Strings Director; Early Childhood Instructor

Bethany Atkinson’s love for music began at an early age. She started playing piano at the age of seven and violin at the age of thirteen. She competed in many music festivals and guild auditions as a homeschooled student. Bethany studied music and graphic design at Oral Roberts University, where she was also concertmaster of the ORU orchestra for two years.

Bethany desires to pass on her love of music to each of her students, including her three daughters – Ella, Nora, and Charlie Sue. Along with her husband, who is also an orchestra director, she is very involved with the music ministry at their church.

Email: bethany.atkinson@heartlandands.org

Locations:  Jenks Strings, Owasso Strings

Todd Baker is a 1990 graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Music Performance degree.

He has recently “retired” after 33 years of teaching band in public schools in Texas and Oklahoma. His most recent public school teaching experience was in Kemp, TX where he and his wife, Mamie Sprinkle-Baker, taught together as assistant directors for 5 years and prior to that, Mr. Baker spent 9 years as the head band director in Newcastle, OK. Though most of his career has been in Texas, he has strong ties to Oklahoma through his association with the Southwestern Oklahoma University Band Camp where he has been on faculty for almost 30 years. Mr. Baker’s career has been spent teaching students at all grade levels as well as some years teaching at the college level as an adjunct professor teaching jazz and private lessons.

Mr. Baker has been an honor band clinician many times throughout Oklahoma and Texas and has done dozens of clinics for bands throughout the area. Notable achievements include: two campus and one district Teacher of the Year awards; the Southwestern Bell Sponsor Excellence Award; Veteran status as a member of the United States Army Reserve serving in Operation Desert Storm; and also “The Nice Guy” award at a golf tournament of a couple dozen distinguished Texas music educators.

Most recently, Mr. Baker is enjoying working two days a week with the Chickasha band program for his wife who is the head director; teaching band at three Norman area private schools and the Norman Homeschool Band; teaching an ever growing private lesson studio; and occasionally helping out at other schools as requested. When he has free time, which is rare, Mr. Baker golfs poorly, restaurant hops with his wife, Mamie, and enjoys his dog Lou. He tries his best to ignore the 3 cats.

Location: Norman, OK

Band and String Director

Mrs. Blomgren studied music at Wayland Baptist University and plays clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon. Laurie is a member of both the Oklahoma Baptist Symphony and her church orchestra at First Baptist Church, Ardmore. She is also part of her local community theater orchestra and Ardmore Community Band. Laurie and her kids have participated in the homeschool band program since 2004. After graduating her own children, Laurie stepped up onto the director’s podium and has continued to share her passion and joy for music ever since.

Email: mrsblomgren@gmail.com

Locations: Ardmore, Gainesville (TX), Bonham (TX)

Secretary/Treasurer Heartland Homeschool Band and Strings Foundation

Cindy first became involved in instrumental music in 1977 when her father, Tom Rye, the newly hired band director for Davenport, OK public schools, asked her if she wanted to play a glockenspiel that he found in the band closet. She previously played piano, so he thought it would be an easy transition. She enjoyed it, but there was a definite learning curve!  She went on to play mallet instruments there for three years, then at Edmond Memorial and UCO.

She and her husband, Jeff, raised four children, homeschooling each of them at various stages in their lives.  Their two daughters, Mallory and Steffanie, were members of OKC’s original Oklahoma Homeschool band program and loved being in Papa’s band.

With a strong bookkeeping, organizing, and inventory management background, Cindy enthusiastically joined the newly formed Heartland Homeschool Band and Strings Foundation in the fall of 2021.

Band Director
President, Heartland Homeschool Band and Strings Foundation

Mr. Fast is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Music Education Degree. He also earned a Master of Music Education from the University of Central Oklahoma. Mr. Fast has taught in public schools for 28 years: four years in Bethany and twenty-four years in the Putnam City District. He has 4 grown children and three grandchildren, and directs the orchestra at Bethany First Nazarene Church. In addition to teaching band, Mr. Fast refurbishes instruments and makes them available to homeschool band students at reasonable prices. He is in his eighteenth year of teaching homeschool bands.

Email: ben.fast@heartlandbands.org

Locations: OKC Band, Shawnee Band

Strings Director

Mrs. Anne Guevara is the retired orchestra for Putnam City West High School, Windsor HillsElementary, Western Oaks Elementary, and the Silver Strings of Putnam City. She also served asthe department chair for the Putnam City Schools Orchestra Program. Guevara has a Bachelorof Arts in Music from Auburn University, and a Master of Arts in Education from Oklahoma CityUniversity. Guevara’s post-graduate studies were in Viola Performance at the University ofOklahoma.

