Meet The Team
Florence Phillips Music is powered by a dedicated team of musicians and educators who share a deep love for teaching and inspiring others through music. Under the guidance of Florence Phillips, our team works collaboratively to create a welcoming, encouraging space where students of all backgrounds and abilities can develop their skills and express themselves creatively. We're here to support every step of your musical journey.
FLORENCE PHILLIPS
At Florence Phillips Music Studio, we welcome musicians of all levels—from beginners to advanced students preparing for auditions or performances. We offer lessons in piano, strings, and voice, as well as group classes for a collaborative learning experience.
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With an MMus in piano pedagogy from West Chester University and experience teaching musicians of all ages in both private and classroom settings, I tailor each lesson to your unique goals. Together, we’ll develop your skills and deepen your love for music.
Contact us to learn more or enroll—I’d love to hear from you!
HEIDI GRIFFITH
Heidi Steiner Griffith began playing the piano at the age of 7 – practicing with keys taped on to the dining room table! Soon piano became her passion. Throughout High School she won numerous honors at both the State and National level. She later studied at Bryn Mawr Music Conservatory and West Chester University where she was offered a full music scholarship.
Heidi completed her degree at WCU with a BA in Psychology in 2000. She has taught lessons for 17 years and maintained a private studio of up to 25 students while also teaching Music at the Elementary School level. Heidi is an accomplished Church pianist having accompanied sacred choral and dramatic productions for more than 20 years. She has supported the efforts of the KCEA All State Choir and is a much sought-after accompanist for Encore Home School productions and the Hershey Theater Apollo awards
THOMAS HSU
Thomas Hsu is an accomplished classical performer of both monumental classics and underplayed pieces by either well-known or lesser-known composers. He has been unafraid to tackle large projects such as the Liszt Transcendental Etudes, S. 139, while promoting pieces like Scriabin’s esoteric Sonata No. 7 “White Mass”, Rachmaninoff’s lengthy and less popular Sonata No. 1, Op. 28, and Alkan’s overshadowed lighter works including Aime-moi and selections from the Recueil de Chants, Op. 65. As early as in 9th grade, Thomas had the opportunity to perform Chopin’s Scherzo No. 1 live on the WRTI classical radio station; more recently, he won the second prize in the Chicago International Music Competition in 2023 and was a finalist in the MTNA national competition of the same year.
In addition to his solo repertoire, Thomas also enjoys performing in chamber groups. Notable pieces in the recent past include Beethoven’s 5th and 6th Violin Sonatas and Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, although he suffered an injury while planning further pieces. He has also performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra following PianoTexas’ junior concerto competition in 2021, and won the West Chester University concerto competition in 2023 with Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor.
Thomas is currently a piano performance major at West Chester University under professor Igor Resnianski, with whom he has studied since high school; his previous teacher was Yung-Chen Lin.
SARAH GINGERY
Sarah has been playing harp for over 16 years and during that time has participated in multiple groups and competitions. She is a Bob Jones University graduate, where she studied Special Education and continued studying the harp.
During college she was involved in harp ensembles and worked as a collaborative musician. Over the last year, she has been a middle school education teacher and has taught harp on the side. Sarah loves combining her passions for music and teaching and is excited to be a part of the studio!
MEGAN DICAMILLO
Megan started learning piano at the age of seven and became very dedicated to practicing and composing music. Throughout high school, she competed in a variety of competitions for piano performance and music-writing. She was a first prize winner multiple years in the NFMC Junior Composer’s Contest, MTNA composition contest, and PFMC performance and composition contests. She won first prize in the Lynn Freeman Olsen contest, a national competition focused on the writing of pedagogical works. Megan completed her Bachelor’s of Music in composition with an emphasis in piano at West Chester University, where she studied with the internationally acclaimed pianist Dr. Igor Resnianski.
She also completed her Master’s in Piano Pedagogy at WCU, receiving a specialized education in the methods and techniques needed to teach successfully at any level. Megan was inspired to become a teacher because of the powerful influence that her own music teachers had in shaping her life. The guidance of these teachers instilled her with a passion for music that she wishes to pass on to her own students. Megan actively participates in various piano institutes and competitions to sharpen her skills; recently, she placed second in the 2023 New Orleans Piano Institute Solo Competition. Megan is currently continuing her graduate education at WCU, still studying with Dr. Igor Resnianski, to expand her ability as a pianist through a performance degree. It is Megan’s personal belief that mastering an instrument is a lifelong journey that brings endless challenges, excitement, and fulfillment to an individual’s life.
KATE WELDON
Originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania, Kate Weldon holds a music education degree with a concentration in voice performance from Messiah University, along with certification from the Vocal Pedagogy Institute through Westminster Choir College. Kate has extensively studied education, solo vocal performance, and choral conducting and performance. She has performed with ensembles and as a soloist across genres including classical choral, opera, jazz, and musical theater.
Over the past 5 years, Kate has taught voice both privately and in a school setting to a wide range of ages and abilities and provided vocal coaching for musicals and musical theater showcases. Kate has served as a choral intern with the Tennessee Chamber Choir, a choral scholar with The Choir School of Delaware, and a conducting intern with Berkshire Choral International and the Susquehanna Youth Chorale.
She spent 3 and a half years teaching music in public schools before moving to Chester County with her husband, and now plans to focus on her passion of private voice instruction and coaching. She is thrilled to be helping students of Florence Phillips Music Studio maintain vocal health, improve technique, and explore their voices across a wide variety of genres.
ALEXANDRA FAEHL
Alex first started learning piano at the age of 5. She is a prize winner of multiple piano competitions, including first prize in the senior division of the MTNA Piano State competition, and honorable mention at the New Orleans Piano Institute Concerto Competition. Her most recent accomplishments include winning the Concerto Competition at West Chester University, performing with their orchestra in March 2025.
A passionate chamber musician, Alexandra has performed with several chamber ensembles such works as Schumann’s Piano Quintet, Beethoven’s Ghost Trio, and Handel’s Concerto Grossi No. 1, Op. 6. Her recent solo recital performances featured all Chopin Ballades and all Rachmaninov Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33.
She has earned a bachelor’s in piano performance from West Chester University and was awarded a full scholarship for her studies. She is currently finishing up her master’s degree in piano pedagogy at WCU, where she has been studying with Dr. Igor Resnianski. Outside of school, Alex actively performs at her church and regularly volunteers in various nursing homes and rescue missions.
MADDIE GRIFFITH
Maddie joined us this summer and we are so thankful for what she adds to our vocal and piano department. Maddie is thrilled to be joining the FPS team to teach voice lessons! She is currently in her junior year at the Wells School of Music (West Chester University) and can’t wait to complete her degree. Maddie has also attended Bob Jones University (studying Music Education), the Crown College of the Bible, and the Academy of Arts Conservatory (studying Sacred Dramatic Production and Design).
Maddie’s broad education equips her to teach students a wide variety of vocal/piano genres including sacred, classical, operatic, folk, and musical theatre. Whether it’s audition prep, continued vocal training, or just for fun, Maddie would love to help all her students find their own, true, sound and grow it to the fullest of their abilities!
