BOARD MEMBERS

Brittany Ward

President

Brittany graduated from St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI with a Bachelors of Music degree in 2010. She earned her Masters of Music in Music Education with a Kodály emphasis at Holy Family College (formerly Silver Lake College) in Manitowoc, WI in 2020. She is certified in the Kodály approach, as well as John Feierabend's First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege. Brittany completed her Level 1 Orff-Schulwerk training in 2021 at Lakeland University in Plymouth, WI. She began teaching in 2010 and is currently teaching K-4 general music in the Grafton School District. Brittany has been a member of the AWAKE board since 2017 serving as a member-at-large before becoming secretary, treasurer, and now president. Her favorite part of being on the board is coordinating the AWAKE choral festival and making connections with other music teachers.

Ally Schnier

Past President

Ally has been a member of the AWAKE board since 2016. She earned her Bachelors of Arts degree from Luther College in Decorah, IA in 2012. She earned her Masters of Music Education and Kodály Certification at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, WI in 2019. She is certified in the Kodály approach, as well as John Feierabend's First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege. She is currently working on her Social-Emotional Learning certification from Rutgers University. She has presented workshops on Social-Emotional Learning in the general music classroom, and has served as a guest clinician working with high school choirs on South African and Namibian choral music. Ally also serves as Vice President of Greater Milwaukee Orff Dimensions, an affiliate chapter of AOSA. She has been teaching since 2014 and is currently teaching in the Elmbrook School District. Ally is an active member of the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus.

Caitlin Dahl

Secretary

Caitlin joined AWAKE in 2024. She earned her Bachelors of Music Education from Winona State University in 2015 and her Masters in Music Education with a Kodály Emphasis from Colorado State University in 2022. She began teaching elementary general music in 2015. Currently she is teaching K-5 music in the Whitnall School District in Hales Corners, WI. She looks forward to contributing to AWAKE's success and working closely with the board to support the organization goals.

Kaye Schmitz

Treasurer

Kaye has received her Masters in Music Education with a Kodaly Emphasis from Lakeland University, as well as, Orff 1 & 2 training from Lakeland University. She has brought students to the choral festival the last 2 years. She is interested in providing opportunities for music teachers to network and grow. She would also like to provide opportunities for interested students to develop their singing skills, technique and experience exposure to great repertoire and participation in a larger size group at our AWAKE Choral Festival.

Naomi Fitz

Member-at-Large

Naomi has been bringing students to the AWAKE festival for the past few years. She is a choir teacher in the Menasha School District. Most of her teaching experience is with middle and high school age choirs. She completed Kodaly Level III and a Masters degree in Music Education at Silver Lake College. She looks to provide opportunities for students and teachers to experience music together.

Linda Ruona

Member-at-Large

Linda has been the 5-12 Choir Directors and 5-6 General Music teacher at Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School and High School since 2007. Prior to that, she taught K-6 general music in the Appleton Area School District. She is a 2003 graduate of Silver Lake College with a Masters in Music. Linda has previously served 2 years on the AWAKE board as secretary.