Scholarships

Dwilyn has been a music instructor at Faith Mennonite High School, Linville Hill Christian School, and Fair Haven Christian. He received a degree in music education from Millersville University and a master’s degree in Christian School Administration from Grace College. Currently, Dwilyn drives a delivery truck for Gap Power Rental Company in Gap, PA. He continues to direct Gap Male Chorus (a 40-voice men’s choir which has been singing every year since 1922) as well as Men With A Song which has its roots at music camp. Dwilyn and his wife, Bertie, live on a small farm with 2,000 pigs and a few cats. Their five grown children are active in church and ministry in the Lancaster area. Along with choral conducting and playing the accordian, Dwilyn enjoys the outdoors–hunting, hiking, caring for fruit trees and spending time with family at a mountain cabin. He and his family attend Life Mennonite Fellowship, Willow Street, PA.

Regina is a music educator, choir director, and pianist with a particular interest in pedagogy. She teaches private lessons from her home studio as well as general music and choir for grades 3-12 at Calvary Christian Academy. Regina graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Music, Music Education concentration (2015). She has served as Academic Dean for SCMC and conducted the children’s choir of the Valley Arts Society. She enjoys ensemble performances as an alto of Oasis Chorale. Moments of leisure are spent in the garden, reading, dabbling with colors, messing with textures, encountering God through His Word and creation, or bringing order to chaos.

Anthony has been around schools in some capacity for most of his life, drawn by his love of reading, music, and learning.  He graduated from the Teacher Apprenticeship Program at Faith Builders and from Eastern University with a bachelor of arts in music. He finds great fulfillment in being part of the vibrant learning community at Philadelphia Classical School, where he is employed as gym teacher, choir director, and office assistant. When he’s not at school, he enjoys coffee and conversation with his wife Jessica, playing with his three children, composing and arranging music, reading and discussing books, playing basketball, running, and exploring his adopted hometown of Philadelphia.

Wendell is a composer and music educator with a particular interest in contemporary hymnody and choral music.  He has been an instructor at Western University, Faith Builders Educational Programs, the University of Toronto Scarborough, Calvary Bible School, and Shenandoah Institute for Music and Art, and holds degrees in music composition from Wilfrid Laurier University (BMus, 2008), the University of Toronto (MMus, 2010) and Western University (PhD, 2016).  In addition to music composition and itinerant teaching work, Wendell finds employment in music arranging, editing, proofreading, and consulting.  He enjoys model trains, tree houses, aviation, Lego bricks, rainy days, puzzles, and life with his beautiful wife Janelle and their four lively children.

Ivan has a passion for music and education. He is formerly from Bedford, Pennsylvania where he taught high school grades and oversaw the music program at Allegheny Valley Christian School. Ivan currently serves on the school board of Saetas Para Cristo, a bilingual school at the Christian Light Fellowship mission in Peña Blanca, Honduras. He has formerly enjoyed tours with the Hope Singers and SCMC Chamber Choir and currently sings with Oasis Chorale. Ivan lives in Frostburg, Maryland with his wife Alissa and two boys, Auggie and Felix where he is pursuing a degree in music at Frostburg State University. He anticipates graduating in the spring of 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and a minor in business administration. During the summer, Ivan enjoys his construction job at a vinyl deck and fence company. Other interests of his include travel, home remodeling projects, and raising Yorkie puppies.

Gwendolyn is the mother of two young adult sons and is a part of Bethel Mennonite Church in Gladys, VA. She teaches music at two church schools to grades 1-12 and provides elderly care for a widow three nights a week. She also works from home giving private music lessons, writing and recording scripture songs and choral music (singthekjv.app) and making pottery (facebook.com/kjvpottery). Gwendolyn graduated from Cedarville University with a BA in piano performance and BME in music education. She received an MS degree from Longwood University and an Ed.D. degree from the University of Virginia in Administration and Supervision. Gwendolyn served in the Virginia public school system for eleven years: five as a music teacher grades preK-8 and six years as an assistant principal, grades ranging from 5-12. In 2003, Gwendolyn returned to music, composing songs out of her personal pain and brokenness under the pseudonym Tirzah Joy (“Tears of Joy”). Her passion is that all may find the peace that comes from surrendering their lives fully to our loving Lord. It is impossible to trust Him too much!

