Leadership

Allison Chenoweth is a graduate of Cornell College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Anthropology, and of the University of Chicago, where she earned a Master of Arts Ethnomusicology.

She has been teaching piano in Cedar Rapids since 2005. Allison has served in many positions in her local association, including secretary, vice-president, and president, along with chairing both local festivals and auditions. She has served on the board since 2009, as MTNA Foundation Chair, Second Vice-President for Membership, Outreach and Development Committee Chair, and co-Vice-President for State Auditions.

Allison is active in the local music community, playing clarinet in the Cedar Rapids Community Orchestra. She directs choir and bell choir at her church and plays for services. In her spare time, Allison enjoys reading, walking local nature trails, and attending local music events.

Sarah Reeves has a long-standing passion for teaching piano. Upon completing her Bachelor's degree from Faith Baptist Bible College, where she studied sacred music and piano, she started a private piano studio in Ankeny, Iowa. After five years of teaching, she began to feel the need for formal pedagogy training. Sarah moved with her husband Matt to attend The University of Oklahoma, where she earned her Master of Music in piano performance and pedagogy in 2020, studying with Dr. Jeongwon Ham. She has since returned to Ankeny to pursue her teaching goals.
In addition, Sarah is an active performer and collaborator. She maintains her own piano studies with Dr. Alan Huckleberry at the University of Iowa, believing that regular evaluation is essential to teachers as well as students. She also accompanies choirs, vocal and instrumental soloists and musical theatre productions. She frequently incorporates collaborative playing into lessons, since making music with others is vital for musicians of any age and skill level.
Additionally, Sarah teaches students to play in a variety of styles. She actively seeks out music from contemporary composers and encourages students to learn and adapt the music of their favorite artists.  By introducing students to a variety of genres, she hopes to give students many tools to express their own unique musicality.

Dr. Melinda Westphalen received her DMA in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa. She is an avid collaborative pianist, currently on the music faculties of Grinnell College, Mt. Mercy University, and Coe College. Dr. Westphalen also teaches music history and music theory.

Nora earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from the University of Iowa. Her lifelong passion for music began in elementary school, where she started accompanying classmates for solo festivals. Nora went on to dedicate 33 years to teaching as a junior high band director in several public schools across Iowa, recently retiring from the Davenport Public School District. In addition to her career in public education, she has consistently maintained a thriving piano studio. Nora continues to stay active in the music community, collaborating with students for solo and ensemble contests, musicals, and recitals.

Mary Beth Barteau Shaffer NCTM, is currently the West Central Division Director of MTNA, serving on the MTNA Board of Directors and as chair of the Collegiate Chapter Forum and the Young Professionals, Collegiate Chapters and Collegiate Members Task Force. She is also a member of IMTA as well as state and local affiliates in Colorado and Arizona. She has held several state and local offices in both MTNA and NFMC in Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa and Arizona, including serving as president of the Colorado State Music Teachers Association (CSMTA.)

As a collaborative pianist, she has performed with several former University of Iowa faculty as well as with faculty at the the University of Denver and Colorado College. She has served on several faculties in Iowa, Colorado and Minnesota, and recently retired as director of the Lamont Summer Academy at DU.

Her piano studio has produced many prize-winners in various competitions and her students have been soloists with several orchestras, including the Des Moines Fort Dodge Symphonies. She is also an experienced adjudicator and clinician, and her articles on piano technique have been published in Keyboard Companion. In 2019, she was recognized as the Teacher of the Year by CSMTA.

Carlene Albrechtsen first started teaching piano lessons while living in Kirkland, Washington in 2000. She continued teaching piano lessons while attending college at Brigham Young University where she earned a bachelors degree in Piano Performance and a minor in Mathematics in 2010.

In 2014 she relocated to Clinton, Iowa where she began building the studio she currently runs. Her studio focuses on piano playing, music theory, and pedagogy skills including a program for high school aged students to teach their own students under her direction. She has also created a studio program for teaching adults piano lessons which has been very popular.

