.  Jay has been a teacher at McNally Smith College for over 15 years, leading the Music Theory Department for over 10 years. He earned his B.A. degree in vocal performance at Minnesota State University in Moorhead, then went on to earn a M.A. and Ph.D. in Music Theory and Composition at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Jay is very active as a performer, doing close to 100 gigs each year.  He leads the popular Twin Cities’ band Metro Jam and, along with Erin Schwab, is a popular cabaret singer and piano player.  In his spare time he writes music, mostly choral compositions. Jay has written several music textbooks as well. His Music Fundamentals book is the primary textbook used for the first semester of music theory at McNally Smith College. 

Shai Hayo
Faculty Member Since: 2010
Primary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:M.A., Hamline University; B.A. in Latin American Studies, Macalester College

Professional Experience:

Shai Hayo is a percussionist and educator who specializes in traditional and contemporary drumming styles of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and West Africa. He has performed and taught nationally and interntaionally, sharing the stage with artists and ensembles, such as Tony Orlando, Ann Margaret., Shelie E. Andy Montanez, Nachito Herrera, Sowah Mensah, Paracumbe, Shi-Daa Cultural Troupe, Salsa del Soul, The Macalester College African Music Ensemble, the Minnesota Orchestra, and, most currently, Paul Anka.

Hayo holds degrees in Anthropology (B.A. Macalester College, 1996) and Education (MaEd, Hamline University, 2006) and has carried out anthropological and ethnomusicological research in Puerto Rico (1994 - 1995) and Ghana, West Africa (1998).

Dave Jensen
Dave.Jensen@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 1999
Primary Department: Brass and Woodwinds
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education: Summa Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music

Professional Experience: Dave Jensen is a member of Hornheads, a Billboard magazine award-winning a cappella jazz group. As a group, they have released three solo albums and recorded eight concept albums for Target. As a horn section, they have recorded for artists in the US, Japan, Argentina, Denmark, Portugal, and the UK.

From 1991 through 2001, the NPG Horns/Hornheads recorded nine albums with Prince and the New Power Generation, including three Gold and two Platinum albums with international sales of more than $20 million. During this time they performed with Prince around the world. Before Prince, Dave spent three years on tour with the Artie Shaw Orchestra. This included the PBS special “Ballroom Dancing” with Bobby Short and Juliet Prouse.

Dave's trumpet and flugelhorn can also be heard on the recordings of Chaka Khan,”Come to my house”; Larry Graham, “GCS 2000”; Jonas Brothers, "Lines, Vines and Trying Times"; "Girl 6" soundtrack album, Warner Brothers; "Pret-A-Porter" soundtrack album, Columbia; Mandy Moore, “Coverage”; Mavis Staples, “The Voice”; Phil Upchurch, “Love is Strange”; Tevin Campbell, “Get Ready”; Pedro Abrunhosa, “Tempo”; Illya Kuryaki, "Leche"; GeGe Telesforo, "Gege and the Mother Tongue"; Gyumi Matsutoya, "Faces"; Setimo Ceu, "Setimo Ceu"; Ricky Peterson, “A Tear Can Tell”; Scott Krippayne, "All of Me"; Rosie Gains, "Closer than Close"; Pete Whitman X-Tet, "Where's When"; Dave Graf, "Just Like That"; Carmen Electra, “Carmen Electra”; Blenders, "Loveland"; Ben Sidran, Bruce Henry, Laura Caviani, Prudence Johnson, Lucia Newell, Mick Sterling, Klezmerica, Debbie Duncan, Connie Evingson, George Avaloz, The Steeles, the JazzMN Big Band, and others.

Dave works as a musician for Broadway shows. He has also performed Duke Ellington’s “Nutcracker Suite” with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Performances with touring artists have included Aretha Franklin, James Moody, Dave Weckl, Tony Bennett, Pepper Adams, Billy Eckstine, Dick Oatts, Sammy Davis Jr., Rosemary Clooney, the Woody Herman Orchestra, and many others.

Dave graduated summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music.

Jerry Kosak
Jerry.Kosak@mcnallysmith.edu
Department Head, Guitar
Faculty Member Since: 2003
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Tertiary Department: General Education
Formal Education: M.M. Northern Arizona University, B.M. Arizona State University

Professional Experience:

Jerry has performed on shows with Don Ross, Tommy Emmanuel, Bob Brozman, and Andy McKee. He was a featured performer at major festivals including the Walnut Valley Festival, Canadian Guitar Festival, and National Resophonic Festival. Jerry's teaching experience includes being a member of the faculty at Northern Arizona University and MacPhail Center for Music and he was the winner of the Zietgiest Eric Stokes Song Contest in 2000 and 2001. 

Jerry was the recipient of Jerome Foundation Grant and has received Artist Endorsements from National Resophonic Guitars and Petros Guitars. A member of ASCAP, the Minnesota Guitar Society and the American Composers Forum, Jerry has recorded two CDs of original music for solo guitar, "Many Dances" and "Sounds Like This."

