Andrea Conte
Andrea was born in Cordoba, Argentina, and got her B.A. in Studio Art from the Universidad Nacional De Cordoba in 1998 as well as a degree in Graphic Design from the Colegio Nacional de Monserrat. After moving to the U.S. she graduated Summa Cum Laude at CSU Chico with a B.A. in Art Education in 2003. She received her teaching credential and a Master of Arts in Education from Chapman University in Sacramento in 2005. Andrea also taught at NCSA as one of our Artists in Residence from 2004 – 2005 and 2006-2007.
Asia Currie
Asia has studied at the American College in Paris, CSU Fullerton, and Orange Coast College with a focus on fine arts and child development. She began working in school art programs in 1991 and has been a part of NCSA since 1995. Her goal in working with young people is to inspire self-confidence, positive self-expression, and respect for oneself and the world.
Samantha Jones
Samantha has been teaching in California’s public schools for over 20 years. She holds both Art and Multiple Subject teaching credentials, and is a member of the California Arts Educators Association. She became an NCSA parent in 2010, and joined the staff in 2012.
Samantha is an avid sketchbook artist, and especially loves to draw while traveling. She believes that drawing is a wonderful way to understand the world, and that the practice of observing and drawing is an important part of leaning in all subjects. Art making is a powerful way to understand other perspectives and values, and can teach us so much about our shared and diverse human experiences. In the art classroom, Samantha aims to balance technique exploration with skills practice, artist study with personal expression, creative freedom with parameters and deadlines, and community with individualism. Samantha is inspired by the way young children find so much joy in art making, and one of her goals is to help all students hold on to that joy.
Gabriel Clark
Gabriel has been teaching @ NCSA since the 2010-2011 school year and has been teaching in CA public schools for 16 years. Born and raised in upstate NY, Gabriel moved out to California in 2005 after graduating from Ithaca College with a BA in K-12 general music education and instrumental music education. Since his start at NCSA, Gabriel has taught a mixture of main lesson integrative music classes and instrumental music electives classes. Currently, Gabriel teaches T/K – 5th grade main lesson music and also teaches a Beginning Band elective and a Jazz Band elective in 6th-8th grade.
Outside the context of music and NCSA, Gabriel has been an active alternative health care practitioner for over 8 years within the mind-body system of Functional Symmetry.
Ariel May
Ariel’s mission is to empower singers to connect with their authentic voice, strengthen their musicianship, and create joyful connections through music. A California native, Ariel earned her B.M. in Music Education from Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, and K–12 teaching credential and M.A. in Teaching Music from UC Irvine. She is currently the choral conductor for Music in the Mountains and Sierra College. When not teaching, Ariel enjoys baking, camping, and crocheting with her kids.