Bill Gerdell

Private Brass Instructor

Bill has been a private music teacher for 32 years and freelance performer in the St. Louis area for 40 years. He currently serves as Lead Trumpet in the Missouri Big Band and The Ambassadors of Swing Big Band. Bill is a past member of the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Louis Brass Band and a local St Louis Oldies Band called GTO. Bill has also performed in the Missouri State High School All District and All State Bands, Missouri Lions Band, Belleville Black Nights Drum and Bugle Corps, Missouri All State Collegiate Concert Band, Missouri All State Collegiate Orchestra, Missouri All State Collegiate Jazz Band, NAJE National All Star Jazz Band, Bob Waggoner’s Monday Night Big Band and the Jim Widner Big Band. Bill has also had the privilege of performing for U.S. Congressmen and two former U.S. Presidents.
Honor “One” ratings at District and State Solo and Ensemble Festivals, the John Phillip Souza Band Award, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award and other Outstanding Soloist awards at Jazz Competitions across the country. He holds memberships in the International Trumpet Guild, International Association of Jazz Educators and Missouri Music Educators Association.

His studies have taken him to almost all of the finest schools the state of Missouri has to offer including Jefferson College, Truman State University, Missouri State University, Washington University, Evangel University, and Drury University.
He has had the pleasure and privilege of studying and or performing with some of the greatest players of the past 50 years, including Maynard Ferguson, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Jay Sollenberger, Dennis Deblasio, Mike Vax, Nat Adderly, Ellis Marsalis, and Crispian Steele Perkins.

As a teacher, Bill is very passionate about music with an emphasis on performance and the students themselves! Many of his students have distinguished themselves through local and regional awards. Many have achieved positions in local and regional groups such as the St Louis youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Missouri District and All State Bands. In addition, some of his students have received prestigious music scholarships at distinguished colleges and universities such as Truman University, Missouri State University, The Kansas City Conservatory of Music and The Berklee School of Music. Some former students have gone on to play professionally or direct their own programs at the middle or high school level. Bill is especially proud of a select few of his students who have chosen to use their talent in service to this country. The United States Marines, Air Force and Navy have all received students from his studio!

Bernadette Baer

Music Therapist, Pre-K, & Private Piano Instructor

Bernadette has been a Music Therapist for the past 36 years. She worked at Mercy Hospital, St. Louis as a Music Therapist for 35 years. Her work at Mercy involved music interventions to accomplish individual goals and objectives for patients of all ages and ability levels. The last 10 years of her work at Mercy was in the Pediatric Department working with the Child Life team. Patient interventions included 1:1 and group sessions using live and recorded/electronic (ipad) tech devices. Music instruments utilized were piano/keyboard, guitar, ukulele and a variety of handheld percussion/rhythm instruments. She is a member of the St. Louis Music Therapy Association and has been a member of the American Music Therapy Association.
Bachelor Degree in Music Therapy, Maryville University

Studied Piano with Dr. Katja Georgieff

Studied Piano and Music Theory at the St. Louis Conservatory and School for the Arts
During her studies at Maryville University, Bernadette took 4 years of private piano instruction from Dr. Katja Georgieff. Six years, during middle school & high school. Bernadette has also taken private piano lessons and music theory classes at the St. Louis Conservatory and School for the Arts.

She has several years of experience giving private piano lessons, in addition to her years of Music Therapy experience.

