Noteable Notes Music Academy 

Saxophone Instructor

Rob Nordli is a Chicagoland based educator and saxophonist. He has shared his music in Germany, Mexico, and all across the United States. As both a student and professional, Rob has accompanied international acts such as Manhattan Transfer, The Temptations, and The Four Tops. In the Jazz Scene, he can be seen performing with his group Rob Nordli Jazz Quartet, and various Chicago land big bands such as Shout Section Big Band and Blues Shift Big Band. Rob can be heard on Shout Section’s latest album “Swingin’ On The Stand” (2019). As an educator, Rob has shared his passion for music in the private, public, and university settings. In his time as an elementary music teacher, Rob cherished the opportunity to provide a musical foundation for blossoming musicians and strives to awaken a love for music in all his students. He has offered masterclasses in universities and high schools, designed to decode the mystery of improvisation and woodwind technique, fulfilling his goals to reach students of all levels. Rob is a member of the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME). In May 2018, Rob received a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from Northern Illinois University. While in attendance, he was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship in addition to his service on the Graduate Council, Curriculum Committee, and the Graduate Student

Guitar and Ukulele College Intern

Caleb Ballard is a Guitarist trained in Classical, Contemporary and Jazz styles. Caleb has spent time in Norway, Ohio, Colorado and Illinois. Learning guitar from an early age under his Grandfather, a bluegrass guitarist, Caleb bounced between being self-taught, attending music store lessons and settling at a fingerstyle guitar studio in the woodlands outside Weymouth, Ohio. During that time Caleb explored folk and contemporary guitar music and found himself drawn deeper into the world of classical guitar. Caleb studied classical and jazz guitar at Wheaton College where he studied under Dr. Brian Torosian and Steve Ramsdell. Caleb is also a singer-songwriter, independent producer and church musician. When he’s not playing music, Caleb loves to mountaineer, rockclimb, run and paint.

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Piano Instructor and Noteable Notes Manager

Katrina Cline is a young, enthusiastic, and highly versatile musician and teacher. Her musical experience is richly varied, ranging from national piano competitions in Ukraine, playing keyboard in a modern worship band in Kazakhstan, and accompanying the Wheaton College Women's Chorale, to conducting the Wheaton College Concert Choir, performing Medieval music in vocal chamber groups, and messing around with vocal jazz during her drive to work.

Katrina grew up in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, and graduated from music school in Ukraine with diplomas in both piano and voice. She received her Piano Performance degree in 2019 from Wheaton College, where she studied piano with Dr. Daniel Paul Horn. She also focused heavily on choral training, and served as honors conductor for the Wheaton College Concert Choir under Dr. John Trotter.

Through her study of piano pedagogy with Dr. Karin Edwards, Katrina discovered a talent for teaching piano, which she has been pursuing since her senior year. She enjoys drawing on her varied experience to meet the unique needs of her students. She wants all of her students to learn that music, in all its forms, can be a lifelong companion - and that piano is a wonderful tool with which to discover it!

Piano Instructor

A recent graduate of the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, Garrett Bone holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance, graduating summa cum laude as a student of Dr. Daniel Paul Horn. Before attending Wheaton, he studied at the University of Michigan’s Piano Pedagogy Laboratory Program under Kelly Benson and Dr. John Ellis, where he participated frequently in student recitals and masterclasses. In addition to being a passionate performer who cares about actively engaging audiences in his music making, Garrett loves to teach and finds great fulfillment in watching students progress and expand their intellectual and emotional grasp of creating music. He believes that in every step of ones musical studies, from learning notes to mastering complex pieces, students are presented with the opportunity to engage and interact with centuries of musical traditions crossing all eras and genres. In addition to teaching and performing, his interests also extend to composition, music history, and theory. 

Garrett’s work as a performer has included several solo recitals, extensive chamber and solo collaborations, and ensemble accompaniment. Over the course of his three solo recitals at Wheaton College, he explored how audiences of all backgrounds engaged with and understood classical music, culminating in his senior recital, “Images of Humanity.” As an accompanist for Wheaton College, he worked and performed alongside many student musicians in recitals, lessons, masterclasses, and juries. He also served as the pianist for the Wheaton College Men’s Glee Club, performing in their concert tours in China, Florida, and Illinois. Garrett finds great joy in talking about music and is always interested to discover the unique ways people listen to and think about what they hear. He is excited about the opportunity to teach at Noteable Notes and looks forward to engaging with the next generation of student musicians in the Wheaton area.

