I’d like to introduce you a little more personally to the three of us who have the job of keeping programming humming along smoothly at Bridges sites all over Chicagoland as well as in Northwest Indiana.
My name is Betsy Ko and I came to Chicago in 1991 after doing my undergraduate degree at Brown University. I continued my education at DePaul University, receiving a M.M. in Flute Performance in 1994. A few months after graduating from DePaul, I was lucky to be invited to join Merit’s faculty. I have taught in almost all of Merit’s programs, ranging from Dynamic Starts fife classes to the Tuition Free Conservatory. In 2005, I was very excited to join the Bridges staff as a Program Associate because I saw it as a way to be even more actively involved in strengthening Merit’s continuum. By this I mean helping our Bridges students to achieve the level of training and accomplishment necessary to be accepted into our top-level Tuition Free Conservatory program. I became Director of Bridges in November of 2006 and am consistently impressed by the tireless dedication of our Bridges faculty to their students. For the past two school years, I have been a Bridges teacher myself, traveling out to Nixon Elementary School two afternoons a week to give sectionals to the flutists in our band program there. Several of “my Nixon girls” have made their way into Merit’s Tuesday afternoon Preparatory program and I hope that they will continue their musical journey from there on to the Tuition Free Conservatory. My favorite part of being Bridges Director is getting out to visit our programs in the community and I hope to share my experiences with you through this blog. Thanks for reading!
Alicia has been helping out with Bridges on as-needed basis since November of 2006. She officially joined Merit’s staff as a Program Associate for Bridges on October 1, 2008. Congrats, Alicia!
Hello! My name is Alicia Poot (rhymes with “boat”) and I am one of two Program Associates for Bridges: Partners in Music. I am a flutist who first came to Chicago to pursue a Performance Certificate in flute under Mary Stolper at DePaul University. I completed Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in flute performance at Western Michigan University and the University of Akron respectively, and have spent many hours and miles on the road over the years freelancing as a substitute player for several regional orchestras. Through working with the Bridges program at Merit, I enjoy meeting the many families whose education includes music instruction through Merit. I especially look forward to working with young flutists this year at several of our Bridges sites!
Carey joined the Bridges team on October 1, 2008 and, as you will read below, she is no stranger to Bridges. Welcome, Carey!
Hi! My name is Carey Polacek and I am one of two Program Associates for the Bridges: Partners in Music program. I moved to Chicago in 2002 to attend Northwestern University, where I received my Master’s Degree in saxophone performance. I love living in Chicago and have had a wonderful time teaching all over the city for the past six years! I was a Bridges faculty member from 2004-2007 and during this time I taught band programs in ten Bridges sites throughout Chicago and Northwest Indiana. My favorite part about teaching for Bridges was to start new students on instruments in the fall, and then to help them work to successfully attend MeritFest at Symphony Center in the spring.
In addition to working as the Program Associate for Bridges, I also work with aspiring music teachers at VanderCook College of Music, where I teach applied saxophone, and I am the jazz band director and woodwind instructor at Oakton Community College.
Great idea ladies!
Questions:
If I have a performance at Whittier, how do I post it here?
Are you also planning to give more info about the schools Bridges serves and the teachers working in each of them?
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!