Karena Tapsak

Mountain View Music Founder/Owner Karena B. Tapsak holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California in International Public Administration. She has a varied background in public/private/non-profit administration, property management, writing, marketing, special events, and teaching. She has held board positions in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and in Front Royal, Virginia. Affiliations include St. Anthony Civic Orchestra (Minnesota), Susquehanna Valley Chorale (Pennsylvania), Jubilate Choir (Pennsylvania), and Bloomsburg Preparatory School of Music (Pennsylvania). She has been teaching for more than 25 years, including as an adjunct professor at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Her greatest passion is for the piano, which she has been teaching for nine years. Karena is a member of the Piano Teachers Guild of the American College of Musicians, the Virginia Music Teachers Association and the National Association for Music Education. Her current endeavors include singing with the Arts Chorale of Winchester and preparing for several performances in 2025. (Photo depicts Karena’s c. 1880 parlor pump organ). 

David Bilowus

David Michael Bilowus holds a Master’s degree in piano performance and Bachelors of Fine Arts degrees in voice and piano from the State University of New York in Buffalo, where he also taught piano.  He studied piano and pedagogy with Livingston Gearhart and Carlo Pinto. He has also studied at the Eastman School of Music, the Chautauqua Music Institute, the University of Southern California, and at the University of North Texas. While in California, he studied the Russian technique of piano playing with Surajeet Chatterji.

Mr. Bilowus has performed in many locations around the world including Ukraine, France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, Mexico, Canada, and many locations in the United States. Bilowus has served on the music faculty at universities where he taught piano, voice, and directed choirs, stage band, and orchestra. He has also served as the music director of churches in Virginia and North Carolina. Additionally, he was selected by the Texas Commission on the Arts to serve as a distinguished artist-in-residence at several schools in Texas, where he taught students how to compose their own music. He was also selected by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance to perform throughout Texas and Mid-America.

David is a prolific composer and arranger, and continues to release numerous recordings that are often featured on his website, davidmichaelbilowus.com.

Eli Thomas

Eli Thomas is active as a performer and teacher in Virginia and surrounding areas. Originally from San Diego, California, he moved to the East Coast to study with Akemi Takayama at Shenandoah Conservatory, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance. He performs frequently with local orchestras, including the Paragon Philharmonia and the National String Symphonia, where he serves as Principal Second Violin. He has performed numerous recitals in the Mid-Atlantic region, and was a featured soloist with the Charles Washington Symphony Orchestra. As a duo, he and his wife Emily performed at the Blair House in Washington D.C. for the president of the Philippines and the U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken. While in school, he served as concertmaster of the conservatory’s orchestra, and was invited to attend the Castleton Festival, an intensive opera and orchestra program directed by Lorin Maazel, the former conductor of the New York Philharmonic.

Although his training is primarily classical, Eli has played in numerous genres ranging from Bluegrass and Celtic to jazz and classic rock. He was a member of the Bluefire Jazz String Quartet, which performed jazz classics and original material. The quartet had the honor to work with Wynton Marsalis. 

As a violin teacher, Eli manages the area’s most comprehensive Suzuki studio. He has completed intensive pedagogical training with Ronda Cole and David Strom, who are legendary Suzuki teachers. He has registered training in Suzuki books 1-6 and 9-10, and is one of the highest trained teachers in the region. Other pedagogical influences include Mimi Zweig and the master teacher Steven Woodham, whom he worked with in Jamaica. He is also the assistant director of the Sunflower Summer Festival Strings Camp. Eli’s wife, Emily, is a pianist, and they reside in Stephens City, Virginia, with their four daughters. His website can be found at novaviolin.com.

 

Eduardo Elias

Eduardo Elias is a versatile guitarist and dedicated educator with over five years of experience teaching and directing the Suzuki Guitar Department in Tallahassee, Florida. He has received formal training in jazz and classical guitar performance, having studied jazz with Jaques Colin and classical guitar under Connor Milstead, Bruce Holzman, and Celso Cano at Florida State University.

As a performer, Eduardo has appeared in numerous concerts and recitals, both as a soloist and as part of chamber and ensemble groups. His repertoire spans the music of Spain, Latin America, modern compositions,  classical masterpieces, and jazz as well as work with popular music ensembles.