Piano instructor

Ahhae Song came to the United States after earning her bachelor’s degree in Piano in South Korea. She recieved her first performance certification at Judson University with Dr. Sojung Hong and a master's degree in music from Northern Illinois University with Dr. William Goldenberg. Now, she is pursuing second performance certification in NIU. 

Since she began studying the piano, she has taught all level students from 6-year-olds to adults. She is currently teaching group piano classes at NIU as a teaching assistant, she teaching private lessons to students in the Suburbs. She believes that learning the piano can help students express their thoughts and feelings freely and comfort themselves. Also, the teacher's role is important to help students enjoy music in their whole lives. 

In addition, she has numerous accompanying experiences; she has accompanied diverse choirs, recitals, juries, and competitions.  She also accompanied vocalists, choirs, and instrumentalists at NIU and Judson University as a graduate assistant.

Voice Instructor

Paul Cline strongly believes that the act of singing is something that belongs to every human being, and enjoys finding ways for people to discover that calling. Paul’s passion for empowering people to sing began in high school, when he formed a vocal group with men from his church and taught them to sing parts by ear. Since then, he has created and led multiple vocal groups in college, and currently assists in leading his church choir.

Paul began music lessons on the violin at the age of 5, adding piano lessons at the age of 9 and voice lessons in high school. He was an enthusiastic violinist in the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony in North Carolina, and performed the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 3, Mvt. 1 with them in 2014. Paul graduated from Wheaton College in 2020 with a degree in Music History, where he studied voice with Thomas Hueber. At Wheaton, he explored nearly every form of vocal ensemble singing, with a particular interest in Medieval and Renaissance music. He performed in several of Wheaton’s Opera Mainstage productions, including playing the lead role in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. When not singing, Paul enjoys math tutoring, computer programming, and getting lost in the mountains of North Carolina looking for waterfalls.

Max Anliker, piano instructor

An accomplished pianist, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and worship leader, Max Anliker is a highly talented and extremely well rounded musician. Max was born and raised in the city of Wheaton, Illinois where he has had the privilege of receiving a classical homeschooled education. 

At age 9, his parents enrolled him in piano lessons at Notable Notes studios. Max gradually discovered his deep passion for music, and he continued his craft throughout high school at Wheaton Academy. Alongside classical piano, Max began pursuing worship leading at Wellspring Alliance church, pop guitar, vocal and choral music, and involvement in musical theatre.

Max has an extensive list of musical accomplishments, including nearly 10 years of piano experience, and 5 years of guitar training including a semester of classical study at Wheaton College. He has completed level 12 of the Achievement in Music program under the Illinois State Music Teacher’s Association, was placed in district and district/state choir in the ILMEA 2017 and 2018 music festivals, was awarded the 2018 Wheaton Academy Senior Choral award, and has received other honors. 

Max currently attends Wheaton College pursuing an Interdisciplinary Studies degree in music and Bible/theology. He hopes to one day work in ministry and utilize music as a unifying art form within the church body. He is very excited about partnering with Notable Notes Studios to train young musicians and equip them to get the most out of their developing musical gifts and interests. 

Piano Instructor

Lynette Zelis, owner of Noteable Notes Music Academy, loves teaching piano and learning new music.  She is a frequent performer in the Chicago area playing in chamber ensembles and as a soloist.  She teaches private piano lessons, and maintains studios for 14 other music teachers. 

This year, 2019, Lynette will be honored at the music teachers national conference in Spokane, WA as the Illinois State Fellow of the year. 

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She is immediate past President of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association and currently serves as the Director for the East Central Division of MTNA - the Music Teacher's National Association - which includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan & Indiana.   Lynette has been teaching piano in Wheaton since 1987.

Lynette is permanently certified by the ISMTA & the MTNA.  She is a frequent judge at numerous piano competitions and piano festivals.

She was one of only five teachers in the country to win the 2001 Group Piano Teachers Award from the Music Teachers National Association and the National Piano Foundation.

Lynette is a member of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association where she has served as the Achievement in Music  (AIM) State Repertoire Chair, AIM Performance Chair, vice president and treasurer for the West Suburban Chapter.  Awarded Member of the Year for ISMTA in 2002.  Lynette was president of the West Suburban Illinois State Music Teachers Association from 2009- 2011.

Lynette continues to write new music reviews for the American Music Teacher magazine. 

Lynette is a member of the Illinois Music Association - IMA - where she judges at the annual State Olympic competition and participates in the yearly scholarship play-a-thon.  Many of her students have won scholarship monies for college music study.

Lynette received her bachelor of music degree from Hope College, MI, in piano performance and pedagogy.  She went on to Northern Illinois University to study with Donald Walker, earning a Masters of Music and a Masters of Arts degree in piano  performance and pedagogy.

