Mikayla, a recent music graduate from Central Methodist University, has been singing since she was 10 years old. Throughout middle school and high school, she continued to participate in the worship team at her church, knowing she wanted to pursue music as a career. Mikayla picked up the piano the summer before attending college, and went on to study both voice and piano as part of her degree.

While in school, she participated in the Worship Band, Jazz Band, Conservatory Choir, and maintained a 4.0 GPA for all four years of study. Due to her dedicated work ethic, she was able to graduate a semester early in December of 2022.

Mikayla focused on music ministry in college and has applied those skills in various aspects of her life. She consistently plays, sings, and leads contemporary worship music at local churches in Columbia. Beyond her primary involvement in the church, she regularly performs as the lead singer and keys player for her cover band, which she started with her husband.

Mikayla enjoys teaching students who may be new to music, looking to learn, and practice basic knowledge and skills. While Contemporary Worship is where her greatest passion lies, she also has a deep appreciation for Musical Theater and Pop.

Mikayla is a devoted Swiftie, and her love for Taylor Swift's music is an integral part of her personality. Although music consumes most of Mikayla’s life, both in hobbies and professional work, she also cherishes spending time with her little family of three dogs and one cat. Newly married, she is excited about the musical and non-musical experiences that life has to offer!

Josh is a guitar player from O’Fallon, Missouri. He currently resides in Columbia and is working towards his Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at Mizzou. He has been playing guitar, drums, and bass for over 8 years. After starting his musical journey in 6th grade, Josh fell deeper into his love for music and played in bands throughout high school. This experience gave him what he needed to expand his taste and musical abilities.

Josh enjoys playing, writing, and listening to as many genres of music as possible. He's an expert finger picker! These genres range from Bluegrass, to Indie, to Metal, and everything in between. Josh is experienced in playing rhythm and lead guitars, as well as writing original pieces. He is always looking to refine his musical skills and knowledge. No matter the taste in music, Josh is sure to be able to assist students on their musical journey.

In addition to guitar, drums, and bass, Josh has taught himself to play banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and piano.

Outside of music, he also enjoys backpacking, snow skiing, traveling, and reading to keep himself busy.

Kaitlin is a classically trained musician from rural southwest Kansas. Although it was a challenge to pursue music education in an agricultural environment, Kaitlin and her parents were determined to find opportunities for musical growth wherever they could. Weekly hour-long drives for piano lessons, trips across the state for weekend performances and collegiate music workshops, along with daily in-home musical immersion, have all shaped Kaitlin into the musician she is today.

Kaitlin received her degree in Music from Emporia State University, where she minored in Psychology, sparked by her interest in Music Therapy. She understands the intrinsic motivation required to continue pursuing music education and works hard to instill confidence in her students by fostering a positive, healthy learning environment.

With eight years of teaching experience, Kaitlin has positively impacted many students and is passionate about how music can shape us into better individuals. In her free time, she enjoys crafting and creating, traveling back to Kansas to visit family, learning Spanish, and advocating for causes like environmental sustainability within her local community.

Kaitlin shares her daily life with her amazing boyfriend, her cat, and her bunny. She can never get enough authentic Mexican food and loves to chat about anything and everything!

Carter Moore was born into a very musical family and has been singing and playing instruments for most of his 26 years. He received his vocal training from Nollie Moore, and while getting his Bachelor of Arts in Music at Columbia College, he performed in various productions, including playing the role of Dickon in the college’s production of The Secret Garden, Fagin in Oliver!, as well as Jack in Into the Woods, and the role of Jesus in Godspell. Carter has performed in over 30 staged shows during his time in musical theater, starting from age 7 and continuing to this day.

While at Columbia College, he also advanced to the national round of the singing competition NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and placed 2nd in the musical theater category, while placing 1st in musical theater and 2nd in classical at the annual Mid-Mo NATS.

Moore plans to continue his education with a master’s degree in vocal performance and conducting. Carter also performs live around Columbia with the local band Outermind, where he is the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and a singer-songwriter for the group.

Along with his love for music, Carter also spent over 9 years playing football and basketball and will talk your ear off about the Tigers if given the chance!

You can catch Carter playing around town with his band, performing in local shows, or even singing with his church choir on Sunday mornings.

Originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Dominick is a composer, musician, and music educator. As a composer, he has written works for a wide variety of ensembles, including wind ensemble, big band, brass ensemble, and various chamber ensembles. His works have been recorded and performed by numerous groups including the West Chester University Wind Symphony, the Criterions Jazz Ensemble, Network for New Music, and Constellation Men’s Ensemble.

In addition to his work as a composer, Dominick performs regularly as a bassoonist and is an active educator. Dominick holds a bachelor’s degree in composition from West Chester University and is currently pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Missouri.

He enjoys sharing his passion for music and helping students grow as musicians.

In his free time, Dominick enjoys the outdoors, biking, and hiking.

Tanner Henley, a native of Jefferson City, MO, took up piano at the age of 12. Initially self-taught, he began private instruction the following year with Karen Larvick and continued his studies with her throughout high school. Tanner pursued formal musical training at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) in Warrensburg, Missouri, where he studied on scholarship with Dr. Mia Kim. At UCM, he taught piano to students of all ages through the university’s community music program. He graduated summa cum laude in 2022 with a BM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy.

Tanner has earned top honors in numerous statewide and regional competitions, including First Prize at the Jefferson City Symphony Orchestra Piano Concerto Competition (2018), First Prize at the Pittsburg State University Concerto Competition (2019), and Runner-Up at the Missouri Music Teachers Association State Honors Auditions. He has extensive collaborative experience in a wide range of musical settings, including performances with orchestras, premieres of new piano works, improvisation on a “prepared” piano, and accompaniment for choirs and opera productions. Tanner has worked with singers across multiple genres, as well as with string and wind instrumentalists. In addition to concert performances, he has performed for church services, weddings, holiday events, and other special occasions.

Outside of his musical pursuits, Tanner brings over three years of experience in warehouse operations management in the St. Louis and Central Missouri area. He currently serves as Branch Manager for Advance Services, a staffing agency in Columbia, Missouri. In his free time, Tanner enjoys spending time with his family and friends, studying classical repertoire, learning new languages, traveling, and cooking. He is fluent in Spanish and has a twin sister.

Born in Columbia, Missouri, Chad Kateman started his musical journey 19 years ago with an Alvarez D-8 acoustic guitar. His interest quickly expanded to vocal performance and songwriting which led to earning an Associate of Arts Degree from Columbia College.

While at Columbia College, Chad performed as a lyric baritone for the Jane Froman Singers choral ensemble. During his college years, Chad also played lead electric guitar for several bands including The Daily Crime.

For 12 years, Chad volunteered as a guitarist for Remove The Silence at Woodcrest Chapel and had the privilege of backing many contemporary Christian music artists that led services at the chapel.

Currently, Chad performs original songs as a solo artist and handles vocal and guitar work for the 3-piece band Inchworm. He also volunteers as a worship singer at Arrow Rock Federated Church.

Chad’s musical specializations are guitar improvisation, songwriting, stage presence and performance preparation. He greatly enjoys helping students unlock their own creativity at any stage of their musical career and loves to support students as they prepare for on-stage gigs.

Away from music, Chad enjoys exercise, training horses and spending time with family. He has been known to play horseback guitar and delights in hearing birdsongs accompany his music when strumming or singing outdoors.