Private lessons are strongly encouraged due to their obvious value to the students and his/her musical growth. In high school we do not have sectional lessons as in junior high/middle school. Attention to details particular to your instrument, such as alternate fingerings, trills, tuning, tone production, vibrato, etc., cannot be effectively addressed in a large ensemble setting. A private instructor can guide students considering “step-up” instrument purchases and mouthpieces to address your needs as you grow physically and develop embouchure muscles. The quality of the school band program therefore is reliant on the musical growth of its members. In fact, the need for individual instruction/tutorage/mentoring is even greater as a student advances. In any fine musical organization, the majority of students study privately.
We are very fortunate to be able to offer private lessons at LHS for those students and parents that have expressed interest. While the musical value of these lessons is obvious, this has also made it possible for students with busy after-school schedules to study privately. Most students’ lessons take place during their band or lunch periods and others, after school. If you are interested in lessons please contact the teacher below that corresponds with your respective instrument.
LHS is proud to host some of the finest teacher-performers in the Chicagoland area. Each teacher has undergone a formal interview process with the band's faculty, consisting of both a performance audition and a teaching episode. For further information on our impressive wind and percussion staff please read their biographies listed below.
FLUTE
Laurel Ann Kaiser, flutist, pianist, vocalist; M.S. in Music Ed, U. of I; B.A. in Music Ed., N.I. U; Assistant Director of Orchestras, Libertyville High School; Director, performer, Flutopia, award-winning flute choir; frequent performer for North Shore musical theatre and community events; adjudicator for I.M.E.A. auditions, I.H.S.A. organizational contests, Lake Forest concerto competitions; private flute instructor for M.H.S. and L.H.S. flutists; music theory specialist; composer/arranger Orchestral, Flute Choir and Choral music, performed at area Colleges and High Schools; lecturer for C.L.C. adult education, specializing in Music Appreciation and Opera; over 30 years experience.
Phone: 847.540.1989, Email
OBOE
Marissa LeFevre is a professional Oboist (English Horn) whose passion is teaching students of all ages and levels to love and master the oboe. As a graduate of Michigan State University in oboe performance, she has performed in orchestras/ensembles throughout Michigan, Illinois, Europe (France and Germany), and Chicagoland. She established MRL Oboe Studios in 2008 and teaches at many area high schools in the Northwest suburban area.
Her students have demonstrated impressive accomplishments, from IMEA All State Orchestra and Band and concerto competitions, to touring International orchestras and entrance into prestigious college schools of music. Ms. LeFevre’s passion for teaching is demonstrated by providing a nurturing, supportive atmosphere while helping her students navigate the complexities and challenges of the Oboe.
Phone: 815.236.0872, Email
BASSOON
Jen Speer is a freelance bassoonist living and teaching in the Lake County area. She has a Masters Degree in Bassoon Performance from Northwestern University, where she studied under Bob Barris. She focuses on encouraging young musicians to enjoy the process of learning the bassoon and reed making while fostering independence and self-assessment. She teaches currently at Libertyville High School, Vernon Hills High School, Mundelein High School, and Stevenson High School.
Email
CLARINET & BASS CLARINET
Ember Miller is currently an Adjunct Professor at College of Lake County and is a private music lesson faculty member at Libertyville High School, Lake Forest High School, Mundelein High School, and Vernon Hills High School. She grew up in South Bend, Indiana, where she was very active in the music scene at a very young age. She was a member of honors orchestras and bands throughout the Midwest while she was in high school. She continued her musical studies at Michigan State University where she studied with acclaimed clarinetist Caroline Hartig. At Michigan State, she was a member of the Wind Symphony under Kevin Sedatole and Philharmonic Orchestra under Raphael Jiménez. She was also a founding member of the Sparta Winds, an immensely popular woodwind quintet based in Michigan who enjoyed a residency in 2009 with the Chamber Music Institute at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and premiered a piece entitled “Une Rose” by Canadian Composer; Thierry Tidrow. After receiving a Bachelors Degree in Music Performance at MSU, she decided to continue her studies at Northwestern University, where she studied with Steve Cohen. At Northwestern, she performed with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble under Mallory Thompson and the Northwestern University Symphony orchestra under Victor Yampolsky. Ember worked in these ensembles as a principal, Eb, bass, and contra bass clarinetist. An advocate of new music, she was also a member of the Contemporary Music Ensemble, where she played principal and auxiliary clarinet parts. She graduated from Northwestern with a Masters Degree in Music Performance and Literature. Ember is currently living in Chicago, where she is in demand as an artist and a teacher. She is the principal clarinetist of the Chicago Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and has performed with orchestras throughout the Midwest, such as Green Bay Symphony, Illinois Symphony, South Bend Symphony, Kankakee Valley Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Her students currently earn the top chairs in the premiere ensembles in ILMEA district and state competitions, Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has helped lead them to win national competitions and college scholarships.
