Music & Arts Institute

Kristina Thomas began studying piano in the second grade at Tacoma Baptist Schools. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education at Pacific Lutheran University and taught high school band and orchestra in the Tacoma Public Schools for three years.
 Kristina has taught both piano and flute in the Puget Sound area since 1994. She is currently on the staff of the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association and the Minister of Music at Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Karl has taught both violin and viola for more than 25 years. His students routinely achieve the highest possible scores in competitions and evaluations. He uses multiple resources to teach students from the earliest to the most advanced levels and tailors his teaching to each individual student's abilities. 
  After majoring in Viola Performance at Pacific Lutheran University, Karl moved to Southern California to continue studying and received a full ride scholarship to play in the Cal State Long Beach String Quartet and played with the LA Philharmonic Institute Orchestra for two seasons.
 Karl has performed with multiple professional orchestras including the Portland Chamber Orchestra, Portland Opera, and Tacoma Opera. He played principal viola for the national tour of Steven Sondheim’s “Into The Woods.” Karl has performed for television, film, and in the recording industry. He is currently under contract with the Redlands Symphony and with the Oregon Coast Music Festival as associate principal viola.

Loren grew up in the Seattle area where he participated in his school wind ensembles, choirs and jazz bands.  He also studied guitar privately and played on his church worship team.  After high school he studied music and audio engineering at Shoreline Community College.  He then transferred to Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee, where he earned his Bachelor of Music, guitar principle, with a Music Business Emphasis.  Loren has experience as a session musician, producer and musical director.  Currently he is the Director of Contemporary Music and University Place Presbyterian Church.  In His spare time, he enjoys skiing, and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with his wife and their two children.

Lisa Todd started playing cello at a young age and studied with Fern Glass Boyd at the University of Montana. She then studied with David Hoffman at Pacific Lutheran University and graduated  with a degree in music and taught orchestra in the Federal Way public schools at the elementary and junior high level.  As a young mom, she turned her focus to private teaching and has continued for over 30 years. She enjoys working with students of all ages and skill levels and continues to sharpen her teaching skills, seeking to be creative and innovative in her personalized approach.  Lisa is the Director of UPPC’s Music and Arts Institute, is a freelance cellist,  and also enjoys teaching early childhood music at UPPC's Sunset Christian Preschool.

Mick Crosby spent 34 years with the Tacoma School District as an elementary teacher and principal. He is a member of the UPPC Chancel Brass and plays with the Tacoma Musical Playhouse. His primary goal is to share with young musicians the joys and musical challenges of playing the trombone.

Blane grew up in Tacoma and (except his years in college) has attended UPPC his entire life. At Western Washington University he studied trumpet with Vince Green, majoring in both music and German. He subsequently moved back to Tacoma and had taught German at a local high school for ten years. His music experience includes orchestras (at WWU and in Munich, Germany), jazz bands, UPPC Chancel Brass, and various musical productions around the Puget Sound area.
Blane's forte is his compassion and curiosity. He meets students where they are and collaborates with students to create goals and plans of action based on each person's situation.
 He lives in Tacoma with his wife, son (9), daughter (5), cat, and dog. In his free time, he practices his horn, listens to jazz, reads, collects CDs/LPs, rocks, Star Wars starships, and enjoys learning about jazz, social justice issues, neurodivergence, dinosaurs, airplanes, art, and his faith.

Susan Hallstead has been playing and teaching the flute for over 20 years. She studied flute and vocal performance at the University of Puget Sound and the University of Washington. Her flute teachers have included Scott Goff (Seattle Symphony), Felix Skowronek (UofW), and Murray Panitz (Philadelphia Orchestra/Curtis Institute).  Susan also studied flute pedagogy with award-winning KinderFlute™ creator, Kathy Blocki. While in college, she was a member of the Tacoma Symphony, the Contemporary Group Woodwind Quintet, and was principal flute of the U of W Symphony.
 Susan is currently pursuing the study of World flutes, including Irish penny whistle, Chinese dizi flute, and Native American Flute, and is a member of the Wind Spirit Native American Flute Circle.

Katie was born and raised in a musical household with a father who played every instrument you can imagine. She has been singing since she was 3 years old and performed in children's choirs and productions. She officially started taking voice lessons when she was around 12 years old, and continued taking them into college. She studied music at Concordia University Irvine and has sung in multiple Acapella groups, on different worship teams, and in college choirs. She is currently the Minister of Worship Arts and Choir Director at Our Savior Lutheran Church, and is the vocal director for Mustard Seed Theatre.