Victor Valley College Music Faculty

Department Chair

Karen Miskell, DMA, is the Music Department Chairperson and Director of Vocal Activities at VVC. Dr. Miskell earned a Doctorate of Choral Music from the University of Southern California (May 2018). While attending USC, she was a member of the Thornton Chamber Singers; through this esteemed ensemble, she has sung at events such as the 2014 World Choral Symposium in Seoul, Korea and with artists such as Sir Elton John at the 2013 Emmy Awards. Originally from Ohio, Dr. Miskell earned a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Miami in 2005 and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Northern Arizona University in 2013. In between the two degrees, she taught public middle and high school choir in the Clark County School District of Las Vegas, Nevada.  Dr. Miskell is an active adjudicator and clinician at festivals and schools across the US, and is thrilled to be working with the fine musicians at VVC.

Email: Karen.Miskell@vvc.edu

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Mrs. Sternfeld received her B.A. from Cal Poly Pomona in Education, M.A. from CSULA in Musicology and has taught violin and viola for over 40 years.  Her students have participated in the High Desert Symphony, Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra, Intermezzo Strings, Southern California Youth Symphony, and the National Disney Young Musicians Orchestra.  Her most advanced students teaching at the university level and performing with the L.A. Philharmonic Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.  She was the founder of the Cal Poly Pomona Music Conservatory, Victor Valley College String Choir, Preludium Strings, Symphony Orchestra, and concertmaster of the High Desert Symphony.  Her career highlights include performing with the national award winning Cal Poly Los Broncos Mariachi (where she met her husbandJ ) and their work with the world renowned Mariachi Vargas Tecalitlan, performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and movie and soundtrack orchestra for Elvis and the Beauty Queen.

Sternfeld is currently enjoying her 22nd year of teaching at VVC as an adjunct faculty member and teaches classes in music appreciation, fundamentals, and applied strings.  Upon her retirement from conducting and responsibilities as string coordinator she now enjoys her first passion - performing with the VVC Symphony Orchestra and spending time with her kids and grandchildren.

Email: Barbara.Sternfeld@vvc.edu

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Rich has been teaching guitar since around 1977. He then became a guitar teacher at Tom’s Music in Victorville, CA when he finished high school in 1979. It was also then that he came to VVC as a student and studied extensively under Dr. Tom Miller. After studying there he went to Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA in 1985-1986. There he studied guitar at the Guitar Institute of Technology at MI and studied under many of the top studio and jazz musicians of that time. Among the many great teachers there were Joe Diorio, Joe Pass, Ron Eschete, Tommy Tedesco (of the Wrecking Crew), Robben Ford, Lester Wise, Jeff Berlin, Frank Gambale, Scott Henderson and many more. We were frequented by so many other top musicians when they were in town, such as Larry Carlton, Jaco Pastorius, Allen Holdsworth and Al Dimeola just to name a few. These musicians are on more records than we can even begin to name. There Rich graduated with honors in the top 5% of this class.

After returning to the high desert, Dr. Miller encouraged Rich in 1989 to become the guitar instructor at VVC and he has been there teaching guitar, music fundamentals and leading two performing groups, the Guitar Ensemble and more recently the Jazz Rock Combo.

Rich has been a working musician since his teenage years and has performed in Jazz, Rock, Blues, Classical, Worship, Latin, Brazilian, Dance, Country and Reggae music styles. He has recorded with his jazz band ZZAJ as well as with other artists. He has a passion for teaching music and has helped many students reach toward their goals.

Among his other passions, he is an avid woodworker, even helping students build their own guitar, and he and his wife are hiking enthusiasts.

Email: Richard.Sumner@vvc.edu

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Erika Collazos is a musicologist and an instructor for the music department at Victor Valley College (VVC). Her musical journey sparked when attending VVC as a student, where hard work and diligence propelled her to receive two Associate of Arts Degrees, one in Fine Arts and the other in the Liberal Arts, and Erika takes much pride to be among the graduating class of 2009, receiving high honors. With two degrees and momentum on her side, Erika decided to take her passion for knowledge and music and embark on a new journey at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). While at UCR she immersed herself in understanding diversity and how music enriched and shaped different cultures. Courses that expanded Erika’s worldview are “Rock and Roll History,” “Homosexuality in Music,” “Opera,” “Music from the Andes,” and “Counterpoint.” In addition to these history courses, Erika’s musical knowledge expanded while learning unconventional instruments to our American experience, indeed, performing and studying the “Javanese Gamelan,” as well as in an ensemble setting. Erika not only has experience with the Indonesian Javanese Gamelan but also follows a traditional route in vocal performance and has participated in the Chamber singers, Choral society and the UCR Orchestra, as well as, extensive training in form and analysis. In 2013, she was awarded a Bachelor’s of Arts with a major in Music, graduating with the highest of honors (Summa Cum Laude). Erika’s honors thesis “The Invisible Rapper” can be found in the library at UCR. Shifting her focus on graduate school, Erika attended Claremont Graduate University and received her master’s degree in 2015 in the field of musicology. She is working towards her Ph.D. and is expected to start her dissertation in 2021. She returned to her Alma Mater in 2016, where Erika seeks to inspire students to all the wonders of music and help them understand the beauty of diversity through music. She is committed to the students at VVC by teaching Music (100), 101, 102, 104, 105, and advisor to the music club.

Email: Erika.Collazos@vvc.edu

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Mr. Shane Sherrodd is in his 24th year of teaching music. He currently serves as applied saxophone adjunct music faculty at Victor Valley College as well as director of orchestra, choirs, and guitar at Oak Hills High School in Oak Hills, California. Prior to these positions, he was instrumental and choral director at Cedar Middle School receiving the teacher of the year award for 2018-2019. In 2009, as founding instrumental director, he opened Oak Hills High School bringing multiple ensembles to local and national distinction, including numerous superior ratings in festival and at competition. Prior to that, he held similar positions at Hesperia High School, Alta Loma Junior High School, Temescal Canyon High School, and Norwalk High School.  Mr. Sherrodd holds a Bachelor of Music in Education from California State University, Fullerton (1997), and a Master’s of Science Degree in Arts and Letters, emphasis Music Education from the American Band College located at Southern Oregon University (2003).  Mr. Sherrodd has had the fortune to study with world-renowned saxophonists: Mr. Stan Seckler, Dr. Jeffrey Benedict, and Mr. James Rotter. He plays regularly in the VVC studio jazz ensemble.

In 2007, he was conductor of the SBCMEA High Desert Middle School Honor Band and in February of 2020, was the SBCMEA High Desert Elementary Honor Band guest conductor. He has been a member of SBCMEA and sat on the board as the High School Honor Band representative from 2012-2014. He has been a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a professional music fraternity since 1995 as well member of SCSBOA since that time.  In 2004, he was published in the April-June issue of Bandworld magazine featuring his master’s research in saxophone to bassoon transfer methodology.

Mr. Shane Sherrodd resides in Oak Hills, California with his wife, Devon, and their daughter, Sadie.

Email: Shane.Sherrodd@hesperiausd.org

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