Our Team

About

Our mission is supporting life long learning and growing through music education and performance. We take joy in the discoveries our students make when learning music and when learning to be a vital contributor to society and an educated person! We look forward to walking with you on your musical journey and discovering music together. Schedule a trial lesson now to experience our style combining learning with fun, or contact us for more information!

We offer private lessons for all ages and group classes with our team of music educators. Schedule a trial lesson with one of our teachers or a complimentary tour with Bonnie anytime! Learn more about our team, then register for our secure student portal and choose any lesson time available.

Lessons are held in our Beaverton studio, at the Sandy Community Center, and online through high-definition webcam. Can't come to us? We can come to you in the comfort of your own home, live on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Executive Director of Musical Exploration & Learning

Voice, Piano, Instructional Design

Bonnie Monk Kraxberger began her career as a student teaching her peers in 2006. From the onset she offered general music education on voice, flute, and piano. She enjoyed volunteering with the Parrish Middle School band and South Salem High School choir, and had the privilege of directing Musick's Empire by Lloyd Pfautsch for the Willamette Chamber Choir under the guidance of Dr. Wallace Long. After graduating with a Bachelor's of Music Degree from Willamette University in 2008, she served the United Methodist Church for two years advocating for social justice and food insecurity in Appalachian Alabama. As part of her personal growth, she brought her musical talents to share with the community and offered private lessons, group singing classes, and weekly elementary music classes.

Bonnie returned to Oregon in 2010 and began teaching in coastal communities, and appearing as a soloist, guest conductor, and accompanist for the United Church of Christ in Lincoln City. In 2012 she chose to devote her days full-time to teaching and moved to the Portland area. Bonnie began offering online lessons, developing an online music university, and teaching group lessons during this time. Through the Piano Santa Foundation she reaches out to elementary school students in low-income schools to offer group piano after school classes. In 2014 and 2015 she was privileged to dean Celebrating the Arts middle school music camp at Camp Magruder in Rockaway Beach, OR, and has volunteered with MADDt (Music Art Dance Drama Tech) high school camp past years. Bonnie performed with the Portland Symphonic Choir and was been an active vocalist with Consonare Chorale under the artistic direction of Georgina Philippson until its dissolution in 2018. She is a past president of the Phi Lambda chapter and the Portland Alumni Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon. She and her husband Bear welcomed their first child, Odin, in 2016 and their second child, Arwyn, in 2019.

Music Instructor

Violin, Viola, Piano

Learn more about Ricky by watching his intro video!

Ricky Chan is a passionate and enthusiastic lover of music, and began studying violin at age 10. He has studied under violinists such as grammy-nominated Adam LaMotte, Linda Vasey of Portland Opera and Kyung Sun-Chee of University of Washington. His piano studies involved five years of lessons with Victoria Drozdova of Moscow State University with an in-depth study of Russian repertoire. His masterclass experiences include Dr. Walter Mony, Eugene Fodor, Albert Markov and the Feldenkrais method from Uri Vardi. While at Portland State University, he participated in Tomas Cotik’s studio violin classes as well as body mapping instructor Lisa Marsh’s studio classes for piano. His teaching style focuses on body awareness for effortless playing, the importance of self-improvement and self-discovery through music. From self-improvement in building confidence to work-ethic, he believes that everyone has their own music that speaks to them. Ricky joined Maestro Music in summer 2018.

Music Instructor

Piano, Guitar, Ukulele, Collaboration

Colleen Carney is an active teacher, collaborator, and performer of music in the Portland Metropolitan area. She began taking piano lessons at the age of five and studied with Paula Watt, Dr. Jill Timmons, and Dr. Ann Chang before receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Under the mentorship of Dr. Jill Timmons, Colleen and her duo piano partner have performed in Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Alaska. In 2016, they won the US International Duo Piano Competition. Colleen is also an experienced accompanist working for concert choirs, show choirs and dance troupes.

In addition to her performance studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Colleen developed strong skills and interest in music theory, history and composition. Her vast knowledge of musical styles ranges from early classical to jazz and rock. Colleen’s compositions have been performed in University concerts and showcased at a midwest film festival. She is truly passionate about music and is an enthusiastic music teacher who is highly supportive of her students' musical education. Colleen has taught in both private and group settings and caters her lessons towards the individual needs of her students.

