Karen Clark & Cheri LaRue Leifert

Karen Clark & Cheri LaRue Leifert

Teaching chords, theory and accompaniment styles using lead sheets

Bio:

Karen Clark received a bachelor’s degree from Lindenwood College in music educa- tion with an emphasis in piano, studying with Groff Bittner. She has had a varied ca- reer that includes teaching K-8 music in public and private schools, working in the in- surance industry, becoming a fraud investigator while obtaining a Master’s Degree in Communication at Lindenwood. Her interest in Russian culture was peaked when she and her husband adopted a child from Russia. Karen's life has revolved around all forms of music and sharing that love with others, often accompanied by her hus- band. She has been a member of St Louis PTRT for many years in various roles. She has worked with Sara Campbell of Savvy Music Studio learning the Business and Mindset program. Sara will be presenting at the MTNA conference in April! When not teaching, Karen enjoys tennis, boating, reading historical fiction, and listening to the “bird sanctuary” on her deck!

Bio:

Cheri LaRue Leifert is a professional pianist and instructor. Her love for music start- ed by the age of 4 when she begged for piano lessons from her grandmother Unfortu- nately she was forced to wait until the age of 5! While her family life included many musical experiences, her church organist ( and third teacher) recommended that Cheri be taken to Groff Bittner at Lindenwood University where she was accepted for les- sons at the age of 12. She became a Full-time church musician at that age and by age 14 had students of her own!. Jazz became one of her passions in high school. Cheri has been blessed to be able to work in the field that she loves since that time while also raising a family that includes a son who is a professional bass- ist. She actively teaching piano, leading worship at her church and teaching vocal music at her children’s school all while continuing to play gigs around the area.