2026 MSA String Camp Faculty
Beth Youngblood (Violin/Viola Master Class; Fiddling, Improvisation) has been fiddling, singing and improvising with many ensembles as well as teaching Suzuki violin and fiddle, to ages three to seventy in Missoula since 1991. She loves to hike the beautiful trails around her Rattlesnake Valley home and is always on the lookout for delicious food recipes.
Emily Brand (Musicianship Classes) teaches early childhood music education classes at the Ironhorse Consortium for Young Musicians (Helena, MT) and instructs a robust private lesson studio with students ranging from preschool through adult.
Kira Lee (Violin/Viola Master and Repertoire Classes) currently teaches orchestra at Washington Middle School in Missoula MT. She holds degrees from Montana State University and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In addition to teaching she enjoys performing with the Missoula Symphony, String Orchestra of the Rockies, and her three piece band The Queens and Mr G.
Loryn Zerr (Art) has been the ART teacher at Missoula International School for the last 13 years. She has taught at the Missoula Art Museum, Sentinel High School, Sussex School, the Flagship program, and at Zootown Community Arts Center. She remains active in the local arts community and makes and shows her paintings, sculptures, and mixed media art whenever possible.
Rachel Schnackel (Violin/Viola Master and Repertoire Classes) serves as Principal 2nd Violin with the Missoula Symphony, in the violin section of String Orchestra of the Rockies, and as Co-director of Regal Ensemble. Rachel shares a private music studio in Hamilton with her husband and bassist Joel. She has long term teacher training in all of the Suzuki books. Rachel was a Suzuki student herself from the age of 2 and loves getting to share the love of music with the next generation. She and her husband have 4 children. Website here.
Sylvia Allen Oman (Director; Musicianship Classes) originally hails from Boston, Massachusetts. She moved to Missoula in 2007 to work in administrative and leadership positions with local non-profit organizations. Prior to this, she earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and a Masters of Music in Pedagogy from Boise State University. She has played in the Missoula Symphony Orchestra and the Helena Symphony Orchestra, as well as other ensembles in the area. As a Suzuki-trained teacher, she maintains a private studio of violin and viola students, ages 5 to 18.
Bethany Joyce (Cello Master and Cello/Bass Repertoire Classes)
Ryan Davis (Bass Master Class)
Maisey Manhan (African Drumming)