Harmony School of Creative Arts | SCHOOL OF DANCE

Barbara Bend

(Piano, Executive Director) Private instructor for over thirty years: thirty-five years as accompanist and church pianist. Music Director for several recent Hill Country Community Theatre musical productions.  Certified by the National Guild of Piano Teachers and graduate of AMICI arts management seminar.

David Bend

(Percussion, Musical Theater, Co-Founder) Bachelor of Music (Education), University of Texas.  Over thirty years teaching music and dramatic arts in churches and schools as well as private percussion instruction.  Directed two recent musicals with Hill Country Community Theatre and served as vocal coach, vocal director, percussionist, and actor for other musicals with HCCT.

Keenan Fletcher

(Violin) Bachelor of Music from UT Austin.  Suzuki certified and uses all methods to accommodate learning styles.  Has worked with inner city kids and has maintained a full private violin studio for sixteen years.  Performed with the Texas Chamber Orchestra, Richardson Symphony, Irving Symphony, and San Angelo Symphony.  Studied under the late Leonard Posner and Jan Sloman of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

David Horner

(Guitar, bass, beginning banjo) Studied music in workshops alongside John Denver and Dan Fogelberg.  Has played professionally through numerous venues including Kansas Public Television.  Teaches ‘folk rock’, country, & classical.  Also enjoys participating in Community Theatre.

Carlene Jasper

(Piano) Bachelor of Music (Piano), Sul Ross State University, with graduate studies in elementary education at Southwest Texas State University.  Taught elementary and secondary music in public schools; church accompanist for over thirty years. 

Esther Jones

(Program Coordinator, Flute, Piano, Voice, Saxophone, Kindermusik©) Esther is completing her Music Ed degree at Howard Payne University, having studied music therapy earlier in life.  Has worked as a flutist, keyboardist, and vocalist for churches for 13 years.  Also enjoys participating in local theatrical productions and is a certified Kindermusik teacher.

Gale Pierce

(Piano) Bachelor of Science in Education from Angelo State University.  taught piano, keyboard, voice, and flute privately for 18 years in San Angelo alongside her work as an elementary and middle school teacher.  Has been involved in community theatre and church praise and worship teams.  Also studied opera programs for elementary students, through NYC's Metropolitan Opera and in Montgomery, AL.

(Piano) Michael Saenz studied music composition and performance at Moorpark College (CA) and the University of North Texas, Denton.  He eventually earned a  BA in Philosophy from the  University of Texas, and currently is also employed by the MFISD.  Added to  his extensive repertoire of major works, he has composed several original pieces.  His experiences include dozens of piano performances and lectures on aesthetics in chamber music.  He enjoys teaching both adults and children in his limited hours at Harmony School.  

(Voice) Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Eastern Michigan University,  Master of Arts in Vocal Performance from University of Michigan, Musik Hochschule (post-Masters Study) in Munich, Germany, and doctoral studies at UT Austin.  He has been a vocal music teacher and opera singer for 34 years and has composed a children’s opera called “In the Woods”.

(Children's Choir) Along with Bachelor and Master Degrees in Music Education (UT Austin), she holds various certifications with the Orff-Schulwrk program.  She remains active in a local Orff group as well as the Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Choral Directors Association. She is the Music Teacher for Shady Grove Elementary School and is the Director of Music at the Burnet Presbyterian Church.

(Violin, Viola) Amy just received a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas, Austin. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Northern Colorado, and Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Amy has won many competitions and received many honors.