Alumni Connections
Alumnus Feature Keitaro Harada (Conducting Fellow, 2008-2011) Music and Artistic Director of the Savannah Philharmonic Associate Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
Dr. Heidi Kay Begay
“The University of Arizona’s School of Music showed me the creative possibilities for one’s music career.”
Dr. Heidi Kay Begay is passionate about guiding the modern-day musician to find their unique voice on and off the stage. Heidi is the owner of two thriving companies, which include J&K Media Productions and Flute 360. Through her entrepreneurial portfolio, she wears many different hats, which include being an educator, flutist, coach, and podcaster.
She is the creator and host of two current podcasts. The first is Flute 360, which has received over 75,000 downloads since 2018 and has served flutists worldwide through its 200+ episodes. The second podcast includes The Pivoting Musician, which Heidi co-hosts with her colleague, Dr. Garrett Hope.
Throughout her business, she serves her clientele through different offerings, such as music lessons, coaching sessions, and her three digital courses, which include The Pivoting Musician, The Podcasting Musician, and Generating Income as a Podcaster Through Corporate Sponsorships.
Heidi is thrilled to work with musicians to reach new heights, so they can feel empowered and have a life they love both on and off the stage. To learn more about Heidi, please visit her website at https://bddy.me/3OpWzjK.
Dr. Josh Armstrong, 2013 DMA Percussion Performance
“The School of Music prepared me for this career. Through the education received, and contacts made they helped to set me up for success.”
Dr. Josh Armstrong received his DMA in Percussion Performance in 2013. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Music and Assistant Director of Bands at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy, as the President of the Mississippi Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, and is a new music reviewer for Percussive Notes. While at Arizona he was one of the founding members of the Malleus Graduate Percussion Quartet and served as the teaching assistant for the UA Steel Drum Bands.
Dr. Oscar Macchioni, DMA Piano
“I love the UA. I learned so much from the amazing faculty you had. I was treated as a professional and not just a student. Invaluable experience.”
Oscar Macchioni, a native of Argentina, is an accomplished solo and collaborative pianist, professor, lecturer, author, and adjudicator. Oscar has performed extensively in his native Argentina, Italy, England, Poland, Serbia, Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, China, and the USA, at notable locations such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Teacher’s College at Columbia University, Steinway Hall, St Martin in the Fields and James’s Piccadilly in London, the Querceto International Piano Festival in Italy, and the National Conservatory in Bueno Aires in Argentina. He studied piano at the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (Argentina), the Krakow Academy of Music (Poland), Louisiana State University, and the University of Arizona (USA – DMA Piano). He is a Professor of Piano, Assistant Chair and Keyboard Area Coordinator at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Philip Hemmo, BM Guitar
“My experience both as a student and as faculty have helped shape my teaching methods and philosophies and offered unique experiences.”
Philip Hemmo (University of Arizona B.M. 1991) is known throughout the United States as a teacher, composer, and performer of the classical guitar. As a former faculty member of the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, the University of Illinois, Springfield, and currently, Notre Dame Preparatory High School, and, Director of Guitar Studies for Northern Arizona University, he continues to foster the next generation of classical guitarists. Mr. Hemmo is the author of the guitar method text ‘Beginning Classroom Guitar’ (Thompson Learning 1998 & 2004, Open Source 2018) which is the textbook of choice for over 1,500 schools across the United States. His recordings ‘Guitar Works of Francisco Tárrega’ (2020), ‘Petite Pieces’ (2017), ‘Guitar Recital’ (2013), ‘The 20th Century Guitar’ (2012) as well as ‘Romantic Works for Classical Guitar’ (2010) have been released on the Project Aurora Recordings label to national acclaim.