Southwestern Music Academy

Donna has taught private piano lessons and general music classes for 19 years. Although she works with all ages, she loves the joys that young children have when engaging with music-making. She holds a BA in Piano Pedagogy, a BS in Music Education, and a MM in Church Music and Piano Pedagogy. Her husband and two children moved to Fort Worth in 2009 for her husband to pursue his education at SWBTS. Her family also includes a dog named Reko. The family attends Trinity Baptist Church in Fort Worth where she is the pianist and her husband is the pastor.

Donna’s role as director includes being a liaison between parents, teachers, and students so that the best musical learning can happen. Her goals for the SMA are for students of all levels to enjoy the God-given gift of music making.

Nelly holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in French Horn Performance. She is currently working on a MM in Worship Leadership at SWBTS. She is originally from Costa Rica and speaks English, Spanish, and French. Nelly has been teaching horn and preschool music classes for over 10 years. She loves watching students get excited about music and realizing they can learn a new skill. She believes in teaching beginners by starting with the basics and helping them build a new discipline into their lives.

Additionally, she also likes getting into the musicianship aspect with advanced students, helping them build a vision in their interpretation of different composers. Her favorite pieces are the four horn concertos by Mozart that feature the instrument’s warm but bold versatility. Traveling is one of her favorite hobbies and interest. Nelly attends Lamar Baptist Church where she is the worship leader for their Spanish service. Her parents, brother, sister, and niece and nephew all live in Costa Rica.

Juhee has been teaching for over 10 years. Her educational background was centered on church music, including classical and contemporary. She holds a BM in Voice, MA in Worship Leadership, and MM in Voice Performance, and is currently working on a doctoral degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy.

She is directing Southwestern Children’s Choir and is excited to see children learn to use their voices in large group settings. She also teaches private voice lessons to all ages and various levels. She enjoys seeing students’ confidence grow as they develop as singers. She is an Associate Minister of Music at her church. Juhee and her husband live in Fort Worth with a small dog, Cookie.

Luke received his bachelor’s degree in contemporary worship ministries from William Carey University. He is now pursuing a MM degree in vocal performance and pedagogy at SWBTS. He is originally from Mississippi where he grew up with his mother, father, sister, and dog, Daisy. This year he competed and placed in the NATS collegiate vocal completion. Luke is recently married to Mary Catherine who is also a vocalist and music therapist. They attend First Baptist of Burleson where Luke serves as an Artist in Residence.

Teaching brings him joy to see students’ faces light up when they understand something for the first time. He is confident in teaching intermediate and advanced students but also loves training newer students to develop their voice. His favorite song for a tenor is “Ditty” from the song cycle A Young Man’s Exhortation by Gerald Finzi.

Taeyong is originally from South Korea and has been teaching for 20 years. He teaches in both English and Korean languages. Taeyong holds a BM in Jazz Studies from UTA and is also studying jazz for his master’s degree at SWBTS. He attends Birchman Baptist Church with his wife and two young daughters. Taeyong enjoys playing worship songs with his church as well as jazz pieces with various ensembles.

He coordinated the SMA’s first Sacred Works Worship Night performance that gathered both SWBTS adult musicians and SMA students to present a concert of all Christian music. He enjoys teaching students to listen to the music as they play, developing the valuable ability to play by ear. He also has many YouTube videos showcasing his skills at drum performance as well as advanced percussion notation.

Matthew Naizer is from Houston, Texas and is studying guitar for his Doctorate of Musical Arts at SWBTS. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from Texas State University and a Master of Music in Church Music with a Concentration in Guitar Performance and Pedagogy from SWBTS. He likes teaching others so that he can pass on the knowledge and love for music that was given to him by his own teachers and mentors.

Matthew is happily married to his wife, Gabrielle, and they attend Trinity River Baptist Church. They have two children, Nekoda and Noël.

Ivan completed his Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at SWBTS and is continuing his education in Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy also at SWBTS under the direction of Dr. Jill Sprenger. He is originally from Indonesia and speaks both English and Bahasa Indonesia. He serves as a collaborative pianist and music director at SWBTS where he works with faculty, students, and ensembles. He hopes to see his students flourish in the journey of learning the piano.

Lois is originally from China and speaks both English and Chinese. She has been teaching for over nine years. Having already graduated with a master’s degree in piano pedagogy from SWBTS, Lois is currently working on a Master of Theology in Worship. She attends Glory Chinese Baptist Church where she serves as an accompanist and children’s Sunday school teacher.

She is blessed to come from a large, musical family where everyone sings, plays instruments, and worships together. Her favorite pieces to play are the contrasting pieces of Bach’s English Suits and Chopin’s Nocturnes as each show the musical essence of the baroque and classical time periods.

Ying is a graduate of the MM program in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Southwestern and is currently pursuing her DMA in the same field. Originally from China, she is fluent in both English and Mandarin. Ying began teaching piano in 2017 and voice in 2020. She is experienced in teaching both private lessons and group classes to students of all ages. Ying enjoys customizing repertoire and study plans that align with each student’s musical interests and technical background, covering classical repertoire, contemporary worship songs, and band collaboration.

In addition to her work with piano students, Ying has a solid foundation in vocal pedagogy. She has served as a vocal coach for individual students and church choirs, helping them develop their vocal skills with professional guidance. Beyond teaching, Ying enjoys exploring a wide variety of music genres and has a growing collection of CDs and vinyl records. She attends Arlington Chinese Church and serves as a worship intern.

