Alison Grovine is a North Country native who is well-versed in many aspects of music education. She graduated from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam with her B.M. and M.M. in Music Education with a concentration in Music in Special Education in the spring of 2013. She then went on to start her teaching career, teaching general music, theater, instrumental music, and choir, before coming back home to Northeastern Clinton Central School District as the full-time band director in 2017. 

Ms. Grovine has been a percussionist since the fourth grade and still participates in local performances and performing ensembles throughout the year. She performs with the Adirondack Wind Ensemble annually. In 2015, she was the featured solo performer when the ensemble performed Concerto for Percussion Solo and Wind Ensemble by Gary Ziek.This experience. She has performed with the local community bands and performs in many musical pit orchestras every year. Her true passion is teaching music, which she does inside and outside of school. 

Alison brings a sense of cohesive community to all of her ensembles and strives to bring people together to make great music and memories. She is greatly looking forward to this We Are Instrumental clinician experience.

As a retired music educator and French Horn Professional, Amy has enjoyed 37 years of teaching grades 7-12 band and chorus. She is inspired by her students’ enthusiasm and eagerness to become lifelong musicians through collaboration and community.

Amy’s passion for bringing the joy of music making to students’ is evident in her teaching and performing. Amy loves to perform with her family’s brass ensemble, Baker Brass, as well as with the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra and several other groups in Upstate New York. She lives in Queensbury with her husband Tom, and when not playing horn can be found gardening, mountain biking or camping in the Adirondacks.

Dr. Andrew Harms is a trumpeter, educator, and scholar who serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of High Brass at the University of Maine–Orono. He is 2nd Trumpet with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and Bangor Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Trumpeter of Opera North. He has performed with ensembles across the country, including the Cincinnati, Portland, Austin, and Miami Symphony Orchestras, and is a dedicated champion of new music, premiering and commissioning works by numerous contemporary composers. His recordings include Undreamed Shores: The Music of Ewazen, Snow, and Cheetham and The Music of New England, and his arrangement of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor is published by Eighth Note Publications.

As a scholar and educator, Dr. Harms has published in the Journal of the International Trumpet Guild and created pedagogical materials used by students internationally. A prizewinner in the WAMSO Young Artist Competition, International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition, and National Trumpet Competition, he holds a DMA in Trumpet Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Dr. Harms is a Performing Artist for Schagerl Trumpets.

Instrument Repair Expert

is the owner and operator of Cole’s Woodwind Shop in Saratoga Spring, NY, for over 40 years, servicing not only the local population but also all of the woodwind artists from the NYC Ballet Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and visiting bands during their summer residencies at SPAC. Bill is the founder and president of Horns for Haiti and regular guest clinical for instrument-repair workshops through We Are Instrumental. Check him out at Cole’s Woodwind Shop!

A versatile percussionist who keeps a very active teaching, recording and performing schedule with artists from many different disciplines. He has performed with a Who's Who list of jazz musicians in festivals and in clubs throughout the Northeast. His current schedule includes performances with The Empire Jazz Orchestra, Keith Pray’s Big Soul Ensemble, The Capitol Region Wind Ensemble and various club bands and teaching at Skidmore College and SCCC. 

Assistant Professor of Flute at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music and co-founder of the Umoja Flute Institute. He has performed nationally and internationally, serving as co-principal flute of the Orchestra of Northern New York and participating in prestigious ensembles such as the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Dunbar holds degrees from Louisiana State University, the University of Michigan, and Stetson University.

Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at SUNY-Potsdam's Crane School of Music and chair of the Performance Department, performs with ensembles such as the Potsdam Brass Quintet and the Orchestra of Northern New York. A distinguished soloist and winner of the 1999 Leonard Falcone Festival artist division competition, he is dedicated to educating young musicians and has performed at numerous international conferences, with extensive experience in orchestras like the Syracuse Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic.

Chrissie Romano is an accomplished singer-songwriter who has released two full-length albums and several singles since 2018.

She has charted on national independent radio twice with the lead single from each album. She is currently writing, recording, and performing with the Chrissie Romano Band.

Christine started her musical journey as a classical musician, studying Bassoon performance at Ithaca College, as well as participating in NYSSMA, where she studied and performed with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

An accomplished clarinetist, director, teacher, and creator across a multitude of genres. A New York native now based in Montreal, she fills clarinet positions in numerous orchestras throughout NY and Quebec, including principal clarinet of l'orchestre philharmonique de musiciens de Montreal. Christine is the founder and artistic director of the interdisciplinary chamber music collective Verisimo, which has performed throughout Quebec, Ontario, and New York. You can find more about Christine on her Website or her instagram!

An acclaimed barbershop singer, director, and educator whose career has inspired choral and a cappella singers worldwide. A two-time international champion on Lead with Showtime and the BUZZ, and current Lead of the silver medalist quartet Dynasty, Debbie has performed, taught, and conducted across the U.S. and abroad.

