About Us

           Mission and History

The Gasse School of Music. founded in June 2001, serves Chicago and the near-west suburbs, including Forest Park, Oak Park, River Forest, Elmwood Park, and Berwyn. The school is dedicated to a simple, two-point mission: 1) to provide quality, instrumental music instruction for children and adults of all ages, and 2) make the playing of a music instrument fun, an enjoyable part of every day's life.  Bringing the joy of music to anyone is a gift of incalculable value and the academic and life-skill benefits of musical instruction are well-documented.   Those benefits suffer, however, if the process of instruction is not infused with a sense of fun and love of music as well as technical excellence.   It is here that the Gasse School of Music excels. The Gasse School started with five students and two instructors and has since grown to 140 students and a faculty of five.   More importantly, most of our younger students continue to study with us throughout their school careers, developing their skills and progressing through elementary, middle school, high school, and college orchestras and chamber groups. The school provides individual and group instruction with an emphasis on self expression, creativity, teamwork, fun and proper technique.   Lessons are given in instrumental music, elementary music for early childhood, chamber music and music reading.   The school promotes public performances by its students, faculty and guest artists.

            The Benefits of Learning to Play A Musical Instrument

Through the process of learning how to play an instrument, children develop many of the most useful skills which will help them through their entire life no matter what field they choose for their work.

In addition to the great fun that music provides to the performer and the listener, the process of learning how to play an instrument helps develop a longer concentration span, better memorization skills and increased psycho-motor coordination. It also develops the ability to set short and long-term goals and the organization, discipline and endurance needed to achieve those goals.   Playing a musical instrument builds self-esteem by giving the student a powerful means to express his or herself.

Instructors

Mrs. Sarah Gasse teaches viola, violin, chamber music and Musikgarten at The Gasse School of Music in Forest Park where she is also a Founding Director. Mrs. Gasse is a native of Sunderland, England. She attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland and Glasgow University where she earned the BA (Musical Studies)HONS degree. After performing with renowned ensembles such as Britten-Pears Orchestra, Scottish Early Music Consort and the Cruic Quartet, in 1995 she emigrated to the United States for a career in performance and teaching. She has coached the string sections of The McHenry County Youth Orchestra and The Kankakee Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has been on the faculty of Olivet Nazarene University, The Suzuki Orff School for Young Musicians in Chicago and the McHenry County Music Center. She also was the Director of Chamber Music at the McHenry County Music Center. Mrs. Gasse training and experience include both traditional and Suzuki method for strings and early childhood music education. Mrs. Gasse plays viola in the Oak Park River Forest Symphony Orchestra, and was principal violist at the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra for 9 years until May 2006. She plays violin in the Opus 3 Piano Trio and viola in the Convergence String Quartet.

Dr. Daniel Gasse is a Founding Director of the Gasse School of Music in Forest Park, where he teaches cello, Muiskgarten and coaches chamber music. Dr. Gasse has a Professor de Violoncello degree from the Concervatorio Provincal de Musica de la Provincia de Cordoba, a master’s degree and a doctorate in Musical Arts with a minor in Music Education from the University of Illinois. Dr. Gasse has more than 25 years of experience teaching cello and coaching chamber music and orchestra. His training and experience includes traditional methods as well as the Suzuki method. He also has experience teaching college students as a former faculty member of the Columbia College and Olivet Nazarene University. Many of his students have taken cello for their music major college degrees and several of them have earned the first prize in the Concerto Competition of the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Gasse also is trained in and has large experience in early childhood education. He has extensively taught Orff and Musikgarten classes. Dr. Gasse plays with the Oak Park River Forest Symphony Orchestra and served as principal cellist of the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra for 18 years until January 2006. He is the cellist in the Opus 3 Piano Trio, the Convergence String Quartet and has been a member of the Chicago Twentieth Century Music Ensemble until the end of its regular performances. Previous experiences include numerous performances as a recitalist, and soloist with orchestras in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and the United States, as well as holding the position of principal or assistant principal cellist in orchestras in Argentina, Brazil and the US. Dr. Gasse is also the author of the books The Music Written for Cello by Argentinean Composers, and The History of Spain Through the Arts.

Hülya Alpakin teaches piano at The Gasse School of Music in Forest Park, IL. Ms. Alpakin is a native of Turkey. She began piano studies at age eleven in Mimar Sinan University Istanbul Conservatory after primary school. After she received her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the conservatory, she worked as a secondary piano teacher and accompanist in the music Conservatory of Mimar Sinan University. In addition to the conservatory, she taught piano at the Istasyon Art Center and worked as an accompanist for Royal Ballet Academy. She participated in numerous concerts as soloist, chamber musician and accompanist during her studies, and after she finished the conservatory. Ms. Alpak|n moved to Chicago to continue her piano education in August 2000. After studying English, she began her Master Degree program under the tutorage of Dr. Ludmila Lazar at Roosevelt University Chicago Colleges of Performing Arts and received her Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance in December 2003. In May 2006, she received her Performance Diploma under the tutelage of Graham Scott. During her education in Chicago, she performed as a solo pianist in many recitals and chamber music concerts at Roosevelt University, De Paul University, The People’s Music School, Harold Washington Library, Argyle Self Help Center and Sherwood Conservatory. Ms. Alpakin is an instructor of piano at The People’s Music School, S.P.A.C.E. Music School, and pianist for Christ The King Lutheran Church, and St. Gregory The Great Church. She is also employed as an accompanist for Hubbard Street Dance Company.