About the Music of Oz Studio
Since 1994
Bringing Out Creative Arts In You
Our Philosophy
The philosophy of the Music of Oz Studio is to teach, guide, and nurture students of all ages in the knowledge, performance, and appreciation of the arts in a positive and productive environment. We offer private lessons in piano, voice, guitars, ukulele, classical strings, fiddle, drums, mallets, and wind instruments.
Music of Oz has solo and ensemble recitals for school-aged students and cabaret opportunities for the adult students.
What We Offer
M
Music Lessons
We provide music lessons for voice and instrumental students of all ages and abilities.
W
Wondermusic
We offer research-based music classes for children 18 months through 2nd grade.
S
Sewing
We offer private and small group sewing lessons lasting an hour every other week.
A
Art
We offer private and small group art lessons lasting one hour every other week.
Frequently Asked Questions
School-Year Payment Policies
What Types of Payments do you take?
Cash and Checks. We do not except credit cards.
Is there an annual registration fee?
We charge each students a $25 annual registration fee. This is due upon lesson registration or with the September tuition payment.
When is my tuition due?
Monthly tuition is due at the first lesson each month. This tuition remains the same from September through May regardless of the number of lessons in the month. Summer Policy changes in order to allow for vacations.
Can I schedule a make-up lesson?
Music of Oz does not offer ‘make-up’ lessons. We offer lesson trades. Students are encouraged to trade with other students or into an available space that the teacher may have on another day. Lessons cannot be traded to another teacher.
How do I cancel a lesson?
Cancellations made by a teacher will result in a credit to the student’s next monthly tuition payment if a substitute teacher has not been provided. Cancellations by the student cannot be credited. As a courtesy to the teacher, students are asked to give a call to the studio at least three hours prior to lesson time. Lesson trades will not be offered if the cancellation is made less than 3 hours in advance.
Instructors are paid for no-call/no-show lessons and the student will be billed for them. The office manager must be notified of lesson termination
All schedule changes should be made through the office manager. Teachers do not establish their own schedules.
Staff
Crown Point Staff
Becky Osborn
Owner | Director
Piano and Voice Instructor
Patty Flory
Wondermusic Creator/ Director
Amy Cary
Office Manager
Amanda Brown
Assistant Office Manager
Our Amazing Instructors
All our instructors love to teach and share their expertise with others.
Guitar
Joe Villani
Electric and Acoustic Bass
Joe has been teaching guitar for 12 years. Specializing in various styles such as rock, blues, country and jazz, he provides each student with knowledge of the foundations of music, while tailoring each students’ curriculum individual to suit their musical goals. Joe has been a local musician in the Chicagoland area, working with numerous other musicians, groups and projects. He is a history teacher at Lowell Middle School.
Jack Whittle
Electric, Acoustic, Bass Guitars and Ukulele
Jack has a BA from Indiana University with a minor in classical guitar. He is a versatile, sought-after full-time musician who performs widely throughout the Midwest and specializes in blues and rock. Jack is fairly new to his teaching gig and Music of Oz is thrilled to have him on staff.
Brian Price
Electric, Acoustic and Bass Guitar
Brian has been teaching private and group lessons for over 12 years. His goal as an instructor is to teach and reinforce the fundamentals of music while keeping the student engaged as he teaches a broad range of styles of guitar including Rock, Metal, Blues, Country and Folk. He has 18 years of experience gigging in local cover bands at various Northwest Indiana venues and events. Brian masquerades as an accountant during the day.
Piano
Bev Collom
Piano
Bev has been teaching music for 42 yrs. She has taught in the public school system and parochial school system in Indianapolis, Iowa and Northwest Indiana. Bev has a degree in K-12 music education. In her spare time she plays guitar with a string band called High Country Strings. Music is her passion and it’s a part of everything in her life from her family to her faith.
Pattie Flory
Piano | Voice
Pattie has an education degree from Bridgewater College in Virginia and has done graduate study at Vandercook College of Music. She is an elementary general music teacher at St. Augustine and Aquinas, Catholic schools in the area. She is the creator and director of the Music of Oz Wondermusic children’s program.
Becky Osborn
Owner | Director | Piano and Voice Instructor
Becky has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education and is a lifetime educator. She has taught
classroom music to elementary through college students, and has spent 30+ years teaching private lessons to amateurs and professionals alike. Becky performs with the LaPorte County Symphony and directs their vocal ensemble, Illumination. She is the founder and owner of Music of Oz.
Diane Perigo
Piano | Voice
As a lifelong musician, Diane has studied and performed locally and throughout the Chicagoland area in both sacred and secular venues. She has been a featured soloist with the LaPorte County Symphony. She is married and the mother of a son and twin daughters and when she’s not making music, she works in the medical field.
Lorraine Szoke
Piano
Lorraine has a degree in piano performance and education from Lincoln Christian College. She is a frequent consultant for area churches offering guidance in their worship music-both traditional and contemporary formats. This former bank VP enjoys teaching and personalizing lessons to meet the needs and abilities to each of her students. Lorraine says, “It is my privilege to be a Piano Teacher with the Music of Oz Studio.”
Beth Puent
Piano | Winds
Beth has been teaching music for 30 yrs. She has a degree in music education from Olivet Nazarene University and a Master’s in Music Ed. from East Carolina University. Beth also takes time to teach at Ivy Tech and an online music course for SNHU. Her expertise for private lessons lie in piano and flute.