Phone: 574.261.5928, Email
SAXOPHONE
Garret Munz is a saxophonist and educator in Chicago, IL, who strives to use music as a way to construct healing and sonic energy in the listener. As a freelance artist, he has performed with The Diego Rodriguez Big Band, Neon Wilderness, The Ella Grace Quintet, The Alejandro Salazar Quartet, Urban Horizons, or Manwolves at venues such as Cafe Mustache, G-Man Tavern, Andy's Jazz Club, The Jazz Showcase, Empty Bottle, The Hideout, Lincoln Hall, The St. Charles Jazz Festival, The Chicago Jazz Festival, Schubas, and Martyrs'. He has also led groups at the Fulton Street Collective and Elastic Arts under his name, The Garrett Munz Group.
He found his passion for music during his time at Mundelein High School and later studied with Chris Madsen, taking part in the Merit School of Music and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra.
In 2020, Munz moved to Chicago to continue his education at DePaul University, studying mainly with Scott Burns and Dana Hall and graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Saxophone in 2024. Before college, he had limited experience with the tenor saxophone, but during his college years, he fully immersed himself in both alto and tenor, discovering the unique voices and expressive possibilities each instrument offers.
Email
TRUMPET
Greg Strauss is an active trumpet performer and teacher based in Chicago. Originally from New Jersey, Greg moved to Chicago to pursue graduate studies at Northeastern Illinois University, where he earned his Master of Arts in Trumpet Pedagogy. He also holds a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Greg has over fifteen years of teaching experience, working with students of all ages and skill levels. He currently teaches in his private studio and serves as a substitute trumpet teacher at the Merit School of Music. He has also taught at The Music Institute of Chicago, Hinsdale South High School, and Rutgers Preparatory School.
As a performer, Greg is an active orchestral and theater musician throughout the Midwest. He has recently appeared with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Indiana Symphony, and New Philharmonic. He has also performed with the Dubuque Symphony, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Lithuanian Opera Company of Chicago.
In the musical theater world, Greg has played at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, the Paramount Theater in Aurora, and regularly performs with Porchlight Music Theatre, Music Theater Works, and the Mercury Theater Chicago, among others. His versatility as a musician extends to chamber music and commercial work, including appearances with Gaudete Brass Quintet, Uniting Voices Chicago, and various jazz, rock, and brass ensembles.
Greg has been recognized for his artistry as the winner of the Northeastern Illinois University Concerto Competition, a featured performer with the International Trumpet Guild, and a past member of the National Collegiate Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall.
Dedicated to both performance and education, Greg brings energy, professionalism, and a love of music to his students and the stage alike. He is excited to join the faculty at Libertyville High School and looks forward to working with the next generation of trumpet players!
Phone: 773.554.5412, Email
FRENCH HORN
Brenda Kublank moved to the Chicagoland area in 1991 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education and Music Performance from Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. After receiving outstanding horn instruction from Michael Lewellen (Fort Wayne Philharmonic), Peter Landgren (Baltimore Symphony), and Gail Williams (Chicago Symphony), she was excited to be freelancing in Chicago and continuing her horn studies with Dale Clevenger of the Chicago Symphony. In her time as a freelance musician, she has performed with many orchestras, including the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Northbrook Symphony, Lake Forest Symphony, and Elmhurst Symphony. She also enjoyed performing in brass quintets throughout the Chicago area, performing two summers at Navy Pier and touring with the Resonant Brass Quintet. In 1991, after graduating from college, she taught her first horn student at Stevenson High School. Although she had not planned on teaching, her colleague had talked her into it and she is thankful that she did, for it opened up a whole new world to her. She loves to pass on what she has learned to her own students, helping them grow proficient in their skills on the horn and to see their confidence and enjoyment of music. There is nothing more satisfying to her than helping her students succeed! Over her career, she has helped many students prepare for music conservatories, college auditions, college scholarships, district auditions, solo competitions, and band placement auditions.
