Our Team

Reneé Frey is a mother of two who has always been filled with a passion for children and music. Those passions have been clearly evident in many of her life’s activities. As a girl growing up in Oregon, WI, she was part of a musical family who often sang together in church and in the car when traveling. She was a member of her school chorus as well as her church choir. She also led children’s music in Sunday school. Reneé’s parents were both educators and instilled in her a love of and appreciation for many types of music, as well as the desire to be a teacher. In fourth grade she began playing the violin.

Her involvement with orchestra continued through her college years at UW-Platteville, where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood in 1995. After graduation, she worked as an early childhood educator and program director, allowing her to teach and learn with children from birth through school age. She then taught third grade for the Middleton-Cross Plains School District until transitioning to being a stay-home parent after the birth of her second child.

Reneé lives in Cross Plains with her husband Tony and their two children Logan and Mahala, where music continues to be a tie that binds the family. It is not uncommon to find the family singing and dancing together in the living room of their home or having drum, keyboard, or guitar jam sessions on a daily basis. It is a joy for Reneé to watch her children develop the same love of music that is so much a part of her life. She is excited about this opportunity to share that joy with other families and build on her history of teaching and learning with young children.

Andrea is excited to have the opportunity to work with the entire Musical Pathways team! She knows the benefits of Kindermusik firsthand as her children were enrolled in Musical Pathways for several years. Andrea’s role as Administrative Assistant is to help ensure that Kindermusik families receive exceptional care and service. Feel free to call Andrea with any questions or concerns and she will be sure to serve you!

Born in Minneapolis, MN, Andrea moved to Wisconsin when she was 2 and is a Monona High graduate. She moved to Waunakee 29 years ago where she married her husband of 22 years, Steve. They have two sons, Jake and Eric.

Some of Andrea’s favorite hobbies are reading, listening to music, and making cards and other paper crafts. In her free time, Andrea likes to go out with friends or family for a good dinner and good conversation with a lot of laughs. But her favorite free-time activity is singing and spending time with her now adult boys. That’s where her true passion lies.

Alex Gallatin is a violinist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He began playing the violin when he was 7 years old, and has taken individual lessons since. He participated in the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra program for 7 years, and continues to play in community orchestras. When he began his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in violin performance at UW-Milwaukee, his passion for both teaching and performing ignited. Since then, he received a Master of Music degree in violin performance from UW-Madison, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in violin performance, also from UW-Madison. 

Alex has been teaching violin since November 2017. He believes in a flexible and encouraging approach to lessons, as every student has different needs on their way to balanced and high-level musicianship. He loves working with students to solve the problems they run into during the week, and sharing the same ‘aha’ moments that he had on his way to becoming a violinist.

Alex has also established himself as a performer through his sensitive musicality and formidable technique. He’s had the pleasure of performing several styles of music throughout the midwest, including plenty of solo violin, orchestral, and chamber music repertoire, as well as jazz and pop tunes with the Lakefront String Quartet, and mariachi music with Mariachi Monarcas de Milwaukee. 

Growing up in a musical family, Amy Payne does not remember a time when she wasn’t singing, dancing, playing an instrument, and smiling. Throughout almost 20 years of teaching pre-school Sunday school, she has known the joys and rewards of educating young children.

Amy played the piano, violin and sang in various school and church choirs. During several summers she participated in the UW Extension’s Music Clinics. She began playing in bell choirs in Middle School and has continued much of her adult life.

Amy lives in Madison. Daughters Amber, Sasha, and Brianna live nearby. One of Amy’s favorite things to do during the week is spend time with her grandchildren: Harley, Cash, Ariah, Parker, and Wrenley.

Amy is delighted her daughters have been involved with Musical Pathways Foundation. Brianna started out as a classroom assistant for Sign & Sing for a couple summers and now she enjoys participating as a parent with her daughter, Wrenley; Sasha, an accomplished violinist has shared her love of classical music; and Amber brought her kids to Kindermusik classes when they were little.

Amy is excited to share her passion, joy, love and knowledge of children, music, and play with the Kindermusik families at Musical Pathways Foundation.

Ava Clark is excited to be teaching piano and flute at Musical Pathways! Ava is originally from the Washington, D.C. area and moved to Middleton with her family in 2014. She has been playing piano and flute from a young age, and was involved in Jazz Band and Marching Band. Ava became involved in teaching after having success teaching her brother piano. She is always excited to see her students’ progress and share strategies that will help them with learning and performing music. Outside of being a full-time student and teaching, Ava enjoys running, gardening, making jewelry, and spending time with family.

Claudia is so excited to be teaching voice, piano, and Kindermusik at Musical Pathways! Originally from Rockford, Il, Claudia studied for 6 years in Boston before settling in Madison in 2021. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Boston Conservatory in 2019 with a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and from Tufts University in 2021 with a Master of Arts in Musicology.

Claudia currently works in the education department for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and spends her days spreading the joy of classical music to Madison's families and community members. Her goal as a teacher of littles is to instill confidence and excitement about music. She views her role as a teacher of teens to create smart and passionate singers who leave her studio as avid musicians and listeners. When not administrating or teaching, Claudia studies the connection between all forms of music making and education as a musicologist and has published papers on various genres of instrumental music. She is also a professional mezzosoprano and performs often around the Midwest. 

