Choir Clinicians
Frank A. Watkins is an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. A native of Omaha Nebraska, Watkins taught secondary choral music in Texas for six years. He holds degrees in piano performance from Jackson State University (BM), the University of Arkansas (MM), and choral conducting from Northwestern University (MM) and Michigan State University (DMA).
Watkins is in demand as guest conductor and clinician. In 2016, he was appointed Conductor and Music Director of the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. Recent engagements include the Big Nine Festival Honor Choir, the Great Northern Conference All- Conference Choir, Cloverbelt All-Conference Honor Choir, the 2018 Men’s Choir Festival, Big 8 Choral Festival, Northwest Suburban Conference Choir, the 2021 WSMA State Honors Mixed Choir, and the 2022 WCDA State Treble Choir. He has presented workshops on choral methods for the International Music and Christian Arts Conference, Michigan State University, and the Ohio State University. He has presented workshops at both the Wisconsin Music Educators State Convention and the National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conference. Additionally, he has taught internationally with Village Harmony. Choirs under his direction have performed at the Wisconsin Music Educators State Conference, Wisconsin Choral Directors Association State Conference, and the North Central Divisional Conference of the American Choral Directors Association.
In 2017-18, Watkins led an International Fellows Trip to Dakar, Senegal to study the use of hip-hop and rap as a form of non-violent political protest. In 2019, Watkins will be a guest lecturer in Cape Town, South Africa. Watkins' research interests include the intersectionality of race, class, and gender in the music of African-American Women in the 21st century.
Watkins joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2014. A dynamic young conductor, Watkins’ love and passion are teaching. He believes that in order to educate, you must first inspire! It is his goal to make an impact…not just an impression on the lives of those that follow his baton.
Watkins is in demand as guest conductor and clinician. In 2016, he was appointed Conductor and Music Director of the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. Recent engagements include the Big Nine Festival Honor Choir, the Great Northern Conference All- Conference Choir, Cloverbelt All-Conference Honor Choir, the 2018 Men’s Choir Festival, Big 8 Choral Festival, Northwest Suburban Conference Choir, the 2021 WSMA State Honors Mixed Choir, and the 2022 WCDA State Treble Choir. He has presented workshops on choral methods for the International Music and Christian Arts Conference, Michigan State University, and the Ohio State University. He has presented workshops at both the Wisconsin Music Educators State Convention and the National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conference. Additionally, he has taught internationally with Village Harmony. Choirs under his direction have performed at the Wisconsin Music Educators State Conference, Wisconsin Choral Directors Association State Conference, and the North Central Divisional Conference of the American Choral Directors Association.
In 2017-18, Watkins led an International Fellows Trip to Dakar, Senegal to study the use of hip-hop and rap as a form of non-violent political protest. In 2019, Watkins will be a guest lecturer in Cape Town, South Africa. Watkins' research interests include the intersectionality of race, class, and gender in the music of African-American Women in the 21st century.
Watkins joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2014. A dynamic young conductor, Watkins’ love and passion are teaching. He believes that in order to educate, you must first inspire! It is his goal to make an impact…not just an impression on the lives of those that follow his baton.
Paul Gregg is the director of Choirs at McFarland High School. In addition to conducting choirs and teaching music theory, Paul is active as a tenor vocalist. He has been a guest clinician, a WSMA Master Adjudicator for festivals, and currently serves on the Wisconsin CMP committee and the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association board. He previously taught for twelve years at Luxemburg-Casco HS, adjunct voice for two years at UW Green Bay, and for six years at O’Keeffe Middle School in Madison. He earned a Master’s degree from the University of Iowa in Choral Conducting, and Bachelor degrees in Choral Music and French from UW Stevens Point. Paul lives in McFarland with his wife and three children.
