WENATCHEE VALLEY YOUTH ORCHESTRA

Meet The Staff

Michelle Vaughn - Director and Violin Coach

Michelle is a violinist, teacher, and program coordinator with a strong love of music and young people. Michelle grew up in Puyallup, Washington and started playing violin through her public school strings program. Michelle’s formative years were spent at Central Washington University learning how to play and teach the violin from Carrie Rehkopf and John Michel, how to be a productive member of a symphony from Dr. Nikolas Caoile and how to be a great educator and program administrator from Dr. Bret Smith. She married her wonderful husband Kevin Vaughn while in college and together they settled in Wenatchee in the same house that Kevin grew up in.

Michelle is excited to take a break from public school teaching this fall to homeschool her 2nd and 3rd grade children. She will continue to perform as concertmaster for the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra, teach as program director and coach for Wenatchee Valley Youth Orchestra and build up her private violin studio.

Mika Armaly - Wenatchee Valley Youth Orchestra Conductor

Mika Armaly received her Bachelor of Music Education from Pacific Lutheran University and had the pleasure of joining Seattle Public Schools as the director of orchestras at Hamilton International Middle School in 2010. She was invited to lead a new string ensemble within the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra organization in 2016. In 2018, Mika moved to the beautiful Skagit Valley where she completed a Master of Music in conducting at Western Washington University, while continuing her work with SYSO. In 2020, Mika and her husband Jeff moved to Wenatchee, WA where she joined the Wenatchee School District teaching elementary strings before transitioning to junior high strings with the Eastmont School District. As the COVID-19 pandemic began to abate in 2022, Mika worked alongside her colleague Michelle Vaughn to launch the Wenatchee Valley Youth Orchestra, under the sponsorship of the Wenatchee Valley Symphony.

Jackie Vandeman - Wenatchee Valley Youth Wind Ensemble Conductor

Originally from Olympia WA, Jackie Vandeman is currently the director of bands at Eastmont Junior High, where she has been teaching for the past 6 years. Jackie graduated with a Music Education degree from Central Washington University, with a focus of tuba performance, jazz piano, and vocal. Having seen the talent that this region contains, Jackie is overjoyed to have the opportunity to make beautiful music with the Wenatchee Valley Youth Wind Ensemble this year!

Jenaesha Browder - Wenatchee Valley Junior Orchestra

Jenaesha Iwaasa Browder is an alumni of the Rice University Shepherd School of Music. From Rice she earned both a Master’s degree in cello performance and a Bachelor’s degree double majoring in cello performance and music theory for which she received a Distinction in Undergraduate Research and Creative Work award. She has performed as a chamber musician and soloist in Canada, Italy, and throughout the United States including a guest performance on NPR’s “From the Top.” Jenaesha enjoys performing in a variety of styles and genres. She is a founding member of the string quartet Quartetrachord and often performs with the Wenatchee Valley Symphony. She also conducts the junior Wenatchee Valley Youth Symphony. 

Her love of performing is matched by a deep passion for education and outreach. She strongly believes in the importance and power of music in communities, frequently volunteering and consulting in schools to provide quality education for young cellists. In addition to teaching and coaching, she co-directs the Summer Strings chamber music camp through Icicle Creek Center for the Arts.

Outside of her training in cello and music theory, Jenaesha also works as a collaborative pianist and studies the violin. She enjoys arranging and composing across a wide variety of styles from cello etudes to string ensemble and sacred choral music to video game soundtracks.  Conductor

Coaches - Wenatchee Valley Symphony members

We are very greatful for our dedicated coaches. They are all members of the Wenatchee Valley Symphony and help to our students reach new levels of musicianship.

Junior - Peter Ward, Michelle Guyette, Cathie Lau, Megan Cleary

Youth - Gretchen Woods, Michelle Vaughn, Anna Hammell, Bernadette Phillips

Winds - Don Larson, Susan Ballinger, Tom McNair, Tony Morgan, James Mitsuyasu