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This year Noteable Notes and Lynette Zelis was named an education partner with Steinway and Sons enabling our students to play on beautiful Steinway pianos at their lessons!

Flute/Piccolo Instructor

Leah Stevens is a second year Flute Fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. As an orchestral musician, she has served as principal flute with The Orchestra Now and substituted with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Quad Cities Symphony, South Bend Symphony, and the Lexington Philharmonic.

Ms. Stevens was awarded First Prize in the Orchestral Audition and Masterclass and Second Prize in the Piccolo Orchestral Audition and Masterclass at the 2017 National Flute Association Convention. She has also won First Prize in the Flute Society of St. Louis Young Artist Competition, and Honorable Mention in the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition at the state level in Nebraska. 

As a teacher, Ms. Stevens enjoys working with students of all ages, levels, and backgrounds. In 2018, she completed a master class and recital tour of Greater St. Louis and central and southern Missouri, focusing on giving students career advice pertaining to navigating the professional world after graduation. She has also worked for The People's Music School in Chicago, IL, an organization that strives to provide music education to underprivileged children, as a part of their Greater South Side outreach in Grand Crossing. Ms. Stevens has been a recurring clinician for the Flute Society of St. Louis, teaching middle school and high school masterclasses, orchestral excerpt masterclasses, and warm ups. She also runs an online orchestral excerpt coaching and career consultation service for aspiring orchestral musicians; not only giving them tips and tricks for individual excerpts and mock audition feedback, but giving them an “inside look” at the classical music industry to help them choose the career path that’s best for them.

Ms. Stevens earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and her Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a grantee of the Friends of Flutes foundation, and is indebted to her teachers Mark Sparks, John Bailey, and Shelly Monier. When not playing the flute, Leah enjoys cooking and baking new recipes and creating her own dishes.

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Piano Instructor

Mijin Elsner has been a piano teacher at Noteable Notes studio from 2004 to present.  She has given private lessons to school age student to senior age group.  She has over 20 years of teaching experience.

Milijin graduated from SookMyung University in Seoul, South Korea, where she received her B.A. in Piano.  She studied with Dong Soon Park M.A. (Manhattan School of Music, NY); Young In Lee M.A. (Juliard School of Music, NY).  In the U.S. she studied with Dr. Mary Nelson (PhD Houston University, TX) at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; Nicolas Roth (Beethoven Competition winner) at Indiana University.

Currently she is a member of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) and ISMTA.  In addition, Mijin teaches in her private studio in West Chicago.

She is a piano accompanist for her home church (Hanmee Presbyterian Church in Itasca) since 2006, where she is also the director of handbell choir.

Education: Associate Degree in Music from Prairie State Community College, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education from Governors State University, Multi year piano study with Neil Vleugel, former Accompanist Apollo Chorus of Chicago.

Teaching Experience: 40+ years as an Independent Piano Teacher at various studios in the Southern and Western Suburbs of Chicago. 4 years at Notable Notes.

Practice: Beginner through Advanced.  Student Ages: 7 through Adult

Piano Instructor

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Alina Sutterlin studied piano performance and pedagogy at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. In Klaipeda, Lithuania, she worked as a piano teacher for six years at E. Balsys music school, which is a school for gifted children. Since 1997, she has been teaching piano privately in the U.S.

Alina’s piano teaching style includes a combination of traditional Russian piano method along with American piano teaching. She is patient and knows how to make the learning process easy and enjoyable, yet her teaching is still very professional. She works hard to bring out the best of her students’ talents and abilities.

Low Brass Instructor

Adam is a freelance teacher and performer in the Chicago area who is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of Iowa. Currently, he is working to finish his dissertation with an emphasis on musician’s health and is planning his final DMA recital for Fall of 2018. In addition to his work at University of Iowa, Adam is planning a recital tour for the Fall where he will be performing and presenting masterclasses at University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Ohio Northern University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and Valparaiso University.

Adam holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a Master of Music in Performance and Pedagogy from University of Iowa. While pursuing his education, he has held positions with the St. Louis Philharmonic, St. Louis Brass Band, and the Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis. Additionally, he has performed with the award winning Iowa Tuba and Euphonium Quartet, Old Capital Quintet, and many other diverse ensembles.

In addition to performing, Adam is also experienced in wind conducting, which was his secondary area of study during his doctoral work. He has conducted the University of Iowa Tuba Ensemble, the University of Iowa Concert Band, and has been invited as a clinician to work with middle school and high school ensembles throughout the Midwest including Granite City, Collinsville, Highland, and Mehlville. 