She is a Nationally Certified Piano Teacher and is also actively engaged in her local MTNA and FMTA organizations in her area. Outside of her studio, Carlene accompanies for the Clinton Community School District, teaches music to elementary aged children in her local church congregation, and is the music director of her regional church organization. She also dabbles in music composition as a hobby.

In addition to her music career, Carlene is married and has three children with her husband, Brent. She enjoys teaching all three of her children piano lessons, as well as camping and working on dozens of puzzles a year in her free time.

Sharon Jensen holds music degrees from Calvin College, University of Texas and University of Michigan. As the recipient of a Rotary Fellowship, she studied at the Hochschule for Musik in Vienna, Austria where she earned the Artist's Diploma. She has performed recitals in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada and the U.S. In 2016 Sharon performed with members of the Czech Philharmonic at Smetana Hall in Prague during the Prague Proms Festival. Jensen has been the featured soloist with orchestras throughout the Midwest, including the University of Michigan Symphony, Augustana Symphony and the Quad Cities Mozart Festival orchestra. In 2007 she made her solo debut with the Dubuque Symphony. In March 2010 Dr. Jensen made her debut at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall and performed there for four consecutive years with flautist Peg Cornils Luke. She has also been heard on NPR's Live from Landmark Center, Live from the Chazen and Chicago's Dame Myra Hess Series.

Dr. Jensen was chair of keyboard studies at Augustana College (Rock Island, IL) from 1986-1993 where she was also a member of the Augustana Trio. She taught at UW-Platteville for one year and from 1996-2013 she was a faculty member at Emmaus Bible College (Dubuque, IA). She is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Clarke University where she teaches piano, music history and keyboard skills. She has also served on the faculties of Calvin College, Bay View Music Festival, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and Lutheran Summer Music Camp. Sharon is active as a teacher and adjudicator in Iowa Music Teachers Association where her students have earned honors at district and state auditions. In 2015 she was honored as the Nationally Certified Teacher of the Year from the state of Iowa.

Sarah Reeves has a long-standing passion for teaching piano. Upon completing her Bachelor's degree from Faith Baptist Bible College, where she studied sacred music and piano, she started a private piano studio in Ankeny, Iowa. After five years of teaching, she began to feel the need for formal pedagogy training. Sarah moved with her husband Matt to attend The University of Oklahoma, where she earned her Master of Music in piano performance and pedagogy in 2020, studying with Dr. Jeongwon Ham. She has since returned to Ankeny to pursue her teaching goals.
In addition, Sarah is an active performer and collaborator. She maintains her own piano studies with Dr. Alan Huckleberry at the University of Iowa, believing that regular evaluation is essential to teachers as well as students. She also accompanies choirs, vocal and instrumental soloists and musical theatre productions. She frequently incorporates collaborative playing into lessons, since making music with others is vital for musicians of any age and skill level.
Additionally, Sarah teaches students to play in a variety of styles. She actively seeks out music from contemporary composers and encourages students to learn and adapt the music of their favorite artists.  By introducing students to a variety of genres, she hopes to give students many tools to express their own unique musicality.

My name is Kinza Maclin, and I am a musician, accompanist, and piano teacher based in the Quad Cities with over 20 years of experience. I began piano lessons in second grade, and from the start my mom could hardly get me to stop practicing! Growing up in the small town of Dousman, WI, I quickly discovered my love of music. By sixth grade, I was accompanying my school choir, collaborating with friends on projects, and playing in my church’s worship band. I also served as pianist for a retirement community, providing music for their services.
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Music Business with a concentration in piano from Bradley University in 2015, followed by a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from Illinois State University in 2017. After graduating, I worked as a staff accompanist for Indianapolis Public Schools and later at Clark Pleasant Middle School in Greenwood, Indiana. Following my marriage, I relocated to Illinois, where my husband and I now live in Sherrard.
I am passionate about collaborative piano and have had the joy of working with choirs, vocalists, and instrumentalists of all kinds. In addition to school positions, I have served as pianist, organist, and music director at various churches.
When I’m not teaching or accompanying, I enjoy tending to my 2,800-square-foot garden, baking, cooking, canning, and spending time with my husband, our dog, and friends—especially for game nights.
Currently, I serve as an Accompanist at North Scott High School and Middle School, and I have 20 piano students I teach. 

