Richland Academy of the Arts has welcomed four new music educators to its team.
Mickey Quimby, Megan Potter, Christian Watson and Robert Futrell have joined the academy, according to an announcement.
Quimby, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, has over 20 years of experience in music education. He has led music programs in public schools, private studios and arts organizations. Currently, he teaches at Discovery School and serves as a lead teaching artist and camp director with the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning.
Potter is a nationally recognized vocalist and educator, having performed across the country in opera, symphonic, jazz and musical theater settings. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in instrumental and vocal music education from Northern State University and a master of music in vocal performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Watson has nearly a decade of experience leading instrumental music programs in Ohio’s public schools. He is currently the head band director at Mansfield Senior High School and has led efforts in curriculum design, student engagement and regional music education leadership through the Ohio Music Education Association. Watson holds degrees from VanderCook College of Music and The Ohio State University.
Futrell serves as director of music at Norwalk Catholic/St. Paul Schools, teaching general music and band for grades K–12. A graduate of Heidelberg University with a degree in instrumental music education, Futrell is experienced in a wide range of teaching methods and performance preparation.
“These four music educators bring an incredible amount of talent, passion and heart to our community,” said Michael Benson, executive director at Richland Academy of the Arts. “We’re excited to welcome them to the RAA family as we expand our music programming, provide transformative learning experiences, and move forward with our Empower the Arts Capital Campaign to modernize our building and improve accessibility for the entire community.”
This story was created by Jane Imbody, jimbody@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct or share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/3RapUkA with our News Automation and AI team.