About Our Teachers

 

Laura Childress Kerr (classical and suzuki piano, theory)

cherishes her teaching career of 20+ years and believes that becoming a mother was the best thing that ever happened in her development as an educator. Ms. Laura earned her Bachelors degree in Music from Tufts University and her Masters degree in Piano Performance from Temple University. While at Temple she studied with Charles Abramovic and Alexander Fiorillo, a pupil of the legendary Vladimir Horowitz. Laura received a diploma from the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France. She also completed Suzuki Teacher training levels 1,2,3, with emphasis on early childhood music education. A frequent adjudicator for local festivals and competitions, she has given numerous solo recitals in Philadelphia and Boston. Memberships:  Music Teachers National Association, Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association, Philadephia Music Teachers Association, Suzuki Association of the Americas, Musical Coterie of Wayne.  Miss Laura has been praised for her vocal talents; she sings and plays the piano frequently for Masses and School Concerts at her church, Saint Katharine of Siena in Wayne.  When she isn’t teaching she can be found in the garden, making french macaroons, practicing yoga or reading to her children.

Live recording of Laura performing Jeux d’eau by Ravel at the Château de Fontainebleau

Joseph Kerr (classical and jazz piano, composition),

born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Trinity University where he studied composition with Dr. William Thornton and piano with Karl Leifheit. In France he studied with Nadia Boulanger at the Conservatoire Américain de Fontainebleau and is now the program director of that famed institution. From 1995 to 2007 Kerr was a faculty member at the DillerQuaile School of Music in New York City. He has written songs for BBC radio, National Lampoon and Sesame Street. Kerr is a founding member of The Western Caravan, New York’s leading western swing orchestra.  He is also a member of the Biograph Players, an ensemble that plays music for classic silent movies.