Voice
Pattie Flory
Voice | Piano
Pattie has an education degree from Bridgewater College in Virginia and has done graduate study at Vandercook College of Music. She is an elementary general music teacher at St. Augustine and Aquinas, Catholic schools in the area. She is the creator and director of the Music of Oz Wondermusic children’s program.
Becky Osborn
Voice | Piano
Becky has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education and is a lifetime educator. She has taught
classroom music to elementary through college students, and has spent 30+ years teaching private lessons to amateurs and professionals alike. Becky performs with the LaPorte County Symphony and directs their vocal ensemble, Illumination. She is the founder and owner of Music of Oz.
Diane Perigo
Voice | Piano
As a lifelong musician, Diane has studied and performed locally and throughout the Chicagoland area in both sacred and secular venues. She has been a featured soloist with the LaPorte County Symphony. She is married and the mother of a son and twin daughters and when she’s not making music, she works in the medical field.
Classical Strings
Wind Instruments
Classical Strings
Kathy Craig
Strings
Kathy has been playing since she was 10 years old and she was fortunate to receive scholarships to attend summer music camps at the Interlochen Arts Academy and Michigan State University. Upon high school graduation she received a scholarship to Eastern Michigan University to play violin in the EMU Symphony Orchestra. She has played in several orchestras, including the Ann Arbor (MI) Symphony, Racine (WI) Symphony, Valparaiso University Community Orchestra, LaPorte Symphony and the South Shore Orchestra. Kathy has been teaching private lessons for 12 years and enjoys helping children and adults advance their skills and love of playing the violin.
Jennifer Redlarczyk
Violin
Jenn is a graduate of Northwestern University where she holds both BM and MM in Music Performance. A long-time resident of the Chicago area where she has been teaching and performing for years. In addition to teaching at the Music of Oz, she is currently on staff as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Northwest and Purdue Northwest.
Wind Instruments
Katie Misiak
Wind Instruments
Katie has degrees from St. Joseph’s College and the University of Evansville in Music Education and Music Therapy. She is a certified music therapist (CMT) and works at Behavior Therapists of Indiana as well as the Music of Oz.
Beth Puent
Winds | Piano
Beth has been teaching music for 30 yrs. She has a degree in music education from Olivet Nazarene University and a Master’s in Music Ed. from East Carolina University. Beth also takes time to teach at Ivy Tech and an online music course for SNHU. Her expertise for private lessons lie in piano and flute.
Drums & Percussion
Roy Robley
Drums & Percussion
Roye is a professional percussionist, instructor, producer and engineer from Hammond, Indiana. He is the former studio and touring drummer for chart-topping international recording and touring act Like A Storm. Roye has supported the likes of Three Days Grace, Creed, Saving Abel, Mayday Parade, and Hawthorne Heights all over North America. Roye also performs with several region live bands and frequently plays percussion for musicals and orchestras. He specializes in drum set, classical percussion, and mallets, and takes a holistic approach to music instruction, stressing the importance of reading, as well as technique and performance. When Roye isn’t performing or teaching, he’s producing, engineering, and/or mixing region and international artists. Some of his clients include Like A Storm, Belmont, City Mouth, Detour North, Phil Swatridge, and stop.drop.rewind.
Andy Sutton
Drums & Percussion
Andy Sutton is an in demand drummer and teacher from Crown Point who currently plays, tours and records with award winning acts such as Liz Mandeville, Scott Ellison, Voo Davis, and Keith Jackson. You can also find him backing up several other artists in the Chicagoland area and across the country, giving clinics and masterclasses, or teaching. Andy also holds a roster of about 35 students, and takes opportunities to give clinics whenever possible. This allows him to pass on knowledge he acquired from studying with industry greats such as Tommy Igoe, Johnny Vidacovich, Chris Coleman, Tom Hipskind, Frank Donaldson and Ruben Alvarez. He is currently promoting his clinic “Practice Efficiency” at music stores and venues across the country. His drive and passion has made him a local favorite among musicians, students and fans alike. Andy endorses Vic Firth Sticks, Beat Boogie Drums and Mono Cases, as well as being a member of the Vic Firth Education Team, the Jazz Education Network, and the Percussive Arts Society.
Wondermusic
Pattie Flory
Wondermusic | Piano | Voice
Pattie has an education degree from Bridgewater College in Virginia and has done graduate study at Vandercook College of Music. She is an elementary general music teacher at St. Augustine and Aquinas, Catholic schools in the area. She is the creator and director of the Music of Oz Wondermusic children’s program.
Nina Louise
Wondermusic
Nina is our newest Wondermusic Staff member. We’re excited to have Nina teaching our Tiny Tunes class. Nina studied music education at Murray State and Vandercook College. She is active in working with the children’s choir and children’s bell choir at church. She also loves playing the piano. Nina is especially proud of her 25 yr marriage to Guy and their 4 children and 6 granddaughters.
Art
Sewing
Art
Ruth Paulsen
Art
Ruth is a life-long artist who enjoys working in acrylics and oils. Ruth is able to customize to the desires and abilities of the student as she constantly pushes them in new directions. She loves working with wood and paint together.
Sewing
Diana Whisenand
Sewing
Diana is a thoughtful teacher and experienced seamstress. She will take each student at their level and move them forward through sewing techniques by way of more and more advanced projects. She is also able knitting and croqueting.