Directors

 

Dawn Andersen- Director of 8th Grade Chorus

    Dawn Andersen is in her 7th year of teaching vocal music at Williams Intermediate, having taught a total of 15 years at various schools in Iowa, including Bellevue Marquette, Pleasant Valley, Lone Tree, Twin Cedars in Bussey, IA and West High School. Ms. Andersen is a graduate of Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, IA, and earned her Bachelor of Music from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, IA.  She is a French horn player and a piano player.  Ms. Andersen currently is the director of the Voices of Faith Choir and The FaithFull Praise Band at Faith Lutheran Church as well as a private voice, French horn, and piano teacher.

Ms. Andersen has directed various groups at Williams including 6th, 7th, 8th Grade Choirs as well as Chamber Choir, Madrigal Singers and The Show Choir.  This year, Ms. Andersen is directing the 8th Grade Choir, the 6th Grade Chorus and the Show Choir.

 

Gary Ciccotelli - 8th Grade Band and Jazz Band

 

Gary Ciccotelli is a 1975 graduate of Augustana College in Rock Island, IL.  He has taught in the Davenport School District since 1983.  Before coming to Davenport he taught band at Northeast Hamilton HS in Blairsburg, IA, performed as a professional musician, had a studio of private percussion students, and was an adjunct instructor of percussion at Augustana College.  For over thirty years he has been an instrumental music adjudicator for solo, large group, and jazz band festivals and contests in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin.  In addition to his teaching duties he is still active as a free-lance percussionist in both the classical and jazz worlds.  He has been a percussionist with the Quad City Symphony since 1988, and worked with many different jazz musicians performing extensively in the Quad Cities as well as from Des Moines to Chicago.  As a performing percussionist he has performed with many artists including: Ray Charles, Marvin Hamlisch, Johnny Mathis, Roberta Flack, The Moody Blues, and The Fifth Dimension.  In 1998 Gary was listed in the publication Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.

 

Debra Fraker- Instrumental Music Lessons

 

Ms. Fraker is a 1979 graduate of Bradley University, Peoria, IL.  She has a Bachelor of Music degree in music theory and composition.  In 1986 she received her Iowa teaching certification through St. Ambrose University, Davenport.  She taught band at Trinity Lutheran School, Davenport from 1987-1997 and built the program there from 15 students to 60 students.  Almost 1/2 of the 5-8 grades were involved in band when she left.  Ms. Fraker began teaching in the Davenport Communtiy School District in fall of 1997 at Walcott Intermediate where she directed the "Fundamental Band" from 1997-2003.  In 1998 she started teaching at Williams, directing the "White  Band" from 1998-2002.  At this time she is teaching band lessons at Williams, Smart, and Jackson Elementary. She belongs to SEIBA and IBA and teaches private flute, oboe, and clarinet lessons in her home.