Lloyd has been a music instructor at Sarasota Christian School (Florida), Rosedale Bible Institute (Ohio) and Daystar University (Nairobi, Kenya). He holds a BA in Music Education (Eastern Mennonite College, 1971), and an MA in Music Education with a choral conducting / vocal concentration (Ohio State University, 1987). He directed the Rosedale Chorale and other school/community choirs during his active teaching years, later served as an itinerant music resource for various congregations in Germany, directed the Hope Singers (Poland) from 2004-2018, and continues periodic musical activities and teaching ranging from weekend events to choral tours. He is self-employed as a choral arranger and composer (lillychapelpress.com), choral / vocal resource person, painter, handyman and commercial driver. He enjoys a variety of historic and international music, along with private aviation, motorcycling, mechanical tinkering, travel, and more. He is married to Mary (Slabaugh), formerly from Hartville, OH.

Ryan Kimberlin is a music educator and teacher. He teaches choir, general music, history and math full time at Osceola Christian School at the 6-12 grade level, and is involved in the administration of the school. Ryan completed his Bachelor of Music (vocal/conducting emphasis) in 2020. Ryan and his wife Joyce have four children, live in Covington, TX and are active members of Osceola Christian Fellowship.

Rosemary Eberly-Lebold, soprano, graduated from West Chester University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music in Vocal Performance (2013) and holds a Diploma in Education from Faith Builders Educational Programs (2006). She resides in southern Ontario with her husband, Phil, and three children. While the current pandemic has significantly impeded how she can contribute to music, she has enjoyed finding creative ways to keep music alive. She teaches private voice from her home (via Zoom when restrictions demand it) and teaches high school theory and choir as well as middle school choir at Countryside Christian School. Besides singing with Oasis Chorale, she also serves as their vocal coach. As a vocal coach, she is passionate about helping musicians discover their own unique voices and empowering them to communicate through the use of their instruments. Besides her currently part-time music career, she is employed full-time by her three children, Aria, Bella, and Sean, where she cooks the food, launders the clothes, facilitates the schedules, and mitigates frequent disputes. Her simple joys include: drinking a good cup of coffee, reading a good book, painting with watercolours, and sitting in silence.

Yolanda is a human in transition. Currently finishing her eighth year as an elementary teacher, she plans to begin studies at Wilfrid Laurier University fall 2022 and major in music composition. She is a graduate of the Teachers’ Apprenticeship Program at Faith Builders Educational Programs (2019). As a teacher, she’s had the privilege of doing music with people both little and half-grown. (She may just be partial to the little singers.) She’s sung in multiple choral groups ranging in size from Mennonite Memorial Mass Choir to a local sixteen-voice group called Heart Cry Ensemble. She enjoys writing creative nonfiction, walking in nature, and the colour of a lake on a grey day.

James is an advocate for the singing witness of the Mennonite tradition. He works in business management for a small IT company and, on the side, enjoys teaching and writing about the role of singing in the community. He taught junior high and high school level music and other subjects in Mennonite schools in PA and TX for thirteen years before relocating to central MO where he resides currently. He directs the Midwest Mennonite Men’s Chorus events, as well as various local choir projects, and has led congregational worship regularly for over two decades. His chief musical interest hovers around the successes and struggles in Anabaptist congregational singing. His lovely wife, Keri, has sweetly endured these things for 25 years, helping him raise their five children and fresh vegetables, but always taking time to enjoy the best books and art with him. James and Keri are members at Ridgeview Mennonite (PMC).

John has been an active promoter of quality church music for more than 40 years. This has prompted him to compile a new hymnal, Hymns of the Church, that carries on a tradition of excellence. He serves primarily as instructor of congregational music classes. John resides at Chambersburg, PA with his wife Patricia. His four children are Anne (married to Craig Martin, with four grandchildren: Carter, Edward, Charlotte, and Elizabeth), Heather (married to Brandon Byler, with three grandchildren: Kaitlyn, Hudson, and Megan), Candace (married to Heinrich Schander, with two grandchildren: Camden and Isaac), and Spencer. His son Geoffrey (2006 SCMC student) died at age 18 in an automobile accident. John holds BS degrees in both elementary education and library science.