His compositions "Matagalpa" and "Many Dances" garnered him awards. His compositions range in style from classical to blues to modern progressive acoustic. As a performer, Jerry is usually found sharing the stage with his pedal board and rack of gear featuring the Gibson Echoplex.

Mike Krajewski
Mike.Krajewski@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2007
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: General Education
Tertiary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:D.M.A. University of Minnesota (in progress) - Guitar Performance with a Secondary Emphasis in Music Education; M.M. Georgia State University – Jazz Studies, B.M. Berklee College of Music – Professional Music. Classical guitar studies with John Sutherland.

Professional Experience:

Mike has performed throughout the northeast and metro Atlanta areas in various Jazz, Rock, Funk, Country, Big Band, and Theater groups. An honors graduate from Berklee College of Music and Georgia State University, Mike has been teaching for almost twenty years. He is the author of “The Complete Beginning Guitarist” and well as a wealth of educational materials that will soon be released in an upcoming book.

Before joining the faculty at McNally Smith, Mike taught at Georgia State University (as a graduate assistant), Atlanta Institute of Music and the Lovett School. During the summer of 2009 Mike played guitar for the premier of “Power Balladz” at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis. He maintains an active home studio in Woodbury, MN.

Currently, Mike is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Guitar Performance under Jeffery Van at the University of Minnesota with a secondary emphasis in Music Education under the guidance of Dr. Scott Lipscomb. His interests include advanced improvisational techniques, the integration of technology in music education, assessment in music performance, and curriculum development. Mike plays Kenny Hill classical guitars. He is an active member of the College Music Society, Guitar Foundation of America, and Association for Technology in Music Instruction.

Peggy Larson
Peggy.Larson@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2005
Primary Department: Voice
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:MA in Ethnomusicology, Bethel College, Minnesota; BA in Music Education, Concordia College, Moorhead, MN

Professional Experience: Peggy Larson has had an extensive career as a singer and choral director both in the Netherlands and USA. In the Netherlands she founded the improvising jazz choir Tamam to perform contemporary compositions and combine music and theater, and her vocal group, Peggy's Angels, was very popular for their outstanding performances of jazz and world music.

Here in the Twin Cities, Peggy teaches private and group lessons, and leads the world music women’s choir, the Earthtones, and a church choir. She has taught workshops at Compleat Scholar, MCTC and the University of Minnesota. She regularly performs improvised and world music and gives concerts/lectures on Norwegian herding calls. 

Peggy returns to the Netherlands every year to teach and perform.

Other teaching experience: Peggy taught voice and vocal pedagogy at the Arnhem and Rotterdam conservatories for many years.
 

Tim Lyles
Tim.Lyles@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2003
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:Berklee College of Music, B.P.S. Memphis State University

Professional Experience: Tim's career includes a wide range of accomplishments in television production, recording studio session work, producing, arranging, engineering, studio management, and multi-instrumental live performance. Having studied with Memphis area sessionmen and Bill Bresnahan in Boston, his university studies culminated in working with artist-in-residence, Aaron Copland, and visiting artists, Gunther Schuller and electronic music pioneer, Vladimir Ussachevsky. Tim has toured nationally in a 14-piece horn band and shared the stage with Carole King, The Beach Boys, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Merle Haggard, Ann Margaret, and many more. He also maintains a long-running contingent of private guitar students.

Phil Nusbaum
Phil.Nusbaum@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2004
Primary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:Ph.D. Indiana University, B.A. City College of New York

Professional Experience:

 Phil Nusbaum is a music professional with broad interests in folk music performance, scholarly research and broadcasting. He started his bluegrass music career as an undergraduate at the City College of New York, learning bluegrass banjo, broadcasting folk music and bluegrass and taking courses in folk music. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in Folklore at Indiana University.

While in graduate school he played in a local Bloomington, IN bluegrass band and published his first work. He led the KUNI/KHKE-FM (Cedar Falls, Iowa) remote broadcasting team, and produced pieces for distribution on 10 national public radio program vehicles. At the Minnesota State Arts Board, he produced a series of 26 radio modules that were broadcast over a dozen Minnesota station, and directed the production of a series of essay/recording packages documenting Minnesota traditional music, and played in local bluegrass bands in Minneapolis / Saint Paul. His compilation of Minnesota accordion music was issued by Rounder Records’ archives series.

At McNally Smith, he has taught courses in radio, folk music in the Twin Cities, and has led the bluegrass performance ensemble. Phil is the host of “Bluegrass Saturday Morning” (KBEM-FM 7 AM-11 AM). His one hour show “The Bluegrass Review” is syndicated to more than 60 stations. Phil also serves as a mentor for digital media students in the Minneapolis school system.

Ric Oliva
Ric.Oliva@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2007
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:B.M. Berklee College of Music – Contemporary Writing and Production

Professional Experience:

Ric has been playing guitar for over 20 years and has been teaching guitar and songwriting since 1997. Since graduating Magna Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music where he received the Peter Koleta award for Commercial Arranging, he's had the honor of sharing the stage with members of The Sounds of Blackness, The New Power Generation, The Steele Family, and many great local and national touring acts.

