Meet Our Staff Members
Ellen Francisco, Director
Sound Point Strings
Music Theory Explorations Level 1
ELLEN FRANCISCO, Sound Point Strings Director, has been an avid chamber musician since she was very young. She grew up in a musical family, where making music together was a regular occurrence. Mrs. Francisco earned her Bachelor of Music Education, violin emphasis, from Southern Adventist University. She attended Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts for her Masters in viola performance, with an emphasis in Chamber Music. While there, she studied with Raphael Hillyer, founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, and with members of the Van Swieten String Quartet. She has organized and directed Chamber Music Weekend since its inception, sharing with others the opportunity to make music with friends. She currently teaches violin, viola, and chamber music as an adjunct professor at Southern Adventist University, and also teaches many younger violin students, from the local area.
Jeremy Francisco, Conductor
Advanced Orchestra
JEREMY FRANCISCO, Conductor holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Southern Adventist University, Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Belmont University (Nashville, TN), and has done graduate work in Choral Conducting from the University of Northern Colorado. For the past several years Mr. Francisco has served as a frequent clinician at music festivals in Nashville, Boston, New York City and throughout Oklahoma and Colorado. Mr. Francisco has been Music Director of Chamber Music Weekend since its beginning in 1998, and was the founding Music Director of the Cumberland Youth Ensemble and Madison Vocal Ensemble, in Nashville, TN. Mr. Francisco’s performing ensembles have toured Jamaica, Canada, Mexico, Germany and throughout the United States.
Tami King, Conductor
Intermediate Orchestra
TAMARA (TAMI) POWERS KING, holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Southern Adventist University and a Master of Music degree from Converse College in Spartenburg, SC. Mrs. King has played professionally with the Spartanburg Symphony Orchestra, Greenville Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic. An active performer in area churches, chamber music ensembles and colleges, she is a member of the Rho Chapter, Pi Kappa Lambda, and the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Mrs. King teaches violin and orchestra at Collegedale Academy Middle and Elementary Schools.
Dr. J. Bruce Ashton, Teacher
Music Theory Explorations
Level 2
DR. J. BRUCE ASHTON, Pianist, and composer retired from teaching at Southern Adventist University, where for many years he taught piano, music theory, and music history at the collegiate level. However, he continues to teach at least one class about hymns each semester. A gifted pianist, he also gets involved with chamber music at every opportunity, either as pianist, violist, or coach. Many of his musical compositions and arrangements are for string players, either his own family or others.
Janelle Glass
Teacher, Suzuki Group Class
JANELLE GLASS is a violin teacher in the Chattanooga area. She graduated from Southern Adventist University with a degree in Music Education. In addition to teaching private lessons, she participates in chamber music ensembles, volunteers at summer music camps, and enjoys all things out of doors.
She firmly believes that music can be used to strengthen relationships between people, especially parents with children, often saying “what I love most about music is that is has tremendous power to connect people.”
Katelyn Snyder
Teacher, Suzuki Group Class
KATELYN SNYDER is currently a junior music major at Southern Adventist University and began her love of playing the violin at the age of four. Because she plans to become a Music Therpaist, she is also learning voice, piano, and guitar this year.
Erica Robinson,
Teacher, Early Readers
ERICA ROBINSON is a violin teacher based in Chattanooga Tennessee. At an early age, she was encouraged to pursue a musical instrument and began her violin journey at age eight. Erica continued on to study music in college and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Music Theory and Literature from Southern Adventist University. She is passionate about teaching and enjoys helping people of all ages develop their musical skills and find joy in music. She received Suzuki Every Child Can certification with Carey Cheney, Suzuki certification for units 1-3 with Edward Kreitman, and unit 4 with Kirsten Marshall. Erica has taught strings at Lester Coon Adventist School, currently teaches a class at Soundpoint Strings, and coaches a chamber group at Collegedale Academy. She also teaches at the yearly sight-reading and chamber music summer camp At First Sight.
Robby Raney
Music and Motion
ROBBY RANEY loves to make music with other people, whether it’s singing in a choir, playing chamber music, teaching music literacy, or hosting music programming on the radio. He plays the cello and organ, but his main instrument is his voice. He graduated from Southern Adventist University in 2016, taught grades 3-8 in small church schools for five years, and just graduated with his master’s degree in music ministry from Andrews University. He is the General Manager at WSMC. In his free time he loves to travel, cook, read, and play with his dogs Daisy and Jimmy.