Alfred is an Indonesian concert pianist. He has done extensive solo and collaborative performances in Indonesia and the United States. He graduated with his master’s degree in piano performance from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) – School of Church Music & Worship. He is currently pursuing his DMA in piano performance and pedagogy at SWBTS with Dr. Tanya Karyagina. Besides doing his doctoral degree, he serves as Artist-In-Residence at First Baptist Church of Burleson. He has received numerous piano awards from SWBTS and is also a recipient of the MTNA (Music Teacher National Association) Collegiate Award in 2019.

In 2021, Alfred established the collaborative group “Situmorang & Sons” with both his sons, Frederic Situmorang (Piano) and Franz Situmorang (singer). They have performed classical music concerts as part of church music ministry in the Fort Worth area.

Aosenla is the pianist at Trinity Hills Baptist Church in Benbrook. She has been teaching for 8 years and loves to teach all age groups, group classes, and music theory. She is from India and speaks English, Hindi, Nagamese, and various Ao dialects. She is pursuing a Master of Music in Worship Leadership at SWBTS and earned her Bachelor of Arts from Sazolie College in Nagaland, India, as well as her Bachelor of Music in Applied Piano from Patkai Christian College in Nagaland, India. She loves that teaching allows her to know people better and thoroughly enjoys seeing her students grow in their skill.

Peng hails from Shenyang, China and holds an Artist Diploma, master’s degree, and DMA from TCU as well as a bachelor’s degree from the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. He speaks both Chinese and English and is currently learning German, Japanese, and Cantonese. Benny has been teaching since 2007 and enjoys teaching all ages. He loves to play by ear as well as improvise and loves sharing his knowledge with his students.

Peng and his wife, Chengjin Tian got married in October of 2021 and have two cats—Milk and Black Bean—and one dog—Happy. They attend Christ Chapel Bible Church and Peng serves in the church orchestra by playing the bass.

Timothy is an artist-in-residence at FBC Burleson and graduated from Texas Baptist College with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. He is originally from Oklahoma and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Church Music with a concentration in Voice Performance and Pedagogy. Timothy loves teaching beginners and seeing his students excel in their craft as they grow and learn.

Scott has been teaching for 8 years and graduated from Texas Baptist College with a Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance. He enjoys helping students learn modern, popular styles of music and equipping them to serve their local church musically, no matter the genre. He is pursuing a Master of Music in Church Music with a concentration in Guitar Performance and Pedagogy at SWBTS and has two children, Sam and Gracie, with his wife, Joy.

He and his family attend Haltom Road Baptist Church where he serves as the associate pastor of worship and youth. Scott has been to 23 states and 6 countries without leaving the Americas and can clap one-handed.

Jihye has been teaching for 6 years and enjoys teaching beginners and group classes. She believes that teaching is a way to share her knowledge from God and loves that it challenges her as a Christian and a teacher to practice it every day and continue to grow.

Jihye is from Korea and speaks both English and Korean. She holds a degree in Music Education from UTSA and is currently pursuing the Master of Music in Church Music with a concentration in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at SWBTS. She attends FBC Benbrook and her favorite pieces to play are hymns.

Benjamin Encorrada is currently working in a 5-year program that consists of a Bachelor of Music in Worship Studies plus a Master of Music in Worship Leadership at SWBTS where he is preparing to become a full-time minister. He is originally from Mexico and speaks both English and Spanish. He serves as a drummer in three ensembles at SWBTS. He hopes to see his students flourish in the musical journey to become drummers as they are preparing to lead worship at their respective churches.

AJ is studying for her BM in Piano Performance. She serves as a worship intern at her church and found her passion for teaching music by helping at the SCMW’s Worship Band Camp. She is half-Mexican and speaks conversational Spanish. AJ enjoys nurturing her students’ love for music and finding creative ways of helping them learn in a relaxed, personalized manner. She also enjoys editing videos and has made a few piano tutorials for children.

AJ’s favorite piece to play is Liszt’s Etude no. 9 in A-flat Major, and her favorite genre is Impressionism. She also enjoys playing in worship bands. She lives in Duncanville with her family and 4 dogs.

Nelson is a saxophonist with 30 years of experience. He completed his Licentiate of Music at the University of Costa Rica under the direction of Dr. Javier Valerio. He completed his studies with 3 different emphases: Saxophone performance, saxophone teaching, and composition. He is originally from Costa Rica and speaks both English and Spanish.

He understands the importance of including music in the teaching-learning process, and pays special attention to student motivation, which is the main engine to advance in any learning process.

While this is Mrs. Fischer’s first year teaching at SMA, she is not new to teaching. She has over 25 years of piano teaching experience. She studied piano performance and pedagogy at New Mexico State University. Mrs. Fischer met her husband there, got married, and had children. They traveled around the US for his job and settled in Texas in 1999. She returned to teaching in 2011 and began work on her Master of Music in Worship Leadership two years ago and is excited to be a part of SMA!

Isabella has played the piano since 1^st grade, feeling captured by the beauty of the music from a young age. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at Texas Baptist College. Isabella first began teaching piano in high school and is excited to continue teaching through Southwestern Music Academy. She hopes to instill a love of music in all her students, no matter what age or level they perform at.

Mang Sian Lal is originally from Myanmar and is proficient in English, Burmese, and Chin (Zomi). He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Church Music with a focus on Guitar Performance and Pedagogy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

From a young age, Mang Lal has been engaged in worship ministry as both a guitarist and keyboardist at his local church in Myanmar. He studied electric guitar for two years at the Grace Music Institute, Myanmar (GMI) from 2017 to 2018, and later attended the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Church Music with a specialization in Ministry Leadership. Known for his patience, he is dedicated to nurturing his students’ musical talents.