Music Instructor

Voice, Guitar, Piano, Musical Theatre

Linda Lee Hopkins holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from Boston University’s School of
Fine Arts. As Master’s Candidate at New England Conservatory of Music, she premiered
Payne’s Mass in D, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She has sung four concert tours of
Europe including Great Britain’s Chester Fringe Festival, and recently toured Prague, Vienna,
Salzburg, and Munich with the Glory Singers.

Recipient of the Banff Academy of Singing’s Full-Vocal Scholarship, Banff, Alberta, Canada,
Lee sang with New York composer John Cage in his Canadian premiere of Songbooks I and
II. She moved to Seattle in 1985 to sing with the Seattle Opera. There she met her husband,
Dave; they relocated to Portland, Oregon, in 1989 where she opened her studio to teach all
styles of music for all ages. Lee worked as member of the Buffalo Gals/ Voce Bella ensemble;
later premiered with the A. Laska Dancers in Jack Gabel’s multimedia event Lamentatio; and
sang Gary Noland’s Verborgenheit at the opening of the National Association of Composers/
USA symposium hosted by Portland’s Cascadia Composers.

Lee’s specialty is the care of the singer’s voice; she demonstrated proper Improvisation
technique for the Performing Arts Medical Conference 2005. Her love for ensembles led to
work with the Bach Cantata Choir, Der Leiderkreis, and Novum Chamber Singers, and she
currently performs with Mirabilis trio. Active in community service, they have raised funds for
Mercy Corps; favorite Good Friday church services have included Mirabilis’ performance of
Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. Translation of songs into different languages by utilization of the
International Phonetic Alphabet is another passion of Lee’s. She has worked with students to
prepare Bat Mitzvah and Bar Mitzvah prayer chants and is an experienced judge for Oregon
and California State Talent Competitions. Lee’s piano and vocal students are past Piano and
Musical Theater medal winners and The Voice television auditioneers. Lee joined Maestro Music Academy in summer 2019.

Music Instructor

Voice, Piano, Guitar, Musical Theatre

Phoebe Gildea is an active performer and passionate educator based in Portland. She is especially enthusiastic about teaching and performing storytelling through song. Phoebe’s number one goal as a teacher is for students to feel safe exploring music and themselves, so that they can grow equally in technique, confidence, and passion. She uses a balance of classical music technique and modern neuroscience-based teaching strategies to uncover each student’s unique voice. In addition to traditional private lessons, Phoebe has taught performance techniques, audition skills, and stage fright survival. As a performer, Phoebe has been praised for her vibrant voice, honest acting, and engaging stage presence. Favorite roles include Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Amalia (She Loves Me), Cathleen (Riders to the Sea), Emma (Jekyll & Hyde), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni). An enterprising, self-directed artist, she has created and performed solo concerts at Jacqua Concert Hall and The Wildish Theater, which audience members have called “magical” and “riveting.” She has also presented recitals for the Junction City Arts Council, Concerts at First (Eugene, OR), The Old Church (Portland, OR), and Kirkman House Museum (Walla Walla, WA). Also an accomplished pianist, she is a 2016 Paderewski winner of the American College of Musicians. Her training includes two levels of teacher certification from the nationally renowned OperaWorks program. She is a full member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and a trainee member of Andover Educators (body mapping). She holds a Bachelor of Music in voice performance and a concurrent Bachelor of Arts in music with a music history focus, both from Chapman University.

Phoebe has been with Maestro Music since 2019. As her performance schedule occasionally interferes with recurring lessons, she will be one of our team teachers.

Music Instructor

Guitar, Piano, Ukulele

Austin Presley grew up in Patterson, California, where he began playing piano at age 6 and took private Piano, Guitar, and Vocal lessons for 8 years. Growing up, he performed at several community/school events with his band, ACT 3, and has continued performing as a singer-songwriter in the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland. As is common, he began his early musical journey with very structured, classical piano lessons and quickly found himself disinterested. So his parents found a more laid-back teacher who focused more on music theory and songwriting with lessons catered to his musical interests. Adopting those principals, he has now been giving private guitar, piano, and ukulele lessons for over 10 years throughout his collegiate and professional career. From Blues and Rock Jams to Song and Lyric composition, Austin can help you gain the tools and knowledge to find your unique sound.