Instructors and Staff

Lauren Summa teaches music at Melba Passmore Elementary in the Alvin Independent School District, where she has been recognized as both district and campus Teacher of the Year. She is an active presenter for school districts and music education organizations at the local and state levels. Lauren has extensive experience serving students in specialized behavior programs and has taught in Title I schools throughout her career. Passmore Percussion was an Invited Elementary Performing Ensemble for the Texas Music Educators Association in 2018.  Lauren is the current Vice President and Elementary Division Chair of TMEA. Lauren is an active member of AOSA and TGCOA and serves both organizations in positions and committees. She teaches Basic Level I for the Jackson State University and Alvin ISD Levels courses.  Lauren is a founding member of Casulana, the Women’s Choir of Houston and she sings with her son and future daughter-in-law in the Alvin Community Chorus Lauren lives in Alvin, Texas, with her family.

Karen K. Benson serves as the Professional Development Director for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), where she is also a Past President and former National Conference Chair. Karen taught grades PreK-5 for 33 years, including 29 years in the Millard Public School District in Omaha, Nebraska, where she also directed the school’s choir and the district’s Orff Schulwerk Honors Ensemble.

Karen continues to teach AOSA Teacher Education Level Courses at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Alvin Independent School District. Additionally, she serves as an instructor for supplemental Orff Schulwerk seminars and AOSA chapter workshops, a guest lecturer for collegiate music education classes, and adjunct faculty for the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Ashland University.

As a performing musician, Karen plays saxophone, performs on recorder with the Renaissance Thyme Recorder Consort and violin with The Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha, and sings in the Sing Omaha Master Chorale.

Shelly Smith has been teaching for 35 years. Shelly was a contributing author to Artful-Mindful-Playful in Action. Shelly teaches movement and recorder at several AOSA Teacher Education Certification courses and has served as a workshop clinician at numerous professional development music conferences, school districts, and AOSA regional chapters. Shelly has served as a Regional Representative for the AOSA National Board of Trustees, the Curriculum Oversight Review Committee and the Digital Mentorship Committee.

Kristine Wolfe has been teaching PreK-6 Music & Band in the Papillion - La Vista (NE) Community Schools for over 25 years. She earned a BM from Iowa State University and a MM from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. In addition to her Kodaly training, Kristine is a Level I & II Orff Schulwerk Instructor and is an active clinician at workshops throughout the United States. Kristine currently serves on the AOSA Fund Development Subcommittee and has attended the National Conference every year since 2006. She has been on the GPOC (Great Plains Orff Chapter) Board since 2005, having served as President, Vice President and Membership Chair before taking over as Program Chair in 2015. In her free time, Kristine enjoys singing and playing Oboe in the Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha, as well as Recorder with The Jewel Tones.

Paul Cimini holds degrees from the University of Houston and the University of St. Thomas, MN, and is in his 12th year as a music specialist with Katy ISD. Named Campus Teacher of the Year in 2020, he is certified in both Kodály and Orff Schulwerk pedagogies. Paul currently serves as President of the Texas Gulf Coast Orff Association. 

Emma Bassett  is an Orff-Shulwerk Certified educator and has served as the Alvin ISD Orff-Shulwerk Course Director since 2024. She is currently a Texas Gulf Coast Orff Association Member At Large.  Since beginning her career, Mrs. Bassett has taught all levels and genres of Music in grades K-8 including Choir, Band, Orchestra, and General Music. Currently, she is the founding Music Specialist at Nichols Mock Elementary (Alvin ISD). She previously directed the Pomona Pirate Choir, a 2022 TMEA invited performing group. In 2020, she was named a top 10 finalist for Alvin ISD District Teacher of the Year.  She is a frequent clinician for local school districts and music educator clinics in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

Garrett McClurg-Vice President

Sarah Prather-Member at Large