SVPM Administration

  • Dr. Philip Ledgerwood is the director of the Shenandoah Valley Prep Music Program. He holds performance degrees from the University of Minnesota and Texas Tech University where his doctoral research focused on developing a music theory teaching sequence based on the repertoire and structure of the Suzuki Violin School. He studied violin with Sally O'Reilly, Dr. John Gilbert, and Lewis Rosove, and has done extensive Suzuki training with a range of instructors within the Suzuki Community. Before moving to Harrisonburg, Philip maintained a robust private studio in Denver. He also served as Vice President and Membership Coordinator for the Suzuki Association of Colorado (SAC) helping that organization expand its state-wide membership, build a robust scholarship program that gave yearly scholarships to local students and teachers, and collaborate with a variety of arts organizations including the Colorado Symphony and Denver Art Museum on teacher and student events. When not in his office, he’s most likely cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

  • Erin Weldon, a native of the Shenandoah Valley, joined SVCC in 2016 as a volunteer parent assistant for the Preparatory Choir.  While volunteering her time with the choir, Erin gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the professionalism, artistry, and musical instruction provided by SVCC.  In 2017 she eagerly accepted the position of Choir Manager.  Mrs. Weldon brings over twelve years of managerial experience including working at Atwell Family Chiropractic, Bridgewater Family Dentistry, and ABC staffing.  Over the last five years, Erin has successfully run her own cake business while handling the responsibilities of a stay-at-home mother.  Outside of work, Erin enjoys spending time with her husband, three children, church family and friends.

Violin and Viola Instructors

  • Education: B.A. Wheaton College
    Special Training: Suzuki teacher training 
    Role:     Instructor
    Instruments: Suzuki violin  Studio Full

    Christa is a native of Greencastle, PA and began playing violin in the Suzuki method (age 5-11). She earned a BA in Music and a BA in English Literature from Wheaton College in IL, moving to Harrisonburg in 2012. She plays with the Waynesboro Symphony and at her church, and teaches Suzuki violin through EMU’s Preparatory Music program and after-school group classes for the Harrisonburg City Schools.

  • Education: Performance degrees from University of Minnesota & Texas Tech University

    Special Training: Suzuki Training in Violin Books 1-10 and Viola Books 1-3

    Role: Faculty

    Instrument: Suzuki Violin

    Dr. Philip Ledgerwood is the director of the Shenandoah Valley Prep Music Program. He holds performance degrees from the University of Minnesota and Texas Tech University, where his doctoral research focused on developing a music theory teaching sequence based on the repertoire and structure of the Suzuki Violin School. He studied violin with Sally O'Reilly, Dr. John Gilbert, and Lewis Rosove, and has done extensive Suzuki training with a range of instructors within the Suzuki Community. Before moving to Harrisonburg, Philip maintained a robust private studio in Denver. He also served as vice president and membership coordinator for the Suzuki Association of Colorado (SAC), helping that organization expand its state-wide membership, build a robust scholarship program that gave yearly scholarships to local students and teachers, and collaborate with a variety of arts organizations on teacher and student events within the state including the Colorado Symphony and Denver Art Museum. When he’s not in his office, he’s most likely cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

  • Role: Instructor

    Instrument: Suzuki Violin

    Scott McAvoy has completed teacher training Units 1-4 with Sharon Miller at Eastern Mennonite University. Mr. McAvoy started studying Suzuki Violin with Keitha Herron in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania at the Academy of Children’s Music, where he got a
    masterclass from Robert dePasquale. He has studied with Virginia Herrmann, Emily Guglielmi, Michele LeFevre, and Richard Casimir. Mr. McAvoy attended several Suzuki
    Institutes at Ithaca College, and has performed with many ensembles, including a concert at the Academy of Music with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
    He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from James Madison University. With more than 20 years of experience developing successful violin students, he teaches at EMU, his private Harrisonburg studio, and Harrisonburg City
    Schools. Mr. McAvoy also enjoys traveling with his wife, singing and performing violin at their church, spending time with his three children, and volunteering for their activities.

  • Education: M.M. East Carolina University
    Special Training: Suzuki pedagogy
    Role:     Former Administrative Director SVPM, EMU Faculty, Jr. Strings director, Suzuki Violin teacher trainer
    Instruments: Suzuki violin/viola, violin, viola

    Sharon Miller lives and teaches in the Harrisonburg, VA area. She teaches violin and viola to children and adults in Eastern Mennonite University's Preparatory Music Program where she was the Program's Director for nearly 30 years. During that time she helped to forge a partnership with Harrisonburg City Public Schools in order to provide string education in curricular and extra curricular classes. In addition she teaches at Suzuki summer camps and Institutes. A registered Suzuki Violin Teacher Trainer, she has led teacher workshops throughout the United States and in Lima, Peru. Mentoring young teachers is one of Sharon's passions. When not teaching or performing, Sharon enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time with nieces and nephews and volunteering with church and community groups.  

