St. Philip Arts & Liturgy Institute
THE VISION
God is revealed through the beauty of the arts and in truth. St. Philip has created the Arts & Liturgy Institute (SPALI) to offer parishioners and the local community the opportunity to explore the artistic gifts God has given them and, explore and learn about the liturgy to expand one’s life in faith and service. Blessed with an abundance of talent, SPALI enables our musicians and artists to serve the Church and help fill the need for musicians, artists, and leaders for the Church now and in the future.
THE MISSION
To promote the Gospel by developing musicians and liturgists for St. Philip and the local community.
To deepen the faith of the faithful to become better disciples of Christ.
Course Offerings
Tuition rates for private lessons are $30 per half hour lesson except for vocal coaching sessions which are $50 per half hour. Student schedules will be based on teacher availability. Students will have at least one performance opportunity a year.
We are currently working on partnering with National Pastoral Musicians (NPM), the national organization for all pastoral musicians. Our goal is to develop and certify accompanists and instrumentalists (in addition to NPM’s current certification for cantors and Music Directors). This will enable SPALI to provide quality musicians to other parishes who are in need. For those interested in this process, please contact John Angotti at (615) 550-2834 or JAngotti@StPhilipFranklin.com.
TBD as we adjust for health precautions.
Instructors
Email one of our instructors to begin lessons…
Melanie Joy Alvey is a contemporary violinist, composer, arranger and teacher who completed her Undergraduate Degree and Masters Degree in Commercial Performance at Belmont University.
Violin: Suzuki for early stages, advanced college prep standard repertoire, complementary material in many styles (bluegrass, jazz, Irish, sacred, and pop), emphasis on early sight-reading, ear training and improvisation, correct technique, and constantly building confidence.
Composition and Music Theory: One-on-one tutoring to get to the next level of understanding music theory while putting this knowledge toward your own creative compositions.
John is the Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Philip as well as a songwriter, national recording artist and speaker.
Accompanying Skills: To develop the ability to play for choirs, cantors, etc. Students will learn about chords, how to read lead sheets and how to develop creative beginnings and endings of songs. These lessons will train the student to play for mass and other prayer events.
Vocal performance and confidence building lessons: For children or teens. Lessons will focus on developing the individual’s voice, learning to sing in harmony and building up the confidence to perform and share their gifts with the world. On-camera / Video performance is an option.
Beginning-Intermediate Guitar: For anyone looking to begin playing a guitar or looking to take the next step. Includes basic music theory (key signatures and scales) and advanced theory (modes). Instruction covers basic chord shapes to soloing and improvisation, as well as writing riffs and catchy lead lines. Many times the difference between a “good” and a “great” player, isn’t what you play, but how and when you play it. My hope is to get guitarists to a point where they are comfortable in their playing!
Cellist, teacher, composer and arranger Andrew Dunn has had an incredibly diverse career in music. He has performed as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and in orchestras across North and South America, Europe and Australia. Excelling in a variety of styles, from classical to jazz, he has collaborated with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Christopher Rouse, and Placido Domingo, and played chamber music with members of the Cleveland and Cavani quartets. Andrew studied Suzuki teaching with Tanya Carey, Pamela Devenport, Melissa Kraut and Rick Mooney, and taught cello lessons and group class previously for STEP Birmingham. He has also taught college students at Austin Peay State University and Jacksonville State University.
From 2008 to 2019, Andrew served as the assistant principal cellist of the Alabama Symphony, and previously was a member of the Louisiana Philharmonic and Huntsville Symphony orchestras. He performs regularly with the symphony orchestras of Nashville and Atlanta and has also played with the Houston Symphony and Des Moines Metro Opera in the past. A frequent session player in the Nashville recording scene, Andrew has performed in dozens of soundtracks for movies, TV and video games. Notably, he has been a cello soloist for a number of well-known video game scores, including Destiny 2—Curse of Osiris. Internationally known for his arrangements of video game and other popular music, his arrangement and recording of Sacrifice Part Three from “Trials of Mana” won Best Acoustic Arrangement at the Game Music Remix Awards of 2021.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master of Music from Rice University. He studied cello with Lynn Harrell, Merry Peckham and Richard Aaron and chamber music with the Cavani String Quartet, Norman Fischer and Charles Castleman among others. He is currently pursuing a professional certificate in mixing and music production through the Berklee School of Music Online. In his spare time, Andrew loves all forms of cooking and baking, and can be frequently found working in the garden.
Vocal lessons: Private lessons will focus on fundamental singing techniques. Students will work on breathing, posture, vowel pronunciation and vocal placement. Students can request a musical genre of their choosing. At least one performance per year is encouraged but not required.
Vocal Coaching: Margaret Rose works with St. Philip Children’s Choir and will offer private and group vocal coaching to cantors, soloists, choir members and anyone wanting to find and free their natural voice.