Olney Community Youth Choir

Artistic Director

Ashley Grantham is a music educator with over seventeen years experience working with elementary and middle school students. She is a graduate of Sherwood High School, received a Bachelor of Music from University of Delaware, and a Master’s in Music Education from Boston University. In the past few years, she has committed herself to quality music instruction in Montgomery County, first working as an elementary general/choral music teacher and instructional coach, and now as MCPS’s Coordinator of General/Choral Music. In her public school experiences, she has a reputation of growing her choral programs to 80-100 students. Ashley has previously worked for the Strathmore Children’s Chorus and MCPS Elementary Honors Chorus and has studied the Kodaly Method at New York University and choral pedagogy and conducting through Doreen Rao’s Choral Music Experience. She believes in the social and emotional betterment achieved through music-making and that choral music should be accessible to all students. She is excited to be the Artistic Director of OCYC and give back to the Olney community, where her inspiration for teaching was formed. When not performing with OCYC, she can be found singing at home with her two young daughters.

Email Contact: GranthamOCYC@gmail.com

Director

Sidney South is a choral and general music teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools. She is currently the choral director at Richard Montgomery High School, where she teaches choir and general music. In addition to classroom instruction, she sponsors the A Cappella group, the Music Honor Society, music directs the fall musical, and assists with the Marching Band. She received her bachelor's degree in choral music education from Florida State University. Outside of classroom teaching, she is an Assistant Music Director and alto with DC's 18th Street Singers.

Collaborative Accompanist

Michele Rohan, a native of Western New York, received a Bachelor of Music from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Music from The Catholic University of America. She has been teaching, performing, and directing in the DC metropolitan area for over 25 years. Michele has served on the board of both Music Teacher’s National Association and Montgomery County Music Teachers Association and was a contributing author to American Music Teacher Magazine. Outside private teaching and performing, Michele has served as musical director and teacher at Imagination Stage, The Levine School of Music, and Prince George’s County Public Schools. Her most recent performance endeavors have brought her to live music venues, as keyboardist/vocalist with the band Hudson River Line: The Music of Billy Joel and as vocalist in One Particular Harbour, a Jimmy Buffett tribute. Michele is passionate about music education and is thrilled to be part of this community project!

Choral Manager

Zoe Bulitt is an educator with MCPS and an Olney homegrown with deep roots in the Sherwood music community. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Monmouth University and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from UMBC. Her love of music and performing has not dulled over the years, and is excited to be joining her two passions of teaching and music by working with the Olney Community Youth Choir.

Email contact: ZoeBulittOCYC@gmail.com