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WRMTA Board Members
Sadie Eaton | President
Pianist Sadie Eaton is known for her collaborative artistry as well as her adaptability both at the instrument and in teaching. She earned both a Bachelor and Master of Music in Piano Performance from Kent State University and has been teaching private and group piano lessons in northeast Ohio since 2006.
A strong sight-reader with extensive experience as a choral and chamber music pianist, Sadie has held multiple church musician positions and her skills remain in-demand in northeast Ohio. She has won prizes in prestigious state and national solo and duet competitions, including third prize in the MTNA National Performance Competition in the duet category and first place in the 2015 KSU Graduate Concerto Competition where she performed as soloist with the KSU Orchestra.
Sadie enjoys managing her full teaching studio in Stow while being on staff as pianist for the Green Local Schools choir departments, volunteering as a pianist for Christ Community Chapel, and performing with her longtime duet partner, Timothy Ledger, as part of the LETS Duo.
Mayumi Kikuchi | V.P. Teacher Activities
Dr. Mayumi Kikuchi has been active as a piano teacher and collaborative pianist in Northeast Ohio. Since 2000, she has been on the faculty in the School of Music at the University of Akron, and some of her students are now active musicians and teachers. She also has a home studio where she teaches students of various levels and ages, and they are actively involved in many local performance activities, including nursing homes visits, cancer center visits, and church services. She has helped many students receive prizes and awards, including OMTA Buckeye Auditions, Lakeland Civic Orchestra Concerto Competition and OFMC festivals. As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Kikuchi works with faculty members and students in the School of Music as well as local artists from the greater Cleveland area.
Jeanne Hansen | V.P. Student Activities
Jeanne’s affiliation with WRMTA spans her entire teaching career as a private piano instructor. She holds permanent professional certification in both piano and music history from MTNA. In addition to teaching piano in her home studio in Kent, she has judged onsite for the National Guild of Piano Teachers in the Great Lake states, the Pacific Northwest, California, New York, the Greater Washington, D.C. area and Texas. For the past four years she has judged virtually from centers around the United States and during the summer and fall of 2023 served as a judge for Japanese auditions.
Jeanne has worked with Nancy & Randall Faber as a consulting editor for many of the books in the Piano Adventures series and is a co-author on ten publications. She is licensed by the Association for Body Mapping Education to teach the six-hour course “What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body.”
Jeanne graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Whitman College and a Master of Arts in Fine Arts (musicology) from Syracuse University. In 2017 she received the PhD degree from Kent State University in musicology and ethnomusicology. Jeanne compiles opera booklets to accompany each HD production of the Metropolitan Opera and writes the program notes for the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra.
A member of MTNA since 2006, Kathy has previously served on the WRMTA Board as Secretary and VP for Student Events. She teaches from her home studio in Hudson, and occasionally serves as accompanist and as substitute pianist for area churches. Kathy earned her national certification in 2016 and is committed to mentoring younger teachers in the area, as well as working alongside teachers pursuing certification projects. When not busy with music, Kathy enjoys hiking, running, golf and Bible study.
Kathy Merwin | Secretary
Stephanie Fowler | Treasurer
Stephanie Fowler is a private piano teacher in Hudson, Ohio. Her studio currently includes students ranging from first grade to twelfth grade. Growing up in Canton, Stephanie began playing the piano at age six and quickly became excited about the instrument. She continued playing and taking lessons through her college years, but originally chose a career path outside of music. In her adult life she always continued to play, and eventually she took on her own students. She loves sharing her excitement for the piano and seeing her students grow as pianists. As a teacher she hopes that her students also have a life-long enjoyment of playing the piano.
Alexandra Piepenbrink | Digital Engagement Chair
Alexandra Piepenbrink is active as a performer and an educator based in Richfield, Ohio. Alexandra plays both oboe and English horn and works as a free lance musician. Alexandra's resume boasts a wealth of orchestral, band, pit orchestra, chamber ensemble, and church music work. She performs frequently with the Tuscarawas Philharmonic and Singers Companye. Alexandra is looking forward to playing/touring in Italy in Summer 2026.
Alexandra teaches private lessons and currently teaches general music to grades K-8 at St. Leo the Great School in Cleveland, Ohio. Alexandra is a graduate of The College of Wooster, where she received degrees in both Oboe Performance and Music Education.
In her free time, Alexandra enjoys working as a cake and caramel apple decorator at Cold Stone Creamery in Fairlawn, collecting antiques including uranium glass and radium dial clocks, and listening to music from Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Frank Zappa.