Erica Breitbarth is an active vocalist, conductor, clinician, music teacher and education advocate in the Milwaukee area. She holds degrees in music education from the Wheaton Conservatory of Music (BMEd) and Northwestern University (MMEd). Erica served for 14 years as choir director, musical theater director and chair of the Vera J. Zilber Music Department at Reagan IB High School in the Milwaukee Public Schools. Erica and her colleagues built the music program at Reagan High School from 50 students to over 500, garnering local, state and national recognition for excellence in music education instruction to urban youth. Alumni of the Reagan music department have gone on to success as performers, composers, producers, DJs, and music educators in Wisconsin and beyond. Erica maintained vibrant partnerships with the Florentine Opera, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Present Music and many other Milwaukee arts organizations. A strong advocate for music education, Erica served as a founder and President of the Milwaukee Music Educators Association (MMEA), which worked to restore music teacher positions to the Milwaukee Public Schools and continues to fight for equitable access to music education for all Milwaukee students. In addition to teaching, she is an active vocal soloist throughout the greater Milwaukee area, performing choral masterworks with the Bel Canto Chorus, Kettle Moraine Symphony, and contemporary works with Present Music’s Hearing Voices Ensemble. Erica served as the Diversity Initiatives Liaison for the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA) and was named the WCDA Outstanding Young Choral Director (2018). She also garnered recognition as Civic Music Association’s Choral Music Educator of the Year (2013), Grammy Music Educator Finalist (2017) and Herb Kohl Teaching Fellow (2020) and received four Jerry Awards for Outstanding Musical Theatre Direction. She currently serves as the Southeast Regional Vice President of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA).
Marcy Russell teaches students in general music and choir at Platteville Middle School. She has a Masters of Music in Music Education from Kent State University, and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and General/Choral Music Education from Lawrence University. Ms. Russell is an active member of ACDA and NAfME, and serves as the past-chair of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association’s Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance project (CMP). She has been a conductor with the Platteville Children’s Choir for over 20 years and is a past conductor with the Madison Youth Choirs
Katelyn Peterson is currently a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa where she conducts Camerata Singers and is actively pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy with a secondary in Music Education. Prior to her studies at UI, Katelyn received her MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2022 where she studied conducting with Dr. Zachary Durlam. Before working at UWM, Katelyn worked as a guest artist with Reagan IB High School in the Milwaukee Public Schools (2021-2022), directed choirs and taught general music in middle school and high school for the River Falls School District (2016 to 2020 ) and middle school choir and general music for the New Richmond School District, (2011 to 2016). Her current research is focused on cognitive apprenticeship teaching strategies in the choral classroom and the history and evolution of the choral spiritual.
Jenny Hutton serves as an assistant professor in Choral Music Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate music education courses, supervises student teachers, and leads Bella Voce, the university’s auditioned treble choir. With over two decades experience teaching general and choral music to individuals of all ages in public school, independent school, and community settings, she aims to facilitate meaningful musical experiences for students and communities. As a researcher, she studies connection during choral singing, culturally responsive vocal pedagogy, and teacher–student relationships in music classrooms. Her writing can be found in the Journal of Music Teacher Education, the Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education, ChorTeach, and Pennsylvania Music Educators Association News, and she has shared her work at international, national, and state conferences. She is certified as an Estill Master Trainer through Estill Voice International and is an active member of ACDA, NAfME, AOSA, and AERA.
Heather Thorpe is the choir and general music teacher at Verona Area High School. Before joining the staff at VAHS, she was the choir teacher at Badger Ridge Middle School in Verona. Choirs and ensembles she has worked with have performed all over the Verona Area Community and have opened for the Wisconsin Singers, joined Stuart Stotts and Tom Pease on their album "Everyone Started Out Small," performed for"Higher Ground with Jonathan Overby" on Wisconsin Public Radio, performed in the Wisconsin State Capitol for the annual Music in Our Schools Month Celebration-2014.
In addition to the choirs, Joyful Noise, Vocal Jazz, and Piano classes at Verona Area High School, Ms. Thorpe is the director of three children's choirs at First Unitarian Society of Madison. Ms. Thorpe is also a professional vocalist performing throughout Wisconsin. Heather received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison certified, in K-12 general and vocal music. She is an award-winning educator receiving the Herb Kohl Fellowship for excellence in education and was recognized as an outstanding teacher in the national magazine Teaching Music. She currently serves on the board of the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association-Southwest Representative. She is a proud member of the VoiceCare Network, Wisconsin Music Educators Association, American Choral Directors Association, and National Association for Music Educators.
In addition to the choirs, Joyful Noise, Vocal Jazz, and Piano classes at Verona Area High School, Ms. Thorpe is the director of three children's choirs at First Unitarian Society of Madison. Ms. Thorpe is also a professional vocalist performing throughout Wisconsin. Heather received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison certified, in K-12 general and vocal music. She is an award-winning educator receiving the Herb Kohl Fellowship for excellence in education and was recognized as an outstanding teacher in the national magazine Teaching Music. She currently serves on the board of the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association-Southwest Representative. She is a proud member of the VoiceCare Network, Wisconsin Music Educators Association, American Choral Directors Association, and National Association for Music Educators.