Private Lesson Staff
Private lessons are a huge part of the past, present, and future successes of the Lake Highlands Band Program. Lessons are available to all brass, woodwind, and percussionists in grades 6-12. Lesson scholarships are also available to students and families with financial need.
Private lessons are weekly one-on-one sessions that are taught by a professional musician on your student's instrument. Lessons can occur before, during, or after school, depending on the schedule of the student and the private lesson teacher.
The best thing about private lessons is that they are completely focused on each student's learning and growth. If your student wants to learn above and beyond what their band class is doing, private lessons are the perfect way to encourage that extra growth. Private lessons are the #1 way for students to "get ahead" in learning and excelling on their instrument.
Below you will find the contact information for our private lesson staff. These teachers have advanced music degrees and have been thoroughly interviewed and vetted by the Lake Highlands Band staff as well as Richardson ISD. The information in the table is best viewed on a desktop browser.
If you would like to schedule private lessons for your child, please reach out to the teacher listed for the instrument that your child plays! If you have questions about the private lesson program or about lesson scholarships, please contact Ms. Pittman at claire.pittman@risd.org.
Flute
Hannah Peterson
706-714-1020
Hannah Peterson is a Dallas-based flutist, teacher, and music theorist. Originally from Athens, GA, Ms. Peterson began playing flute in the 6th grade with no prior musical experience. She earned her Bachelor's in both Flute Performance and Music Theory from the University of Georgia, where she studied with Angela Jones-Reus. She moved to Dallas in 2020 to pursue a dual Master's in both Flute Performance and Music Theory Pedagogy. There she studied with Jean Larson Garver and Deborah Baron, both of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Ms. .Peterson currently plays flute and piccolo for the Lone Star Wind Orchestra and has also performed with the McKinney Philharmonic, East Texas Symphony, Opera Arlington Orchestra, Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, she has been a finalist in both National Flute Association and Texas Flute Society competitions. Most recently, she placed 3rd in the prestigious Myrna Brown Competition in 2024. Her other primary teachers include Terri Sundberg and Rachel Simmons.
Ms. Peterson currently serves as the flute lesson teacher for both the Lake Highlands and JJ Pearce cluster in Richardson ISD, where she holds a studio of around 55. She has previously taught in the Garland, Carrolton, Dallas, and Aubrey ISD's. Her students have seen a lot of success, both inside and outside of RISD. They have regularly earned spots and won both the Lake Highlands and Pearce cluster concerto competitions. Ms. Peterson has had students selected for TMEA Region, Area and Allstate Bands. She also encourages her students to get involved in music outside of school, and they have performed with the SMU Young Artist Flute Choir, Greater North Texas Youth Orchestra, Lone Star Youth Winds, and Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.
Oboe
Abigail Espinosa
abigailespinosaoboe@gmail.com
Bassoon
Dr. Kristen Gougen
859-948-1514
Clarinet
Phillip Bernal
phillip.bernal92@gmail.com
214-718-2440
Mr. Bernal began playing the clarinet almost 20 years ago and has been honing his skill ever since. At John Horn High School in Mesquite, he fell in love with music. At Richland College, he refined his playing skills and expressed interest in pursuing music as a career. At the University of Texas at Arlington, Mr. Bernal finished out his education with a Bachelor's of Music and Texas teacher certification. Mr. Bernal has studied with incredible musicians over the years, including Sharon Knox-Deuby, Dr. Carol Jessup, and Dr. Cheyenne Cruz. Mr. Bernal's experience includes performing with the Arlington Community Band, the Love Your City Theater Orchestra, and the Mesquite Symphony.
Saxophone
Coming Soon
Trumpet
Trevor Foy
trevorfoytrumpet@gmail.com
304-888-0774
Trevor Foy holds a Bachelor’s in Music in Trumpet Performance from West Virginia University. He has studied with Dr. Mary Woodbury, Former Principal of the Honolulu Symphony and first female brass player in the United States Army Band, Pershing’s Own, Dr. John Winkler, Principal of the Wheeling Orchestra, Dr Timothy Dewitt, former Second Trumpet of the West Virginia Symphony and an authority on Brass Pedagogy, Dr. Robert Sears, West Virginia University, and Kevin Finamore, the Second Trumpet of the Dallas Symphony.
Mr. Foy has played for some of the most renowned players in the world while attending the summer programs at Interlochen School for the Arts, including Vince di Martino, John Aley of the Madison Symphony, Jack Sutte of the Cleveland Orchestra, and Caleb Hudson of Canadian Brass. Mr. Foy has performed with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Morgantown Symphony Orchestra, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, Mesquite Symphony Orchestra, Denton Philharmonic, Lafayette Musicians, and is the current Principal Trumpet of the Flower Mound Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Foy has been teaching formally for nine years. His students have successfully auditioned for All-County, All-Region, and All-State Band in Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and have secured scholarships to university music programs across the United States. He is also a trumpet teacher with the Dallas Symphony Orchestras Young Musicians program.
Horn
Rachelle Toler
815-209-8133
Trombone
Alex Castro
903-366-9225
Trombone
Michael Rundgren
214-980-5077
Michael was born and raised in Waxahachie, Texas, where he served as the drum major his junior senior years and graduated as the Salutatorian of the class of 2017. Following high school he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served in the infantry before his career was cut short with a medical discharge. Michael graduated summa cum laude from Navarro College where he also served as a drum major before transferring to Southern Methodist University for his junior and senior years. Here he studied Music Education and Trombone Performance under Jon Kitzman and Barry Hearn, the former and current principal trombonists of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, respectively. Completing his student teaching at the Lake Highlands schools, Michael graduated summa cum laude from SMU in the fall of 2023. Michael now works as one of the trombone private lessons instructors for Lake Highlands as well as a personal trainer while he is completing his graduate program in Music Composition at SMU.
Euphonium and Tuba
Dr. Seth Shaffer
817-575-7471
Dr. Shaffer is the Tuba and Euphonium Instructor for the J.J. Pearce and Lake Highlands band clusters in Richardson ISD. He is a graduate of Texas Christian University (BME), University of California Los Angeles (MM), and Texas Tech University (DMA) and has taught private lessons since 2014. Dr. Shaffer currently performs with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, for which he is also a member of the Board of Trustees.
His students have won numerous accolades, including placement into TMEA All-State Bands and Orchestras, All-Region Bands, and World Class drum corps. In his spare time, Dr. Shaffer enjoys games of all kinds, reading, and running. He lives in Carrollton with his wife, Rose, and cat, Patches.
Percussion
Eric Martin
eric@ericmaterinpercussion.com
940-594-1473
Eric Martin is a vibraphonist and percussionist living in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. While specializing in Brazilian jazz, Eric has performed with groups of all styles including symphonies, big bands, salsa groups, and jazz combos. His debut solo vibraphone album “Snapshot” was released in 2019.
In addition to performing, Eric is an accomplished educator, giving clinics, masterclasses, and maintaining an active private studio. His educational books are used in schools across the country. He has previously held positions at University of Texas at Arlington, Texas State University-San Marcos, and Texas Lutheran University.
As a composer and arranger, Eric has had pieces performed at such prestigious conventions as the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Midwest Clinic, and the Texas Music Educators Association convention. He has been published by Keyboard Percussion Publications, K. Wylie Publications, and on his own ericmartinpercussion.com.