Dr. Roth Bio

Donita McCoy is a native of Mason City, Iowa and has been a member of MNTA/IMTA/MTCI since 1987. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Iowa State University at the age of 33 and has been living and teaching piano in Ames for 49 years. Mrs. McCoy maintains a private studio for piano and strings in her home. She continues to serve as the section bass player in the Des Moines Symphony as she has for 48 years, where she met her husband of 56 years, Richard McCoy. Mrs. McCoy is also currently the principal bass of her community orchestra in Ames.

Donita McCoy was a 2018 Foundation Fellow recipient.

Craig Daffron Jordan is a DMA Candidate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa, studying with Dr. Réne Lecuona. This past summer, Craig had the honor of attending the Tanglewood Music Center as a second-year Piano Fellow, mentored by artists such as Emanuel Ax, Orli Shaham, Margo Garrett, Jacob Greenberg, and Dawn Upshaw. Recent performances include a collaboration with Kevin Swenson at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s PdMax Conference, an appearance with the University of Iowa’s Center for New Music at the Princess Galyani Vadhana International Music Festival in Bangkok, substituting on Harmonium for the New World Symphony’s production of Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and the world premiere of Matthew Mason’s The Pianist’s Guide to Illinois at the Illinois Music Teachers Association Conference. In September 2023, Craig premiered the piano concerto Things that Drift Ashore by Matt Mason with the Center for New Music, directed by Dr. David Gompper. Craig completed his MM at the University of Miami, where he studied with Professor Tian Ying and notably performed Neustadter’s Seaborne Concertofor percussion sextet, orchestra, and film as a winner of the 2021 concerto competition. Craig received his BM from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Dr. Catherine Kautsky and was awarded the Marjory Irvin Prize for Excellence in Piano Performance. He has performed around the globe on Holland America Cruise Lines and at festivals in Thailand, Colombia, Brazil, Italy, and Germany. Craig will soon join the faculty at the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in January of 2026 as a Lecturer of Music. Currently, he is a piano faculty member at the Preucil School of Music.

Diane M. Smith, NCTM, has taught piano as an independent music teacher in West Des Moines, Iowa, for more than 50 years. She has been an active member of MTNA since 1976, working on the local, state and division levels and serving in a variety of offices including president of the Iowa MTA. Smith was honored by the Iowa MTA as Certified Teacher of the Year in 1999 and with the Distinguished Service Award in 2008. Smith founded and directed the Music and Movement Center, Inc., of West Des Moines, which was one of the largest centers for early childhood music education in the country.

Diane was a 2016 Foundation Fellow recipient.

I am passionate about instilling a love for the piano in my students in a positive and joyful way! Beginning my 37th year of teaching this Fall, I still find great joy in the little victories—a beautifully contoured phrase—a new compositional idea demonstrated—a challenging passage conquered!

My greatest desire is to impact my students to become humble, lifelong musicians and servants—as my teachers did for me. I greatly value the gentle yet firm instruction received from Chiu Ling Lin, Flora Jean Garlock, and my dear college mentor, Charles Bergerson. And yet the greatest call upon my life is to serve my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is worthy of all our praise and worship!

Dr. Melinda Westphalen received her DMA in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa. She is an avid collaborative pianist, currently on the music faculties of Grinnell College, Mt. Mercy University, and Coe College. Dr. Westphalen also teaches music history and music theory.