As a teacher, Adam has maintained a successful studio for over 15 years. Many of his students have been awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships, won competitions, received awards, and had high seating placements in honor band festivals. Adam's success as a teacher is attributed to his work with his own teachers who include Jan Kagarice, John Manning, David Gier, Jim Martin, Roger Rocco, and Mike Sanders.

Violin & Viola Instructor

Violist Emma Strohbusch is a Chicago native, passionate about performance and music education. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Viola Performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Roosevelt University Chicago College of Performing Arts. She was also a recipient of the Edward J. Krolick String Award – a full-tuition scholarship. Emma has studied pedagogy and Suzuki teaching methods with Mimi Zweig (Indiana University) and at the Chicago Suzuki Institute. Emma’s orchestral experience includes Rockford Symphony, Chicago Composers Orchestra, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Kankakee Valley Symphony, Renovo String Orchestra, and Candid Concert Opera. Emma has performed at several festivals including Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Madeline Island Music Festival, Killington Music Festival, Catskill High Peaks Festival, and Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. She has studied with artists including Michael Isaac Strauss (Oberlin Conservatory, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra), Philip Ying (Ying Quartet), Karen Dreyfus (Manhattan School of Music), Roger Chase (Roosevelt University), Joanna Mendoza (Arianna Quartet), and Evelina Chao (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra). Emma currently plays on a beautiful viola made in 2006 by luthier, Theodor Skreko, of Indianapolis Violins

Cello Instructor

Mary E. McGinty is from the Chicago area.  She has a degree from the University of Illinois and 12 years experience as a professional cellist.  Her primary joy is performing and working to bring the magic of making music to new players.  Abiding along with her deep love of classical music, she listens especially to contemporary ethnic music (celtic, Latin, gypsy, jazz...) Her tastes are wide-ranging and she used to perform with a Jazz-fusion original music group on an electic cello.

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She has a new found joy in music arranging enabling her to have an endless source of new ensemble pieces.

Mary is married to husband, James, and has two adult children - Alana and Jamie.

Percussion Instructor

Ben has over 20 years of professional percussion experience in both teaching and performance. But, his musical journey began long before that while growing up in Texas and Missouri. After playing clarinet in his middle school bands, he caught the percussion bug while being immersed in the rich musical environment found in and around St. Louis, and the rest is history. Some of his St. Louis percussion teachers include Thomas Stubbs (St. Louis Symphony Orchestra), Michael Farris, and Glen "Papa" Wright. Ben is also fortunate to have been able to train and perform with some of the most talented young musicians in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra (Leonard Slatkin, consultant). Ben later chose to make percussion his career and, upon a recommendation from his high school band director, travelled to Northern Illinois University,  a school known for it's world music, jazz, and percussion education. His primary instructors were Rich Holly and Robert Chappell. Ben earned a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance in 1998 and is fortunate to have performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Atlanta, GA with the N.I.U. Steel Band, under the direction of Al O'Connor and Cliff Alexis, and also during their Taiwan tour, among other things. 

After graduation, Ben travelled to Nashville, TN to pursue a career in the studio scene. He was fortunate to meet and work with some great people from various parts of the Nashville music industry for over 10 years. He also marched 3 years with the DCA drum corps Music City Legend and also helped start the corps from the ground up in 2003. Other unique experiences while living in Nashville included working for several years at Treeworks Chimes and Row-Loff Productions. 

In 2011, Ben relocated to Northern Illinois to pursue his Professional Educators License in K-12 Music Education at Northern Illinois University again. Some of his teachers from his time at N.I.U. include Rich Holly, Robert Chappell, Dr. Greg Beyer, Liam Teague, Dr. Ronald Wooten, and Dr. Mary Lynn Doherty.

Ben currently teaches band in various school districts around Chicago, maintains another private studio in Sycamore called The Music Connection, LLC (www.themusicconnection.com), and freelances in the Chicagoland area. He is the former Percussion Coordinator and Percussion Arranger for the Racine Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. In the fall of 2013, Ben started his own summer drum line activity for area percussionists called Cadence Percussion. More information can be found at www.cadencepercussion.org. Ben is a member of the Percussive Arts Society and Illinois Music Educators Association. 

