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.
Bethany Joyce (Cello Master and Cello/Bass Repertoire Classes) began playing with the Missoula Symphony in 2004. Since graduating from the University of Montana in 2008, she has arranged, performed and recorded music in many genres, and has toured with bands and songwriters both nationally and internationally. She works as a teaching artist with the Center for Music by People with Disabilities, which serves 10 local schools. Bethany also maintains a private studio, where she loves teaching music lessons for students of all ages.
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.
Maisey Manhan (African Drumming) is a University of Montana Senior, pursuing a degree in Music Education. She is from Missoula, MT, and has attended All State, All Star, and State Music Fesitvals with Superior ratings for several years while being a student. She is a percussion primary, and runs her own percussion studio, Maisey’s Music, with students aged 4-18. Maisey has taught at First Lutheran Classical School for two years, and continues to be in the music community through music festivals, camps, and adjudications. Outside of music, Maisey is a Soldier in the Montana Army National Guard and enjoys outdoor adventures.
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.
Ryan Davis (Bass Master Class) is the director of orchestras at Hellgate and Sentinel High Schools and the conductor of the Missoula Youth Symphony. A native of Anaconda, Montana, he has taught in his current position for 18 years. Ryan earned his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Montana and his master’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he studied conducting with Linda Moorhouse and string pedagogy with Louis Bergonzi. He later completed post-master’s double bass study at the University of Montana with Joel Schnackel. Ryan has served as principal bassist of the Missoula Symphony, Butte Symphony, and University of Montana Symphony Orchestra.
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 degrees from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Boise State University. She has played in the Missoula Symphony Orchestra and the Helena Symphony Orchestra. As a Suzuki-trained teacher, she maintains a private studio of violin and viola students, ages 5 to 18.