  • Role: Intern
    Instrument:     Suzuki Violin 

    Miriam Rhodes is pursuing her bachelor’s degrees in music and peacebuilding and elementary education at EMU. Miriam started playing violin through her elementary school’s after-school violin program and now enjoys teaching after-school violin students in Harrisonburg City Schools. Miriam also enjoys singing with the University Choir at EMU, playing as concertmaster in EMU’s chamber orchestra, and serving as an assistant staff member at the summer strings camp, Red Wing Academy.

     

  • Education: D.M.A. from JMU
    Special Training: Suzuki teacher training
    Role:     Instructor
    Instruments: Suzuki violin, violin

    Violinist Steffany Shock began her musical studies as a child in Toledo, Ohio, where she studied with Eugene Goldberg, who was a student of Maurice Warner. As an orchestra musician she has performed extensively with groups in Northwest Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. She currently works as a freelance violinist in the Washington D.C. area and performs regularly with the American Festival Pops Orchestra and the Washington Concert Opera. Steffany holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from James Madison University, where she was the teaching assistant for Wanchi Huang, a Masters of Musical Arts from Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor of Music from Bowling Green State University. She has completed Suzuki teacher training for Violin Units 1-10.

SVPM Teachers

Piano Instructors

  • Education: B.A. EMU, Musikgarten training
    Special Training: Musikgarten license
    Role:     Instructor
    Instruments: piano, pre-school music classes

    Hannah Shultz earned a BA in music education at Eastern Mennonite University, is a certified Musikgarten instructor and has completed Suzuki’s Every Child Can training. She started taking piano lessons in Cusco, Peru under the instruction of Flor Canelo and has since studied under Maurita Eberly, Dr. Anne Walter, Clement Acevedo and Dr. David Berry. Shultz teaches private piano lessons and early elementary music classes in the Preparatory Music Program. “Music has played a significant role in my life and I long to share the gift of music with others for the betterment of our world. I treasure opportunities to draw out and nurture the unique musical gifts and abilities housed in each child.”

  • Education: DMA, Anticipated 2026 JMU, MM Roosevelt University

    Role: Instructor

    Pianist Esther Nyberg has performed in venues in the United States and Europe, including Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center Millenium Stage for the Washington International Piano Festival, Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall, Museo del Violino for the Cremona International Music Academy and Festival, and Salzburg’s Wiener Saal for the Mozarteum International Summer Academy. As a concerto soloist, she has appeared with the Chicago College of Performing Arts Symphony, the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Portugal’s Orquestra de Camara de Cascais e Oeiras. She finds it equally meaningful to perform in local venues, outreach programs, and house concerts. Esther is the grateful recipient of numerous awards, including the Rudolph Ganz Memorial Scholarship from Roosevelt University, the Gilmore International Keyboard Master Class Fellowship, the Farewell Trust Award of the Musicians Club of Women, and the Collins Award of the American Opera Society. 


    Esther has taught at Concordia University Chicago’s piano program, and she is currently an instructor at James Madison University. She strives to instill curiosity, enthusiasm, and creativity in her students. Guiding them to cultivate an imaginative expression in playing is her great joy. With her compassionate and engaging approach, her goal is to inspire her students to reach their artistic potential and to become thoughtful and sensitive communicators. 


    She holds a Bachelor of Music from The Catholic University of America and a Master of Music from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, and Literature at James Madison University. Her principal teachers include Gabriel Dobner, Ludmila Lazar, Ivo Kaltchev, Whe Do Kim, and Denis Moffat.

Percussion,
Brass, and Wind Instructors

  • Instrument: Flute

    Role: Instructor

    Daniel Esperante is a flutist and conductor based in Staunton, Virginia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in flute performance at Southern Adventist University in Chattanooga, Tennessee, then went on to complete his master’s degree in flute performance at the University of North Texas College of Music, where he also studied orchestral conducting with David Itkin. An avid performer of early music, he began studying the Baroque flute while at UNT with Na’ama Lion. Currently, he is pursuing a DMA in Flute Performance, Pedagogy and Literature at James Madison University with Dr. Beth Chandler Cahill and is researching 20th-century flute music by Spanish composers. 

    Daniel has performed both as flutist and conductor in international masterclasses with Bonita Boyd, Marina Piccinini, Jim Walker, Simeon Pironkoff, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and Colin Metters, and was a winner of the National Flute Association Masterclass Competition. In 2024 he participated in the Wintergreen Music LEAD Cooperative fellowship program, an initiative focusing on chamber music experience, professional development, and cross-disciplinary workshops. He is the artistic director and conductor of the Nelson County Community Orchestra, a position he accepted in 2023. Most recently he has co-founded the Bluestone Contemporary Ensemble, a chamber group based at JMU whose primary focus is performing newly written works by living composers.

    When not playing the flute or studying scores, you can find Daniel drawing, gardening, or training for the next running event. He and his wife Monica live in Staunton with their two cats, Poppy and Maya. 

