Allyson Lyne has spent over 40 years as a professional violinist and violin teacher across Canada, and is now based in New Sarepta. Her musical journey began as a young Suzuki student in Edmonton in the 1960s, leading her to studies at the University of Toronto and the Université de Montréal. She has performed with ensembles ranging from early music to full orchestral, including l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Allyson brings that same breadth of experience to her teaching, working with students of all ages and levels. She believes musicality can be nurtured from the very first lesson — and her greatest joy is helping students build the technique that lets music flow naturally and expressively. Allyson likes to add group masterclasses with her students to their routine of weekly lessons. Allyson would be a great fit for any student who enjoys classical repertoire, and who would want a teacher who inspires and builds great technique.

Anna is currently enrolled in the music program at the University of Alberta, where she is a Voice Performance major studying with Miriam Khalil. Anna has always taken her own music studies very seriously. Over the years growing up in Leduc, she has been involved in piano, classical voice, choir and musical theatre (in the role of Regina in the 2024 Leduc high school's production of Mean Girls).

As a pianist, Anna has completed her Grade 8 Piano with the Royal Conservatory. She joins our teaching staff as a piano teacher, and is heartily recommended by Magdalena as a very knowledgeable and skilled teacher for beginner to RCM grade level 2 students. Anna is currently studying vocal pedagogy, and will begin to take voice students as her schedule allows.

Clarence Samuelson, nicknamed "Sammy" by his students, is a much loved retired band teacher from Devon, where he taught at Riverview Middle School and John Maland Highschool, and where he was credited with creating a large and vibrant band program in the town of Devon. In 2022, Clarence was honored for his 35 year legacy when current and alumni students gathered to create a big band at his farewell retirement party. Clarence is respected by his musical colleagues, and was able to engage music and jazz icons like Senator Tommy Banks and Dominik Sperra, and Tom Dust to come to Devon and play with the high school band for dinner jazz concerts. Clarence's students appreciate him for being a mentor and instilling confidence and sense of accomplishment.

Clarence's main instrument is the trumpet, but he is an able teacher of all the typical brass and woodwind instruments. He does defer to his wife Melanie, when it comes to teaching the flute, as she is also a staff member of the Leduc School of Music.

Darrin is an experienced guitar, ukulele and electric bass teacher. He teaches several genres of music including rock, pop, country, metal, fingerstyle-acoustic and fingerstyle ukulele, classical guitar and some jazz. The lessons are based around a students' inspirations and music interests. Guitar technique and theory are taught when the students are ready for it. Darrin has taught students of all ages ranging from 5 years old to 60+ years. He has performed as a classical guitar soloist many times, and has played in several bands, including a country band, a gypsy jazz quartet, and a rock band.

Darrin has a 4 year BA in Studio Art, and a 3 year BA is Music, majoring in Classical Guitar. He completed both degrees at the University of Saskatchewan, and graduated magna cum laude (with Great Distinction) in both degrees. Darrin also has an Audio Engineering Diploma from RAIS, and a certificate from Summit School of Guitar-Building and Repair. His main music endeavor currently is composing and producing music. Check out Darrin's YouTube channel: youtube.com/@darrinkostur.

Debbie's love for teaching piano began early. While Debbie was in highschool, she first took on some beginner students and taught them under the mentorship of her own teacher, and this was where Debbie's love for teaching piano began! After highschool, Debbie studied piano pedagogy with Selma O'Neill in Edmonton, then moved on to post secondary studies with Saskatchewan composer David McIntyre. Debbie later transferred to the Piano Pedagogy program at the U of A, studying with Herman Brauss and Janet Scott Hoyt. Since her earliest college days, Debbie has always been invited to work as an accompanist for choirs, and has since enjoyed many years of accompanying for school and college choirs as well as solo singers and instrumentalists in local and provincial festivals. Debbie accompanied the Piatta Forma choir of Leduc for many years. Debbie has maintained a private teaching studio for many years, and has also taught through the Leduc School of Music since 2007.

Emily has a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in violin performance from the University of Lethbridge. She has experience in solo, ensemble and orchestral playing. When it comes to playing solo violin repertoire, her favorite composers are from the late Romantic era, especially Bruch, Catoire and Saint-Saens. Emily also enjoys a broad spectrum of music genres from jazz and alt-pop to post-punk and hip-hop. Other hobbies outside music are rock climbing, trading card games and working with electronics and circuitry. As a violin teacher, she focuses on helping students to build a strong music foundation. She will dabble in fiddle and bluegrass repertoire as well as standard classical violin teaching material.