Claudia lives with her partner Hugo and their two puppies Artichoke and Rutabaga. In her off time, Claudia loves to go hiking and camping where she can hear all of the music created in nature. She is so thrilled to be a part of the Musical Pathways team! 

Eric is excited to join Musical Pathways teaching saxophone and clarinet. Eric is originally from Melbourne, Florida where he discovered his love for music from a young age, with his first instrument being guitar at the age of nine and eventually getting into band and playing saxophone in middle school. During high school, Eric began teaching younger students where he developed an interest in teaching music. Eric went on to study music at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida focusing on music education, where saxophone was  his primary instrument. After graduating in 2023, Eric moved to Madison with his wife, Taelyn, and three cats to begin his career in music, which led him to Musical Pathways.

Having studied music for over 10 years, Hugo is so excited to join the Musical Pathways program as a guitar, voice, and piano teacher! Hugo is originally from Akron, Ohio where he sang in his church choir, high school choirs, and played guitar in the pit for many high school musical productions. In 2020 he graduated from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York with a dual degree in voice performance and European history.

In addition to singing in choirs and opera productions, Hugo has also played guitar with jazz combos and rock groups, at weddings and for various recording sessions for small films. While at Eastman he studied secondary piano for four years and has accompanied many of his student’s performances on piano.

Hugo arrived in Madison in 2021 with his partner, Claudia, and their two dogs, Rutabaga and Artichoke. He currently works at the Overture Center for the Arts as the Ticket Office Performance Manager and spends his free time taking walks with his dogs, making music at home and around town, and going fishing with friends.

Jessica Spicer is thrilled to teach flute, piano, and string lessons for Musical Pathways Foundation. Originally from Wilmington, DE, she grew up playing flute and piano in school, church, and community programs. She moved to Wisconsin for college and attended Lawrence University-Conservatory of Music in Appleton. Jessica graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Flute Performance in 2004. She completed a Master of Music in Music Education (Kodaly emphasis) at Silver Lake College in 2014.

Jessica currently teaches general music, as well as band and orchestra lessons, at Waunakee Community Middle School. She also coaches and accompanies solo and ensemble students for festival each year. Her previous job experience includes teaching 6-12 grade band and general music in rural Wisconsin.

Jessica lives with her husband, Peter, and sons, Seton and Seager, in Waunakee, WI. Jessica is excited to have Seager in Kindermusik and Seton taking music lessons through Musical Pathways. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family. Her hobbies include reading, jogging, ballroom dancing, and traveling.

Jessica believes in a holistic approach to music education by developing musical talent, while at the same time instilling creativity and self-confidence in the child. Most of all, she enjoys sharing her passion for music with students of all ages nearly every day!

Nate Wewetzer is the instructor in Guitar and Trombone with the Musical Pathways Foundation. He holds both a BM in Music Education and Jazz certification from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, which he received in 2016. Nate currently teaches for the Madison Metropolitan School District as a General Music & Orchestra instructor and teaches guitar classes at the Waunakee Village Center.

His educational philosophy centers around providing students with ample performance opportunities and meaningful learning experiences. Nate teaches students to develop proper technique and an understanding of music theory, as well as composition and improvisation skills. He helps students set personal goals and create plans to reach them.

Outside of teaching, Nate composes and produces music for movies and games, bikes and runs around the lakes of Madison, and performs as a vocalist, guitarist, and trombonist for his cat named Bucky. He avidly listens to music in all styles, though he prefers funk, jazz, and rock music.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Miss Suki (Shuk-Ki) is a doctoral candidate in piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under the tutelage of Professors Christopher Taylor and Jessica Johnson. She has taught applied piano and group piano from positions at UW-Madison, Madison College and Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. With her interest in cultivating enthusiasm of students in music learning in the community, she also teaches students with financial hardship through the UW-Madison Piano Pedagogy Lab and Piano Pioneers Outreach Program.

Miss Suki has performed internationally in Hong Kong, Australia, Portugal and Germany, and was named as the winner of the Schubert Club Bruce P. Carlson Competition, UW Beethoven Competition and Concerto Competition. As a collaborator, she works closely with UW faculty, and is sponsored by Dr. Kato Perlman as a member of the Perlman Piano Trio at UW.

Miss Suki has presented her research in piano pedagogy at conferences such as the Music Teachers National Association Piano Pedagogy Symposium and the World Piano Conference in Serbia. She also conducted workshops ranging from piano playing-related injuries, cross-cultural issues, to creating quality learning experiences for students with learning disabilities. She has also given music lectures to a broad range of audiences – from students at UW student organizations, to scientists and researchers at Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.

Miss Suki obtained her Bachelor of Music degree and Diploma of Music from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with the support of the First Initiative Foundation Music scholarship and Grantham scholarship. After the completion of her bachelor’s degree, she was granted the prestigious Molly McAulay Memorial Scholarship and Felix Switzer Memorial Award to fully support her Master of Music degree at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Early childhood experts agree that a young child’s most important teacher is the parent or caregiver, and that the best place for a child to learn is in the home where they feel safe and secure. Betsy established Musical Pathways (neural pathways) when she recognized the need for a studio to help make great parenting easier, and to pull families together from the youngest member to the most senior. Utilizing high-quality musical experiences, Musical Pathways works to develop the whole child.

Betsy and her husband, Larry, have retired to sunny California and are enjoying life.