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Emma Shubin, MM, BM, BA, Dalcroze License & Certificate,
Artistic Director & Co-Founder, Integral Steps Flutist, Suzuki, & Dalcroze Educator About Emma Shubin
Passionate about music, holistic & integrative education, Emma has been joyfully making music all of her life. Both conservatory and life-trained, she has performed and taught internationally as a flutist, a Suzuki educator and Dalcroze Eurhythmics instructor, an approach of teaching music through movement. Her love of ecology led her to a degree in the field and she seeks to make science not only accessible for her students, but to also deepen their awareness and connection to the world around them and the communities they reach - whether from the performance stage, at home, in schools, or in nature. She is represented by the Wm.S. Haynes flute company, and strives to creatively combine and share her love of music, movement, improvisation, performance and ecology with students of all ages. Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Integral Steps, Emma currently is pursuing her PhD at the University of Luxembourg researching the impact of integrating movement with instrumental learning for young musicians.. www.emmashubin.com Courses
Rhythmic Solfège III & V Advanced Dalcroze Instrumental Academy |
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Alejandra O. Hudon, MS, MFT
Co-Founder, Integral Steps About Alejandra Hudon
Alejandra specializes in early childhood development and infant mental health with a focus on attachment and early childhood trauma. Originally from Venezuela, Alejandra has been a licensed Clinical Psychologist in her country since 2006, and holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology here in the US. Her early childhood specialization came after training at UCSF Child Trauma Research Program in 2009 and at University of Colorado School of Medicine Harris Infant Mental Health Program. While living in Colorado she worked as a full-time child & family therapist at Aurora Mental Health Center and served as a member at the Colorado Preschool Programs (CPP) Advisory Board. She also became part of the Fussy Baby Network and completed a certification as an Infant Massage Instructor. Alejandra's practice is defined by her diverse background. Growing up as a martial arts pupil of Grand Master Su Yu Chang, she also studied music and was exposed to different mindfulness practices and the benefits of alternative medicine from a very young age. These experiences have led her to strongly believe in the need for an integrative focus to her work, promoting inner-growth through a balanced approach to life. |
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Morgan Ray, MEd, BA
Executive Director About Morgan Ray
With nearly 15 years of experience in special education and non-profit management, Morgan's approach to meeting the needs of all learners is equity-driven and data-informed. Her work on the front lines of education has taught her skills necessary for building dynamic programs and strong partnerships. At a young age, Morgan developed a personal and profound love of the arts, going to concerts & plays and performing herself in high school. Morgan has a deep appreciation for the therapeutic nature of artistic expression as well as the social emotional and executive function skills that are developed during the process. Morgan is an instructor, coach and school administrator with a passion for caring for her community and connecting individuals with the resources they need to maintain their wellness and grow their brains.
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Nicole Thomas, BS
Operations Director About Nicole Thomas
Individualistically minded, Nicole loves to support children and adults one-by-one. From developing content that is easily accessible to relaying focused information, she thrives on the harmony produced. Her belief in community has often translated to passionate involvement in local non-profits. In addition, she often heads outdoors to bike with her husband, run marathons with her daughter, and climb 14ers with her son. |
Ann Suda, BA, MIB
Music Together Director and Teaching Artist About Ann Suda
