Faculty

Janis Weller
Janis.Weller@mcnallysmith.edu
Chair, Liberal Arts
Faculty Member Since: 2007
Primary Department: General Education
Secondary Department: Brass and Woodwinds
Formal Education:Ed.D in Educational Leadership from University of St. Thomas (in progress); M.A. in Human Development (focus on musician career development); B.A. in music, Luther College; completed masters coursework in musicology and flute performance, University of Minnesota

Professional Experience: As a flutist, Janis is particularly devoted to working with living composers and new music. She has premiered over 100 new works and been part of over 30 commissions. A founding member and co-artistic director of the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble, Janis has also performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble, Minnesota Composers Forum, and many other ensembles. She freelances in the Twin Cities area.

She developed and taught innovative courses in career development and music business at the University of Minnesota, Augsburg College, and University of St. Thomas, and flute at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and MacPhail Center for Music.

Janis serves on the Commission for the Education of the Professional Musician of the International Society for Music Education (ISME). She has presented workshops, papers, and poster sessions on a variety of musician career issues nationally and internationally at conferences of ISME in Hanoi, Vietnam and Barcelona, Spain, and in Bologna, Italy in 2008, in addition to the College Music Society, Suzuki Association of the Americas, Minnesota Music Teachers Association, Minnesota Music Educators Association, National Careers Conference 2005, Minnesota Career Development Association, and National Flute Association.

Dr. Stuart Anderson
Stuart.Anderson@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2008
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:Ph.D Mathematics and Physics, University of Minnesota; B.A. Augsburg College.

Professional Experience: Stuart Anderson is Associate Professor of Physics and Assistant Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.  He has taught there since 1989. His research has ranged from the ozone hole and global warming to the acoustics of saxophones, taking him from Pittsburgh to Boston to Texas to Alaska to Heidelberg Germany as well as Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.  He has taught the full range of undergraduate physics courses and recently created a new course designed explicitly for fine arts majors (Physics for the Fine Arts) that explores phenomena and perception from a scientific perspective in the context of the arts.

Julie Brice
Julie.Brice@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2007
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:Spanish M.A., University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Spanish and Vocal Music Performance double major B.A. Buena Vista University, Magna Cum Laude, Storm Lake, Iowa / Study Abroad University of Granada, Granada, Spain

Professional Experience: Awards and Honors: Who’s Who in Humanities Higher Education, University of Iowa Student Nominated Excellence in Teaching Award,  The Chancellor’s List (Highest Academic Graduate Student Honors), Alpha Chi (National Collegiate Honor Scholarship Society), Alpha Mu Gamma (National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society), U.S. Achievement Academy International Foreign Language Award. Other Teaching Experience: Julie has taught elementary to advanced Spanish courses at Illinois Wesleyan University, Illinois State University, and the University of Iowa.

Richard Brown
Richard.Brown@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2008
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:M.L.S. Literary Studies, M.A. English, B.A. Psychology, University of Minnesota

Professional Experience: Richard has taught writing and literature courses at Normandale Community College, Inver Hills Community College, Century College, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, and the University of Minnesota for many years, after a long career as a Hennepin County probation officer. Richard has taught at McNally Smith as well, and very much enjoys the creative students at McNally Smith College of Music.

William Franklin
William.Franklin@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2008
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:M.L.S. Liberal Studies, minor in Art History, B.A. Mass Communication and Rhetoric, University of Minnesota; Specialist degree in advertising, New Professions Post Secondary Institute, Caracas, Venezuela; Certified Pro Tools Operator Music Level

Professional Experience: Billy Franklin is an accomplished musician with a passion for teaching the humanities and art history. He has taught humanities and literature at the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis, and taught Spanish at New York University and Macalester College. A native of Venezuela, Billy also has a long history as a performing songwriter, electronic musician and producer.

Chris Gaalaas
Chris.Gaalaas@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2008
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:Ph.D (in progress), M.S. Curriculum and Instruction—Mathematics Education, B.S. Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Certificate, Audio Recording, Edgar Stanton Audio Recording Institute, Aspen Music School.

Professional Experience: Chris earned a B.S. in Mathematics and an M.S. in Mathematics Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  He has taught math at a variety of secondary and post-secondary institutions, including Madison Area Technical College, Santa Monica College, and New Roads School in Los Angeles.  As a member of the Center for Effective learning, he explored technologies like dynamic geometry software and perceptual learning modules that enhance learning in the classroom.  In addition, Chris studied recording engineering at the Aspen Music School and has assisted Ron Streicher, former President of the Audio Engineering Society, in recording a variety of classical music events in Los Angeles.

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.

April Mitchell
April.Mitchell@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2008
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:M.A. Teaching College English, B.S. English Education minors in Speech Communication and Theater, St. Cloud State University

Professional Experience: April began her career teaching all areas of English and Speech Communications for eight years in secondary schools. In 2003, she moved into higher education, teaching at St. Cloud State University, The College of St. Catherine, Inver Hills Community College, University of Wisconsin-River Falls and for three years as an adjunct at McNally Smith.  Primarily, she’s taught introductory composition, but has also branched out to creative and argumentative writing. In addition to teaching, April participated in community, high school and college theater for 15 years. She was involved in all aspects of production including acting, singing, lighting, set and costume design, and directing.  She was a founding director of Mora Area Community Theater and directed plays for several years in that community.

