meet our directors
Cheryl Wilson
Director of Choral Activities
Cheryl Wilson, a native Texan, holds a BMEd. from Sam Houston State University where she studied with Bev Henson, Carol Smith and Virginia Irvin. She has done graduate work at Holy Names College in Oakland, CA and Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. Her 28 years of teaching have included elementary, middle school and high school positions in the Garland ISD and the Klein ISD. Since moving to Dallas in 1986, Cheryl has taught in the Garland ISD and is now in her fifteenth year at Garland High School and her eighth year as the Head Choral Director. In 1993, while at Lyles Middle School, her Acappella Choir was selected as a Texas Music Educator’s Association Performing Choir. She had this honor again at Garland High when the Acappella Women were selected in 2003 and the Acappella Choir in 2006.
Cheryl has served the Texas Choral Directors Association as the Middle School/Junior High Division Vice President and as the Secretary /Treasurer. A frequent clinician and adjudicator in the state, Cheryl’s professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators’ Association, the Texas Choral Directors’ Association, the Texas Music Adjudicators’ Association, the American Choral Directors’ Association, and Pi Kappa Lambda.
She lives in Dallas with the choir dog, a spoiled yorkie named Reilly.
cwilson@garlandisd.net
Jeff Goolsby
Associate Director
Jeff Goolsby is completing his fifth year of teaching and his second at Garland High School. He teaches the Treble B and Treble A Choirs, Chamber Singers, and the A Cappella Men. Prior to coming to GHS, he has taught at both the middle school and high school levels in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Plano Independent School Districts. He has served as director of music and worship at various churches, including the Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene, TX, and St. Alban’s Episcopal Chapel in Baton Rouge, LA. Jeff holds the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Louisiana State University where he studied with Kenneth Fulton and Sara Lynn Baird. While at LSU, he conducted the LSU Tiger Glee Club, the all-university men’s chorus. Jeff earned the Bachelor of Music degree from Abilene Christian University, where he graduated summa cum laude. A student of Julie Pruett (voice) and Michael Scarbrough (conducting), he was the recipient of the University Scholar award in 2001. Professional memberships include the American Choral Directors Association, Texas Choral Directors Association, and the Texas Music Educators Association. He lives in Dallas with his wife of five years, Lisa, and their plump orange cat, Scout.
jgoolsby@garlandisd.net
Rebecca Baker
Accompanist
Rebecca Morgan Baker has had a long and varied career as a pianist, educator, conductor, accompanist/coach, church musician and entrepreneur. Originally from Elizabethtown, New York, she received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Performance from Ithaca College in 1983. Subsequently she taught for 9 years at both North Country Community College and SUNY Plattsburgh, and maintained a private teaching studio of 35 students. Upon receiving a full scholarship for graduate work at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, she moved to sunny and much warmer Texas in 1993 to earn dual Master of Music degrees in both Choral Conducting and Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music. Following a year of teaching at American Samoa Community College from 1997 - 98, she returned to the United States and served as head choral director at Wylie High School for three years, followed by four years in Plano ISD at Armstrong Middle School and the newly-opened Murphy Middle School. Retiring from her career as a choral music educator in May of 2005, she has continued and extended her active professional accompanying schedule, working primarily for the Garland, Wylie and Plano school districts in band, choir and orchestra concert and contest events. Throughout her career she has been consistently sought-after as an accompanist or pianist for All-Region choir performances, UIL contests, Regional and State Solo and Ensemble competitions, Texas and New York State events, and numerous professional choir and orchestra concerts. Currently she is also Vice President of Operations for Dorian Business Systems, where she was co-creator and developer of the Charms Music Office Assistant, a software management tool for secondary and college music teachers. She and her husband Michael are nurturing two singer/pianists, Samuel, 16 and Rachel, 12. She is very pleased to be offered the opportunity to perform with the outstanding Garland High School Choir, and to work with the inestimable Cheryl Wilson.
rbaker@charmsmusic.com
Terrie Preskitt-Brown
Vocal Instructor
Terrie Preskitt-Brown has been teaching private voice students at Garland High School since 2004. Her full-time job is at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, where she serves as the Coordinator of Children’s Music and is also on the voice faculty of the TowerArts Conservatory. In her career as a voice teacher she has coached twenty-five students to the Texas All State Choir. Additionally, she serves as Assistant Conductor of the Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas, and is in demand as a clinician for elementary music teachers and children’s choirs. Before joining the staff at HPUMC, she served for seven years as the Music Specialist at Hillside Academy for Excellence, a magnet school for the Gifted & Talented in the Garland ISD.
A magna cum laude graduate of Texas Christian University, Terrie holds degrees in Music Education and Voice Performance. While at TCU, she was the recipient of the Nordan Scholarship, received the TCU Performer’s Certificate for solo performances with orchestra, and was chosen by music faculty to be the Senior Scholar in Music for the Honors Department.
A member of the Orpheus Chamber Singers since its first season, she is the soprano section leader for that professional chorus, and has sung as a soloist in recitals, concerts and oratorios around the United States, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, England and Italy. Her solo performances include Brahms’ Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and The Creation, Bach’s Mass in B Minor (European debut), St. Matthew Passion, and many of his cantatas, Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Messiah, and Poulenc’s Gloria.
Ms. Preskitt’s goal is to spread the joy of music-making with as many people as she can. Helping her students become the best singers they can be is her motivation!
Preskitt holds the Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Vocal Performance degrees from Texas Christian University (magna cum laude). She is also a Level III-certified Orff-Schulwerk instructor and utilizes this philosophy in her teaching.
preskittt@hpumc.org
Jorja Krause
Vocal Instructor
Mrs. Jorja Krause, soprano, received her formal vocal training at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. In addition to her ongoing contribution to music through private voice teaching, her extensive performance experience spans a broad range of genre and venue:
- The Continental Singers
- The World Alliance sponsored European Partnership Mission to Finland
- The American Church of Paris
- The Dallas Christian Jazz Band
- The Amalfi Coast Music Festival of Italy, where she performed the role of Nella in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi
- Classical Voice Recitals featuring music of Handel, Monteverdi, Mozart, Schubert and Debussy
- Currently a member of Evening Song, an auditioned 40 member choir with musicians from the DFW metroplex
jmkgarches@verizon.net