Meet Our Teachers
Linda M. Fields, Founder and Director
Musikgarten and Piano
BM cum laude (piano) from the University of North Texas; MM (piano) from the Peabody Conservatory; Church Music Certificate and graduate credits in organ from the Westminster Choir College; trained in both Musikgarten and Kindermusik®; Level III ECMMA Certified (highest ECMMA certified teacher in NJ); former faculty: Westminster Choir College Conservatory Division, Hood College, The Peabody Preparatory Dept.; former Church Musician, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in West Windsor; Asst. Treasurer, NJMTA; Past President, Piano Teachers Forum of Central New Jersey.
Nancy E. Merkel
Piano Director
MSW Adelphi University, NY. BA Queens College, NY; Certificate in Piano Pedagogy, New School for Music Study, Kingston, NJ; Director of Morning Glory Music in Manalapan, featuring Music Together classes for children from birth through age 5; Adjunct Faculty member of Brookdale Community College where she teaches Group Piano; maintains an active piano studio in Manalapan, NJ; member, Piano Teachers Forum of Central New Jersey.
Victoria Shuk Yan Chow
Piano
BM summa cum laude (piano) from Westminster Choir College of Rider University; currently a graduate student studying with Ingrid Clarfield at Westminster Choir College, and the WCC Piano Department's Graduate Assistant. Miss Chow has won First Prize every year at the Westminster Piano Competition in Calgary, Canada. She has performed with the Princeton Festival, in addition to recitals in Fort Myers, FL and at Longwood Gardens, PA. Miss Chow maintains a private studio and is also the Church Musician of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Princeton.
Jennifer Digioia
Musikgarten
An experienced early childhood educator with more than 15 years of involvement in the development and implementation of children's programs, Jen has taught in the preschool Sunday School at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church for 5 years, and has been an active and dynamic Vacation Bible School leader there as well. She is on the board of the Kid's Corner Cooperative Nursery School, where she also serves as a volunteer substitute teacher. Jen sings alto in her local church choir, and plays in the handbell choir. She is trained and licensed in Musikgarten.
Laura Klein
Piano
MM, Piano Performance & Pedagogy, Westminster Choir College (in progress); BM, Piano Performance, Mars Hill College, NC. Nationally certified through Music Teachers National Association; former faculty, Walla Walla University; current faculty, Westminster Conservatory of Music. Ms. Klein is an active solo and ensemble performer. Her teachers include Dr. Robin Garner, Dr. Andrew Cooperstock, and Mrs. Phyllis Lehrer.
Carolyn Keurajian
Musikgarten
Bachelor of Arts in Business Marketing from University of Puget Sound. Music study at University of North Texas School of Music. Named Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival "Outstanding Jazz Musician." Played in back-up bands for festival guests Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco, Cab Calloway, Chris Calloway, and Sarah Vaughn. Private woodwind study with Mike Monoghan (Boston Pops), Joe Temperly (Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra), Al Regni (National Symphony, NY Philharmonic). Performed with Up With People as singer and sax player. Vocal study with Chris Calloway. Lead alto player in saxophone quartet "Cirque Saxophonia" and Ramsey Wind Symphony 2000-2005. Former Board Member, current faculty: Kid's Corner Cooperative Nursery School; trained in Musikgarten and Music Together.
Suzanne Lehrer
Piano
MM (piano performance) from Westminster Choir College of Rider University where she studied with Jose Ramos-Santana; BA (Music/piano) from University of Rochester; classical and jazz piano studies at the Eastman School of Music; faculty of Westminster Conservatory of Rider University since 1997; independent studio in Princeton since 1998; member, Music Teachers National Association.
Kristen Topham
Piano
BM in piano performance from Brigham Young University where she studied with Marlene Bachelder; MM in piano performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College where she studied with Ingrid Clarfield. Kristen is a member of the New Jersey Music Teachers Association and has served as the coordinator for the statewide festival for three years. Kristen also gives lectures about music history to high-school age students at camps and festivals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Kristen has performed in the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall and in faculty recitals at Westminster. She is currently an adjunct professor of piano at Westminster Choir College and has been teaching piano privately since 2003.