The Student Private Lesson Program is a program open to all Mason students who wish to take private lessons at Mason High School and the surrounding area. Lessons range from $15-$18 per half hour and run throughout the school year and summer. Students may sign-up at any time during the year and the responsibility for payment is between the instructor and the family. Our instructors offer a variety of experience which include membership in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Please contact your student's band director if you will like a phone number for one of the private lesson instructors.

What is a private music lesson?

Your son or daughter is tutored by a professional musician who is an expert at the same instrument your child plays, once each week for a 30-minute session.

Can it fit in my child’s hectic schedule?

The 30-minute lesson is a very minimal time commitment, but does enhance your child’s participation in music. The time the lesson is scheduled is very flexible.

What are the benefits of a private lesson?

• Private lessons are a great motivator for kids to practice.
• A one on one experience can pinpoint small problems in the child’s playing resulting in corrections that will greatly enhance the students musical experience.
• As students improve, they enjoy playing more.

Private Lesson Instructors

Bassoon, Bill Jobert - Lessons taught in band room at Mason High School
Clarinet, Chad Fourman - Lessons taught in band room at Mason Intermediate School
Clarinet, Diana Gipson - Lessons taught in band room at Mason High School
Clarinet, Annmarie Lyons - Lessons taught at instructor's home
Flute, Arpi Anderson - Lessons taught at Hope School of Music, Hope Church, Mason
Flute, Jennifer Northcut - Lessons taught at instructor’s home
Flute, Sallee Rabenold - Lessons taught at instructor's home
Horn, Charlie Bell - Lessons taught in band room at Mason High School
Low Brass, Norlan Bewley - Lessons taught in band room at Mason High School
Low Brass, Pete Norton - Lessons taught at instructor’s home
Oboe, Patty Corfman - Lessons taught at instructor’s home
Percussion, Rob Cooney - Lessons taught in band room at Mason High School
Saxophone, Kevin Towner - Lessons taught in band room at Mason High School
Trumpet, Dave Coleman - Lessons taught in band room at Mason High School
Trumpet, Bill Dixon - Lessons taught in band room at Mason High School

Bill Jobert - 513-398-4307 - wjobert@cinci.rr.com

Bill holds a Music Education degree from the University of Georgia and a degree in Bassoon Performance from the Eastman School of Music. His performance experiences include performing with the Eastman Wind Ensemble in Japan, performing in the orchestra at the Heidelberg Opera Festival in Germany, performing with the Macon Symphony and Macon Opera orchestras in Georgia, and playing contrabassoon with the Savannah Symphony, Greenville Symphony, and Hilton Head Symphony. While teaching in upstate New York, Mr. Jobert served on the faculty at both Colgate University and Hamilton College, served as principal bassoon in the Colgate Symphony and performed regularly with the Oneonta Symphony and the Catskill Orchestra. His major teachers include Bill Davis, John Hunt, Loren Glickman, and Carl Niche.

This is Mr. Jobert's third year teaching studio bassoon lessons in the Mason School District as well as teaching woodwind lessons at Sommerset Music Academy in Landen.  He is currently the bassoon professor at Wright State University and the University of Dayton.  He is the principal bassoonist in the Lebanon Symphony and the Mason Community Band.

Links:
http://academic.udayton.edu/music/  -  University of Dayton School of Music
http://www.wright.edu/academics/music/  - Wright State University School of Music

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Chad Fourman - 937-623-3068 - fourmanc@mason.k12.oh.us

Chad graduated from Wright State University and taught one year at the Franklin City School District before arriving at Mason in 2001. Mr. Fourman’s responsibilities consist of teaching 6th grade band at Mason Intermediate School, assists the marching band, teaches private clarinet lessons after school and has been the Winter Guard Director for the past three years. He is currently working on his masters at University of Dayton in music education.

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Diana Gipson  - 513-256-1959

Diana is a freelance musician working in the Cincinnati area. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music as well as a Master’s Degree in clarinet performance. She is currently completing her Doctoral Degree in clarinet at the College Conservatory of Music. She has 22 years of private teaching experience as well as 5 years as a band instructor. She has also held adjunct positions as the clarinet instructor at Midland College in Texas, Earlham College, and Northern Kentucky University as well as teaching woodwind pedagogy for the University of Cincinnati. The former Principal clarinetist of the Midland Symphony and the West Texas Woodwind Quintet, she has participated in several world premieres of works as well as recording opportunities here and overseas. She has played with area groups such as the Cincinnati Opera, Northern Kentucky Symphony, Blue Ash Symphony, and the Tutti Soloisti Chamber Ensemble.