In the teaching studio, Eduardo Elias combines the Suzuki philosophy — emphasizing listening, parental involvement, and positive reinforcement — with a broad performance background in multiple genres. This approach inspires students to develop strong technical foundations, musical expression, and a lifelong love of the guitar.

Caitlyn Rose

Caitlyn Rose is a multi-instrumentalist currently studying her Bachelor of Arts in Music with a performance emphasis on Bb Clarinet at Shenandoah University, where she studies under Juilliard and Yale Graduate Garrick Zoeter. At Shenandoah, Caitlyn performs regularly with the Clarinet Choir and Wind Ensemble, as well as performing solo. Although she is a classically trained musician, her solo studies have included a vast variety of genres including: jazz, commercial, contemporary, and classical music.  She also has had many leadership roles throughout her musical career, including being chosen to lead and conduct the Shenandoah Conservatory clarinet choir in concert last season. Caitlyn was also elected secretary of Shenandoah Conservatory’s National Association for Music Education in the past. With 10 years of performance experience, and five years of teaching private lessons, Caitlyn aims to maximize her students skills and to thrive off of her teaching style.  

Caitlyn’s students excel and succeed in placing in district bands, honor bands, high level ensembles, and discovering themselves as musicians. Her studio thrives off of passion, creativity, comfortability and a deep love for the performing arts. Caitlyn’s teaching style is personally based on the individual student and tailored to their needs. Students will learn musicality, foundational theory and literacy, musical concepts, and skills. 

Caitlyn specializes in woodwinds and will be teaching beginning and intermediate levels of Clarinet, Flute, and Saxophone. After graduating from Shenandoah Conservatory, Caitlyn aims to pursue her Masters degree in music education. 

Meghan Buckner

Meghan Buckner is a children’s choral director and voice teacher at Mountain View Music. She has benefitted from years of private vocal study, working privately with 12 different vocal professionals before graduating high school in Rochester, Minnesota and starring in several musicals. She attended Christendom College, where she double-majored in Philosophy and Literature. During this time, she continued to study voice independently at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, and competed in state and regional level competitions. After graduation, Meghan continued to foster her love of singing by participating in local community choirs, teaching voice lessons, and directing several musicals. In 2019, she founded the Shenandoah Valley Homeschool Choirs, where homeschooled children ages 6-18 prepare choral repertoire for two concerts in spring and fall each year.  In 2023 she received her accreditation with the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).  

Andrew Stewart

Andrew Stewart is a cellist and educator currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Cello Performance at Shenandoah University, where he studies under renowned teacher and performer Julian Schwarz. At Shenandoah, Andrew performs regularly with the conservatory orchestra and various chamber ensembles, often serving in principal and leadership roles. Andrew has taught cello privately since 2023, working with beginner and intermediate students ages 7 to 65. His teaching blends the Suzuki method with traditional repertoire, etudes, and orchestral excerpts to build strong technical and musical foundations. As a teacher, Andrew is known for his clear, mindful approach to technique—helping students understand the physical mechanics behind expressive playing. His teaching philosophy emphasizes clarity of instruction, adaptability to student needs, and the pursuit of attainable progress. In addition to maintaining his private studio, Andrew holds a graduate assistantship at Shenandoah, which has given him opportunities to teach applied lessons to undergraduate students, lead studio classes, and present masterclasses to prospective freshmen. He is excited to join the Mountain View Music community and is committed to supporting each student’s journey through cello study.

Kelly Erwin

Kelly Erwin’s musical journey began her piano study at the age of six, which was followed by private violin study over the course of the next twelve years.  During this time, she performed in numerous music recitals and developed a deep love and appreciation for music.  In high school, she became a member of the Youth Philharmonic of Central Ohio where she was chosen to be the Concert Master for a professional recording.  After graduating from high school and moving on to obtain her bachelor’s degree in history at Christendom College, Kelly continued to play piano and violin recreationally. 

Kelly has been an active vocalist as well as instrumentalist.  During her time as a student at Christendom College, she earned a choir scholarship and became one of the soprano section leaders.

Kelly comes from a large family, so she is very accustomed to working with children of all ages.  Her professional teaching experience includes working with middle school students at Padre Pio Academy and Chelsea Academy in Front Royal.  Kelly is very excited to be a part of the Mountain View Music team and looks forward to sharing her love of music with you!

