2024-2025
Executive Board
President: Philip Montgomery
Philip Montgomery is the Music Coordinator at the Fay School in Southborough, MA, an independent school for students in Kindergarten through Grade Nine. He holds a Masters Degree in Organ Performance from The Boston Conservatory where he was awarded membership in Pi Kappa Lambda. He holds an additional Masters Degree in Music Education, with Kodály emphasis, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Mr. Montgomery is a certified instructor in both the Orff-Schulwerk and Kodály methodologies of music education. He also attended the 25th and 26th International Kodály Seminars at the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music in Kecskemét, Hungary. He completed levels 1, 2 and 3 of the “Creating Artistry Choral Conductors Workshop” with Henry Leck, founder and director of the Indianapolis Children’s Chorus.
Mr. Montgomery has served as Assistant Organist at All Saints Church, Worcester, MA and as Organist and Choirmaster of Saint Mark’s Church, Episcopal, in Southborough, MA. He is currently Associate Artistic Director of the Worcester Children’s Chorus where he conducts the “Da Capo” and “Young Artists” choirs. Additionally, Mr. Montgomery is a faculty member of the Kodály Music Institute, and has been a choir director and solfege teacher for the Institute’s summer programs. Philip also serves as President-Elect of the BAKE Board of Directors (Boston Area Kodály Educators).
President-Elect: Nancy Killoran
Nancy Killoran began her Kodaly journey as an elementary student in Vocal Vacation through the Kodaly Music Institute. She holds a Bachelors in Choral Music Education and a Bachelors in Music Theory from the University of North Texas and a Masters of Music from Southern Methodist University. She completed her Kodály levels in Dallas, TX through Plano ISD and SMU before relocating back home to the Boston area. She has been teaching for seven years, first in McKinney, TX, and currently in Framingham, MA, where she also resides. In addition to her work with KMI, Nancy is involved with BAKE, serves on the scholarship committee of OAKE, is the Assistant Manager of the MMEA Youth Treble Chorus, and works with the Framingham High School Marching Band. When she is not working on adding songs to her collection, Nancy can be found learning Spanish, watching horror movies, or working on her most recently acquired instrument, the violin!
Immediate Past President - Sharon Hamel
Sharon appreciates being part of the BAKE leadership team because this community has been a vital part of her life. Sharon was drawn to and still values the beautiful singing, precision, and joy that exemplify the ideals of Kodály. She received her first two levels from the Westminster Choir College in 1994, studied all three levels again at the Kodály Music Institute-New England Conservatory, and was part of the first graduating class in 2000. Sharon continues to expand in her Kodály practice through conferences, workshops, and individual mentorships. Highlights include a Georgia Sea Islands weekend workshop, a summer term at Silver Lake College with Sister Lorna Zemke, and a bilingual project with Rachel Gibson funded by the Cambridge Rotary. Beginning her teaching in 1991, Sharon dedicated most of her career to the students of the Boston Public Schools and then joined the Cambridge Public Schools 10 years ago to teach music in a dual language immersion K-8 grade school, La Escuela Amigos -- The Amigos. She holds a masters in music education from Gordon College, a masters in education from Lesley University, and is currently a candidate for the PhD in Leadership at Andrews University. She feels she brings a unique perspective to BAKE because of her studies, commitment to meaningful music making experiences, and intentional submersion in diverse communities in both her professional and personal life.
Secretary, Website Manager - Catherine Marino
Catherine Marino is a music educator at the Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She earned both her B.M. and M.M. from Boston University in Music Education and is passionate about working to craft a music program that is inclusive, culturally responsive, and fun for all her students. She uses many pedagogies to inform her practice and has completed her Kodály Teaching Certificate. Catherine currently serves on the Boston Area Kodaly Educators board as a member-at-large and webmaster, as well as on the Ayer Cultural Council.
Treasurer - Beth Anne Young
Beth Anne Young, is a Choral and Classroom Music Specialist. Recently retired from the public schools, she was a middle school choral and classroom music specialist for the majority of her teaching career. This past year, Beth Anne taught Choral Methods and was a Supervisor of Student Teachers in the Master of Music Education Program at the Longy School of Music. Beth Anne is the Director and Choral Studies Instructor for the Kodály Levels Program at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA . She has a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA and a Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Connecticut with an emphasis in Choral Conducting. She completed both her Orff and Kodály Certification at George Mason University. Beth Anne has presented workshops about the Kodály- Inspired Choral Setting at MMEA, and at Regional and National OAKE Conferences. She currently serves on the OAKE Teacher Education Committee.
Member-At-Large: Lilly Ahn
Lilly Ahn, a South Korean soprano, earned a B.M. in Vocal Performance from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She was one of the first recipients of the Se-Jong Scholarship. Ahn continued her study at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute and the University of Maryland where she earned her M.M. and D.M.A. She was a soloist of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society under the conductor, Tom Hall, and featured in a televised concert, where she sang Mozart’s Allelujah. She is currently teaching music at the Fletcher Maynard Academy in Cambridge.
Member-At-Large: Dr. Rachel Gibson
Dr. Rachel Gibson is a Professor of Music and coordinator of music education at Westfield State University in Massachusetts and teaches PreK- 6th-grade music at Whately Elementary School one day a week. She earned her Ph.D. in music education at the University of Washington and is an active local, national, and international clinician. Her book ¡Canta Conmigo! Songs and Singing Games from Guatemala and Nicaragua (Oxford University Press, 2021) is a comprehensive teaching resource that includes songs and singing games she learned while living in Central America. As a Fulbright Global Scholar (2021), Rachel has taught and researched at Universidad de Málaga in Spain and traveled throughout the country learning children’s songs from local musicians. Dr. Gibson was president of Kodály Educators of Southern New England (KESNE), member-at-large for the Connecticut American Orff-Schulwerk Association (CTAOSA), and served on the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) National Board of Directors. She is on summer faculty at the West Texas Kodály Initiative (WTKI) and the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute in Alabama (UMKI).