Elementary Music
Bedford Central School District Elementary Music Program
Beginning in 4th grade, all elementary students may elect to begin band instruction.
Elementary Music Faculty
Jamie Ring, Strings at Bedford Village & Mt. Kisco -- jbineau3207@bcsdny.org
Jessica Henry, General Music, Chorus at Bedford Hills -- jhenry5269@bcsdny.org
Bryan Filetto, Band at Mt. Kisco and Pound Ridge -- bfiletto4854@bcsdny.org
Lynn Donnavan, General Music & Chorus at Pound Ridge -- ldonnavan0317@bcsdny.org
Anne Marie Kmetz, General Music & Chorus at West Patent -- akmetz1253@bcsdny.org
Owen Hughes, General Music & Chorus at Bedford Village & Mt. Kisco -- ohughes4011@bcsdny.org
Rob Davies, Strings at Bedford Hills, Pound Ridge, & Bedford Village -- rdavies5251@bcsdny.org
Dr. Michael Mulder, Band at Bedford Hills, Bedford Village and West Patent -- mmulder1259@bcsdny.org
Carolyn Scimone Rowan, General Music & Chorus at Mt. Kisco -- cscimonerowan1839@bcsdny.org
Meet the Elementary Music Faculty
Jamie Ring teaches strings at Mount Kisco, Bedford Village, and Bedford Hills Elementary Schools. Mrs. Ring is a graduate of the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam where she studied viola under Dr. Shelly Tramposh. Mrs. Ring then received her Masters in Music Education degree from Teachers College Columbia University. Mrs. Ring enjoys teaching her students what it means to be a musician through the concepts of setting goals, understanding the music, improvisation, and composition.
Lynn Donnavan teaches general music at Pound Ridge Elementary and is the director of the fourth and fifth grade chorus. Ms. Donnavan received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College, Princeton N.J. and a Masters Degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Pedagogy from the Hartt School of Music, Hartford, CT. She began her teaching career at Fostertown Visual & Performing Arts Magnet School in Newburgh, N.Y. She has been a part of the Bedford music staff since 1998. Ms. Donnavan’s choirs have an excellent reputation, receiving gold and gold with distinction ratings at NYSSMA adjudication festivals. Ms. Donnavan has presented both choral and movement workshops. She loves incorporating yoga, creative movement, and mindfulness practices in her choral rehearsals and music classes.
Owen Hughes teaches K-5 general music at Bedford Village and Mount Kisco elementary schools, and conducts the 4th and 5th grade choir at BVES. Mr. Hughes is a recent graduate of the Masters in Music Education program at the Hartt School of Music where he studied the First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfège curricula directly under Dr. John Feierabend. Mr. Hughes also holds dual Bachelor degrees in Music Education and Dance from SUNY Fredonia, where he graduated with honors and performed in many main-stage theater, concert, opera, and dance productions. Mr. Hughes has also performed with SoLI, a chamber choir on Long Island.
Anne Marie Kmetz teaches K-5 general music, and the grade 4 and grade 5 chorus at West Patent Elementary School. She is also conductor of the Elementary District Chorus. Ms. Kmetz studies and incorporates various teaching methods into the classroom curriculum such as Kodaly, Orff, Music Learning Theory, Conversational Solfège, Dalcroze, Eurhythmics, and World Drumming. In addition to her responsibilities in Bedford, Ms. Kmetz is a voice adjudicator for NYSSMA, and has been a guest judge for various vocal competitions in Orange County. She has been invited to be a guest conductor for the All-District Chorus in Newburgh, NY and the Elementary All-County Chorus in Westchester in County. As a vocalist, Ms. Kmetz has performed as a soloist in various masterworks such as Handel’s “Messiah,” Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” and Faure’s “Requiem.” Additionally, she has appeared in opera productions such as Benjamin Britten’s “Albert Herring,” and Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance.” Anne Marie Kmetz began her teaching career in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District in Newburgh, NY. She holds a Masters Degree in Elementary Pedagogy with a concentration in K-12 choral conducting from the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT. she earned a B.S. in music from SUNY Fredonia and also studied at Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture in Doylestown, PA, The College of St. Rose in Albany, NY, and Erie Community College in Buffalo, NY.
Dr. Michael Mulder teaches band at Bedford Village Elementary School and West Paten Elementary School. He joined the Bedford schools in 2002 after teaching in the New York City Public Schools. Dr. Mulder has written articles for The National Association of Teachers of Singing Journal and In Theory Only. He continues to perform as a working musician and currently holds the organist position at St. James Episcopal Church in North Salem, NY. Dr. Mulder’s teaching experience ranges from general music, choral music, and band instruction to students from pre-K through college. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Music History from the University of Colorado, Boulder, a Masters Degree in Music History from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor a Masters Degree in Piano from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a Doctorate in Composition from the University of Toronto, and a Masters Degree in Education in Supervision and Administration from Baruch College.
Carolyn Scimone-Rowan teaches general music and chorus at Mount Kisco Elementary School. She is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and has a Masters degree from The Juilliard School. Prior to her teaching career, Mrs. Scimone-Rowan was a professional opera singer. Her credits include Glimmerglass Opera, Aspen Opera Company, San Diego Opera, Connecticut Opera, Tanglewood Festival, Caramoor and Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. She can be heard on Etcetera Records.