Jean Maxon Carpenter
Jean Maxon Carpenter came to Rhode Island in 2006, after maintaining her own piano/voice studio in Oswego, NY for 22 years. One of the very best things that happened when she moved here was meeting Nancy Shanahan and becoming part of the staff at More Than Music!

In Central New York, Jean was the pianist for the Lakeside Piano Trio, the SUNY Oswego College-Community Chorus, the Oswego County Children's Chorus, the Oswego Bach Chorale, and the semi-professional singing group, VOCE. Additionally, she worked as a freelance pianist and accompanist for many classical chamber music concert series, including The Society for New Music, Civic Morning Musicals at the Everson Museum and the Lions Club Concerts for Sight.

One of her passions is musical theatre, and in Central New York, she worked as a music director and pianist for several collegiate, community and regional theatres. All of these things were in addition to teaching vocal and instrumental music at a private school for 6 years, working as a high choral director for 9 years and as a choir director and organist/pianist for several churches over the course of 16 years. (Yes, there was still time to sleep!)

Since arriving in Rhode Island, Jean has managed youth orchestras for the Rhode Island Philharmonic, taught at Lincoln School in Providence, and currently works as an accompanist and class piano instructor at the University of Rhode Island. In 2009, she became involved with the Courthouse Center for the Arts to pursue her musical theatre interests here in Rhode Island. Her first love, however, has always been teaching piano and voice in a studio setting, which is what makes working here her favorite part of the day!

Jean holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Piano from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY and a Master of Music in Music Education and Voice from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. She is currently a member of the National Association for Music Education (MENC), and its state chapters, RIMEA and NYSSMA, the American College of Musicians - National Piano Guild, for whom she also serves as an adjudicator, the American Choral Directors Association, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and its state chapter, RINATS.

She has organized solo festivals and evaluation festivals for several of these organizations, and is looking forward to establishing a spring evaluation festival through the National Piano Guild here in the West Bay area, hopefully in the spring of 2010.