Ric also has had the honor of opening for rock legends Pat Benetar, Peter Frampton, and Huey Lewis and The News. Before joining the faculty at McNally Smith, he was teaching at The West Bank School of Music in Minneapolis and still teaches privately in Bloomington at The Nechville Center for Music and maintains a rigorous performance schedule.

Michael Pilhofer
Michael.Pilhofer@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2002
Primary Department: Ensemble
Secondary Department: Music Theory
Tertiary Department: Percussion
Formal Education:M.M. (Education) Eastman School of Music, B.M. (Jazz Studies) University of Miami, Florida

Professional Experience: Professional Musician and Recording Artist for over 18 Yrs, worked with national artists such as: Joe Lovano, Marian McPartland, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Bill Holman, Wycliffe Gordon, Peter Erskine and Gene Bertoncini in addition to some of finest musicians in the Twin Cities. Other teaching experience: Private Studio Instructor; Mid-West area Clinician & Educator; Adjunct Director of Jazz Southwest High School, Minneapolis Public Schools; Director of Contemporary Music, Maple Grove High School, Osseo MN;  (’00-‘02). Awards and Honors: Jazz Drumset and Jazz Ensemble Teaching Assistantships Eastman School of Music; Downbeat Magazine Award “Best Instrumental Jazz Small Group” (’99), Memberships:  AFM Local 30-73. Other Training: Certifications: K-12 Instrumental Music.

Jennifer Scovell Parker
Jennifer.Parker@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2006
Primary Department: Voice
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education: B.A. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; MM Vocal Performance - Western Michigan University
 

Professional Experience: A Wisconsin native, Jennifer (Scovell) Parker is proud to be with McNally Smith College of Music. She is active as a performer, educator, arranger, clinician and adjudicator. Jennifer earned an M.M. from Western Michigan University in Jazz Performance and her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in Jazz Studies. She was privileged to study with Linda Parins, Christine Salerno and Sunny Wilkinson.

As a performer she leads the Jennifer Parker Quartet, which allows her the opportunity to write and arrange.  She has enjoyed making music with numerous musical groups and special artists over the years including Jazz Northwest, Mark Levine, The Scovell-Sponcia Project, The Times, Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Idaho-Washington Chorale, Frank Sinatra Tribute Band, Ziji Brazilian Jazz, Bay City Swing and Double Take.

With her heart in education, Jennifer spends a great deal of time as a guest artist, clinician and director at music festivals, camps and in classroom outreach. Her vocal arrangements are often performed by college and high school vocal jazz ensembles. She has made demonstration recordings for Hal Leonard Music Publishing and The Complete Guide to Teaching Vocal Jazz, written by Dr. Stephen Zegree.

Jennifer is a member of A.C.D.A and J.E.N.

Bobby Stanton
Bobby.Stanton@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 1997
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:B.M. Berklee College of Music

Professional Experience:

Bobby Stanton has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio) shows Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” and Dave Brubeck’s music in “A Welcome Home Christmas.” He's contributed articles in several international music publications including Guitar Player Magazine. He's also toured with ABBA’s “Mamma Mia" and orchestrated two musicals in New York and worked as a music consultant on one. 

Other teaching experience: Berklee College of Music, Boston. 

Awards and Honors:

• Awarded the first ever “Ovation” Award, presented by Bill Leavitt and Gary Burton. 
• He has won songwriting awards from BMI and ASCAP. 

Memberships: Twin Cities Musicians Union. 

Bobby's album “ A Classic Guitar Christmas” sold well all over the world. He just finished a cast album for a Broadway musical about the OK Corral called “Sundown”  and is working on online music lessons, and a new book on Fingerstyle guitar. 

Some of the people Bobby’s played with include James Taylor, Garrison Keillor, Mark O’Connor, Richie Havens, Gillian Welch, Greg Leisz, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Mollie O’Brien, Robin and Linda Williams, Peter Ostroushko, Trini Lopez, Del Shannon, The Shirellas, and Bo Diddley.

Pete Whitman
Pete.Whitman@mcnallysmith.edu
Department Head, Brass & Woodwinds
Faculty Member Since: 1998
Primary Department: Brass and Woodwinds
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:MM in Jazz Studies University of North Texas; BM in Jazz Studies (UNT).

Professional Experience: Pete has spent over 25 years teaching and playing professionally as a saxophonist, flutist, and clarinetist. He has toured the U.S., Japan, and Brazil with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and has also performed with such distinguished ensembles and musicians as the Minnesota Orchestra, Jack McDuff, Curtis Fuller, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Jazz MN Big Band, JAZZAX saxophone quartet, Andres Prado and Laura Caviani. Whitman has also recorded extensively as a sideman and has three CD’s out under his name: “Departure Point” (Igmod Records) “The Sound of  Water”(Artegra) and "Where’s When" (Artegra). His latest CD, “Where’s When” features the X-tet, a ten-piece ensemble led by Whitman received a four star rating by Downbeat Magazine (Feb.04).