Emily began her studies at the Leduc School of Music when she was just 4 years old in the Music for Young Children Program, first studying with Magdalena Melax and later with Carla Thompson. She grew up performing in theatre productions, piano recitals and dance showcases. She studied voice and piano, but it has always been clear to Miss Emily that musical theatre is her passion. Emily began volunteering as assistant teacher with our Musical Theatre class in the fall of 2018, and has moved on to becoming the director of her own productions since 2022. She is the director of our Musical Theatre program, and manages everything and everyone you see shine on performance day. She has tremendous passion for teaching theatre and for connecting with students. This passion shows, as her students clearly love her right back.

Striving to create a cooperative, driven environment, her students have fun expressing and exploring themselves through characters. Outside of the studio, Emily is a proud Francophone and dog mom. She is completing her Bilingual Bachelor of Education degree with a minor in Fine Arts and Artistic Expression at Campus Saint-Jean, Université de l’Alberta. Emily is also the assistant coach of the Leduc Composite High School girls' soccer team.

Originally from Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Jason McCoombs came to Leduc in 2002. His musical start was as a trumpet player first, but then switched to the drums. Jason is a worship band drummer at Leduc Community Baptist where he is also a youth leader. Jason is the drummer playing in the pit for Leduc Drama Society productions. He teaches drums for the Boys and Girls Club of Leduc, as well as at the Leduc School of Music and Art. Jason's favorite music genres are rock and funk, however he works with all kinds of repertoire in lessons and connects well to students of all ages.

Kathy is delighted to be a part of the teaching team at Leduc School of Music and Art. For many years she provided piano accompaniment to voice students here and in the communities of Leduc and Beaumont. She has ARCT diplomas as Piano Performer and as Piano Teacher, and has taught private piano students for nine years. After obtaining her Early Childhood Development Diploma from Grant MacEwan University, she worked for twelve years in preschools as a teacher assistant and music teacher specialist. She looks forward to meeting each piano student and their family and fostering a well-rounded musical education together!

Madison studied Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music at McEwan University, and has a Bachelor in General music with a Diploma in Vocal Performance. Madison began studying voice at the age of 7, and has a strong foundation in classical technique with her first teacher whom she studied with for 7 years. Madison then studied with a contemporary vocal teacher, who helped Madison to bring out her own sense of artistry. After this, her music degree at MacEwan became the next natural step in her own artistic evolution. Madison has experience singing in acapella ensembles and in musical theatre productions, as well as leadership in group rehearsal settings. She began working for the Leduc School of Music as a vocal teacher in 2025.

Magdalena "Miss Maggie" has been a Music for Young Children teacher since 2002, and has a designation of MYCCT (MYC Certified Teacher), which is a designation given to MYC's most experienced teachers. She thoroughly enjoys helping her students progress the way they do in this fun and engaging method of learning! Magdalena loves the deep foundation in musical literacy, composition, chording and listening skills that Music for Young Children provides for its students. Magdalena can barely believe that she has taught MYC for over 20 years! Time flies when you are having that much fun with students! Magdalena is the owner of the Leduc School of Music and Art Inc, and of Leduc's Own Music Shop.

Magdalena has been teaching voice for over 20 years, preparing her many students for local and provincial Festivals, Exams and College-entry Auditions. She has an Associate Teaching Diploma in Vocal Performance with the Royal Conservatory of Music, a Vocal Pedagogy Certificate with Conservatory Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Music. Throughout her career, she has invested highly in her own continuing professional development. This has brought her to studies in Vancouver (Early Music Festival), Boston (Crittendon Opera Workshop), Germany and Austria (University research studies), and more locally, participation in the Vocal Arts Institute of Alberta under the direction of Heather Meyers from 2005 to 2015.

Magdalena has taught an enormous number of students over the years, and is able to assess which elements of technique each singer needs to be able to sing beautifully and expressively. Magdalena uses vocal music that spans all genres, however, she most enjoys passing on a love for classical and art song repertoire to new generations. Magdalena and her vocal students enjoy coming together for group Masterclasses that have students practicing their performance skills under her guidance, and in doing so, Magdalena actively creates a community of friendship among the singers in her studio.

Melanie Samuelson is well known and loved in the community of Devon, and in particular the band program at John Maland Highschool. This is where she helped out for many years as a flute specialist while her husband Clarence was the band teacher there. Melanie has a Bachelor of Music degree with a major in flute and a minor in piano. As a piano teacher, Melanie is gentle and patient. She enjoys teaching traditional piano lessons, as well as preparing students for graded exams up to grade 4.

Natalie is a Devon-area piano teacher with 20 years of experience teaching children and teens. She enjoys teaching all levels from beginners to those in Royal Conservatory grade 5. Outside of music, her interests are walking her two dogs Augster and Beauty and cooking. She is also an accomplished bookkeeper.

Neal has been playing guitar and bass since he was ten, and later learned to play piano and drums as well. Neal has a Bachelors of Contemporary Music from Grant MacEwan University. Neal also plays bass guitar for Edmonton Alternative band 'Darryl Saves Lives' as well as freelancing as a sessional guitarist.

