About the Directors
Ms. Natalie Frakes is Director of Orchestras at Oxford High School and teaches First Year Orchestra. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Wayne State University in Detroit in 2014. Ms. Frakes studied the art of music teaching in Baltimore with Dan Trahey, Director of OrchKids, and Mr. John Robertson of Berkley High School.
A passionate educator, Ms. Frakes has served as a string instructor and conductor for numerous projects. Her experiences include positions at Wayne State University's String Project@Wayne, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Civic Youth Ensembles, Detroit's Urban Stringz, the Dearborn Youth Symphony, and the esteemed Sphinx Organization. She was also involved with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's El Sistema-inspired OrchKids program as a summer teaching artist and artistic director, and taught with Costa Rica’s El Sistema program, Sistema de Nacional Educación Musical, in July 2015. Ms. Frakes’s commitment to music education was acknowledged when she was named Michigan 2014 “Teacher of Promise” by the Network of Michigan Educators.
As a performer, Ms. Frakes is violinist for electropop violin and DJ band NUCLASSICA and has performed with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and 2Cellos. She continues working the "gigging" circuit with friends in their group, Midtown Strings, and performs with local bands in recording sessions and shows.
Music and educating aside, other passions of Ms. Frakes’ include riding her moped, volunteering, and traveling the world.
Ms. Natalie Frakes is Director of Orchestras at Oxford High School and teaches First Year Orchestra. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Wayne State University in Detroit in 2014. Ms. Frakes studied the art of music teaching in Baltimore with Dan Trahey, Director of OrchKids, and Mr. John Robertson of Berkley High School.
A passionate educator, Ms. Frakes has served as a string instructor and conductor for numerous projects. Her experiences include positions at Wayne State University's String Project@Wayne, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Civic Youth Ensembles, Detroit's Urban Stringz, the Dearborn Youth Symphony, and the esteemed Sphinx Organization. She was also involved with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's El Sistema-inspired OrchKids program as a summer teaching artist and artistic director, and taught with Costa Rica’s El Sistema program, Sistema de Nacional Educación Musical, in July 2015. Ms. Frakes’s commitment to music education was acknowledged when she was named Michigan 2014 “Teacher of Promise” by the Network of Michigan Educators.
As a performer, Ms. Frakes is violinist for electropop violin and DJ band NUCLASSICA and has performed with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and 2Cellos. She continues working the "gigging" circuit with friends in their group, Midtown Strings, and performs with local bands in recording sessions and shows.
Music and educating aside, other passions of Ms. Frakes’ include riding her moped, volunteering, and traveling the world.
Mr. James Berezney is a violinist and an educator who has been teaching Orchestra at Oxford Middle School since 2015. He is currently Director of Orchestras a Oxford Middle School and also instructs Oxford's Second Year Orchestra.
Before teaching in the Oxford Community Schools James also taught as a violin instructor and early childhood music instructor at the Michigan State University Community Music School in East Lansing, MI and the Brookline Music School in Brookline, MA. In the summers James is a violin instructor for Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and has participated in summer music festivals such as the Meadowmount Music Festival, NY and the Aspen Music Festival, CO. James is a member of Nafme (National Association for Music Educators) and ASTA (American String Teachers Association).
James holds Bachelor’s degrees for Music Performance and Music Education from Michigan State University, and a Master’s degree for Music Performance from Boston University.