music header

Our Instructors

For Group Classes

Ella (Yenlik) Weiss

Violin/Viola Instructor

Dr. Yenlik (Ella) Weiss is a dedicated chamber musician, orchestra performer, and teacher. In addition to maintaining contracts with the Boulder Philharmonic and Redlands Symphony Orchestras, she has performed with the San Bernardino Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra and Santa Barbara Opera, Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Pops, Riverside Symphony Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Fresno Philharmonic, Marina del Rey Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, Aspen Choral Society, and served as an Associate Concertmaster of the Colorado Mahler Festival and Boulder Chamber Orchestra. She has been a featured soloist for the Steamboat Springs Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Symphony, on Colorado Public Radio, and performed numerous chamber solos in the US, Europe, and Asia. As a member of the Boulder Philharmonic Education String Quartet she has visited and performed at dozens of schools and performed family concerts at the Boulder Public Library. She also mentors students at the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra. Ella completed her Masters in Violin Performance in Cleveland and received her Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder. As a freelance musician in Los Angeles, she performed with Sir Elton John, Sarah McLachlan, and Earth Wind & Fire among other contemporary performers, and performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Liz Hicks-Kimmey

Flute Instructor

Liz earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Flute Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She recently secured her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Metropolitan State University in Denver. Liz has taught flute and piccolo for the past 30+ years.

Liz describes her teaching style as “traditional” but makes it a lifelong passion to continue to learn new and exciting information about education by attending workshops and masterclasses as much as possible.

Besides learning to play the flute, Liz incorporates music theory into lessons helping students become well rounded musicians. Students have the opportunity to play in the Flute Ensemble Class and learn fun ensemble music!

Recitals and competitions are always available to her students. Liz also makes sure that her students are aware of any great concerts going on in the area.

She performs as principal flutist with the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Colorado Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Denver Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Springs Orchestra, and the Colorado Ballet Orchestra. Liz substitute teaches for school music classes in the Jefferson County area.

Dan Nusz

Percussion Instructor
Dan Nusz has been playing drums for over twenty years, playing in Jazz, Rock, Blues, Funk, Country, Heavy Metal, and Jam bands all over the country. He has over 10 years’ experience teaching a wide variety of drum styles and enjoys teaching students from all experience levels and ages.
Dan works with each student to provide a fun, personalized, and scalable lesson plan that ensures every lesson is tailored to the student’s ability and musical tastes.  He strives to build each student’s technique, creativity, song and style repertoire, and ability to improvise,  Additionally, to give students a better feel for incorporating drums into all aspects of music, or to help students prepare for playing in a band, Dan will often accompany students on guitar or bass.

Jon-Paul Frappier

High & Low Brass Instructor

Trumpeter, Arranger, and Composer Jon-Paul Frappier has performed and recorded professionally for over 25 years with top music industry artists like Aretha Franklin, Lionel Richie, Kirk Franklin, and The Temptations. A Detroit native he has a versatile and eclectic background. His 2012 solo release “Funkybrass” as well as the 2010 “A Brass Christmas at The National Shrine” recordings display his range and versatility as a World Class Trumpet Player, Arranger, Composer, and Producer. His compositions and arrangements have been featured in 2016 on Fox’s Rosewood, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Jon-Paul has played, arranged and/or contracted for thousands of live shows and over 500 recordings. He was a member of Charles Walker and The Dynamites from 2007-2012. He toured with Grammy winner Mike Farris from 2009-2016. He has performed at The Hollywood Bowl, The Staples Center, The Montreal Jazz Festival, Austin City Limits Festival, SXSW, The Ryman, The Grand Ole Opry, and on 10 International Tours. J.P.has recorded with Producers like Kevin Kadish, Mark Bright, Brent Maher, Kevin Killen, Denny Diante, Ronnie King, Tommy Sims, and Keith Thomas. Jon-Paul has recorded at all of the major Nashville studios including; Ocean Way, Blackbird, Warner Brothers, RCA studio A, and House of Blues just to name a few. His string and horn arrangements appear on Grammy nominated recordings and the Juno award winning 2012 Platinum Recording “Fire It Up” by Canadian superstar Johnny Reid. Jon-Paul was a board member and arranger with The Chatterbird Chamber Ensemble in Nashville for 2014-2016. Jon-Paul is now Principal Trumpet and Arranger of The Denver Pops Orchestra.  Performed with:  Lionel Richie, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops and many others.

Mark Harris is currently the Assistant Professor of Studio Saxophone at Metropolitan State University of Denver.  After brief distractions of basketball and tennis in high school (Go Pomona Panthers!!), Mark found his wat to the saxophone and music at CU in Boulder.  He has been a teacher at Golden Music for over 15 years.  

from Mark:  I have had a fair bit of experience playing, from doing solo classical recitals to playing with many many bands-including Thinking Plague, Hamster Theatre, momen terra, random Axe, the Boulder Creative Music ensemble, Monkey Siren, Lois LaFond and the Rockadiles, recording with all those and Fred Hess and Ron Miles, and various one off recordings etc.  I have been fortunate to have had some excellent students who now are doing quite amazing things in the music world.

Joe Engel

Cello/Bass Instructor

Joe Engel’s experience as a cellist is varied and eclectic. He holds a Bachelors degree in Cello Performance, a Bachelors of Music Composition and Theory, and a Masters degree in Cello Performance. Joe has had the privilege to study with some of the worlds best performers and teachers, including Daniel Morganstern, Jurgen de Lemos (former long-time principal of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra), and more recently, Matthew Zalkind (cello) and Pak Made Lasmawan (Balinese gamelan). With 14+ years of classical cello experience, an extensive knowledge of pedagogical, solo, chamber, and orchestra reportoire spanning Baroque – the present, he crafts his teaching approach to each student individually, based on their specific needs, goals, and learning styles. His laid back teaching style coupled with clear educational direction lead to an enjoyable and focused learning environment.