Ms. McQueen is the Executive Director of SmARTSunlimited and works in all areas of management including grant writing, fundraising, program development, hiring, marketing and public relations. She is a member of the American College of Musicians, National Guild of Piano Teachers, Theatre Bay Area, Early Childhood Music and Movement Association (ECMMA), National Association of Music Educators (MENC), Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and is a member of the East Alameda Branch and contributing member of the Contra Costa Branch of the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC). She has training in both vocal pedagogy and piano pedagogy, including the Suzuki and Kodaly music methods. She has been performing and teaching individuals of all ages for over twenty years. She has performed in a variety of venues, including opera, musical theater, choral, church, stage, dinner theater, revues, commercials, radio, TV, and film. Ms. McQueen holds an undergraduate degree in Music from the University of Massachusetts and a Master's in Music from California State University East Bay. She has trained for over twenty years in vocals, acting, and dance, with instructors from coast to coast.

Ms. McQueen is a gifted Teacher and has helped hundreds of children and aspiring teachers in the Tri-Valley gain a deeper understanding of piano, voice, acting, film, opera, and theater.

Ms. McQueen enjoys collaborating with fellow SmARTSunlimited instructors to write child centered curriculum that meets National Standards while remaining fun and innovative.

Ms. McQueen has experience directing and producing operas, workshops, small films, & large recitals. Her students have performed with the Tassajara Symphony and Opera Singer Frederica von Stade, The Heritage Estates Retirement Community, Rosewood Gardens, and she has helped produce fundraisers for Fremont Bank and Livermore Valley Opera. Some of her credits include Hansel and Gretel, Annie, The Magic Flute, Camelot, Into the Woods, and Willy Wonka.

Ms. McQueen is active as an instructor in KinderSmARTs, PianoSmARTs, ReelSmARTs, ActSmARTs, & VocalSmARTS programs.

You can email Ms. McQueen Here.

Mr. Haworth has been teaching music for brass and percussion instruments to children for over 13 years. He has taught both publicly and privately in Bakersfield, Indiana, and since 2003 in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has also recently begun composing and arranging music, and has arranged works for various marching bands and drum & bugle corps', as well as several pieces for indoor percussion ensemble. Mr. Haworth is also an original cast member of the Broadway show "Blast" (where he performed on trombone, euphonium, and percussion); he performed the show in London, Tokyo, New York (on Broadway), and on tour across the United States.

You can email Mr. Haworth Here.

Nick Haemker is a resident of Tracy, California. He is trained on piano, percussion and violin. He plays violin in the Las Positas College Orchestra and also continues to study pipe organ. Nick has played drums in his church youth group for the past four years and also plays drums in an alternative band. He is completing his AA degree in Music Education at Las Positas College and will be transferring to San Jose State College to complete his Bachelors in Music.

You can email Mr. Haemker Here.

SmARTSunlimited welcomes Debra Knox to our studio. Debra is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and guitar player. She has toured both with her band and as a solo performer, and recently completed her first solo CD. Her work has appeared on PBS, MTV, and various local TV, radio and cable stations. Debra's hope for the future is to continue to express herself through her music, to enrich other's lives, and to encourage others to do the same.

You can visit her website and her MySpace page to learn more.

You can email Ms. Knox Here.

Randall Benway is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where at the age of 10 he was accepted as the youngest piano student of Theodore Lettvin and later as a student of Arthur Loesser and Eunice Podis. While in Cleveland Mr. Benway also studied composition with Starling Cumberworth. At 16 Mr. Benway collaborated in piano concerto performances with conductors James Levine and Robert Shaw. While an undergraduate student at Hartt College of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut, Mr. Benway was the four-year recipient of the Alfred C. Fuller Scholarship. Mr. Benway received a Master of Music (Piano) degree from the University of Michigan where he studied piano with Gyorgy Sandor and Louis Nagel and composition with William Bolcom.

Mr. Benway spent considerable time in Europe, including living in London, England, while studying piano with Balint Vazsonyi, and living in Fontainebleau, France, while studying composition with Nadia Boulanger. As a student, Mr. Benway attended and performed in master classes of some of the great European artists, including Balint Vazsonyi, Clifford Curzon, John Ogden, Jean-Marie Darre, Nikita Magaloff, and Soulima Stravinsky. In addition Mr. Benway was the winner of two piano competitions, one in the United States and one in Switzerland. Mr. Benway has performed in the United States and Europe as soloist, soloist with orchestra, and chamber musician, including live radio broadcasts on National Public Radio. He is a founding member of The Redwood Trio.

You can visit his website to learn more.

You can email Mr. Benway Here.

Yasuko Minase resides in Dublin, CA, and was born and raised in Chiba, near Tokyo, Japan. She received an education and earned an Art degree from Art specialized college in Japan, Joshibi University, Tokyo. She has worked for a design company in Tokyo and become a freelance decorator which she has done several decoration for Tokyo department stores, show-windows, and restaurant decorations. After moving to California, she has performed volunteer work for schools doing art and special event drawing and decoration projects such as Promotion, Homecoming, Senior Banquet and Graduation Night from Elementary to High School.

You can email Ms. Minase Here.

Ana Vailati hails from Brazil and is an assistant teacher in our KinderSmARTS program as well as our ActSmart Children's Theater Program. Ana is gifted in visual graphics and mixed media art programs. She helps with creating curriculum for the ART rotations in our KinderSmarts classes, designs our logos, posters and banners. Ana is also talented at teaching sewing to our students and her sensorials were highly popular during Willy Wonka when students worked on making stuffed animals, hand puppets, and other crafts. Ana is completing her Certificate in Graphic Arts and Web Design at Las Positas College, and is currently taking courses in Web Design and Graphic Design, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Excel, and Flash animations.

You can email Ms. Vailati Here.

Jim Hutchins is the husband of Ms. McQueen and has an undergraduate degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UC Santa Barbara, and a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley. He has held a full time position at Sandia for 22 years. Jim graciously helps with all the technical aspects of SmARTSunlimited including sound, set building, computer software and hardware, and webdesign.

You can email Mr. Hutchins Here.

Erin McQueen is the 14 years old daughter of Ms McQueen, and works as a student apprentice. She has been studying music since she was 2½ and plays the piano, violin and sings. She is a Level 5 student in Piano and Voice, and a Level 6 student in Violin. Erin has extensive performing experience. She has grown up within a musical teaching environment and makes an excellent student apprentice in our KinderSmarts Classes. Erin is also a natural born lyricist and has composed many songs. Erin recently composed the music to Love is Blind, ReelSmARTS Iron Film Maker 2009 submission which won "Peoples Most Popular Choice" for second place in the Iron Man Film Maker Contest.