Music has always been an important part of Ann's life. Ann has played flute in the Springfield, MA Young People's Symphony as well as in jazz and marching bands. While earning her BA in Economics and French from UMASS Amherst, she continued with music by playing in the college marching band and symphony. Ann went on to obtain her Master's in International Business from Pepperdine University where she lived and worked in France (and of course brought her flute with her). Ann participated in Music Together® classes with both of her children for a total of seven years and experienced firsthand the joy and learning that took place in and out of class. Ann is a Certified Level I Music Together Instructor and has taught Music Together Mixed Age classes since 2010. She loves how Music Together fosters community music making and enjoys seeing children grow and express themselves through music and movement. Courses
Music Together® |
Melissa Overbury-Howland , MEd, BA
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About melissa overbury-howland
Born in England, Melissa grew up in Greece and experienced a truly international education, becoming a TEFL teacher at the age of 18. Melissa went on to graduate from the University of Cambridge with a Masters in Education and was an English and Drama teacher for 6 years before transitioning to the tech and admin world. Some of her accolades include working with the BBC to create a documentary focusing on classroom engagement and also setting up a teaching program in India promoting non-didactic teaching methods. A strong supporter of alternative and innovative education, she is very happy to be partnering with Integral Steps to ensure multimodal programs reach those in need. Courses
Summer Camps |
Molly Burt-Westvig, BFA
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ABOUT MOLLY BURT-WESTVIG
Molly Burt-Westvig is a visual artist who believes deeply in making fine and performing arts education accessible and equitable for communities everywhere. Through her work with Integral Steps she takes pride in bringing inspiring stories to our media platforms, giving a glimpse inside our classrooms to showcase how we serve our community. |
Weronika Balewski, Dalcroze Certificate, MM, BFA
Teaching Artist & Virtual Dalcroze Meet-Ups Administrator About Weronika Balewski
Weronika believes the Arts have the power to build connection, relationships, and community. This idea is central to her work as a flutist and music educator. A co-founder of Marvento Duo, Weronika performs on modern and Baroque flutes and loves inviting audiences into the magic of music. She is passionate about building a joyful learning environment for her students based on the principles of Dalcroze and Integrative Education. In addition to teaching summer camps with Integral Steps in Colorado, she teaches private flute and piano lessons in her studio in the Boston area and is on the Flute Faculty at the Concord Conservatory of Music. Born in Poland, Weronika brings a lifelong interest in science, history, and foreign languages. She is a graduate of the Integrative Education Fellowship program at Integral Steps. Courses
Rhythmic Solfège I - III Music in Motion Piano Moves Instrumental Academy |
Mimi Ferrie Lee, BFA, GCAiPH
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ABOUT Mimi Ferrie lee
Mimi Ferrie Lee (she/her) is a movement educator, performer, community leader, producer, arts & health advocate, and founder of Anima Arts. With twenty consecutive years in children’s movement education, she brings her passion and expertise in dance, movement, and the arts to the organizations she partners with. She has taught in multiple schools, libraries, community centers, and art spaces, reaching thousands of students over her career. Mimi is a BFA graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder dance department. She has continued her education in child development, arts education, and public health with institutions including the Colorado School of Public Health, Luna Dance Institute, University of Colorado Denver, and National Dance Education Organization. She recently earned a Graduate Certificate in Arts in Public Health from the University of Florida’s School of Arts in Medicine. She served on the 2021-2022 revision committee for the Colorado Academic Dance Standards for the Colorado Department of Education. Mimi performs professionally with Wild Heart Dance and New Breed Dance Company and is mama to her two young children. Learn more about Mimi at animaarts.org or on Instagram at Instagram @animaartsorg. Courses
Music in Motion |
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Tera Girón, BA
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About Tera Girón