Cate Bryan, NCTM and Steinway Verified Teacher, is a native of Sioux City, Iowa, and began taking piano lessons at the age of 5. By age 12, she began to compete at both IMTA and MTNA up through her high school graduation, under the tutelage of IMTA members Aris Montgomery, Sally Hodges, and Dr. James March. Most notably in her junior and senior years of high school, Cate was a Level F winner at both local and state auditions and placed honorable mention in the 2001 MTNA piano competition.
Studying piano seriously in high school led Cate to a music scholarship at Hillsdale College, where she graduated summa cum laude with a piano performance major, under instruction from Drs. Robert and Susan Rathmell.  She also completed a classical studies major, under instruction from Dr. Joseph Garnjobst, Dr. Lorna Holmes, and Dr. David Jones. She combined both majors in her senior piano recital by composing and performing a song cycle from Virgil’s Aeneid called The Dido Series with soprano Hannah (Dixon) McConnell in 2005. Fifteen years later, she was most delighted to present the world premiere of the complete song cycle, known as The Aeneid Series, at the Eta Sigma Phi National Convention at St. Olaf College in March 2019, with soprano Hannah (Dixon) McConnell and tenor Christian Sanders.
Although Cate began piano lesson instruction during her college days, she spent the first decade working in financial services (insurance, investments, and government relations), state government (Iowa Senate), and federal government (U.S. Senate) while teaching a few piano lessons in the evening hours.  She transitioned to full-time teaching in March 2018 and now teaches individual piano lessons to 40 students in her Steinway studio.
​She has been a member of both IMTA and MNTA since 2018 and has filled many roles in both her local and state associations. In 2019, she was Vice-President and President-Elect of her local association, DMMTA, and in 2020, she held the role of President. From 2021-2025 Cate served as Treasurer of DMMTA. Her IMTA responsibilities began in 2021, where Cate held the role of First Vice-President, State Auditions Chair of IMTA and then transitioned to the role of State Treasurer in 2023. Currently, Cate serves as the State Certification Chair, helping fellow members achieve their NCTM certification, like she did in 2020.​
Cate has had the distinct honor of receiving Steinway’s Top Teacher Award in 2022, and the IMTA Distinguished Service Award in 2023.
In other musical undertakings, since August 2022, Cate is a Board of Trustee member of the Terrace Hill Endowment for Musical Arts (THEMA), which supports the annual Terrace Hill Piano Competition. Since 2024, Cate has been honored to Chair this esteemed organization, and for the first time in competition history, the event was moved to its proper home at Terrace Hill, with the full support of the board and First Family in 2025.

Cyndie Caruth of Ankeny, Iowa has been a certified independent piano instructor for over 40 years and was among the first in the U.S. to be nationally certified through the MTNA examination program. As a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in music education, she taught in the public school five years while maintaining her private studio.

She has served on the Iowa Music Teachers board in a variety of capacities as well as committee work with the West Central division and MTNA. Cyndie was the sole recipient of the 2004 Certified Teacher of the Year and the Distinguished Service Award at their annual state conference; the first to ever receive both awards concurrently. Cyndie is a past president of the Iowa Music Teachers Association, having served during the 2007-2009 term and in June 2017 was again elected to serve as IMTA President for the 2017-2019 term. In the spring of 2023 she will celebrate her 50th year of teaching as an IMTA/MTNA member.

Cyndie was honored at the Music Teacher's National Association Conference as a Foundation Fellow in 2017.

Cyndie serves on the Terrace Hill Endowment for the Musical Arts board.

[email protected]

Dr. Jason Sifford, NCTM is a freelance pianist, teacher and composer with a wide range of abilities and interests. He maintains a private teaching studio in Iowa City and is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician, lecturing on such diverse topics as classical performance practice, jazz pedagogy, technical development in young pianists, composition, and music technology. He also appears regularly as a music director and theater musician for area theaters including Hancher Auditorium, the University of Iowa Theater Department, and the City Circle Acting Company of Coralville.

Dr. Sifford served as president of the Iowa Music Teachers Association from 20115-17 and serves on the Independent Music Teachers Committee for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Jason was the 2019 IMTA recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.

As a composer, Jason is primarily interested in didactic literature for the piano, and his catalogue includes three solo collections, a baroque suite, and several arrangements of popular and traditional songs. His music is featured in the state syllabi for Iowa and Minnesota, the bulletin for the National Federation of Music Clubs, and the Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada). Dr. Sifford holds degrees from Missouri State University, Louisiana State University, and The University of Michigan.

