Choir Staff
Mr. Andrew J. Nemeth
anemeth@phm.k12.in.us
Andrew J. Nemeth, Director, completed his B.M. degree in Music Education from Butler University (2010). He studied voice with Steven Rickards and Mary Anne Scott, and studied conducting with Henry Leck, Eric Stark, and Tim Brimmer. He earned his M.M. degree in Music Education from Boston University in 2016 where he studied conducting with Ann Howard Jones. Nemeth regulary commisions composers to write for his groups. Recent composers have included the following: Daniel Brinsmead (2016), Dan McIntosh (2016), Ben Goshorn-Maroney (2016) , Paul Carey (2017), Ola Gjeilo (2018) , Eric Barnum (2019 & 2023), Sarah Quartel (2020), Kerry Marsh (2021 & 2022), Sean Ivory (2022), & Rich Campbell (2024)
Mr. Nemeth has been an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) since 2010 and regularly attends station, regional, and national conferences to learn from master music educators and conductors. Since his time at Penn, his students have received superior ratings from clinicians and adjudicators. Having worked with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, local middle and high schools, and community choirs, Nemeth has experience in making music with all ages and believes that singing is one of the best ways to prepare students with lifelong skills and appreciation. He sings tenor with the South Bend Chamber Singers, and is Music Director at Holy Family Catholic Church in South Bend. Mr. Nemeth directs Gold Standard and Viva Voce.
Mrs. Allison Secaur
asecaur@phm.k12.in.us
Allison Secaur, Assosiate Director & Accompanist. This is Allison Secaur's 18th year in the PHM School Corporation. She has been both a director and an accompanist for the choirs at Schmucker Middle School and Penn High School. Mrs. Secaur has also played for 11 Penn musicals and many contest solos and ensembles. Her experiences outside of PHM include touring with the Ball State Chamber Choir in the Pacific Northwest and the St. Mary’s Women’s Choir in China, accompanying the LaPorte High School Choirs, directing the Mississinewa High School and R.J. Baskett Middle School Choirs, coordinating the Circle the State with Song middle school festivals at Goshen College, and accompanying under the direction of Dr. Nancy Menk at Carnegie Hall. Mrs. Secaur currently serves on the music team at her church alongside her husband of 21 years, Kenny. Mrs. Secaur directs Bel Canto and Bella Voce.
Mr. Ethan Schopp
Mr. Ethan Schopp has been involved in music for most of his life. From singing
in elementary school programs to Illinois All State Honors Vocal Jazz to the Butler University Chamber Singers, he has sung in a wide variety of genres, styles, and settings. He was first interested in teaching in middle school, but it was in his senior year of high school that his choir teacher gave him a song to teach and direct for the final concert of the year, mentoring him along the way as he began to explore the world of choral music teaching. From that day on, he was hooked on teaching music. Ethan took that passion for music and teaching to Butler University in Indianapolis where he graduated with honors in May of 2023. His years at Butler and the many field experiences it provided molded him into a teacher who thinks critically about his pedagogy and how he is impacting his students. Ethan strives to be a teacher who takes a student-centered approach that cares for and values each individual student, sequences lessons and rehearsals in a developmentally appropriate way, and prioritizes learning that is fun, relevant, and socially and emotionally engaging. Ethan knows the power of communication and genuine relationships; he is looking forward to joining a team of incredible teachers and students.
Originally from Minier, IL - a town of just around 1,000 people - Ethan is looking forward to engaging with a larger student body and a large arts community. Musically, he is a tenor singer and also a percussionist; he loves listening to almost any genre under the sun. In his free time, Ethan enjoys climbing, hiking, biking, video games, and spending time with his friends and family, including his older brother, Collin, a reporter for an Illinois NPR affiliate station.