Nolan taught music and directed the Faith Chorale at Faith Mennonite High School for twenty years. He is now employed as a software developer, but enjoys opportunities to sing and teach music on the side. He graduated from West Chester University with a degree in Music Education. He has sung with numerous choirs including the Sharon Singers, Faith Builders Chorale, Oasis Chorale, and Hope Singers. He enjoys reading, listening to audio books, promoting Anabaptist thought, traveling, and coaching volleyball and basketball. He and his wife, Alena, live in Quarryville, PA with their one daughter, Carita. They attend Rawlinsville Mennonite Church where Nolan serves as pastor.

Randall grew up in a singing family where reading music correctly was highly esteemed. He is currently taking a sabbatical from conducting the Voices for God choir and is enjoying singing in various choirs. Next to his enthusiasm for music is his love of beef cattle and preserving the garden harvest. He can be found in the grasses surrounded by his herd, regaling them with song, if he is not canning apple juice, fruits, and vegetables. He lives by the river in Southern Ontario with his wife and five children.

Franklin, Brittany, and Willow love to travel play board games, sample quality food, and make new friends. When he is not in front of a choir, he loves to smoke meat, entertain guests, and make his daughter and fun-loving wife laugh! Franklin graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Music from Kent State University where he served as the assistant for Kent Chorus. Franklin is the conductor of Minerva Community Choir, Voice of Light Chorale, and has guest conducted the Ohio Men's Choral Festival, Kent State Chorus, and Oasis Chorale. He is currently teaching grades 1-12 music and choir at Legacy Christian School and Gospel Haven Academy as well as private voice lessons. As a chorister, he has sung with various choirs and is currently serving as the East-Central Chair for the Ohio Choral Directors Association. Franklin strives to bring life and energy to the rehearsal process with the firm belief that music making should be inspiring, God-honoring....and fun!

Jonathan is a member of Pilgrim Christian Fellowship of Stuarts Draft, VA, where he serves as deacon. He has taught school for a number of years and is currently involved part-time at his church school, Pilgrim Christian School. He also works in the family business, managing a small farm meat store. Jonathan holds a BA in Music Education from Mary Baldwin College and serves as Administrator of SCMC Virginia. He enjoys discussions, books, birds, trails, and campsites. He is married to Malinda (Swarey) and has six children.

Brandon Mullet conducts choirs and teaches classes in music and literature at Faith Builders Educational Programs. He graduated from Grace College, majoring in Choral Music Education. He conducts the Faith Builders Chorale, Heart & Voice Men’s Chorus, the FBCS high school choir, and the Ozark Men's Music Weekend, while continuing periodic study in voice and conducting. Brandon enjoys being married to Marie, learning to be a grandparent, time with his family, conversation over good food, leading congregational singing, working out, landscaping his yard, and reading of all kinds. Brandon and Marie live in Guys Mills, PA, in their (finally) finished, remodeled house.

Wendell grew up on the plains of Kansas in a singing family and in a singing church. His first formal musical training was at Wichita State University, where he completed a Bachelor of Music Education degree. After teaching and conducting for a number of years, he moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia to complete a Masters in Choral Conducting at James Madison University.

He lives in Virginia with his wife, Jeanene. He is Executive Director of Shenandoah Christian Music Camp and artistic director of Oasis Chorale.

Cameron graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a double degree in Music Education and Music Theory (2014). He is an active piano examiner with the Canadian National Conservatory of Music and has been on faculty at Renaissance School of the Arts and the Beckett School at Wilfrid Laurier University as a piano and music theory instructor. Cam is the founder and director of Village Voices Community Choir in Milverton, ON and Millbank Heritage and Arts Society. He has been a guest conductor for Laurier Singers, Laurier Alumni Choir, and Chor Amica. Cam has sung with many choirs including Laurier Singers, Da Capo Chamber Choir, and Oasis Chorale. As a registered respiratory therapist, Cam finds great satisfaction in helping patients “breathe easy” in a wide range of clinical situations.