Dr. Luke Tyler has over 20 years of teaching piano to students of all ages and levels, ranging from pre-school aged beginners to college music majors and older adults.

Luke was an Assistant Professor Loras College for 7 years, where he coordinated the keyboard area, taught music theory, and developed courses in African-American music, jazz, and world music.

Luke is active in Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). He has served as an adjudicator, performer, and presenter within the organization at all levels. He has notable performances in Tucson, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Germany, Beijing, Harbin, the Quad Cities, Chicago, and Hong Kong.

Luke is currently serving as Executive Director of Northeast Iowa School of Music (NISOM), where he teaches piano and manages development, programming, events, and day-to-day operations.

Dr. Jason Sifford, NCTM is a freelance pianist, teacher and composer with a wide range of abilities and interests. He maintains a private teaching studio in Iowa City and is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician, lecturing on such diverse topics as classical performance practice, jazz pedagogy, technical development in young pianists, composition, and music technology. He also appears regularly as a music director and theater musician for area theaters including Hancher Auditorium, the University of Iowa Theater Department, and the City Circle Acting Company of Coralville.

Dr. Sifford served as president of the Iowa Music Teachers Association from 20115-17 and serves on the Independent Music Teachers Committee for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Jason was the 2019 IMTA recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.

As a composer, Jason is primarily interested in didactic literature for the piano, and his catalogue includes three solo collections, a baroque suite, and several arrangements of popular and traditional songs. His music is featured in the state syllabi for Iowa and Minnesota, the bulletin for the National Federation of Music Clubs, and the Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada). Dr. Sifford holds degrees from Missouri State University, Louisiana State University, and The University of Michigan.

TBD

Julia Andrews is an active performer of chamber music and jazz piano. She is in demand throughout the region as an accompanist, jazz pianist, clinician, and adjudicator. Julia has owned a piano studio for 22 years and opened a full music studio in 2021. She has served on the music faculty at Monmouth, Knox, and Cornell College. Currently she is the owner and lead teacher of Music Works Iowa in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

Pianist Du Huang has presented solo performances at the Grosser Saal of the Konzerthaus and the Brahms-Saal of the Musikverein in Vienna, Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot in Paris, Shanghai Music Hall and Beijing Music Hall in China, and numerous concert venues in Czech Republic. Huang also performs frequently in the Unison Piano Duo with pianist Xiao Hu. The duo has recordings on Innova, MSR Classics, and Yangtze River labels. They have presented piano duo recitals in Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and many cities in the United States. Their performances have been broadcasted by NPR’s Performance Today, Minnesota Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio, and Iowa Public Television

Huang received early training at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music from the age of eight to eighteen. He studied with Professor Eugene Pridonoff and graduated from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music (magna cum laude) and a Master of Music degree. He studied with Professor Gilbert Kalish at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, receiving the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2001. He has also studied in master classes with pianist Leon Fleisher. His chamber music coaches include Timothy Eddy, Henry Meyer, and Peter Oundjian.

Huang currently serve as Coordinator of Piano Studies at Luther College, where he has been a piano faculty member since 2001. A member of Iowa Music Teacher Association, he serves the organization as Co-Chair of Piano Duet Competition and Festival. Huang has served as an adjudicator for Chicago Duo Piano Festival Competition and Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. He is also in demand as a visiting professor in conservatories and schools of music in his native country of China. He has served as piano faculty at many summer programs including Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, and spent six summers teaching piano and chamber music at Saarburg International Music Festival in Germany.

Halie Augustus has distinguished herself as a musician of exceptional technical ability and interpretive insight. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa, under the guidance of Dr. Alan Huckleberry. Halie holds a Bachelor of Music from Brigham Young University and a Master of Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. As a solo performer and collaborator, she has performed in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Palais Montcalm–Maison de la Musique in Quebec City. Her recent projects feature a recording of Danny Elfman’s Piano Quartet, as well as teaching and performing at the Piano Festival of the Americas in Medellin, Colombia.