SOFA FACULTY
Hannah Bolen - Violin and Piano Instructor
Miss Bohlen is a Music major at
Southeastern University. She is from Bismarck, ND, and has been playing violin
for 16 years. She has been featured as a soloist with multiple orchestras,
receiving 2 Outstanding Performance Awards.
She has played professionally with Bismarck Mandan Symphony Orchestra from 2017-2023 and Panama City Symphony Orchestra from 2019-2021. Hannah has many other qualifications in violin, voice, and piano.
Miss Bohlen has a passion for sharing the gift of music through performing, teaching, and passing on the gift to whoever has the desire to learn. She has been teaching for several years and enjoys having the opportunity to teach students how to steward their God given talents and
explore the beauty and wonder of music.
Anna Esmond - Drum and Piano Instructor
Miss Esmond is a Southeastern University student who is currently studying Speech Pathology with a minor in Music.
Anna has taught piano and drum lessons for over six years and loves to help her student’s to better their talents.
She is an accomplished pianist and has been trained in piano since the age of five (15
years) and drums since age six (14 years).
Glorifying the Lord by playing music is something she strives to accomplish and hopes to share that with every student she teaches!
Audry Hunt - Piano Instructor
Miss Hunt is a student at Southeastern University in Lakeland, pursuing a Bachelor
of Arts in Piano Performance.
Audry has been around music her whole life. Besides the fact that she started
lessons when she was 3, with 18 years of classical training, her mother,
grandmother, sister, and many other family members are musicians, specifically
pianists and piano teachers.
Audry has always wanted to be a pianist. She has received superior ratings in all of
her competitions.
Audry not only sees the value of learning music and being a musician but also in giving God all of the glory in everything she does. He has given her a passion for teaching and music, and Audry is excited to use
that passion in teaching at First Baptist Church.
Mireille Johnson - Dance Instructor
Miss Johnson has been dancing from a young age. She began with SOFA as an assistant for 5 years before becoming an instructor here as well as for the Ballet Conservatory of Winter Haven for the last three years.
She brings over 12 yrs of experience in many genres of dance (tap, modern, jazz, pointe, hip hop, and ballet) from the Ballet
Conservatory of Winter Haven, Fl. She is
also trained in the Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet as a student and a
certified teacher.
Mireille has a special gift in performance and in teaching. She believes in excellence, and it is her desire to bring glory to Jesus in all that she does and to teach others
to do the same.
LaNelle McGaffigan - Dance Instructor
Mrs. McGaffigan started ballet at an early age and has always enjoyed using her
dance to praise the Lord.
She is experienced in Ballet, Point, Tap, and Sign Language. She is trained in the
Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet. She has been teaching ballet for 12 years.
“Our bodies can be used to glorify and praise God in many ways. Dancing is one
exciting and healthy way to do that, but also it provides a way to share our hope in a moving, captivating way with those who are watching.”
Teaching young girls to praise the Lord through movement is one of her greatest
pleasures. LaNelle received her training in Jackson, MS. She is married to Drew McGaffigan, and they have three little girls.
She is a graduate of Warner University in Lake Wales.
Abigail Green - Guitar and
Voice Instructor
Miss Green is a SEU student pursuing a B.S. in Public Relations with a minor in Music.
Music has always been a part of her life. At the age of four, she began singing in the children's choir at church. She then pursued voice and piano lessons. With a strong foundation, she began learning guitar and has been a student ever since.
Miss Green started professionally singing and playing at the age of 14. Her experience includes recording, performing for events and professional sports, and church music. She is currently a guitar and vocal student at SEU where she participates in SEU Worship which has given her stadium tour experience. She is also a contracted worship leader.
Abigail's ultimate goal is to use her musical talents and skills to serve the church and others. She believes music is a gift to be stewarded and used to worship God, the giver of all good things!
Chasity Smith - Piano Instructor
Miss Smith holds a degree in Piano Performance as a graduate of Southeastern University.
She is classically trained in piano and has been playing for 18 years. While in
college, she was an accompanist at SEU for her fellow students and for events
in and out of the college experience.
She has been teaching for several years, and her main goal is to spark and grow a
love for music in her students as well as provide a space where students feel
free to express themselves leading them to a higher and more well-rounded
understanding of music.
Taylor Grace Wise - Voice and Piano
Instructor
Taylor Grace is a student at Southeastern University currently pursuing a degree in Family Ministry and Vocal Performance.
From Nashville, Tennessee, Taylor has grown up surrounded by music. She has been in active music lessons for 10 years and
taken part in many performance and teaching opportunities in her town.
Apart from worship leading at church and being a youth theatre teacher, Taylor has also been a session singer in Nashville for 8 years. She has sung in the Nashville
Christmas Parade, and recorded for companies such as: Sea World San Diego,
Warner Bros. Music, Lifeway, Disney Jr., American Girl Doll, Mattel, and MGA
Entertainment.
Giving the glory back to God, Taylor is so excited and honored to help other student’s
steward their gifts from Him. She has a strong passion for coaching and hopes
to encourage kids while keeping their passion for music alive and well and
glorifying God through it!
Rhonda Johnson, Director
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