Ben desires that all percussionists, regardless of age or skill level, learn the techniques and skills needed to be a well-rounded percussionist (i.e. mallets/snare/timpani/drum set/electronics) while having some fun too! Feel free to contact him with any questions and to set up a free sample lesson:  benmusic@hotmail.com   # 815-217-5648 

Voice Instructor

He was born in the city of Seoul, South Korea. He graduated with a Bachelor degree in voice from KyungPook National University in South Korea. He has performed several oratorio solos in Korea and in the USA, including the baritone solo in Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s The Creation. He studied with Professors InSoo Park in South Korea and later with Andreas Poulimenos and Carol Vaness at Indiana University. He performed the role of Germont in La Traviata with David Effron and Tito Capobianco. He also performed the role of Zurga from The Pearl Fishers as well as the roles of Silvio in Pagliacci and the role of Count in Le nozze di Figaro while a pupil of Professor Carol Vaness. And he also performed the roles of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and Tiger Brown in The Threepenny Opera, Honor Showcase recital and received Outstanding Performance in the Honors Assembly in Ohio. He earned first prize for vocal music at the National Artistic Vocal Competition and second prize in the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale competition. He was awarded the Sweet Adelines International Award from the Young Singers Foundation and was the recipient of the Albert Rees Davis Scholarship at the S. Livingston Mather Scholarship Competition in Cleveland. He was First Place Winner of the National Association of Teachers of Song Competition. He has received the Merit Award Scholarship and has been the Opera assistant at Lyric Theatre at the Univeristy of Illinois for the last three years. His performances at Illinois include Ford from Falstaff, Street Singer from The Threepenny Opera and the role of Riolobo from Florencia en el Amazonas. Recently, he performed Oak Brook Library Classical Music Concert Series II, III and IV at the Oak Brook Library in Illinois. Also, he performed performance of Inspired Korea organized by The Consulate General of the Republic of Korean in Chicago nationwide such as Chicago city in IL, Detroit city in Michigan and Des Moines city in Iowa. Today, he is studying for the Doctoral Musical Arts degree with Professor Nathan Gunn at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Piano Instructor

Karol Sue Reddington, solo and collaborative pianist, presented her 2002 Carnegie Hall Debut, New York City, with Swiss violinist/colleague, Mathias Boegner. She has enjoyed international and national performance, teaching and administrative roles in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, Moscow, Reykjavik, Bermuda, and at universities/colleges of the United States. Karol Sue was awarded a College of DuPage Faculty Grant in the lecture-performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt Regards. The presentation was later included in Bangkok, Thailand’s 2013 Fine Arts International Conference. These works also comprised a portion of her Paris piano debut on the artist series of the Cathédrale Américane. Along with duo-pianist Marcia Lehe, Dr. Reddington appeared as a presenter for the recent State Conference of the Illinois Music Teacher’s Association

Receiving the Doctor of Musical Arts piano performance degree from the College Conservatory of Music (CCM) of the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Reddington’s pianistic work includes study with artists such as Soulima Stravinsky, Alfonso Montecino, Hans Graf, Eugene Pridonoff, Marion Hall and French pianist Noël Lee. She has also coached with James Tocco, Menahem Pressler, Joseph Gingold, Joseph Fuchs, Frau Aida Stucki  (revered teacher of Anne-Sophie Mutter), the Tokyo String Quartet, the Ensemble Contemporain of the Musée Centre, George Pompidou, and the Quatuor Via Nova.

For a decade, as director/artistic director, and faculty member of the Bermuda School of Music and the Bermuda International School of Languages and Arts, she initiated the establishment of Bermuda’s international chamber music series ‘Some Enchanted Evening’.

In addition to serving as a Piano Examiner of Canada’s Royal Conservatory of Music, and after returning to the USA, she was awarded the ‘Member of the Year’ of Chicago’s West Suburban Music Teachers Association, and received the designation of NCTM (National Certified Teacher of Music). 

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Dr. Reddington also serves as a founding member and organizer of the Syrian Refugee Benefit Concert, to be presented 19th February, 2017, at Gary United Methodist Church of Wheaton. 

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Committed to young pianists and their growing knowledge and joy in music and piano study, Dr. Reddington has participated as judge/adjudicator/master-class presenter for competitions and festivals of northern Illinois. Currently, Dr. Reddington is Director of the Berkley-Pendell Piano Competition, dedicated to the work of fine young pianists of the Chicago western suburbs.

Piano Instructor

Lenka has been teaching at Noteable Notes since 2009.  She received her Master of Arts degree in Music and English Literature from the Masaryk University of Brno in the Czech republic in 1999.

She was also a member of the Chamber Choir of Masaryk University, with whom she toured Italy, Greece, Poland, Austria and other European Countries.

Lenka has been teaching private piano lessons for over 20 years in her homeland and in the Chicago area. In addition she has accompanied many performers and has given numerous performances in one of the oldest church in world, Basilica of St. Prokop in Trebic, Czech Republic.