Shannon is the Director of Music for the Young Child. She teaches weekly piano classes for students ages 4 to 8. She also teaches the piano portion of the Instrument Sampler, and provides private piano instruction for all ages. Her high energy and positive style add to her belief in providing a proper foundation in piano to make her a wonderful teacher for young children learning to play the piano.

She is an accomplished pianist, having performed concertos with the Perrysburg and Toledo Symphony Orchestras, having won the Toledo Symphony Orchestra's Women's League Young Artist Competition, and recorded on America's Finest Singing Machine, B.G.S.U. Men's Chorus Twentieth Anniversary recording. 

Shannon holds a M.M. in Piano Performance from Indiana University, and has vast teaching experience with all ages. She has over 20 years of accompanying choral groups, vocalists and instrumentalists at the high school, college and professional levels.

Katie was lucky enough to learn to play violin in one of the first Suzuki violin programs in the United States. Inspired by her parents' love of music and, more specifically, her mother's violin playing, she started lessons at 5 years old and has not stopped playing since. Since high school, she has maintained a busy performance schedule with various quartettes, community symphonies, baroque chamber orchestras and community theater pit orchestras in Richmond, Atlanta and Baltimore. Though trined as a lawyer and currently working at the University of Baltimore School of Law, she has also received certification as a Suzuki violin instructor and has been teaching privately for almost 20 years.

Katie currently offers private and group lessons for children and adults and teaches the violin portion of our Instrument Sampler class.

Katie teaches a modified Suzuki method, which emphasizes learning by ear but also introduces music theory and reading skills at a young age. She brings her love of music and fun to each class and gets great pleasure from working with children to help them foster their love of the same.

Dr. Aneta Otreba  received her doctorate degree in cello performance from University of Maryland, College Park, where she worked as an ensemble assistant and studied with Professor Evelyn Elsing and members of the Guarneri String Quartet.  Since 2003, she is a member of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra.  Her additional performances include Concert Artists of Baltimore, Annapolis Symphony, New World Symphony (Florida), and Washington Summer Opera.  Dr. Otreba was also accepted to the Hyogo Performing Orchestra in Japan.  She won first place in Baltimore Music Club Competition, Liberman Competition, and Peggy Friedman Gordon Music Competition.  Dr. Otreba is a cello teacher at Baltimore String Orchestra Camp and also cello and chamber music faculty at the Siena Summer Session for Music and Arts in Siena University, Italy.   Her students have been selected to perform with the All State Junior and Senior Orchestras, All County Orchestras, and Side by Side with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concerts.

Elizabeth Irvine's passion for teaching music comes from her desire to help everyone, no matter their age, background, or level of experience, to be able to make music.  She deeply enjoys making music with everyone, from students, to professional groups, to playing at her church on a regular basis.  For her, making music with others is a natural extension of our shared humanity and she loves helping people feel comfortable with it by teaching the skills and techniques to participate. 

Elizabeth has been a music educator teaching in public, private, and independent schools for 16 years and has worked with all ages of students, from lower elementary through high school.  Teaching instrumental music has been a big part of her teaching responsibilities over the years and she loves working with private students and small groups.  Elizabeth has a bachelor's in music education from Hope College and a master's in music education from the Eastman School of Music.  Her primary instruments of study were percussion and voice, and she has taken up ukulele in the last ten years and enjoys how fun it is to play.

Bryce is a music educator who is new to Maryland. Along with many years of teaching instrumental music in New Jersey, Bryce has experience teaching early childhood group classes. He admires Music for the Young Child for their evidence-based understanding of youth development, which ensures that classes meet developmental needs while expanding learning potential.

Bryce has a degree in Cello Performance from the Ithaca College School of Music, was a member of the Teaching Artist Training Institute 2022 LAB cohort and a graduate of the Academy for Impact through Music 2023 Firebird Fellowship. Bryce is thrilled to be joining Music for the Young Child and facilitating joyful learning with this new community.