Email: anne.guevara@heartlandbands.org

Locations: OKC Strings, Shawnee Strings

Jazz Band Director

Karissa Hinman is a graduate of Southwestern Christian University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Vocal Music Performance. She has over 15 years of teaching experience in both private and public education. Her career includes serving as a middle school choir director for two years and an elementary music teacher for ten years mostly in the Oklahoma City and Edmond school districts. In addition, she founded and directed a 50-member honor choir for three years, providing young singers with opportunities for advanced musical growth and performance.

Karissa completed Kodály Level I certification at the University of Oklahoma and has pursued extensive continuing education in voice, Orff methodology, folk dance, piano pedagogy, and vocal pedagogy. She also brings a rich background in musical theater and church music, giving her students a well-rounded and practical musical education.

In addition to teaching in the classroom, Karissa is the owner and instructor of 5 Talents Performing Arts, where she provides private music instruction to students beginning at age five through adulthood. A dramatic soprano, she also performs in a variety of musical settings and plays piano, rhythm guitar, and ukulele. She currently serves as Worship Pastor at New Beginning Worship Center in Oklahoma City and is also studying to be a Trauma-Informed Life Coach, bringing a compassionate and encouraging approach to every student she teaches.

Karissa and her husband have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of two children, David and Hannah, who both enjoy participating in choir and music at their church. Their family shares a deep love for worship, music, and serving others together.

Karissa believes that music education is about much more than developing musical ability. Her goal is to help every student grow in both skill and character by fostering respect, responsibility, self-discipline, perseverance, and cooperation in a positive, Christ-centered learning environment. She is passionate about helping students build confidence, discover their God-given gifts, and develop a lifelong love of music.

Email: karissa.hinman@heartlandbands.org

Locations: OKC Elementary Music, Shawnee Elementary Music

Band and String Director

Denise McClurg Kenna is a graduate of University of Kansas with a Bachelor ofMusic Education degree and University of Oklahoma with a Master of MusicEducation degree. Ms. Kenna has 40 years of public and private school teaching experience in band, choir and string orchestra. She was Teacher of the Year in 1996 and received the Exemplary String Teacher Award in 2015. She also teaches piano, guitar, and strings in her private studio. Ms. Kenna is an EPIC vendor and will begin her 10 th year teaching band and strings with Oklahoma Homeschool Band/Strings at the Stillwater location. She and her husband Mike have fourgrown sons who have families of their own. They enjoy traveling and spendingtime with all their family, especially their grandchildren!

Email: denise.kenna@heartlandbands.org

Location: Stillwater

Mr. Kirby attended Oklahoma Military Academy before transferring to Oral Roberts University where he was a member of the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and Pep Band. He was also the student conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and the Pep Band. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education with honors in 1974. He immediately started teaching Band and Strings in Queensland, Australia for two years where he met his wife, Jennifer. He later returned to the United States where he taught band at Inola, OK for two years before accepting a position teaching band in Phoenix, AZ where he taught for four years. While in Arizona, he attained his Master’s in Music Education from Arizona State University. He then went back to Queensland Australia where he taught band for fourteen more years.  He came back to Tulsa, OK where for twenty-one years he taught with Tulsa Public Schools. After teaching in public schools for 45 years, he retired in May 2019.

Mr. Kirby enjoys being a member and playing bass trombone for the Tulsa Praise Orchestra and for the Sounds of Music Big Band.

Email:  JimKirby1975@gmail.com

Locations: Tulsa Band, Aspire Co-Op Band

OHBS Founder and Public Relations
Heartland Homeschool Bands and Strings Foundation Consultant

Mr. Tom Rye has been involved in instrumental music most of his life. He has a Bachelor of Music Education from Oklahoma Baptist University and a Master of History from the University of Central Oklahoma. With twenty-one years of experience in public school band programs, Mr. Rye has worked in every facet of this arena, from 5th grade through high school. He has personally participated in many university, professional, and church orchestra programs. He is also a charter member of the Oklahoma Baptist Symphony. Mr. Rye has five grown children (three of whom have homeschooled their children) and nineteen grandchildren. He loves working with students and watching them grow in their God-given musical abilities.

Email: 1trye40@gmail.com