Phone: 847.367.7790, Email
TROMBONE
Colleen Bayoneto is the trombone teacher at Libertyville High School. Mrs. Bayoneto holds a Bachelors degree cum laude in trombone performance from Boston University, where she studied trombone with soloist Scott Hartman and Ronald Barron of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. A native of south suburban Lansing, she now lives in Chicago and divides her time between teaching and freelancing. In addition to her work at LHS, she is a lesson teacher and chamber music coach at the Merit School of Music and has also been on faculty at Carthage College. Her private lesson students have won concerto competitions, participated in the IMEA All-State Festival, and gone on to receive scholarships at some of the top music schools in the country. As a performer, she is proficient in both classical and jazz. She has performed with many orchestras in the area, The Edens Brass Trio, and plays lead trombone with the Chicago Outskirts, an all-female big band that performs regularly in Chicagoland. Mrs. Bayoneto has been on faculty at LHS since 2005.
Phone: 773.608.9144, Email
EUPHONIUM & TUBA
Kendra Gohr received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois in 1999. Then, after teaching band in the public schools for four years, she returned to school and earned her Master’s degree in Euphonium Performance from The Pennsylvania State University in May of 2005. She has competed in several competitions, including the International Tuba & Euphonium Conference held in Budapest, Hungary, where she was a semi-finalist in both the euphonium artist and the tuba/euphonium quartet competitions. Back here in the Chicago suburbs, she has performed (as a sub, member or a soloist) in numerous ensembles, including the Wheaton and Naperville Municipal Bands, the Northshore Concert Band, the North Suburban Wind Ensemble, the Prairie and Chicago Brass Bands, the Solid Brass, Majestic Brass Quintet and Our Saviour’s Brass. Kendra lives in Libertyville with her husband Adam, son Owen, and daughter Annabelle. She is currently a low brass instructor at Libertyville High School, Mundelein High School and also teaches out of her home.
Phone: 630.825.4412, Email
PERCUSSION
Bret Zwier is a Libertyville native whose eclectic performing background and more than 20 years of teaching experience give him a unique ability to bring out the best in every student. Bret earned a full tuition scholarship to study Percussion Performance at Northern Illinois University. He performed in their Wind Symphony, Percussion Ensemble and played drum set in their award- winning Jazz Ensemble. He recorded Jazz Lives, which won Downbeat magazine’s ‘Best Performance’ Award. He worked summers at Great America performing in their Marching Band, Pit Orchestra, Country and Top-40 Bands. In Los Angeles, he was lead snare at Disneyland where he performed in their Marching Toy Soldier Band. Bretalso recorded and toured with pop singer, Tiffany, and can be heard on her albums, Dreams Never Die, and All The Best. A member of Grammy-nominated Liquid Soul, he opened many dates for Sting including The Concert In Central Park. Other artists Bret has backed up include “Soul Man” Sam Moore, Clark Terry, James Moody, Jon Faddis, Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Crystals and Donald O’Connor. As a percussionist on Norwegian Cruise Lines, he toured 36 countries and became Bandmaster for NCL. Bret has worked directly with Stephen Sondheim as the percussionist for the U.S. debut of Saturday Night. He became the house percussionist for many of the Drury Lane theatres, including the inaugural run at the Drury Lane/Water Tower – The Full Monty. Currently Bret stays busy performing around 100 dates per year, including corporate gigs and weddings with his band, Front Of House.
Bret is an artist endorser for Vic Firth sticks/mallets and Evans drumheads.
Phone: 847.951.4499, Email
