Douglas A. Olsen received his Bachelors from the University of MA, at Amherst in Music Education and Jazz Studies, and his Master’s in Jazz Studies at New England Conservatory 02’. He is Director of Music in Medfield Public Schools.
Doug has instructed classes on jazz improvisation and jazz combos at MIT, has taught at the Community College of Rhode Island, and instructed in the University of MA Performing Arts Division. His jazz ensembles and concert bands have received superior ratings at both the high school and middle school level. The Medfield High School Jazz Ensemble was chosen to as a finalist in the 2005 Essentially Ellington Festival. He directed the MA Central District Jr. Jazz Ensemble in 2002, the SE District Jr Jazz Ensemble in 2004, the New Hampshire All-State Jazz Ensemble II in 2005, and the Maine All-State Jazz Ensemble in 2007.
Doug has played lead and/or solo trumpet with Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Big & Phat Jazz Band, the John Almark Big Band, the Kenny Hadley Big Band, the Duke Belair Big Band, the Ryles Jazz Orchestra, the Worcester Jazz Orchestra, the Dan Smith Jazz Quintet, and the Doug Olsen Jazz Group. He has performed with Nick Brignola, Ed Calle, Jerry Bergonzi, Bob Brookmeyer, the Tommy Dorsey Big Band, and the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra directed by David Baker. Doug is featured on jazz recordings with the Big & Phat Jazz Band, the Ryles Big Band, The Bob Pilkington Jazz Sextet, The Chris Merz X-tet, The Mike DiBari Swingtet, and on pop/rock recordings by Bellevue Cadillac, Louise Grasmere, and Willie Sordillo.
Doug is a featured soloist at the Boston Copley Fairmont Oak Room every weekend. He is very active as a freelance performer, guest artist, and clinician.
Teresa Wroten, Choral Director for Medfield Middle and High Schools, received her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education, with a Choral Specialty and Piano Concentrate from the Boston Conservatory of Music, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She was a charter member of the Conservatory's chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, the national honorary music fraternity. Terri sang in the Conservatory Chorale, a select group under the direction of William Seymour, Dean of BCM, and was a guest oboist with the BCM Wind Ensemble in a premier performance of Randall Thompson's Farewell, and the premier of the concert band version of Thompson's Testament of Freedom, both conducted by Randall Thompson. She studied piano with Dr. Alfred Lee and conducting with Maestro Attilio Poto.
After graduation, she studied voice and vocal therapy with Louise Cash of the McLoskey Institute of Vocal Therapy. She has also taken courses in Musical Theatre Production and Music Technology at the Boston Conservatory, Berkley College of Music, Salem State College and the New England Conservatory.
She played oboe, clarinet and saxophone for seven years in the Framingham Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Robert Schneider of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Terri has been a member and a frequent soloist with such groups as the Neponset Choral Society, the Wellesley Choral Society, the Heritage Chorale and the New World Chorale, and has been a paid soloist for several area churches.
Terri has played lead roles in musical theatre productions of The Sound of Music, Sweeney Todd, and Carousel (where she met her husband, Christopher, who also sings). She directed Broadway musicals for 25 years in the Holliston Public Schools, as well as adult musical productions such as The Sound of Music, Scrooge, and Gian Carlo Menotti's opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors
Terri has taught in Medfield for seven years now, where her Jazz and Concert Choirs have often received Excellent and Superior ratings at both the Middle and High School levels. Medfield High's 2006 production of South Pacific received accolades for musical excellence from the judges of the North Shore Music Festival, a competition for Massachusetts High School musicals.
Ryan Dexter is the Grade 5 Band Director at the Dale Street School and the Grade 6, 7 and 8 Band Director at the Blake Middle School. He directs the Blake Middle School Jazz Ensemble, Medfield High School Symphonic Winds and teaches Grade 6, 7 and 8 general music. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with Bachelor of Music Degrees in Performance and Music Education and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership at Framingham State College. Mr. Dexter has studied saxophone with Armand Rapoza, Anthony Coelho, Ted Casher, and Lynn Klock and conducting with Malcolm Rowell.
Mr. Dexter served as the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) Concert Festival Chariperson from 2003-2005 and Assistant Concert Festival Chairperson from 2005-2006. He has performed with several area big bands and wind bands. Mr. Dexter has adjudicated for the Central District MMEA Junior Festival and currently teaches saxophone for the King Philip Regional School District Instrumental Lesson Program.
Barbara Oxholm teaches at the Dale Street School and has a passion for teaching General Music to all the students there. She has piloted new programs such as The Dale Street Chorus and The Recorder Club since becoming a member of our staff. She received her BM in Music Education from the University of Lowell in 1980 and MM in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory in 1986. Throughout her career as a music educator she has offered private instruction in vocal technique. She is an active member of both the New England and National Chapters of the American Orff-Schuwerk Association and implements the Schulwerk teaching philosophy and her knowledge of vocal technique in her teaching endeavors here in Medfield. She currently performs with and acts as vocal coach for a contemporary gospel ensemble based at Celebration International Church in Wayland.
Mrs. Parmenter has been teaching in Medfield since 1977. During the past
thirty years she has taught grades K-5 at Memorial, Dale Street and
presently at Wheelock School. In addition to teaching General Music, Mrs.
Parmenter has also been involved with the string program and taught both
fourth and fifth grade choruses at Dale Street.
Mrs. Parmenter is currently certified to teach Elementary music in
Massachusetts. She received her undergraduate degree in music from
Marymount College with piano as her primary instrument. She received her
certification in music education at Boston University. Later Mrs.
Parmenter studied piano at New England Conservatory and received her
Masters in Education from Lesley College. She has most recently begun
studying Orff Schulwerk, an approach to teaching music.
In 2002 Mrs. Parmenter was presented with the Honor Award from the Norfolk County Teachers Association for outstanding dedication to the teaching
profession.
A Brief Philosophy
A major value of music is the positive self-image that results from the
many different ways of being involved in music. If a child does not enjoy
their early music experience this may color their feelings about music for
a lifetime. The most powerful education in music comes through active
participation in the process of creating, performing and responding to
music. This is accomplished in music class through singing, playing
percussion instruments, dramatization, and creative movement. When
students leave Wheelock, Mrs. Parmenter hopes that they take with them a
love of music which will last a lifetime.
Mr. Ruggiero is a staff member at the Memorial and Dale Street Schools in Medfield, MA. At Memorial, he teaches classroom music for Pre-school, Kindergarten and Grade One. At Dale Street, he co-teaches and accompanies Fourth and Fifth Grade Orchestra.
Mr. Ruggiero is currently licensed to teach music in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island and has previously taught K-5 classroom music and fourth and fifth grade chorus at the Memorial Spaulding Elementary School in Newton and at the Heights Elementary School in Sharon.
Mr. Ruggiero has earned his Masters Degree in Education from Lesley University, where the focus of study was integration of the Arts. He has taken several masters level courses in Music and Music Education at Central Connecticut State University’s Summer Music Institute and was a Music Education Major at Rhode Island College, where his main instrument was voice.
Mr. Ruggiero has served as a clinician at the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Conference in 2002 and in 2007 and is also on the Board of Directors for the New England Chapter of the American Orff Schulwerk Association.
Currently, Mr. Ruggiero is completing his training in Orff Schulwerk, which is an approach to teaching music. He studies violin and has again been asked to serve as a clinician at the 2008 MMEA Conference.