Loving My Students!

Do you feel the time is passing by quicker, or is it just me?... My last blog came out in the fall of 2024! Honestly, it felt like a day before yesterday. This writeup has been long, long overdue. Yep, I am getting more masterful at procrastinating. My poor students! I am not cutting you any slack, but am faulty myself, for crying out loud!... I hereby testify that I am guilty of not celebrating my amazing students enough. Let me try to make up for that here.

This school year we welcomed adorable Cassandra Stone to the studio, joining the class at the precious age of four! In my over three decades of teaching, I never had a student this young, precious, and cute (Okay, okay, there are many cute kids). And best of all are her hugs. ☺ 

With precious Cassandra Stone

 In the fall of 2025, Cheney Kasunick and Stacy Bahn won the audition for the Colorado All-State Orchestra. The events took place on campus at CSU-Ft. Collins in February of 2026. Bravi, Ladies! Way to go! 

This winter, eight students were preparing for various concerto competitions. OMG, they worked so hard! (And so did I!) Lots of nerves… And yet so much growth, overcoming panic, improving stage presence, and enjoying music making at this new, most creative, most rewarding level. Micah, Lea, Cheney, Bross, Mercie, Clare, Stacy, Laney, Tutti Bravi! To me you are all winners!

This school year, three seniors are graduating from the studio. 

Andrew George wrapped up after Christmas and went to CU-Boulder to study Aerospace Engineering. Scary smart kid! Andrew enjoys playing in the orchestra at the college and plans to join a chamber music group in the near future.

Andrew George

In August, Bross Phelps and Stacy Bahn are getting ready to pack and go to college. Best of luck to you two!

Bross shone in the solo performance of the Gipsy Airs by Pablo de Sarasate with the Dougherty High School Chamber Orchestra. Bross REALLY wanted to play the piece and worked diligently.

Left to right: Sabrina Baugh, Bross Phelps and yours truly after the concert

Bross is going to CSU-Ft. Collins to pursue a degree in political science. If you know Bross, you would agree he will make an exceptional politician. He knows his exact moves when coming to lessons slightly underprepared, ☺ he talks a lot, and he talks very, very well. Bross is packing the violin too, to play at the college orchestra.

Bross Phelps

BTW, did I tell you we are having a lot of fun?

Left to right: Ana Stone, Cassandra Stone, yours truly, and Bross Phelps a day before Halloween

Stacy, my darling, sweet, sensitive, yet mighty and tough Stacy got third place at the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony’s Young Artist Solo Competition. And she WON the Youth Competition with the Pikes Peak Philharmonic! Stacy will be featured in the orchestra’s program on April 26 at the ENT Center for the Arts. Tickets can be purchased here. Please, come and support Stacy! This young lady is also preparing for her senior recital. You can celebrate with us on Saturday, May 9 at 4:30 PM at the Manitou Art Center.She auditioned for several music schools and decided to commit to the Oberlin College in Ohio to double-major in music performance and psychology.

Stacy Bahn

The current studio is packed with talented, promising kids; I feel truly blessed. They are showing up, week in and week out, doing the work, and being recognized by many organizations in town and in the state. Yet it makes thrilled to see how my former students, now young adults, becoming successful out there, in the grown up world.

We keep in touch with a few former students, now young adults. Isabel Gring was in town over Christmas, and we managed to catch up over coffee. Izzy, the overachiever, hard worker, the most fun kid I’ve ever known, anytime-ready-to-giggle, is making steady progress on her music performance and engineering degrees in Wyoming. She complains that her college violin professor is not tough enough, she is used to a slightly different approach. 

Hanging out with Isabel "Izzy" Gring

In 2025, my ever-brilliant former student Jory Lane graduated with a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance from the Juilliard School of Music. His academic success was followed by winning a position of Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony just in short few months. Not bad right off the school bench?... I knew this kid will go very far and very fast, but this is quite good, really, really good.

Jory Lane, walking off stage at the Juilliard, yep, the first guy you see, in a white shirt

Another alum of the studio, yet another overachiever, my strong stubborn girl Lydia McConkie, is in her second year of her music studies at the Eastman School of Music. I think she started to like practicing five hours a day?... Lydia’s professor is much stricter than me. Is it even possible?  Lydia is exploring many chamber music opportunities at Eastman playing in a piano trio, with the baroque group (she got a gorgeous 1600s violin from the school!), and is keeping busy with classes, solo, orchestra, various ensembles; and in addition to it all she works. Sounds like Lydia has been learning and growing a lot - both musically and personally.

Lydia McConkie 

I can’t resist a chance to let you know that my 1917 alum Jorrin McGee (Powell) had a baby! I've been Jorrin’s private violin and Pikes Peak State College instructor since 2017. Though an accomplished violinist, Jorrin’s passion and true calling was in the education field. After graduating with highest honors from the Colorado Christian University she got a position at the Rocky Mountain Classical Academy. As we kept in touch regularly, I was witnessing how Jorrin’s talents flourished in the classroom. I was in awe watching her develop the program, ideas were bursting out of her! 

Jorrin McGee (Powell). Than...

...and now, Jorrin with her husband Anthony and precious baby Owen

We are almost at the finishing stretch of the school year.

Happy Busy Season to All, and Good Luck to All!