Kristina Thomas began studying piano in the second grade at Tacoma Baptist Schools. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education at Pacific Lutheran University and taught high school band and orchestra in the Tacoma Public Schools for three years.
        Kristina has taught both piano and flute in the Puget Sound area since 1994. She is currently on the staff of the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association and the Minister of Music at Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Karl has taught both violin and viola for more than 25 years. His students routinely achieve the highest possible scores in competitions and evaluations. He uses multiple resources to teach students from the earliest to the most advanced levels and tailors his teaching to each individual student's abilities. 
       After majoring in Viola Performance at Pacific Lutheran University, Karl moved to Southern California to continue studying and received a full ride scholarship to play in the Cal State Long Beach String Quartet and played with the LA Philharmonic Institute Orchestra for two seasons.
       Karl has performed with multiple professional orchestras including the Portland Chamber Orchestra, Portland Opera, and Tacoma Opera. He played principal viola for the national tour of Steven Sondheim’s “Into The Woods.” Karl has performed for television, film, and in the recording industry. He is currently under contract with the Redlands Symphony and with the Oregon Coast Music Festival as associate principal viola.

Kevin spent 24 years as an elementary school teacher; 19 of those years were here in University Place which included 2 years as the music teacher at Evergreen Primary. He currently oversees the worship with his wife, Martie, at Neighborhood Church here in U.P. At N.C. he has had the opportunity to work with up and coming musicians in the Youth band for several years.
       Kevin received his passion for music from his dad, Jim Schultz, who was a trumpet player and had all kinds of music going all the time. He believes that music can break down walls and bring people together from all cultures and backgrounds. He has seen this first hand as he has had the opportunity to lead worship in Mexico and Cuba. His primary goal is to share his passion for music and the guitar with young musicians.

Lisa Todd started playing cello at a young age and studied with Fern Glass Boyd at the University of Montana. She then studied with David Hoffman at Pacific Lutheran University and graduated  with a degree in K-12 instrumental music and taught orchestra in the Federal Way public schools at the elementary and junior high level for 6 years.            
       As a young mom, she turned her focus to private teaching and has continued for over 30 years. She enjoys working with students of all ages and skill levels and continues to sharpen her teaching skills by seeking out training with top instructors in the cello world. Lisa is the Director of UPPC’s Music and Arts Institute and also enjoys teaching early childhood music at UPPC's Sunset Christian Preschool.

Mick Crosby spent 34 years with the Tacoma School District as an elementary teacher and principal. He is a member of the UPPC Chancel Brass and plays with the Tacoma Musical Playhouse. His primary goal is to share with young musicians the joys and musical challenges of playing the trombone.