Lyle Stutzman grad­u­ated from Con­cordia College in Moor­head, Min­nesota with a bachelor’s degree in Music Edu­ca­tion. He teaches music at Mt. Olive School and Pleasant View School in Montgomery, Indiana, gives private voice and piano lessons, arranges and composes choral music, runs an online business selling choral sheet music (www.blueskymusic.net), and works from his home office. He enjoys reading to his children, playing games, cooking and eating meat, making amazing sticky buns, and spending time with friends and family. Lyle and Maria live in Washington, Indiana with their five children: Scott, Ivana, Megan, Levi, and Selah.

After begging her parents for several years, Sarah received her first violin at age 12. She studied violin with Mary Bontrager for 10 years and has played with local orchestras and string quartets. She has been teaching violin for 18 years and is Level 3 Suzuki Violin School certified. She is passionate about facilitating student collaboration and serves on the administrative committee of the Anabaptist Orchestra Camp. Sarah fell in love with harmonization when she first learned how to sing alto at age 8. Since then, singing alto and playing 2nd violin are her favorite parts to contribute in any ensemble. She has studied voice with Sue Walin and sung with the Cantate Singers, Orrville Community Chorus, Hope Singers, Oasis Chorale, and Minerva Community Choir. Currently, Sarah is studying music education at the University of Akron School of Music while continuing to teach violin at Central Christian School and in her home studio. In her spare time, Sarah loves spending time with her nieces and nephews, going to concerts, traveling, and laughing at corny jokes.

Deana currently teaching at Maple Grove Mennonite Academy. She has been a teacher in some capacity for forty years, spending thirteen years teaching in private schools, twelve years homeschooling, and twenty-five years instructing public and private school music programs. Deana holds a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Texas at Arlington and completed the teacher's certification program in secondary English education at Valdosta State University. She has sung with the Oasis Chorale, the Lancaster Meistersingers, and the Eternal Praise Chorale. She also plays flute and piccolo in the Anabaptist Orchestra. Deana enjoys art, reading, writing, playing board games with her family, and composing Scripture memory songs to help her students memorize scripture. Deana lives in Terre Hill, Pennsylvania with her husband, Jeff, three of her five children, and four cats.

Jeff is currently the director of music at Shalom Mennonite School and Terre Hill Mennonite School in Terre Hill, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his stunning wife, three notable children, and four rogue cats. Another notable Swanson child lives a few miles away in Denver, PA with his brand new wife. Jeff began his career as a classical musician, performing in various symphony orchestras around the country. After nine years of playing professionally, he switched careers to become a full-time music educator. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Florida State University, a Master of Music Performance from Southern Methodist University, and a Music Education certificate from Aquinas College. Jeff is director of the Eternal Praise Chorale and the Lancaster Meistersingers. He enjoys singing, running, restoring antique furniture, playing games late at night with his family, and talking to the aforementioned felines.

Jerilynn is currently in her third year of teaching K-9 music at Northside Christian School. Previously, she taught school for six years at various locations. She teaches piano when she is not teaching music, therefore silence is a treat when she is at home taking care of her house. She and her husband, Linden, like to participate in local choirs and attend concerts, then go home and attempt to produce their own music with the violin and cello.
Jerilynn gets excited by a variety of things including being involved in deep discussions about various aspects of life, talking with other teachers about teaching music, eating a meal that requires ketchup, having a deer within shooting range, seeing children's eyes light up when it's time for music class, and being a wife to her husband.

Lee has been involved in music from early childhood, plunking melodies and harmonies out on an electronic keyboard from shaped note hymnals. As a teenager he developed the appreciation of music into a love of choral singing and conducting, singing with many choirs and gaining choral conducting experience. This path led to study at Lebanon Valley College, where he earned degrees in Music (BA) and Music Education (BS). Lee enjoys conducting choirs, shaping voices into ensembles, spending time with his family (wife, daughter, and sons), learning new things, gardening, and working at Weaver’s Carpet & Tile – his current occupation.