Ginny Armstrong, percussion & piano instructor, possesses extensive experience in percussion performance and education including concert, ethnic, and marching percussion. She received a Bachelor’s of Music in Education and a Master’s of Music in Performance from West Virginia University, where she was a member and featured soloist in the internationally renowned Percussion ’90 under the direction of Phil Faini. As a freelance musician in Nashville, Armstrong founded and directed the Nashville Percussion Institute, an independent studio featured in Modern Drummer magazine. She also performed with the Deep Grooves Steel Band, led by steel drum performer and clinician Mat Britain. Armstrong completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa where she performed and recorded with numerous ensembles, including the prestigious Center for New Music. Ginny is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Iowa where instructs a course in percussion for music therapists and educators, and is Assistant Director of the Iowa Summer Music Camps. She also recently founded Pan-IC, a steel band course for adults in the community. Ginny performs with Ensemble: Périphérie; a contemporary-music ensemble that has toured the Midwest and performed at Carnegie Hall. She currently directs and performs with the Pandelirium Steel Band and has served as President of the Iowa Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. Ginny teaches in the Iowa City area.
hsin-hui, piano instructor, is an active solo and collaborative pianist, winning piano concerto competitions while studying at Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Florida where she received a full scholarship and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree. She went on to earn her Master's of Music from the University of British Columbia School of Music in Canada. In 2018, Hsin-Hui received gold medals at the Montecito International Music Festival. She is a Doctoral of Musical Arts candidate and Teaching Assistant at the University of Iowa. A native of Taiwan, Liu started her musical training at the age of five. Five years later, she moved to Chengdu, China, to receive further training in piano with Professor Daxin Zheng at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music.
Sophie Taft, voice & strings Instructor, has been teaching music since 2004. She currently teaches general music in the Iowa City Community School District and performs with Chamber Singers of Iowa City, Iowa City Community Orchestra and her rock band, Casual Disasters. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Northwestern University and Master of Music Education from VanderCook College of Music, as well as Orff-Schulwerk certification from DePaul University. Sophie has studied and performed in all kinds of genres; from studying music, dance, and palm wine guitar at the University of Ghana, playing violin and trombone in a ska band and viola in a Cuban band. sophie teaches in the Iowa City area.