Tera Girón holds a BA in Spanish and an elementary education licensure with linguistic and cultural diversity and K-12 ESL certifications. She was a Dual Language and ESL teacher for 16 years during which she received many recognitions including the Colorado Bilingual Teacher of the Year award. Tera now works on developing curriculum for a variety of public, private, and homeschool organizations including Integral Steps. She is passionate about encouraging bilingualism and biculturalism in young children starting with her own son who has been an Integral Steps student for most of his six years of life! Courses
SAMM Summer Camps |
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Amanda Setlik Wilson, DMA, MM, BM
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About Amanda Setlik Wilson
Dr. Amanda Setlik Wilson grew up in Lisle, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She began piano studies at age four at the Wheaton College Community School of the Arts’ Suzuki program with Sarah Williams. At age 15, Amanda began studying with Dr. William Phemister, a professor at Wheaton College. She attended several summer music programs, including the Suzuki Institute at Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Interlochen, Indiana University Piano Academy, and the International Institute for Young Musicians in Cincinnati. Dr. Setlik Wilson continued on to study Piano Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with husband-and-wife team Eugene and Elizabeth Pridonoff. During her time at CCM, Dr. Setlik Wilson attended piano master class programs in Belgium and the Czech Republic as well as an opera program in Lucca, Italy. She graduated Cum Laude with her Bachelors degree from CCM and moved to Boulder, Colorado to study at CU with Professor Doris Pridonoff Lehnert, earning both her Masters and DMA in Piano Performance. Dr. Setlik Wilson specializes in new music and, in particular, the music of Emma Lou Diemer. Diemer wrote a solo piano piece for her in 2012, Toccata for Amanda, which she premiered on her final solo DMA recital in 2014. Amanda commissioned a second piece by Diemer in 2017, titled Variations on “Our Triangle,” to perform with violinist Dr. Mei Mey Segura at the 2017 Mu Phi Epsilon convention. Dr. Setlik Wilson performs regularly throughout the Denver area as a soloist and as part of Peak Duo, her performing group with Dr. Segura. Amanda is a trained Suzuki teacher and has taught privately since age 17. She currently lives in Broomfield with her husband, Michael and her son, and teaches Suzuki and traditional piano lessons in her home studio. Courses
Instrumental Academy |
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Mario Barbosa, BM, MM
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About Mario barbosa
Brazilian pianist Mario Barbosa graduated from Baylor University with his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Piano Performance and a Master’s Degree in Collaborative Piano under Dr. Bradley Bolen. He is an active soloist, teacher and collaborator in the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Europe, and the Middle East. He has recently served as staff pianist for the Voice Area of the Texas Tech University School of Music and continues to serve in the Music in the Marche program in Mondavio, Italy as pianist and conductor. Recent engagements include teaching masterclasses in Damascus, Syria, as soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Central Texas Choral Society, pianist with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra in Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” as a regular guest with the Beeville Concert Association, guest-artist chamber recitals at colleges and universities throughout New Mexico and Oklahoma, and masterclass collaboration for Tony Award winner William Jermaine Heredia. Barbosa has played in masterclasses by Anton Nel, Frederic Chiu, John Owings, and has won the Baylor University Summer Piano Institute Student Recital competition as well as the “Audience Favorite” award. He was invited to play a solo recital in the “Série Jovens Pianistas” (Young Pianists Series, July 2021) in Cabo Frio, Brazil. Mario Barbosa has recently won the Third Prize in the Gloria Artis International Piano Competition of Vienna, Austria. In addition to yearly performances in Italy, Barbosa has recently made his solo debut in Beirut, Lebanon, and with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, and is scheduled to make appearances in a tour of Mexico this year. Mario Barbosa is currently pursuing a doctorate in Piano Performance at the University of Colorado Boulder under Dr. David Korevaar with a teaching assistantship in piano. Courses
Instrumental Academy |
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Meet Our Board Of Directors
Brett Nickerson, B.A.
