I grew up in Oyster Bay, New York, located on the North Shore of Long Island. I love the beach and I miss living so close to the water. My parents still live there and I get excited when I can visit them. My sister is a nurse and my brother is a naval aviator, so we are all very busy! My musical skills come from my grandfather; he was a drummer in many marching bands his whole life. I grew up playing clarinet and singing.
I graduated from The Catholic University of America with a Bachelor's in Music Education. At CUA, I sang in the University Chorus and Chamber Singers and got to perform beautiful pieces of music at many amazing venues, including the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, St. Matthew's Cathedral, and the Kennedy Center Opera House. I also attended George Mason University's Summer Institute where I received Level 1 and 2 certification in Orff-Schulwerk.
I met my husband at CUA. Jon works in government relations and is originally from New Jersey. We both grew up Yankee fans and have enjoyed traveling to Ireland and Italy. We have a beautiful little boy who keeps us laughing.
Nick Wood
My name is Nick Wood and I'm thrilled to have been added as an additional music teacher at Janney. I'm proud to be part of such a wonderful staff and very happy to be part of a school and a community that values and nourishes young artists.
In addition to being a Janney Elementary alumni, I'm lucky enough to have attended and graduated from Wilson SHS (just down the street) and Temple University in Philadelphia. At Temple I began to fine tune the craft I initially started here at Janney, by studying Music Education and Jazz Studies with a focus in guitar performance. The school offered me wonderful opportunities to play and perform around the world with some iconic musicians such as Tim Warfield, Terell Stafford, and Dick Oatts. Through temple I was able to study at the Jazz Conservatory in Amsterdam under instruction of Jesse Van Ruller and perform at venues such as the Kimmel Center.
I've been back in Washington for over a year now and I could not be happier to have found and been accepted in the Janney community once again. Thank you all for the opportunities you provide for your children and for allowing me to be a part of their growth!
Gillian Ramsey
sterling scroggins
Sterling Scroggins, along with other parents, organized the Janney Band in 1997.
He has performed, directed, and taught in the Washington, D.C. area since the mid-1980s. His favorite roles include Papageno (The Magic Flute) Mephistopheles (Faust) and Joe Hardy (Damn Yankees.) As director, his favorite productions include The Magic Flute, La Traviata, and Fiddler on the Roof.
Dr. Scroggins received his musical training from the University of Maryland (D.M.A. James McDonald, voice) University of Colorado (M.Mus, William Kearns, American Music History) and Colorado State University (B.M.Ed. Edward Anderson, Voice.) Sterling Scroggins was raised in Grand Junction, Colorado. His father was a preacher; his mother was a pianist. He grew up singing the songs of George Beverly Shea, Richard Rodgers, and Nat King Cole. (Now Scroggins spends his leisure time singing the songs of Schubert and Schumann.) He is married to soprano Paula Chipman who is a professor of music at Frederick Community College, and has one child, soprano Kara, who is a pastor at Bethesda United Methodist Church.