Jake Mohan
Jake.Mohan@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2009
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota

Professional Experience: Jake Mohan is a writer and musician living in Minneapolis. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota, where he wrote a memoir about playing drums in a struggling indie-rock band. He has written about music and other subjects for the Utne Reader, City Pages, the Star-Tribune, Reveille Magazine, The Onion, and other publications. Mohan currently plays drums in the eclectic Minneapolis band Run at the Dog.

Elise Robinson
Elise.Robinson@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2008
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:Formal Education: Ph.D candidate, University of California, Santa Barbara; MA, The Ohio State University;
BA, College of St. Benedict.

Professional Experience: Elise has taught acting and theatre at institutions across the country and is currently in the final stages of her PhD program with UC Santa Barbara. An experienced performer and director, Elise has directed over 25 fully produced plays, including children’s shows, classical & contemporary pieces, and several original works, and has participated in workshops with Patsy Rodenburg, Marcel Marceau and Aquila Theatre among others. She enjoys working with musicians in developing poise, confidence, and professional presentation and collaboration skills.

Becky Weis
Becky.Wies@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2002
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:Ph.D. candidate, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Major area of study: European Traditional Musics; secondary area: Latin American Traditional Musics. M.A. University of Minnesota, Musicology and Ethnomusicology 1989; B.A. Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota; concert master of the Macalester Orchestra

Professional Experience: Performer of Scandinavian Fiddle Traditions since 1988; American Swedish Institute Midwinter Folkmusic Festival 2006; Kennedy Center Millenium Stage 2003; Revels, Inc., Nordic Revels, 2002; Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, The Snow Queen, 2002; Folklore Village Scandinavian dance fiddling 1998-2005; American Swedish Institute Spelmanslag 1985 to present; Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag 1998 to present; Scandinavian dance and music camps, on staff at Buffalo Gap/Nordic Fiddles and Feet 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003; Scandia Camp Mendocino 1994, 1997-99; Ashokan 1991, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Lulu, 1985 Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company, concertmaster 1981-1986; Kenwood Chamber Orchestra, 1980-1986, concertmaster 1983-1986. Awards and Honors: Performance at Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. July 2003; Phi Beta Kappa Memberships: Phi Beta Kappa Society, Society for Ethnomusicology, American Swedish Institute, American Nyckelharpa Association, Hardanger Fiddle Association of Americal.  Becky plays classical violin in local orchestras and theaters, including the Kenwood Chamber Orchestra, Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company, and Theater de la Jeune Lune. Becky developed her Scandinavian heritage musical traditions into performance of Swedish and Norwegian fiddle traditions, studying extensively in Norway and Sweden. She researches, performs, and teaches the Swedish nyckelharpa (key fiddle) and Norwegian hardingfele (Hardanger fiddle) music at venues across the U.S. Other Training: Studies on Swedish and Norwegian fiddle traditions, in U.S. and Scandinavia, 1981-present. Courses attended at Ole Bull Akademiet, Österbybruk, and Erik Sahlström Institute. Classical violin studies from 1968-1989.

Teresa Whitman
Terri.Whitman@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2008
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:M.F.A. Creative Writing, University of Minnesota; B.A. English, Williams College

Professional Experience: Teresa Whitman is an award winning, published poet, fiction, and creative non-fiction writer, teacher, and editor. She has taught writing and literature at the University of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota. As a writer, she has received awards from the Minnesota State Arts Board, The Loft Literary Center, the Academy of American Poets, and many others. Her poetry has been published by New Rivers Press, Milkweed Editions, The Loft,  Agassiz Review, Black Hat Press, and others. As the sister of two professional musicians, Terri is particularly interested in what connects literature, music, and the visual arts, in the music of language, and in how the analytical mind aids the created mind.

Anabel Wirt
Anabel.Wirt@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2008
Primary Department: General Education
Formal Education:M. S. in Education--Intercultural Communication, University of Pennsylvania; B.A. International Studies, French, and Integrated Liberal Studies University of Wisconsin-Madison

Professional Experience: Anabel began her career in education at the Saint Paul Jewish Community Center leading youth in after-school, summer, and arts programs, focusing in-particular on inclusion efforts to aid youth with special needs to enjoy the same programs alongside their peers.  While earning her bachelor’s at UW-Madison, she taught conversational English and led field trips for international students.  After finishing her degree in Montpellier, France, she attended the University of Pennsylvania where she furthered her studies in Language, Culture, and Education, and began tutoring graduate students in academic writing skills.  Studying Sociolinguistics by day and teaching “Beginning English” by night in West Philadelphia, Anabel enjoyed turning theory to practice, and committed herself to creating inclusive learning environments fostering social awareness and responsibility to the community.  Back in Saint Paul, she has returned to the JCC, assisting youth with Autism perform in theater productions.  At McNally Smith, she works to build relationships within the community, coordinating the college’s efforts in outreach and events among students, staff, and faculty. Musically, Anabel is an avid fiddler with a particular fondness for Irish, Bluegrass, and especially Old Time fiddling styles.