A celebrated high school choral director for 36 years, she was named Music Educator of the Year by both NAfME/BHS (2018) and NAfME/SAI (1997). Her Gaither High School choirs earned consistent “Superior” ratings, performing at EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Her top 70-voice ensemble, Hurricane of Harmony, became a nationally recognized barbershop chorus, earning top honors and Audience Favorite awards at the BHS Midwinter Youth Chorus Festival in 2018 and 2019.

A longtime faculty member and clinician for Sweet Adelines International and the Barbershop Harmony Society, Debbie has led more than 50 youth festivals and camps, including the Hillsborough County Barbershop Workshop, Sunshine District Harmony Explosion Camp, and Acappellooza at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. A frequent livestream host and sought-after coach, she continues to inspire singers of all ages.

A bass player and producer/engineer at Howling Hose Studios in Ticonderoga, New York. Ken has played bass in numerous studio and live settings across many musical genres since 1982.

Currently recording, performing and producing music with the Crissie Romano Band.

A recording engineer, producer and studio manager since 1994, he has produced hundreds of recorded works and helped develop new artists and bands, as well as worked in live sound reinforcement and mobile recording.

A versatile saxophonist and organist, who explores the boundaries of mainstream jazz, the blues, avant-garde and gritty funk as a performer, bandleader, composer and educator.

Keith has traveled from the west coast to Europe, making music of many styles with countless gifted musicians. Keith has released 12 albums under his name, most recently "Unseen Sight" on his label PrayNation Records.

Keith is an in-demand jazz educator, having conducted many all-counties, masterclasses, clinics, and co-founding All Ears Jazz, which develops jazz education workshops.

Keith also holds a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) from the European Graduate School in Expressive Arts: Therapy, Conflict Transformation and Education.

Dr. Lara Mitofsky Neuss is a conservatory-trained educator, performer, and recording engineer based in the NYC Metropolitan Area. She holds her Doctorate of Music degree in Clarinet Performance, and has performed both classical and contemporary music in the US and abroad at halls that include Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, NJPAC, and the Berlin Philharmonie. As a recording engineer and music technology specialist, Lara has recorded and edited albums and performances by the Kansas City Symphony, United States Air Force Bands, NJ and Pennsylvania All-State Festivals, Arkansas Tech Bands, and more.

Lara currently is Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University, a stage manager and recording engineer at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, and teaches clarinet, saxophone, and piano students in New Jersey and New York. Additionally, Lara performs often in the area in various ensembles such as The Greater Newburgh Symphony, Taconic Opera, and PROTESTRA, and she especially enjoys creating performing opportunities for her students.

Began playing the drums at age 17. With not much formal music training he joined the SUNY Plattsburgh Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Band where he began his journey learning how to read and perform music. While studying music Education in Athens, OH, he maintained a busy performance schedule in as many genres of music as possible. Today, Michael performs with the Latin Thugtet, Adirondack Jazz Orchestra, and the Adirondack Wind Ensemble.

Renee Rivers is a flutist based in Albany, New York, and a graduate of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. She holds dual degrees in Music Performance and Musical Studies, with a concentration in Music History.

As a performer, Renee has appeared with the Orchestra of Northern New York, Northern Symphonic Winds, the Crane Wind Ensemble, and the InterHarmony Festival Orchestra.

Beyond her work as a performer, Renee is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity. During her time at Crane, she served as both President and Vice President of Ritual and was honored as a recipient of the Sigma Alpha Iota Sword of Honor and Ruby Sword of Honor.

Teaches Band, Music Technology, and directs Jazz Ensembles at Sleepy Hollow Middle/High School in New York. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance in Trombone from SUNY Purchase and previously studied Music Education at the Crane School of Music. A versatile educator and musician, Samuel has extensive experience working with students across grade levels, directing high school and middle school musicals, coaching modified basketball, and serving as a substitute teacher. Before entering education, he performed, instructed, composed, and arranged for an Exhibition Drum and Bugle Corps, and continues to offer private lessons and coachings in both music and sports. Outside the classroom, Samuel enjoys watching anime, playing basketball and trombone, gaming, and writing music. His performance highlights include marching down the center of Magic Kingdom at Disney World, performing with the Crane Latin Ensemble, and participating in hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

A saxophonist, conductor, and educator based in upstate New York. He serves as District Band Director at Peru Central School, directing concert, jazz, marching, and pep bands for students in grades 4–12, and teaches saxophone at SUNY Plattsburgh. An active performer, he appears with the Frontier Saxophone Quartet, Adirondack Wind Ensemble, Northern Symphonic Winds, and Adirondack Jazz Orchestra, and has performed at venues including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Pray also directs the Adirondack Youth Orchestra and frequently conducts regional honor ensembles. He holds degrees in Music Education and Saxophone Performance from Ithaca College and Schenectady County Community College.

Flutist