James PetersonPiano Educator
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James Peterson is a multi-instrumentalist and educator hailing from the Washington DC metro area. When not performing, he teaches piano, guitar, bass guitar and double bass students. In addition to private instruction, James specializes in group classes and ensemble coaching for all ages K-12.
James holds a bachelor’s degree in performance from the Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory as well as two graduate degrees from the Indiana University Jacob School of Music. James’s time at Peabody was spent studying a breadth of specialties including double bass, conducting and music theory. At Indiana University, James chose to focus in on orchestral performance for his four years of graduate work. From Carnegie Hall to basement jazz bars, James’s performing career has taken him all across the country. James performs with many symphony orchestras along the east coast and in the Midwest, and loves to fill the time between with cover bands, musical pits and bluegrass bands. |
Maria BensonPiano Educator
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Coming from a musical family, Maria's creative pursuit and passion has always been music.
Maria has directed music programs at Interact Center for the Arts, Marcy Middle School, Hiawatha Elementary, and Youth Performance Company. She has performed at Nicollet Island Inn and with American Standard Jazz. Her performing talents have taken her to North Dakota, Chicago, and even India! Maria has been a professional dance accompanist for thirty years. As a teacher, she loves to discover the best ways to influence her students' creativity. She loves teaching, and she is looking forward to helping her students learn, play, and create music. |
Andrea WallickCello, Piano, Violin, Music Theory Educator
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Andrea is pursuing a major in cello performance at the University of Minnesota under Tanya Remenikova and has a passion for Musicology, Theory and Math. She has been an award winner in several major solo music competitions and chamber music competitions. In 2018, her chamber music trio won first place in the junior division of the SPCO Youth Chamber Music Competition, and the Mantova International Music competition which earned them a trip to Italy to play in the Mantova Music Festival sponsored by the St. Paul Conservatory of Music. Andrea has had many requests to play cello for weddings and to accompany local high school choirs. She has been teaching and tutoring students in math and music for several years.
For Andrea, her love for music began in Kindermusik classes as a very young child. She spent most of her childhood immersed in music at CSMA, and she went on to become proficient in playing multiple instruments including cello, piano, violin, guitar (classical, acoustic, electric, and bass). She has taught at CSMA since 2019, starting as an Assistant Teacher in 2015. |