  • Education: B.M. Berklee College of Music; M.M. New York University; Ph.D. Candidate Eastman School of Music

    Role: EMU Faculty

    Instrument: Percussion, drum set 

    Benjamin Guerrero is currently an Assistant Professor of Music at Eastern Mennonite University. Ben is also a PhD candidate in the Music Teaching and Learning department at the Eastman School of Music, researching creativity and technology in the music classroom. Other research areas include online professional development, artificial intelligence & music, and the perception & cognition of groove in popular music.

  • Education: D.M.A. from JMU, M.M. from JMU
    Role:     EMU Faculty
    Instruments:     Trombone, Brass

    As Director of Bands at EMU, Kyle Remnant leads the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Rockin' Royals Pep Band. Additional courses taught include music fundamentals and applied low brass lessons. As an active trombonist, Kyle has performed with the Charlottesville Symphony, Charlottesville Opera, Waynesboro Symphony, Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, Middletown (OH) Symphony, Mr. Jefferson's Bones, and as a featured soloist with the JMU and Cincinnati Brass Bands. He appeared as assistant conductor, soloist, and arranger with the James Madison University Trombone Choir at the 2019 American Trombone Workshop. Kyle has served as teaching assistant (2019) and guest clinician (2021) at the DC Trombone Workshop. 

    In addition to his role at EMU, Kyle is the jazz band director at Harrisonburg High School, and adjunct instructor of music at Bridgewater College and James Madison University. He has also served as music director for shows at ShenanArts and the Shenandoah Valley Governor's School, and as music coordinator for several Church of the Brethren conferences. Kyle and his wife, Kaity, are youth coordinators at the Bridgewater Church of the Brethren. They have two dogs named after composers: Percy (Grainger) and Gus (Mahler). 

Cello and Double Bass Instructors

  • Education: B.M. University of Maryland
    Special Training: Musikgarten license
    Role:     Instructor
    Instruments: double bass, pre-school music classes

    An active performer, Lindsay performs with numerous ensembles in the Shenandoah Valley, including Principal Bass of the Waynesboro Symphony, ensembles with Eastern Mennonite, James Madison, and Washington & Lee Universities, Shenandoah Valley Choral Society, Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, Rockbridge Symphony, Lynchburg Symphony, New Orchestra of Washington, and many more.

    Lindsay began Double Bass at the age of 8 while living in Mississippi. After moving to Denver, she attended Denver School of the Arts, where she earned her Arts Endorsed Diploma. While beginning her college studies in Denver, she served as Section Bass with the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, also performing with the Cheyenne (WY) Symphony. After transferring to the University of Maryland, she was a finalist in the UMD Symphony Orchestra’s 2009 Concerto Competition before graduating with her Bachelors of Music in Double Bass Performance in 2011. She has also served as the Double Bass Instructor at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD.

    In addition to performing, she enjoys playing with local folk bands, teaching private lessons, and Preschool Music classes at EMU. Her primary teachers include the late Kenneth Harper (Assistant Principle, Colorado Symphony), Susan Cahill (Colorado Symphony), Ali Yazdanfar (Principle, Montreal Symphony), and Robert Oppelt (Principle, National Symphony).

    Lindsay is a founding member of the League of Women Bassplayers (LOW B), serving on the Board of Directors with prestigious women bassists from across the United States and abroad. She also enjoys sewing; working in theatrical costuming at Wolf Trap Opera, Livermore Shakespeare Festival, and James Madison University, as well as quilting at Patchwork Plus in Dayton, VA.

    Lindsay and her husband, Michael, live in Harrisonburg, VA with their daughter Lydia.

Guitar Instructors

  • Education: B.M. Music Composition from James Maddison University
    Role:     Instructor
    Instruments:     Guitar

    Guitarist and educator Kaleb Branner has taught music privately since 2017. 

    He received a bachelor in Music Composition from James Madison University and additionally studied music education for 3 years at Eastern Mennonite University. He studied guitar under the tutelage of Mark Whetzel and Adam Larrabee during this time.

    He was a member of JMU's guitar ensemble for 3 years and a member of multiple jazz ensembles at EMU. He has also enjoyed leading several of his own bands around the Shenandoah Valley. 

     Currently, Kaleb is a full time music teacher at Middletown Elementary School in Frederick County Virginia where he enjoys leading k-5 students through general music education, chorus, and ukulele classes. In private guitar lessons, he enjoys teaching all genres and forms of music, but is especially fond of fingerstyle and pop guitar. 

  • Education: Senior Voice and Guitar double Major at Eastern Mennonite University
    Role:     Instructor
    Instruments:     Guitar

    Thaddeus Jackson is a Singer and Multi-Instrumentalist from Harrisonburg, VA. He has toured Domestically and Internationally with the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir and the EMU Chamber Singers. He has also toured Domestically with his Vocal Octet Voxti. Currently Thaddeus is a Senior Voice and Guitar double Major at Eastern Mennonite University and he serves as a board member for the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir.