Faculty
Andrea Cannon
Andrea grew up in the Washington, DC area and was fortunate to begin her guitar studies with former Airmen of Note Jazz Virtuoso Rick Whitehead. She was selected as Outstanding Soloist and named to the All-Star Jazz Ensemble at the James Madison University Jazz Festival. She also received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for young musicians. An alumna of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music Performance program, her instructors included William G. Leavitt, Laurence Baione and Jon Damien. She served as Berklee Regional Admissions Alumni Representative earning recognition for Outstanding Service and Rep of the Year. Post-Collegiate training includes extensive Suzuki Method pedagogy courses and classical guitar studies with Robert Guthrie of Southern Methodist University. As a performer, her experience includes jazz big bands and combos as well as solo classical guitar and chamber music at venues in the US, Canada, Latin America, and Europe (Scotland, Norway, Poland and Germany.) She performed for the President of the United States in an Inaugural Event, for dignitaries of the Nation of Grenada and was even included in the Guinness Book of World Records as part of two of the Largest Ensembles ever assembled. As an educator, Andrea founded Guitar Arts Studio in Houston, Texas. The Guitar Arts program includes private lessons, music theory classes and ensemble for pre-college aged students. Guitar Arts Studio is a National Model Program for Suzuki Guitar and one of the premier guitar programs for young children in the US.
Andrea grew up in the Washington, DC area and was fortunate to begin her guitar studies with former Airmen of Note Jazz Virtuoso Rick Whitehead. She was selected as Outstanding Soloist and named to the All-Star Jazz Ensemble at the James Madison University Jazz Festival. She also received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for young musicians. An alumna of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music Performance program, her instructors included William G. Leavitt, Laurence Baione and Jon Damien. She served as Berklee Regional Admissions Alumni Representative earning recognition for Outstanding Service and Rep of the Year. Post-Collegiate training includes extensive Suzuki Method pedagogy courses and classical guitar studies with Robert Guthrie of Southern Methodist University. As a performer, her experience includes jazz big bands and combos as well as solo classical guitar and chamber music at venues in the US, Canada, Latin America, and Europe (Scotland, Norway, Poland and Germany.) She performed for the President of the United States in an Inaugural Event, for dignitaries of the Nation of Grenada and was even included in the Guinness Book of World Records as part of two of the Largest Ensembles ever assembled. As an educator, Andrea founded Guitar Arts Studio in Houston, Texas. The Guitar Arts program includes private lessons, music theory classes and ensemble for pre-college aged students. Guitar Arts Studio is a National Model Program for Suzuki Guitar and one of the premier guitar programs for young children in the US.
William Kossler
William is a guitarist of uncommon ability in demand internationally as both a teacher and performer. He holds Undergraduate and Masters Degrees in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of South Carolina where he studied with Christopher Berg. William has placed as a finalist in regional and national competitions and received positive reviews for his compelling performances. He is the author of several publications on guitar pedagogy, and his articles have appeared in Soundboard (the Journal of the Guitar Foundation of America), The Suzuki Journal (the Journal of the Suzuki Association of the Americas), and several other publications. He has conducted Long Term Artist Residencies with both the South Carolina and Tennessee Arts Commissions, and as a recipient of a Rotary International Scholarship spent a year in Japan studying with pedagogue Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. A co-author of the Suzuki Guitar Method, Mr. Kossler has conducted pedagogy workshops for guitarists throughout the United States, South America, Canada, Europe, and Australia. He currently teaches privately in Winston-Salem, with the Davie County Public School System, and is on the North Carolina Arts Council’s Touring Artists Directory as a performer on the guitar, lute, and vihuela.
William is a guitarist of uncommon ability in demand internationally as both a teacher and performer. He holds Undergraduate and Masters Degrees in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of South Carolina where he studied with Christopher Berg. William has placed as a finalist in regional and national competitions and received positive reviews for his compelling performances. He is the author of several publications on guitar pedagogy, and his articles have appeared in Soundboard (the Journal of the Guitar Foundation of America), The Suzuki Journal (the Journal of the Suzuki Association of the Americas), and several other publications. He has conducted Long Term Artist Residencies with both the South Carolina and Tennessee Arts Commissions, and as a recipient of a Rotary International Scholarship spent a year in Japan studying with pedagogue Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. A co-author of the Suzuki Guitar Method, Mr. Kossler has conducted pedagogy workshops for guitarists throughout the United States, South America, Canada, Europe, and Australia. He currently teaches privately in Winston-Salem, with the Davie County Public School System, and is on the North Carolina Arts Council’s Touring Artists Directory as a performer on the guitar, lute, and vihuela.
Harald Söderberg holds a concert diploma through Konrad Ragossnig at the Basel Academy of Music, Switzerland. He has done master classes for Alexandre Lagoya, Oscar Ghiglia, John Williams and John W. Duarte. He has received the Levin Guitar Scholar-ship and appeared in concert throughout Scandinavia, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, USA and has recorded for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation.
Harald Soderberg teaches Suzuki Guitar in Sweden. While living in Norway, he was introduced to Suzuki Method through the teaching of his wife, Ulla-Britt, a violist. While she was conducting meetings in their home with parents, Harald would make and serve the coffee. As he listened to their discussions and to the students performances, he became excited about trying the Suzuki Method with young guitar students.
Harald and his wife founded the Norwegian Suzuki Association together with President Haukur Hannesson of the European Suzuki Association. Videos he presented of the guitar students in Norway showed creative pre-twinkle songs, some which they sang together while playing twinkle rhythms on open strings to accent certain lines of the text.
Last year in Norway, Harald's studio included thirty students. As an ISA approved Teacher Trainer , he has conducted training in books 1 through 3 with teachers in Poland and Finland as well as Sweden. In addition, he serves on the ISA Guitar Committee and works closely with Italian committee member Elio Galvagno. Haralds class consist of both Suzuki teaching as well as trad. teaching.
Harald Soderberg teaches Suzuki Guitar in Sweden. While living in Norway, he was introduced to Suzuki Method through the teaching of his wife, Ulla-Britt, a violist. While she was conducting meetings in their home with parents, Harald would make and serve the coffee. As he listened to their discussions and to the students performances, he became excited about trying the Suzuki Method with young guitar students.
Harald and his wife founded the Norwegian Suzuki Association together with President Haukur Hannesson of the European Suzuki Association. Videos he presented of the guitar students in Norway showed creative pre-twinkle songs, some which they sang together while playing twinkle rhythms on open strings to accent certain lines of the text.
Last year in Norway, Harald's studio included thirty students. As an ISA approved Teacher Trainer , he has conducted training in books 1 through 3 with teachers in Poland and Finland as well as Sweden. In addition, he serves on the ISA Guitar Committee and works closely with Italian committee member Elio Galvagno. Haralds class consist of both Suzuki teaching as well as trad. teaching.
Administrators
Rixi Melton-Director
Rixi has more than 25 years of music study and performance experience in Austin. She began with 7 years classical training on piano with Dr. Betsy Parker leading into a long relationship with the guitar. She has also, since, revisited the violin. Rixi holds Suzuki guitar certification, books 1-4 under the expertise of Suzuki guitar teacher-trainer, Andrea Cannon. She began studying the classical guitar amidst a decade’s long pursuit of traditional music, in which time she competed in a mountain flat-picking contests.
Rixi earned a B.A. of liberal arts with a focus in classical civilizations at U.T., Austin. She has been teaching guitar for over three years at her home studio and for one year at Monarch Suzuki Academy in Austin. Rixi also has been a Suzuki Parent for over 5 years. She has over 10 years small business management experience including book keeping.
Rixi has more than 25 years of music study and performance experience in Austin. She began with 7 years classical training on piano with Dr. Betsy Parker leading into a long relationship with the guitar. She has also, since, revisited the violin. Rixi holds Suzuki guitar certification, books 1-4 under the expertise of Suzuki guitar teacher-trainer, Andrea Cannon. She began studying the classical guitar amidst a decade’s long pursuit of traditional music, in which time she competed in a mountain flat-picking contests.
Rixi earned a B.A. of liberal arts with a focus in classical civilizations at U.T., Austin. She has been teaching guitar for over three years at her home studio and for one year at Monarch Suzuki Academy in Austin. Rixi also has been a Suzuki Parent for over 5 years. She has over 10 years small business management experience including book keeping.
Sean Behrens-Founder
Sean is the original founder and director of the Austin Suzuki Guitar Institute. Sean received a BM degree from Colorado State University and a MM degree from the University of Denver in classical guitar performance. He has studied with renowned guitarists Masakazu Ito, Ricardo Iznaola, Jonathan Leathwood and David Leisner. Mr. Behrens has been a teaching and performing for many years. The Behrens Guitar Studio, which he founded in 2003 with an emphasis on the Suzuki Method has been going strong and continues to grow. Mr. Behrens is active in composition, arranging and in addition to his teaching duties, occupies the guitar half of the Chanterelle Duo and participates in various experimental rock projects. Mr. Behrens commitment to the Suzuki Method has made him a sought after instructor in the Austin area.
Sean is the original founder and director of the Austin Suzuki Guitar Institute. Sean received a BM degree from Colorado State University and a MM degree from the University of Denver in classical guitar performance. He has studied with renowned guitarists Masakazu Ito, Ricardo Iznaola, Jonathan Leathwood and David Leisner. Mr. Behrens has been a teaching and performing for many years. The Behrens Guitar Studio, which he founded in 2003 with an emphasis on the Suzuki Method has been going strong and continues to grow. Mr. Behrens is active in composition, arranging and in addition to his teaching duties, occupies the guitar half of the Chanterelle Duo and participates in various experimental rock projects. Mr. Behrens commitment to the Suzuki Method has made him a sought after instructor in the Austin area.