Our Instructors
Lee Harvey, Strings and Program Director
Lee Harvey is a violinist and music educator located in Santa Fe, NM. She received her classical training from New England Conservatory, Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, and University of CO College of Music with emphasis in performance. Lee teaches, coaches and conducts students in private lessons, string orchestras and chamber groups. In the summer of 2019, she brought a group of students to South Korea to participate in a “Global Youth Concert”. Lee hopes to ignite the joy of playing an instrument, as she believes that being able to play music together makes the world a better place.
Dan Pauli, Marimba
Dan Pauli has played and studied marimba with the guidance of many great Zimbabwean musicians and scholars, most notably Dr. Dumisani Maraire beginning in 1986. In Santa Fe, he has taught marimba ensemble at The Santa Fe Waldorf School, The ATC, St. Michaels High School, and his own school, Wild Marimbas, since 1992. Dan also toured and played locally with his band Jaka the entire time.
Jerry Weimer, Wind Ensemble
Woodwind specialist Jerry Weimer has been a part of the Santa Fe music scene for over 20 years. He began teaching while pursuing his BFA in Performance/Composition from the College of Santa Fe. Since then, he has worked with countless school programs and youth organizations, coaching aspiring musicians and helping them find their voice. Recent performances include Le Carnaval des Animaux (NDI NM), Amane (Joe Hay), C.M. von Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (SFCO), Silent Cry of a Heron (Marty Regan), Words in the Wind (Melanie Monsour), Discovering the Music of Paintings (Oliver Prezant), I Pagliacci; Cavalleria Rusticana (Opera West), Music from the Deserts (Chris Jonas), and Ghostlight Sessions (Lensic).
Laura Hamilton, Strings
Laura Hamilton earned her bachelor's degree in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Laura has held a variety of teaching positions, including teaching elementary music, middle school orchestra, and high school group piano, as a private instructor, and as a guest clinician. With their contagious energy and curiosity, she especially loves working with beginning string students and providing them with the strong foundations needed to succeed in their musical journey. When not making music, Laura is often embroidering, crocheting, or out hiking the trails.
Caleb Heaton, Choir
Caleb is going into his 5th year as head of the Santa Fe High School choir department and his 7th year in SFPS. A Native of Denver, CO, Caleb has a Bachelor of Music from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. Caleb started his formal teaching career at Ortiz Middle School in 2017. Caleb is currently an active singer in Tri-M productions and the Santa Fe Symphony Chorus. Caleb was nominated as 'New and Up-and-Coming Teacher of the Year' once in 2020, and again in 2021 by the North Central New Mexico Music Educator's Association (NCNMMEA). Caleb is an active member of NMACDA, ACDA, NAFME, and NMMEA. He is currently the Vice President of NCNMMEA (district 4).
Sarah Christensen, Choir
Sarah has been a music educator in New Mexico for sixteen years, beginning with private piano instruction while studying for her Bachelor’s degree in music at Eastern New Mexico University with an emphasis in piano performance. She later found a passion for elementary music education and has been teaching general music and choir in Santa Fe public schools since 2013. Sarah appreciates the supportive environment that the City Different offers young musicians and seeks to continue this tradition. She is most often found behind a piano, leading a choral group, directing a musical, choreographing a song or other such musical endeavors!