Alia Rodarmel

Alia Rodarmel was introduced to making music at 5 years old through violin. She took private violin lessons for 11 years and was taught to play using the Suzuki Method. At the age of 15, she was introduced to the world of bluegrass music and began taking mandolin lessons. She later began taking lessons in three-finger or bluegrass-style banjo. Having studied music with many different instructors over the course of 17 years, music has been an integral part of her life. She is studying Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies at East Tennessee State University, with a concentration in Audio Production and Recording. She enjoys running the audio or performing at multiple Johnson City venues. She is excited to welcome banjo and mandolin students and to share her knowledge of roots music.

Elizabeth McFadden

Elizabeth McFadden is a children’s choral director and voice teacher at Mountain View Music. Her love of music began at the early age of 7 when she began playing the flute. This love of music soon shifted to singing in choirs, composing vocal arrangements, and performing as a soprano soloist. She attended Benedictine College, where she majored in music with a vocal concentration and minored in education. During her time at Benedictine, she studied voice privately with several vocal professionals, culminating in her senior recital, where she performed works by esteemed composers such as Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Fauré, Haydn, Caccini, and Strauss. Her musical journey was further enriched by her involvement in a variety of ensembles. Elizabeth sang in four college choirs, participated in instrumental bands, and conducted the college’s Wind Ensemble. Through these experiences, she had the opportunity to perform in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, the Vatican, St. Cecilia’s Basilica, St. Benedict’s Monastery, as well as the University of Kansas and various performances for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (District X, Region V, and All-State events). Elizabeth’s dedication to teaching music continued through a semester-long practicum, where she taught local elementary students. After graduation, she has continued to nurture her passion for both music and teaching by singing with the Blue Ridge Singers, in weekly Masses, teaching private voice lessons, and even singing the National Anthem at various events in Washington D.C. Elizabeth is overjoyed to be teaching at Mountain View Music and is excited to share in fostering your child’s gift of music.

Ian Elick

Ian is a classical and jazz trombonist as well as a jazz piano, bass, and trumpet player studying at Shenandoah University for his Doctoral of Music Performance degree with a trombone emphasis. Ian holds a Bachelor of Music degree in performance from Ohio University as well as a Master of Music degree from Bowling Green State University with an orchestral trombone emphasis and a Master of Music Degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a Jazz studies and jazz trombone emphasis. He has also been the instructor of jazz and classical trombone, euphonium, and tuba at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Kenyon College. Ian has performed with musicians including John Clayton, Matt Niess, Terell Stofford, Mike Wade, Chip Stephens, Carl Allen, and many others. 

Weijia Chen

Weijia Chen is a classically trained guitarist from China with over 10 years of teaching experience. He has taught students of all ages and levels, from complete beginners to advanced players preparing for conservatory studies. His teaching emphasizes a personalized approach, adapting lessons to each student’s goals and abilities.

Weijia earned his Master of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from the Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona, where he studied with Anabel Montesinos, and his Master of Arts in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of Alicante. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Shenandoah University under the guidance of Dr. Colin Davin.

As a performer, Weijia has appeared in solo and chamber concerts across China and Europe, with a repertoire ranging from Renaissance music to contemporary works, and a special focus on Spanish and Latin American composers. He has participated in masterclasses with many of the world’s leading guitarists, including David Russell, Ignacio Rodes, and Manuel Barrueco.

Cecilia Philbin

Cecilia Philbin is teaching beginner violin students using the Suzuki approach. She grew up learning to play the violin and the piano using both the Suzuki and the classical style. “The Suzuki Method is a wonderful way to start beginners, because it allows the student to get comfortable with the new instrument and develop an ear for listening before learning how to read music, which is yet another new skill to master.” At present, Cecilia is a member of the Mountain View Music Chamber Ensemble and is working on more advanced Suzuki training. She welcomes students of all ages.

Robert Philbin

Robert Philbin teaches piano using the popular Suzuki method. Trained in piano and violin in both the classical and the Suzuki method, he was able to experience firsthand the benefits of the Suzuki approach for beginners and more advanced players. “I think anybody can learn much faster and with more success without having to read music at first. This way, they can focus entirely on the instrument and develop their listening skills at the same time.” Robert is currently a member of the Mountain View Music Chamber Ensemble and is working on completing more advanced Suzuki training. He is accepting students of all ages and is looking forward to teaching them.