Katy Luker
|french horn

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

Katy Luker has been playing horn for over 25 years and holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Arkansas.

A native of Sapulpa, OK., Katy was a 3 year member of OKMEA, played with the Tulsa Youth Symphony, attended Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute in both orchestra and choir for 4 years, and was a recipient of both the Oklahoma Arts All-State award for choir and the Franco Autori scholarship for arts excellence.

While she attended the University of Arkansas, she was principal chair in the top wind ensemble, principal chair in the university symphony orchestra, a member of both the graduate brass quintet and graduate woodwind quintet as an undergrad. She was awarded the Presser scholarship for being the outstanding rising junior. She was privileged to be a member of the wind symphony that played Carnegie Hall in New York City in the spring of 1999.

Katy has been an active member of many performing groups throughout the years, including the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (1997-2004), the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra (2006-present), the Fort Smith Symphony (2007-present), Naturally Brass (2005-present), the Arkansas MusicWorks Brass Band (2018-present), and the Ozark Mountains British Brass Band (2007-2018). She also has played for over 25 different theater productions and musicals at places such as the University of Arkansas, John Brown University, the Arkansas Public Theater, Arts Center of the Ozarks, and Bentonville High School.

Katy is a certified teacher and teaches brass in Siloam Springs while maintaining a private studio here at the Conservatory. Her students have accomplished amazing feats, including three Interlochen students, a National Honor Orchestra member, numerous All-State and All-region members, one of which was principal chair two years in a row at the Arkansas All-State conference.

Katy lives in Siloam Springs with her two children, Rachel and David.

Michael Olefsky
|Trombone/Bass Trombone/Euphonium

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: Jazz, General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

Michael Olefsky has been teaching and performing professionally for more than a decade on trombone, bass trombone, and euphonium. At home in both classical and commercial styles, he has performed for over 15 touring Broadway productions including South Pacific, The Book of Mormon, Motown the Musical, and Legally Blonde. He has performed on both alto and tenor trombone as principal trombonist of the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra as well as tenor and bass trombone with the Symphony Orchestra of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA). He has also been engaged to perform with the Conway Symphony orchestra and as principal trombone with the Opera in the Ozarks Orchestra. While freelancing in the midwest he performed with a handful of working big bands in all chairs, lead through bass, and toured internationally with the Dublin Silver Band, a British style brass band based in Columbus Ohio. In 2018 his salsa band, Calle Soul, recorded their first album of entirely original material.
Mr. Olefsky is currently the executive director, co-founder, and solo trombonist for the Arkansas Musicworks Brass Band, a competitive British style brass band comprised of some of the top brass talent in the region. In November of 2018 the band was named "Grand Champion" of the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships.
Michael's current and former students include top all-region and all-state players in both classical and jazz. While some of these students have gone on to pursue degrees in music, Michael encourages students to have diverse interests and disciplines, a philosophy evidenced by his own training as both a musical performer and chemical engineer.

Belinda Thomas
|Brass/Woodwind

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

Belinda Thomas is a native Arkansan and graduate of Henderson State University where she received a Bachelor of Music Education degree with concentration in instrumental music. She began her music career as Director of Bands at Greenbriar High School in 1982 and has 33 years experience as a music educator. Now retired as a middle school and high school band director, her last 29 years of teaching were at Elmwood Jr. High, Kirksey Middle School and Rogers High School in Rogers, AR. In her tenure at Rogers, she taught all band instruments with an emphasis on beginning and intermediate instruction. She also assisted Rogers High School Bands. Belinda has had many students successfully audition for All-Region and All-State Bands and her marching and concert groups received multiple first division ratings. As a young person, Belinda's goal was to pass on the love of music and playing to young and old alike throughout her life. Some of her greatest accomplishments are former students who have gone on to have successful careers as band directors and professional musicians. Belinda is currently Worship Leader at Lowell Assembly of God in Lowell, AR. It is with excitement that she joins the teaching staff of Arkansas Musicworks.

Dalton SNow
|Trumpet

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: Jazz, General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

A native to Arkansas, Dalton grew up in Berryville, Arkansas, and was highly active in his high school band. This kickstarted his love for music and performance, especially with the trumpet! Dalton went off to Arkansas Tech University to receive his Bachelors in Music and continued his education at Baylor University to acquire his Masters of Music in Trumpet Performance. After graduating from Baylor in 2020, Dalton knew it was time to give back to the music community and start private lessons and going into schools in the Northwest Arkansas area. Dalton has taught private lessons for the past few years, encouraging and instructing fellow trumpet instrumentalist about music theory, All Region prep work, and the fun of music education! Currently, Dalton is an adjunct instructor at Siloam Springs High School and Don Tyson School of Innovation in Springdale. You can also catch Dalton in some of the performances with the Arkansas Musicworks Brass Band!

Ryan Matejek
|tuba

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: Jazz, General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

Ryan is an avid tubist and educator with over a decade of experience in the music industry. A native Arkansan and former band director, his primary focus is now teaching private lessons. He currently teaches at Arkansas Tech University, the Arkansas Music Conservatory, Springdale public schools, and Fort Smith public schools. Recently, he has performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Philharmonic, the Arkansas Musicworks Brass Band, and the Natural State Brass Band. 

