• INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FACULTY

     

     
    Shanta Childers

    Shanta Childers received her Diploma in Higher Education, majoring in piano, while attending LaSalle College for the Arts in Singapore. At the University of Houston, she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Music Theory and also received her Masters in Music Theory from the same university. She taught at the University of Houston and was a music theory consultant at HSPVA prior to heading the department. For the past several years Mrs. Childers has taught at the Houston Piano Camp hosted by the University of St. Thomas and has also spent a summer teaching at the summer music camp at the Episcopal High School. She was recently invited to join the AP Leadership Team representing the AP Music Theory department for the Houston Independent School District. She has also been nominated twice by students for the 8th and 9th editions of Who's Who among American's Teachers.
     
     
    Courses: Music Theory 1, Music Theory 2, AP Music Theory
     
     
     
    Rodolfo Morales, Instrumental Department Chair
     
    Rodolfo Morales is currently the Director of Piano Studies at HSPVA, a position he has held since 2004. Mr. Morales is also Piano Department Head at the American Festival for the Arts Summer Conservatory. Mr. Morales received his Bachelor of Music (1996 - 2000) and Master of Music (2000 - 2002) degrees from The Juilliard School of Music where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky.
     
    In addition to his busy schedule as teacher and coach, Mr. Morales remains an active performer both as a soloist and as a chamber music player, having an especially close affinity for modern music. He was the Artistic Director for the Foundation for Modern Music for the 2004-05 concert series. He has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, the Woodlands Symphony, the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, and played at such prestigious venues as the Wortham Center, Stude Hall and Zilkha Hall in Houston, the Latin Center for the Arts in Dallas, the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, the Hall of the Army in Sarajevo Bosnia, and the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard Theater in New York City.
     
    He has been heard as soloist on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” performing the music of Spanish composer Enrique Granados as well as being a frequent guest on Houston’s KUHF’s “The Front Row”. Some of the awards he has been given include the first ever Distinguished Alumni Award from the American Festival for the Arts, a Robert McNair Foundation grant for performance studies, and the Isabel Scionti Award at the Isabel Scionti International Piano Competition.
     
    In 2010, Mr. Morales was awarded the Pre-Collegiate Teacher of the Year Award by the Texas Music Teacher’s Association. Currently Mr. Morales is President of the Houston Music Teachers Association. His other teachers include the late pianist/composer Robert Avalon, Natalie Matovinovic, and Viktoria Mushkatkol. He attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the Interlochen Arts Academy from where he graduated with academic and music honors.
     
     
     
     Brad Smith
     

    Brad Smith is the Director of Orchestral Studies at Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. At HSPVA, Dr. Smith oversees the String program, conducts the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, leads the String and Piano Chamber Music Program, and teaches Conducting. He has collaborated with the Dance, Theatre, and Visual Arts departments on various projects and has also started a series of bi-annual concerts titled “The Bach Project,” which involve solo and ensemble performances of the works of J.S. Bach. Dr. Smith’s students consistently achieve recognition in both concerto and chamber music competitions, and each year numerous HSPVA string graduates gain admission to top conservatories and music schools across the country. 

    Before joining the Kinder HSPVA faculty in 2014, Smith taught at the University of Pennsylvania for eleven years, where he was Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra, Audio Nexus contemporary ensemble, and Penn Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra. In the Music Department and College of Liberal Arts he taught Music Theory, Ear Training, and Conducting, as well as seminars on topics such as “The Meaning of Music” and “The History of the Symphony.” From 2005-2014, Dr. Smith also conducted the Delaware County Youth Orchestra located in the Greater Philadelphia Area. He currently serves on the Artistic Staff of the Houston Youth Symphony as Conductor of the Sinfonia Orchestra. 

    Brad Smith holds degrees in Music Education and Conducting from Stephen F. Austin State University and The University of Texas at Austin.

     

    Email: bsmith36@houstonisd.org

     

    James Westfall is a Houston native and graduate of HSPVA. After graduation he relocated to New Orleans, where he attended The University of New Orleans. There, he performed with and was mentored by renowned musicians like Harold Battiste, Ellis Marsalis, and Steve Masakowski. Early in his career, he performed at the Kennedy Center as part of the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, he became the first vibraphonist accepted by The Thelonious Monk Institute, where he performed with celebrated artists including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Garrett, and Clark Terry at notable venues like the Tokyo Jazz Festival, Blue Note, and Blues Alley.

    In 2007, while living in New York, Westfall co-founded ‘The Wee Trio’ (theweetrio.com), which performs across the country at venues like The Green Mill, Birdland, and Yoshi’s, and at major festivals such as The New Orleans & Heritage Jazz Festival and the Rochester Jazz Festival. The Boston Globe praised their debut album as a “winning debut.” While living in New York Westfall also gained sideman experience with artists like Nicholas Payton, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chris Potter, John Ellis, and Gretchen Parlato. Westfall later relocated to Nashville to explore other genres, recording on over 45 albums and touring with Grammy winner BJ Thomas, Steelism, and Kristin Diable. He continues to perform and record with The Wee Trio, whose recent album features Fabian Almazan, Nir Felder, and Nicholas Payton.

    Westfall is also a dedicated music educator, having taught as an adjunct instructor at The University of Southern Mississippi, The University of New Orleans, and Nashville State Community College to name a few. He is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at Kinder HSPVA in Houston, TX.

     

    james.westfall@houstonisd.org