Diana Gipson currently runs a successful private studio in the Northern Kentucky area and has held the position of clarinet instructor for the College Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department for the past ten years. She has worked as a coach with area groups such as the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble and The Artworks Chamber Project while providing woodwind pedagogy consulting and master class services in the tri state area.

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Annmarie Lyons - 513-336-0238 - annmarielyons@hotmail.com

Annmarie Lyons earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Northwestern University and a Master of Science in Music Education from the University of Illinois. She taught elementary and middle school band in Kenosha, Wisconsin and in Wake County, North Carolina. Annmarie served as Admissions Officer at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and taught clarinet in the CCM Preparatory Department. She has performed with various ensembles, including the Racine, WI Symphony Orchestra, the Raleigh and Durham, NC Symphony Orchestras, the North Carolina Wind Orchestra, the Southwest Ohio Symphonic Band, and the Mason Community Band. She currently teaches privately in Mason, where she lives with her husband and three children.

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Arpi Anderson - 513-403-1359 - andersac@email.uc.edu

Apri holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in flute performance from UCLA. She is currently a doctoral candidate for the Ph.D. in Music Theory at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and has done graduate work in music theory at the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Anderson has been an active free-lance performer and private teacher in the greater Cincinnati area for 7 years and has performed with several local groups, including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Richmond (IN) Symphony Orchestra. She is currently on the faculties of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Miami University.

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Jennifer Northcut - 513-336-0321 - jennorthcut@yahoo.com

Jennifer is in her eleventh season as second flute with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. She has 18 years private teaching experience. Her students have consistently won placement in the Cincinnati Youth Orchestra, Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble, A Honor Bands. Jennifer has a Bachelors of Arts Degree from University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Masters Degree in Music Performance from Arizona State University. She lives in Mason with her husband Tim and their two children.

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Charles Bell - 513-751-6589 (h); 513-604-3865 (c)

Charles was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia and attended The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA and The College Conservatory of Cincinnati, the University of Cincinnati. He studied horn with Thomas Newell, Michael Hatfield, Forrest Standley, Dale Clevenger and Myron Bloom. He was a hornist with the Louisville Orchestra from 1981-82 and with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1983 – present; Michael Greber, Jesus Lopez-Cobos and Paaro Jarvi conductors. He has also performed with the Cincinnati Opera and Cincinnati Pops; Erich Kunzel conductor. Charles has participated in over 100 recording for Vox and Telarc.

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Norlan Bewley - 937-253-5812 - nbewley@woh.rr.com

Low Brass Artist (trombone, euphonium, tuba), is a new breed of brass player specializing in performance on all of the low brass instruments. In his private teaching alone, for the past 10 years, Norlan has given more than 600 individual low brass students over 23,000 private lessons. He is a graduate of Indiana University and the Music Director for Top Brass and The Dunbar Institute. His work as a performer, composer, and educator has been supported by The National Endowment for the Arts, The Ohio Arts Council, The American Music Center, Culture Works, The Mead Foundation, NCR Corporation, LexisNexis, The Harvey Phillips Foundation, Reynolds and Reynolds, and many other organizations. He is a clinician for Holton and Martin instruments of the Conn-Selmer Corporation, and is represented by Joanne Rile Artists Management. For more visit www.norlanbewley.com.

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Pete Norton - 513-755-0302 - lasttbn@aol.com

A native of Middletown, Ohio, Pete is presently the Bass Trombonist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  He is formerly the Principal Trombonist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Dayton Philharmonic.  He is a faculty member with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  He performs with the Cincinnati Symphony Brass Quintet, and has appeared as soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony, the Montreal Symphony, and the Frank Simon Band.

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Robert graduated from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and has also studied at the University of North Texas. His main background is in the field of percussion. He has worked with ensembles at New Miami High School, Carroll High School, Centerville High School, and William Mason High School. Currently he is a Director of the Centerville “A” Drumline in Centerville, Ohio, and on staff with the William Mason High School Drumline in Mason, Ohio. He also maintains a private lesson studio in Mason, Ohio in which he teaches snare drum, marimba, and drum set. If you are interested in starting private lessons please contact him at the info listed above.

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