Jessica North

Pre-K Music Classes, Private Voice, and Beginning Piano

“If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.” –Zimbabwean Proverb

Jessica believes that everyone has the natural vocal potential to sing; all they need to do is unlock it. She enjoys helping her students overcome their inhibitions and watching their confidence grow as individuals and musicians. She believes in fostering a healthy vocal technique that can translate to all styles of singing.
Bachelor’s of Vocal Music Education, Missouri State University

Master’s of Arts in Music Education with an emphasis in Kodály, University of Central Missouri
During her time at MSU, Jessica sang with the MSU Concert Chorale under the direction of Dr. Guy Webb. She was blessed to be able to tour around the US and throughout Europe with the group. Jessica received her national certification as a Kodály educator at UCM, and she holds her Level I certification in World Drumming. She is also a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). After six years of teaching elementary music in public school full time, she began teaching part time in public schools as well as privately in 2017. In 2021, she returned to full time teaching in the Union R-XI School District. She continues to attend music education workshops and conferences regularly to further her skills for her students. Jessica has been teaching voice lessons to a wide age range of students for several years. She has had multiple students selected for national honor choirs during that time.

Julia Smith

Private Piano Instructor

Mrs. Julia Smith has taught music, including at the Moscow Conservatory, for over 20 years from the basic beginner to the most advanced of performers.
Bachelor’s Degree of Music, Moscow Conservatory

Master’s Degree of Music, Moscow Conservatory

Doctorate of Music, Moscow Conservatory
Julia has performed hundreds of concerts with the top orchestras in Russia, including as soloist for the State Symphony Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Music Theater of Opera and Ballet Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Mrs. Smith has worked under many famous conductors, including Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Valery Polyansky and Vladimir Fedoseev. Julia has performed at the Bolshoi Theater, Carnegie Hall, State Kremlin Palace and major venues around the world including Russia, USA, Germany, England, Ireland, Finland, Italy, Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea.

Mason Witte

Private Guitar Instructor

Mason has been teaching guitar at Dynamic Fine Arts Academy since the studio opened in Pacific in 2019. He enjoys inspiring and teaching others about music.
Associates Degree of Fine Arts in Music, East Central College
Mason has been playing guitar for many years. He has experience playing classical, blues, rock, and metal. He also has experience playing and teaching bass guitar.

David North

Vocal Instructor

David especially enjoys teaching private voice to see the growth of individual students as they overcome vocal obstacles. He has a laid back personality and teaching style. He loves to work with students one on one to achieve their musical goals.
Bachelor of Vocal Music Education, Missouri State University

Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting, Missouri State University
In college, David sang in and conducted the MSU Concert Chorale as a graduate assistant to Dr. Guy Webb and had the opportunity to tour with the choir to Europe and around the U.S. on several occasions. David has 10 plus years of experience teaching choir and individual voice lessons in the public school system and privately. In addition to singing, David also plays trombone, piano, and guitar. Currently, David is directing choir and teaching class guitar at Union High School.

Music Teachers

The music teachers at Dynamic Fine Arts Academy are a diverse group of highly qualified professionals, with a rich blend of experiences and skills in various aspects of music education.

All teachers at the academy share a commitment to excellence in teaching. They maintain the highest standards of instruction, aiming to nurture students' talents, cultivate their appreciation for music's rich historical and cultural contexts, and foster their growth as artists. At Dynamic Fine Arts Academy, students are thus assured of a robust, quality music education that caters to their diverse interests and goals.

Tess

Theatre Instructor

Tess is new to Dynamic Fine Arts Academy but has been teaching theatre to children for 3 years. She loves to act in local community theatre shows and is an active part of the local homeschool community. Theatre has been her biggest passion for as long as she can remember and she loves to share that passion with the next generation.
Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education, STLCC
Tess has been teaching theatre to children ages 5 and up for three years. It began as a hobby for her children’s homeschool cooperative and has since grown into a successful business. She has extensive experience in improvisation, stage acting, film acting, screenplay writing and development, and one on one acting lessons.

Christie Cooper

Tutoring Teacher

Christie is an elementary teacher who enjoys tutoring students that need a little extra support outside of the classroom setting. She believes effective tutoring increases a student's academic excellence and confidence. She specializes and helps kindergarten through third grade students with reading and math.
Associate's Degree of Early Childhood Education, East Central College

Bachelor's Degree of Early Childhood Education, Central Methodist University

Master's Degree of Administration, William Woods University
Christie has been tutoring elementary students since 2010.