Faculty & Instructors
- Administrative Assistant (TBA)
- Ruth Boshkoff, Director Emerita
- Brent Gault, Allegro Choir, Program Director
- Maggie Olivo, First Voices
- Lauren Hime, Descant Choir
- Brian Schkeeper, Chamber Choir
Ruth Boshkoff, a nationally recognized composer and music educator, has composed and published materials for children's choirs and led many workshops in her creative approach to teaching.
In 1998, Ruth was awarded the Outstanding Educator Award at the national meeting of the Organization of American Kodály Educators in New Orleans. This award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to Kodály-based education in the areas of scholarship, musicianship, and contributions to teaching.
Ruth holds a Bachelor's degree in Organ from Oberlin College and a Master's degree in Music Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She received both Kodály and Orff certification at Indiana University and has completed advanced work in both methods.
Throughout her career, Ruth has generously given her time and energy to children. She taught music at St. Charles School in Bloomington for 22 years, where she chose to teach the younger children so she could "get them off to a good start" in the curriculum she developed.
Lauren Hime received her MAT in Music Education from Trinity University in 2006 before working as a general music teacher in San Antonio for three years. During this time she became certified in Orff Levels 1 and 2, as well as in World Music Drumming Level 1. She is currently working towards her Ph. D in Music Education at Indiana University with special interests in elementary music. She works as an associate instructor and course coordinator at IU, and enjoys teaching preservice educators about using music as an educational tool in the elementary general classroom.
Lauren loves performing in her spare time, and is fortunate to play flute with the Southern Indiana University Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Eric Isaacson. She also enjoys singing jazz with her combo, Lauren Jane and the Standard Deviations.
Maggie Olivo holds an MAT in music education and a Bachelors of Music in composition from IU. She has composed for various IU ensembles and musicians, the Institute for European Studies, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. While studying at IU, she studied violin, viola, and voice; performing both in the International Vocal Ensemble and IU Symphony Orchestra.
Presently, Maggie is teaching music at University Elementary School. Previously, she has taught music at St. Charles Elementary School and the Bloomington Montessori School. She has served as an associate instructor at IU, teaching general musicianship to future elementary teachers. She is trained both in Kodály and Musikgärten. Upon completion of Musikgärten certification, she has been teaching early childhood music classes for the past four years.
Brian Schkeeper, from Livingston, NJ has studied with master teachers Joseph Flummerfelt, Dale Warland, Robert Page, Weston Noble, Robert Porco, Jon Nelson, Andrew Megill, and Stephan Parkman. At Indiana University, where he has completed coursework for the Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting, Brian has conducted Sylvia McNair's Opera Workshop in scenes from "Into the Woods", works by emerging composers Josh Groffman and Steven Snethkamp, and an ensemble in a performance of Tallis' "Lamentations of Jeremiah". Brian has also conducted major ensembles at Indiana University in performances of Fauré's "Élégie", Benjamin Britten's "The World of the Spirit", Dmitri Shostakovich's "Ten Poems for Mixed Choir" and "Antiformalist Rayok", and Thomas Tallis' "Lamentations of Jeremiah" and has served as Assistant Conductor for Mendelssohn's "Elijah". For IU Opera and Ballet Theatre, Brian has served as Associate Conductor of Stravinsky's "Les Noces", Associate Chorus Master for Puccini's "La Rondine","and Chorus Master for Mark Adamo's "Little Women".
While Choir Director for Piscataway High School's award-winning comprehensive program, Brian oversaw five choirs, an active musical theater program, and worked closely with the district's middle school choral teachers to develop a comprehensive recruitment model.
As Assistant Conductor for The Masterwork Chorus, Brian assisted in preparations of J.S. Bach's "B-minor mass", Handel's "Messiah" and "Israel in Egypt", Duruflé's "Requiem", Waughan Williams' "Mass in g-minor", and Kodály's "Missa Brevis" for performance in Carnegie Hall and other NY/NJ metropolitan area venues. Brian also collaborated with Masterwork Chorus when he prepared his Piscataway High School Women's Choir in the world premiere performances of Blake Henson's "Requiem: The Good Fence" in 2007.
As a conductor, Brian aims to champion lesser known works by celebrated composers and has conducted performances of Robert Schumann's "Der Rose Pilgerfahrt" and Orlando di Lasso's "Lagrime di San Pietro" with The American Choral Scholars, an ensemble he founded in 2008.
