Piano and Early Childhood

Julie Baskinger (Early Childhood Director/Piano) Julie Baskinger has degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from Lawrence University and the University of Oklahoma. She is also a licensed Musikgarten early childhood music educator. Julie has studied with nationally renowned teachers and composers such as Jane Magrath, Marvin Blickenstaff, and Louise Goss. While on faculty at the New School for Music Study in Princeton, NJ, she also served as assistant editor with the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. Julie was a featured speaker on a panel of post-graduates at the 2005 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and has held faculty positions at the Westminster Conservatory of Music, Musicians in the Making, and Raritan Valley Community College in Central NJ.

Bernie Brink (Piano/Jazz) Bernie is an active pianist and composer/arranger. He has appeared in jazz big bands, small combo groups, and as a soloist in Colorado and Wisconsin. During his time at the University of Northern Colorado, Bernie premiered original music at the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival. He was also a member of the COBRA Ensemble. Bernie enjoys new and experimental music. He has performed as a member of Colorado College's Bowed Piano Ensemble, which had the privilege of performing in NYC at the Lincoln Center. Bernie holds degrees from The University of Northern Colorado and Colorado College. Bernie currently serves as an accompanist for a ballet company in Madison.

Erin Crabb (Piano/Group Music Programs) Erin Crabb joined the Prairie Music Academy faculty in the fall of 2011. She has a degree from Illinois Wesleyan University where she focused her studies on collaborative piano and musical theatre. She has been the musical director at the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre in Grand Lake, CO. Her position included teaching and rehearsing vocal parts with actors, conducting the band, playing piano for shows, and directing the Youth Theatre Program. Erin is a clawhammer banjo player and an avid fan of old-time music and dance. She currently serves as a substitute piano instructor, the leader of the build-a-band program, and as additional faculty support for Prairie Music's theatre and art programs.

Kari Engleson (Executive Director/Piano/Early Childhood) Kari Engleson graduated from high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts and has degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from Lawrence University and the University of Louisville. Prior to starting Prairie Music Academy in 1999, she taught at the Lawrence Academy of Music in Appleton and started the Creative Keyboard Arts Center in Louisville, Kentucky. She has been an active teacher and clinician in the Madison area since 1999 and is a licensed Musikgarten early childhood music educator. She has experience working with students of all ages and abilities and was instrumental in developing a music and motion program for the Sun Prairie Area School District pre-K special needs program from 2005-2007.

Stanislava Varshavski (Piano) Stasi was born in Kharkov, Ukraine and began her education at the Kharkov Special Music School. After graduation, she became a member of the Varshavski & Shapiro Piano Duo (www.piano-4-hands.com) at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance. The Piano Duo has won numerous awards and international competitions in the Czech Republic, Europe, and the US. Stasi is completing a DMA in Collaborative Piano at UW Madison. She incorporates a variety of teaching styles based on her diverse background, carefully tailoring the approach to fit the needs of each student. Stasi also holds a degree from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA.

Vicki Shuh (Early Childhood/Group Music Programs) Vicki Schuh received her BA from Luther College in Music Education and certification to teach vocal music K-12. She received her MA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Music Education and has credits beyond from Hamline University and St. Thomas University in St. Paul. She has taught elementary vocal music grades K-6, group and private guitar, recorder, voice, middle school choir, children's choir and church, and children's musical theater and movement. Vicki is also a licensed Musikgarten instructor and oversees the outreach programs at the Rock Lake Community Center in Lake Mills, WI.

Guitar & Strings

Michael Allen (Cello/Strings) Cellist Michael Allen enjoys an active career as a performer and teacher. While completing his master's degree, Michael was a member of the resident graduate piano trio at Northwestern University. He also completed a degree in cello performance and music education from Lawrence University. He has been the resident cellist for the Oakwood Chamber players in Madison, and he has been involved with over 30 premieres of various chamber works. He is presently cellist for the Camerata String Quartet. Michael is also a strings instructor in the Madison school district. As the Music Education Coordinator for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, he enjoys working with over 1500 students from the southern Wisconsin area annually. An active collaborative performer, he has performed in various international music festivals and most recently at the Maud Powell Music Festival in Illinois.

Mary Gaines (Acoustic & Electric Guitar/Electric Bass/Jazz Cello) Mary Gaines was originally a jazz guitar major at the University of WI, Stevens Point. She has studied jazz cello under the tutelage of the great Richard Davis at the UW-Madison and is known for her amazing voice, which is often compared to Bonnie Raitt. As a session musician, she has appeared on albums such as Smashing Pumpkin's "Gish", several Freedy Johnston, Willy Porter, and Carrie Newcomer albums, and scores of others. Currently, she is a member of the The Stellanovas, Gaines & Wagoner and The Bob Westfall Band and was past winner for Best Female Vocalist, Best Unique Song, Best Jazz Album, and Best World Music Song at the Madison Music Awards. Along with husband Chris Wagoner, she is co-host of “Mad Toast Live,” a weekly live talk show featuring regional musicians.

Mark Harrod (Guitar) Mark Harrod is an accomplished singer/songwriter and recently performed and produced an original song for the Chicago Cubs. In addition to venues throughout the Midwest, he has performed at Summerfest and Bastille Days in Milwaukee and Harborfest in Racine. He has won numerous awards including the Newberry Scholarship for Piano Composition and Performance and the Best Adult Contemporary Band in 2005 from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry. Mark has also served as artist-in-residence in elementary school workshops using songwriting to teach positive social skills to young children. www.markharrodmusic.com

Chris Wagoner (Strings/Fiddle/Madolin) Chris Wagoner is a founding member of Madison's Harmonious Wail, The Common Faces, and The Moon Gypsies. While at the University of Madison, he studied jazz and classical styles and played in bands ranging from rock, blues, and country, to folk and jazz. He has been an in-demand performer and session musician in the region for almost two decades. Currently, he is a member of The Stellanovas, Gaines & Wagoner and the Bob Westfall Band and is a past winner for Best Male Vocalist, Best Unique Song, Best Jazz Album, and Best World Music Song at the Madison Music Awards (MAMAS). Along with wife Mary Gaines, he is co-host of "Mad Toast Live," a weekly live talk show featuring regional musicians.

Andrew Waid (Violin/Viola) Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Andrew Waid performs as a violist in several orchestras in the region, including the Wisconsin Philharmonic, the Dubuque Symphony, and the Rockford Symphony. Andrew has earned degrees from the University of Oklahoma, a Professional Diploma in Orchestral Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and a Master of Music degree from UW Madison. A committed teacher, Andrew maintains a studio in Madison and coaches viola sectionals for the Wisconsin Symphony Youth Organization.

Voice

Gina Jorgenson (Program Director/Voice/Piano) Gina Jorgenson has a degree in music education from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She is an accomplished singer and choreographer and was a lead member in Kids from Wisconsin from 1997-2001. Prior to teaching at Prairie Music Academy she was a choral teacher in the Cashton Public Schools and taught private piano and voice at music schools in Tomah and Onalaska, WI. In addition to teaching and directing programs at Prairie Music Academy, she is the Youth Choir Director at Sacred Hearts Catholic Church in Sun Prairie and the Junior Youth Choir at Bethel Lutheran Church in downtown Madison.

Woodwinds

Ashley Erickson (Clarinet/Saxophone) Ashley Erickson attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and has a degree in Instrumental and General Music Education.  In addition to teaching saxophone and clarinet lessons at Prairie Music Academy, she is currently teaching K-5 general music at Cambridge Elementary. Previously, she taught general music in the Stevens Point Area Public School District. Ashley is an active member of the McFarland Summer Community Band.