Neal teaches beginner to advanced bass and guitar lessons. He likes to include music theory into his lessons, to lay a solid foundation for technical skills. Neal also enjoys teaching composing, song writing, and Rock Band. Besides teaching, Neal is on staff at Leduc's Own Music Shop, where he is gaining acclaim in the community as the lead guitar repair technician.

Phallon is beginning her studies in the Jazz and Contemporary Music program at Grant MacEwan University with guitar as her main instrument of study. She has been well prepared for her admission into this program by our own Neal Smedegaard, who has been Phallon's teacher for the last four years. Neal is also Phallon's mentor as she begins her own studio of teaching beginning guitar students. Phallon plays in the all-girl band Queens Avenue.

As a young man, Randy was a touring professional guitarist for countless rock, country and blues bands all throughout the 1980's and 1990's. As such, he likes to say that he survived the 80's Rock & Roll scene. To date, he has played every major rock and country festival throughout Canada. As a lead guitarist hired by numerous bands and solo artists, he has appeared in CMT videos, has played in Las Vegas, and has played on television live from Parliament Hill on Canada Day in 2011. He is an integral member of the Big Stein Band, playing alongside his long-time friend, Gord Steinke. Randy maintains a busy performing schedule, appearing locally at the Beaumont Blues Festival and numerous other shows around Edmonton and Alberta in general. Randy teaches guitar, bass, mandolin and ukulele at the Leduc School of Music and at Innovations Music in St. Albert.

Richard Van Oosterom teaches piano, songwriting and composing. Richard is Dutch, but spent his teenage and University years in New Zealand, with a brief stint playing in small rock and roll bands in England. As well, Richard worked for Zomba Music writing in-house lead sheets and arrangements for artists such as Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, Thomas Dolby and Billy Ocean. Mostly though, Richard studied piano and received a music degree from the University of Aukland. He then worked on his Masters Degree in composing from the University of Chichester, England.

Richard enjoys composing music for students, and has written his own program to use with young beginning piano students. Richard is always intrigued and interested in meeting students where they are at, and helping them to achieve what they want to achieve musically. Richard has his own website www.mauranuimusic.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mauranuimusic

Cellist Ryan Hoffman has a Doctor of Musical Arts from James Madison University, a Master of Music from Penn State University, and a BA in Music from Susquehanna University. Ryan is originally from Virginia, where he taught in several schools, including Eastern Mennonite University and Bridgewater College. He performed in several orchestras, including Altoona Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, Huntington Symphony, and Waynesboro Symphony, and as a chamber musician with Two Rivers Chamber Music and Melodious Strings. Now residing in Edmonton, Ryan is active with Alberta String Association, Opus@12 Chamber Music Society, and Concordia Symphony. As a cello teacher, Ryan enjoys getting to know his students and loves introducing them to new skills, awareness, and knowledge through music.

Scott grew up in Leduc, where he studied piano, guitar and drums locally. He completed a Music Diploma from Grant MacEwan, majoring in recording. Scott maintains a home recording studio, and has recorded a number of local bands and musicians. Scott regularly jams and creates music with friends. Scott has been teaching guitar and drums at the Leduc School of Music since 2010.

Sophie has completed two years of the Theatre Arts program at MacEwan University, and is now moving over to the Jazz and Contemporary Music program at MacEwan University. Sophie is a singer and multi-instrumentalist, and has been employed at the Leduc School of Music since 2025 as a teacher of voice, violin, guitar and ukulele. She is taking a pause on teaching private lessons at the moment in order to concentrate on her studies; and Sophie will still be teaching one of our Musical Theatre classes.

Sophie has had many leading roles in various Musical Theatre productions over the years, as well as experience in theatre and the Alberta One Acts Festival. Sophie has experience as a Children's Theatre coach, and as a performer in Fringe shows, and as a performer with Party Princess work. This year Sophie will be the lead teacher of our Musical Theatre Kids' Class, guiding them all the way through to their staged production of Winnie the Pooh.

Yuliia Bondar came from the Ukraine in March 2024. She is a piano teacher with more than 12 years of experience, and in the Ukraine typically prepared advanced students for further studies at the University level. Yuliia received her musical training at the School of Art and Culture in Odessa, and then worked in a children's art school, where she was responsible for teaching 20 students, who would have piano lessons 2 or 3 times per week. Yuliia's students have won many awards in performing arts competitions, and her graduates are currently performance majors in various music colleges. Yuliia also worked as an accompanist, mostly accompanying violinists.

In addition to her work as a piano teacher, Yuliia has also graduated from Odessa State University as a psychologist. Yuliia now resides in Edmonton, and she is happy to teach all levels of students, including beginners, at the Leduc School of Music. Here she has found a niche that sees her teaching many of her students in the Russian and or Ukrainian!