Fairfield County Children's Choir
Jon Noyes, Music Director and Founder
 

Accompanists

Todd Simmons

JON NOYES is a music educator in the Fairfield (Connecticut) Public Schools and is the Music Director and Founder of the Fairfield County Children's Choir. In addition, he teaches Choral Methods at Fairfield University. Mr. Noyes received Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Music Education from the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford. He holds a certificate from the Kodaly Musical Training Institute and is a past president of the Southern New England Kodaly Educators. He has completed postgraduate studies with Edwin Gordon, Doreen Rao, Betty Bertaux, Gabriella Thesz, Tibor Szabo and Leon Thurman.

Mr. Noyes was named Choral Director of the Year for 1998 by the Connecticut Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and has been identified as an outstanding music teacher by the National Association for Music Education (formerly MENC) in the October 2000 issue of Teaching Music. He has served on the board of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Choral Directors as Chair of the Repertoire and Standards Committee for Children's Choirs and Middle School Choirs, and is presently serving as Member-At-Large. He has been a guest conductor and clinician for festivals and conferences throughout New England and New York. He resides in Orange, Connecticut, with his wife, Sarah, and children, Jake and Abby.

Lisa Bettke is an elementary music specialist at McKinley School in Fairfield, Connecticut. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance and French from Gettysburg College and a Master of Science in Music Education from the University of Bridgeport. Ms. Bettke completed her Orff Teacher Training Levels I and II at Central Connecticut State College and Level III and Master Class at the University of Memphis. She served as President of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association and is the accompanist for the Wilton Singers.  Ms. Bettke studied conducting with Dorren Rao and Henry Leck.  As an accompanist she has worked with Dorren Rao, Henry Lect, Mary Goetze and Joan Gregory.
 

Lucille Parkinson is the Music Department Coordinator for the Milford Public Schools where she has taught elementary vocal and general music for sixteen years. She is currently on special assignment as Teacher-in-Residence for Music for the Beginning Educator Support and Training (BEST) Program at the State of Connecticut Department of Education. She received a Bachelor of Science in Education and Music from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, a Master of Science in Education from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a Sixth Year Degree in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University. She has done post-graduate work in choral music at University of Massachusetts, Lowell, piano at Boston University, and Orff Schulwerk at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Mrs. Parkinson currently sings with the Fairfield County Chorale.  She is a member of the National Association for Music Education (MENC), the Connecticut Association of Arts Administrators and the American Choral Directors Association.

Mrs. Parkinson conducts the Chorus  at the Trumbull Mall during the holiday season.

TODD SIMMONS received his Bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master's degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Southern Mississippi.  He has studied piano with Ingrid Clarfield and Vincent Lenti and harpsichord with Dana Ragsdale. He has taught piano and theory at Westminster Choir College, has been Choir Director at two high schools in New Jersey and Choral Music Director at Fairfield High School.   He has been pianist and soloist with the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, accompanied the Oratorio Chorus and was a graduate teaching assistant there. Mr. Simmons is on the Choral Faculty of Fordham University, is Music Director at the United Methodist Church in Westport and Assistant Director of the Westport School of Music in Westport, Connecticut

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