 Ryan enjoys working with students of all ages and ability levels. He has experience teaching ages 10-65, working with beginning band students to college seniors, hobbyists to professionals. His teaching style includes a strong focus on fundamentals, basics routines, and technique builders. Some of his students’ accomplishments include placement in the All-Region and All-State bands, acceptance into college music programs, placement in a DCI corps, and superior ratings at solo/ensemble competitions. 

 Ryan holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Arizona State University, a Masters of Music and a Graduate Certificate in Music Entrepreneurship from the University of Missouri - Columbia, and a Bachelors of Music Education from Arkansas Tech University. His primary teachers include Dr. Deanna Swoboda and Dr. Angelo Manzo.

Michael Hanna
|Saxophone

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: Jazz, General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

Michael Hanna holds a MM in Saxophone Performance from Central Michigan University, where he served as teaching assistant to Professor John Nichol. He graduated summa cum laude with a BM in Saxophone Performance from the University of Arkansas in 2016, where he studied with Stanley Morris and Dr. Richard Salonen. Michael has performed with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, the Fayetteville Jazz Collective, and the United States Air Force Band as a selected participant in its 2016 Collegiate Symposium. He has performed with the Arkansas Saxophones at two World Saxophone Congresses in St. Andrews and Strasbourg. An eclectic performer, Michael is also frequently heard in restaurants, hotels, festivals, and other venues in the Northwest Arkansas area. In 2015, Michael assisted in the production of a historical documentary on the Arkansan territory bandleader Alphonso Trent, transcribing and orchestrating works from his recorded legacy and performing on the soundtrack. Michael has private and group teaching experience ranging from the beginning to the collegiate level. He has worked with high schools throughout the NWA area, assisting with band camps, jazz clinics, and private instruction. At Central Michigan University, Michael taught undergraduate saxophone lessons, coached nationally competitive quartets, and taught beginning saxophone to music education majors. He has also served on the faculty of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Summer Jazz Camps since 2016.

Sarah Reed
|clarinet/Saxophone

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

Sarah Reed is a music educator and active woodwind specialist. She holds a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Arkansas where she served as the graduate assistant for Dr. Nophachai Cholthitchanta and the Razorback Marching Band. Reed has been an educator, adjudicator, clinician, and private instructor for various music camps, conferences, public schools, and universities. She has performed with the Arkansas Philharmonic, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, and the C4 Clarinet Quartet including being a featured artist at the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art and the University of Arkansas Clarinet Day. Reed has also performed as a pit orchestra musician in dozens of productions in Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma, Nevada, and Arkansas including a summer series of “Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville” in Las Vegas and a world premiere of the musical “It Came from Outer Space” with TheatreSquared in Fayetteville.

Before coming to Arkansas, Reed worked as the Assistant Band Director/General Music Teacher at Sperry Public Schools in Sperry, Oklahoma. While a director with the program, the 45-member band received the 2021 OSSAA Band Sweepstakes Award which consists of earning Superior ratings in both concert band and marching band for only the second time in school history.

In 2019, Reed completed her Bachelor’s of Music Education at the University of Wyoming where she was an active member in the band program as the principal clarinet in both the Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Alpha Nu Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, and the Head Drum Major of the Western Thunder Marching Band.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cats Fay and Emeril, watching Star Wars, collecting Darth Vader memorabilia, and cheering on her Denver Broncos. Visit her website at reedmusicnwa.com.

Kristin Wages
|Flute

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

A Missouri native, Kristin Wages's love for music began at an early age. She joined her school band in 6th grade and loved it so much she became a music teacher. Kristin earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Missouri State University where she had the opportunity to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the London New Year's Day Parade. She has a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of Arkansas, is certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and holds AOSA Orff-Schulwerk certification.
Wages has more than 18 years of progressive experience in the music education field both in an elementary music classroom as well as a band setting. Several of her former band students, and current flute students, are selected to honor bands each year including the Arkansas All-State Concert Band and All-State Jazz Band. Many of her students receive band scholarships, play in college and community bands, and even pursue careers in the music field.

She is currently the music and choir director at Old High Middle School in Bentonville.
Kristin joined the Musicworks team in November 2013 and enjoys playing flute for different occasions in the community including the memorial services for Mrs. Helen Walton. Her primary flute teachers include Mr. Larry Bridges, Dr. Jill Heyboer, Dr. Belva Prather, and Dr. Ronda Mains.
Kristin and her husband, Chris, have one son Brett. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family, attending Razorback games, reading, and cooking.

Sherry McWilliams
|Flute

Difficulty Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Music Styles: General Band Repertoire
Locations: J Street Conservatory

Sherry is a graduate of the University of Arkansas. She originally was a Music Education Major where she placed principal chair in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble her freshman year. She also was in the NW Arkansas Symphony for 2 seasons. She graduated with a degree in Elementary Education, but never lost her love of performing and teaching flute.

 Sherry has continued teaching flute  privately throughout her years as an elementary educator in both Arkansas and Oklahoma. She also has performed in numerous community venues. 

In Arkansas, Sherry played in pit orchestras for many musicals held at the former Art Center of the Ozarks. She was a member of Arkansas Winds, and played  for church and civic  events. After moving to Oklahoma she was an original member of the Oklahoma Baptist University/Shawnee Community Symphony for 19 years, and the Oklahoma Baptist Symphony for 12 years. She now is enjoying being a member of the Bella Vista Community Concert Band.

 Sherry loves teaching flute lessons and seeing her students improve their technique and confidence. She enjoys helping her students prepare for chair challenges, auditions, and performances. She brings a lot of knowledge and experience to Arkansas Music Conservatory.