Our Teachers

The success of any musical education program is dependent upon the excellence of the music instructors. Mainstreet Music School's instructors are all very versatile and well-trained musicians and have been carefully selected by the director to ensure the highest caliber of musical instruction for our students.

Director
Bonnie Mounsef (Owner, Director, and Teacher) has taught piano for 47 years and has been involved with the Yamaha Education System since 1977. She has the ARCT performance and teacher diplomas from the Royal Conservatory of Music. In 2005, she was awarded the Alberta Centennial Medal from the government of Alberta for making significant contributions to fellow citizens and the community through teaching music. Over the past 47 years she has trained many students for the Royal Conservatory exams, Yamaha exams, the Edmonton Kiwanis Festival, Yamaha keyboard festival and the Yamaha Junior Original concert. Her students have consistently received outstanding results and have received numerous awards and scholarships. Many of her students had pursued a career in music, teaching or performing. Bonnie teaches classical, contemporary, and jazz. Latin and pop styles, theory, technique, ensemble playing and performance.

Denice Bennett (vocals) is from Hazelton, B.C. and has a vast array of experiences associated with logging camps: the wilderness mixed with music-filled evenings make up her early years. This unique background prompted concentrated studies in Ethnomusicolgy under Dr. Regula Qureshi at the University of Alberta. World Music continues to be a strong focus in teaching and performing.

At age 17, Denice began studying Classical Voice and Conducting with Dr. Wendolin Munroe at Burman University. Vocal Performance formal studies with Professor Harold Wiens at the University of Alberta began in 1987, where
she sang many lead Operatic roles and solo performances. Conducting studies continued with Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff. Through special permission from the University of Alberta, she studied Vocal Pedagogy for two years, one on one, with Dr. Alan Ord, followed by Pedagogical Studies at the Doctoral Level at St. John’s University in Minnesota, arranged by Dr. Ratzlaff and paid for by the University of Alberta. Denice Graduated at the top of her Class with the highest possible Academic Marks. She has been singing publicly for over 30 years winning many first place awards and honours while travelling to increase her education and is currently pursuing Doctoral Studies as well as performing regularly. Her recording prompted invitations from McGill, Eastman, Juilliard, and the University of British Columbia as a guest Artist. Her recording of The “Vier Letzte Lieder,” by Richard Strauss, has been used by permission in Vocal Programs in several major American Universities. While performing the most challenging Soprano Repertoire with acclaim, she was offered a scholarship for a doctorate in Vocal Performance in another Province. Denice chose to pursue her true passion for teaching instead and concentrated her studies accordingly as teaching Voice is a completely separate discipline. Her studies continue to be in the field of Vocal Pedagogy.

Denice has taught for 21 years including launching a Vocal School in Edson, Alberta, on Faculty at the University of Alberta teaching Voice and Vocal Pedagogy at the request of Dr. Ratzlaff, and developing a bustling private Studio. She was Research Assistant to Professor Wiens in a study of Parkinson's disease and singing, funded by the University of Alberta. She maintained a full Studio at Alberta College and Grant MacEwan University.

Currently, Denice teaches exclusively with Mainstreet Music School, apart from maintaining her own full private Studio. Her students consistently go on to successful teaching and performing careers around the world and placement at the best Universities outside Alberta, often entering ahead of their class. All student comments have exuded the highest praise for Denice’s teaching methods.

Denice is qualified to teach all ages and levels of singers, from beginners to aspiring professionals. She teaches Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, Diction and Vocal Literature to a wide range of students and a number of Music Teachers. She is known as “The Teacher’s Teacher.” Students also enjoy her lively and enlightening Music History and Music Appreciation Classes. It is a Classical Voice Studio but Student Recitals have themes from Broadway, Anglo-Celtic Repertoire, Folksongs, Schubertiades, and of course Art Song and Opera. She specializes in building and repairing Vocal Instruments through proper technique and good vocal health.

Vivian Huynh (piano) studied piano extensively for 11 years and has successfully completed the Grade 10 piano exam through the Royal Conservatory of Music. Vivian is a very competent, versatile and seasoned performer who has competed in many festivals and competitions across Canada winning numerous awards and scholarships. She can teach many styles of music and has a great deal of experience performing different styles as a soloist and in ensembles. Vivian has taught piano for many years and is really looking forward to sharing her expertise and love of music with her students at Mainstreet Music School.

Yuliya McKee (violin) was born in southwestern Ukraine and became interested in playing the violin and piano at five years. She continued her love of music throughout her school years and into college. Her music education continued into college in Kolomyia and the University in Rivne where she attained a Bachelors and Masters in Music Arts. Yuliya learned about not only the violin and piano but also voice instruction and conducting, She conducted church choirs during this time while completing university and graduating with honors. Upon completion she taught violin and conducted children’s choir. Her love of music followed her when she immigrated to Canada and she began sharing her love of music with Canadian students. She began teaching violin at Giovanni Music in 2012 and has since received the Yamaha Popular Music Course Certificate. She continues to share her love of music with both young and mature students and hopes to introduce the joys of music to many students for many years to come.

Isabel Schuppli (piano) began studying music at the age of four at the Giovanni School of Music and is a graduate of the Yamaha Junior Advanced Course. Isabel also completed the Royal Conservatory Level 9 piano exam and is completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree in the spring of 2021 from the University of Alberta's School of Business. Throughout her musical training, she participated in numerous competitions as a soloist and in ensembles, winning many awards and scholarships. She is a highly competent piano teacher, capable of teaching many styles including classical, pop, and jazz. Isabel has taught piano for five years and she teaches students of all ages and abilities. She is very patient and caring with her students as she shares her passion for music and enjoys encouraging and working with them to become lifelong musicians.