President of the Board of Directors As a long time resident of Louisville, Brett brings his theater, teaching and corporate business experience to his role as President of the Board of Directors. Having served on the Louisville Cultural Council along with Emma Shubin and currently on the Louisville Recreation Advisory Board, he is intimately familiar with the vibrant and creative local community and is honored to be able to support Integral Steps with their strategy and growth for the future. Brett has performed in local theater for the last 20 years and is proud to watch his own daughter, who has also been a student at Integral Steps, catch the bug for hitting the stage too. He was fortunate to spend 9 years teaching skiing throughout his career in Colorado, Vermont and New York so he has a keen appreciation for experiential learning and helping people overcome fear and frustration to achieve their goal. He is currently a Strategic Alliance Manager at Tech Data and has held marketing and technical positions at GE, NetApp, Arrow Electronics, and Sun Microsystems; bringing his large company experience to support a small/local creative business is a very satisfying way to merge two worlds together and support the Arts. Brett holds a B.A. in Communications and Human Relations from Western Connecticut State University |
Heather Boak
Secretary of the Board of Directors Heather has lived in Colorado for 20 years and brings with her a strong joy for life and passion for the development and support of growing children. As the mother to Annabelle, Heather recognizes the important role that music plays in the experience of a child and how it supports the development of their kinesthetic awareness and attunement to their own internal rhythms. Heather is a strong believer in the connection between self, music and emotion and is astounded by how the Integral Steps programs help to develop well connected and emotionally grounded human beings. Heather has been the managing partner in a successful holistic Physical Therapy practice in Boulder for 14 years. She feels that her experience in running a business aligns with supporting this vibrant child focused organization. As the parent of a child in the program, she understands the importance of staying focused on the mission of Integral Steps while also prioritizing the needs of the children and families that it serves. As a class parent and a community volunteer she is grateful for the opportunities she has been given to support others in her life. Heather has a deep love of the arts, cooking, the sound and smell of the ocean, hiking, traveling with her family and being immersed in different cultures, spending hours perusing museums and attending music concerts of all kinds. She lives in Boulder with her loving family, her daughter Annabelle and husband Karl, and travels with them often to her birth home at the Jersey Shore to be surrounded by the love of their broader family. |
Deborah Clem
Board of Directors Member Debby’s long embrace of multi-cultural music and art is rooted in her Swedish-French-Welsh DNA, fed by a peripatetic education in four Western states, the Philippine Islands and Australia, and inspired by family music-making at home. College French and music studies in Wisconsin led her to Paris, then to Colorado to teach K-6 music in Jefferson County with summers studying with Grace Nash in Arizona, then Barbara Grenoble’s 3-level Orff-Schulwerk certification course through Denver University. [Orff is a music education process developed by German composer Carl Orff whereby children learn through song, dance, and movement while accompanying themselves on an elemental “orchestra” of xylophones, drums, recorders and all manner of percussion.] In subsequent years, Debby taught MOPS, directed church choir, organized “Art Moms” to teach Spectra Art at St. Louis Catholic School; and is a longtime member of a piano group with origins in 19th C. Denver. At the Lafayette Center for Musical Arts, she studied and performed for eight years with Faye Nepon and the Broadway Boomers, as well as volunteer work organizing the CMA music library. With Orff colleagues, then the Boomers, she went “on the road” to bring participatory music and Broadway revues to local retirement communities. Since 2013 she has been a student at the Dalcroze Institute of the Rockies and participant in the world-wide Dalcroze community. Peripheral pursuits include telemark skiing, gathering family history, free lance writing, and growing monster house plants. She is looking forward to serving on the Integral Steps Board as she and her husband Steven continue to support the lively arts that enrich our families and communities. |
Meet Our Guest Staff
Marci Kalish, BA
Music Together® Instructor Marci has been teaching Music Together since 2006. She absolutely loves creating music with children and their families and highly values the community and relationships that evolve in the process of music making. Marci received her BA in Vocal Performance from the College of Music at University of Colorado in Boulder in 1993. In addition to teaching, she currently performs with her trio, Faodail, and larger collaborative, Calliope, an all-women group comprised of local professional musicians. Both groups donate their time and talents performing to raise money for charities and to educate the community on social issues. |
Danielle Forte, MS, BFA
Summer Instructor danielle@integralsteps.org Danielle’s curiosity was piqued by the melodic flute being played by her neighbor Emma Shubin, and was compelled to learn more about what was happening next door. An instant connection was made, and Danielle became involved in planning and facilitating several community events with Integral Steps, before stepping into her current role. Danielle holds a Master of Science in Museum and Field Studies (where her love for six and eight-legged creatures was born), a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and an Associate’s degree in Interactive Computer Design. Her concurrent experience as the Creative Project Manager for a children’s museum exhibit design firm continues to ignite her passion for alternative and accessible forms of learning and engagement. Danielle is delighted to work with Integral Steps to convey their ideas, mission, and vision in a clear, compelling, and meaningful way. |