WHO WE ARE

OUR STORY

I still remember where we were when we came up with the name "Bellas Artes." It was on one of our evening walks, when we would dream about the future together. When Victoria and I got married in 2009, we had no idea we would be given the opportunity to work alongside each other.  

We opened our doors in August 2009 with about 30 students enrolled. Now, fifteen years later, we are humbled to have 25 other amazing musicians teaching alongside us and about 300 students coming through our doors every week.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

We believe that learning to play music is not just about acquiring the mastery of an instrument but about enlarging the soul to see beauty and cultivating a virtue and depth of character commensurate with that beauty. This is a journey that we embarked upon when we were children, because someone believed in us and gave us an opportunity. And so now in turn, we absolutely love the fact that we are getting to invite others to join us as well in this pilgrimage. Because we view teaching as mentorship, not simply the transferral of information, we place high priority on relationship with our students and their families. We believe in our students and take great joy in seeing them discover that they can do things they never knew they could do before.

OUR DREAM

We haven't stopped dreaming! We still go on walks together, now with four little girls in tow! And on those walks, we often find ourselves talking about how we can make music lessons like these available to children who normally don't have access to such privileges like these, due to financial and other constraints. We hope and pray Bellas Artes may one day provide such a service in our community.

OUR LEADERSHIP/ADMIN TEAM

JUSTIN JACOBSON, Founder and Director

Justin Jacobson (Wheaton College, ‘03, ‘08) earned his Music Composition degree at the Wheaton Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano with William Phemister and Joe Cisar, as well composition with Howard Whitaker and John Lane. Justin is an active church musician, songwriter, composer, recording artist, recording engineer, music instructor.  He is happily married to Victoria, who is also head of the strings department here at Bellas Artes.  They are blessed with four beautiful daughters (also musicians) and a little 3 yo boy who sings/screams at the top of his lungs. 

Justin grew up in Argentina, where he first began his study of classical piano, along with tango and Argentine folk music. After college, he spent a year in East Jerusalem, Israel teaching high school - his first formal experience as an educator.  He has been teaching private music lessons for over 18 years now and absolutely loves interacting with his students, seeing them progress and achieve things they never could have imagined themselves achieving before. His aim is not so much to turn his students into virtuosos but to cultivate in them a love for music that will last a lifetime.

He seeks to teach all of his students not just how to read music, but also how to improvise and create their own music. He believes that the classical music  education paradigm has been too heavily weighted toward replication and not enough toward re-creation.  In other words, far too many pianists know how to play Bach and Chopin from memory but are at a loss if requested to compose their own music or play “Happy Birthday.” 

Therefore, Justin’s desire is to bring musical education into a more holistic equilibrium by complementing the traditional model of instruction. He requires all of his students to learn how to read music and to do so proficiently, but he also encourages and teaches them how to improvise, how to compose their own music, and how to play “by ear,” reproducing their favorite song in a piano reduction. This paradigm of instruction does not take place to the neglect of the classics; on the contrary, it seeks to build upon their foundation.  It is for this reason that a number of his students have played original compositions in their recitals and have received awards at the Illinois state level for their original composition. Several of his students have gone to excel in music at the college level, in programs around the country.  

As director of the school, his primary role is that of providing vision and executive leadership.  He has hired a team of over 25 professional musicians from diverse backgrounds but who all share a similar vision for building a holistic and versatile education upon the Western classical tradition.  He is committed to hiring educators who themselves embody the values that Bellas Artes has become known for - goodness, truth, and beauty.

MEGAN BELL, Office Manager

Megan brings a diverse background in music and non-profit management to the Bellas Artes family.  She graduated from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music with a B.M. in Voice Performance and earned her M. A. in Arts Administration from the Florida State University.

With a passion for serving others, Megan has used her skills in her community in a variety of areas. She served for several years as the material assistance program director at her local pregnancy center where she managed the incentive program and thrift store for newborns and their families. Always looking for ways to get involved, Megan regularly uses both her passion for music and organization by serving on worship teams and steering committees at local churches and non-profit organizations.

Megan lives in the country with her family and two dogs.  Always powered by a cup of coffee, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and backcountry camping.  She is delighted to serve the BA team of skilled and passionate faculty as Office Manager. 

BECCA FITZPATRICK, Operations Manager

Rebecca is a professional vocalist, violinist, pianist and music educator working the Chicagoland area. She received her Master's from Westminster Choir College (Vocal Pedagogy and Performance) where she studied under Laura Brooks Rice, and her Bachelor's from Wheaton College (2013), where she studied under the tutelage of Dr. Carolyn Hart.

Rebecca’s bell-like tone lends itself to roles such as Adele (Die Fledermaus), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), Madame Herz (Der Schauspieldirektor), and Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte). She has premiered many works by student composers and enjoys singing in the contemporary styles of John Adams, George Crumb, and Jonathan Dove. Rebecca’s agile voice also fits well with Bach cantatas, Handel arias, and Purcell songs. She plans to continue exploring the ways in which her voice can glorify God.

KEVIN BROWN, Institute for Jazz Studies Director

Canadian-born guitarist Kevin Brown is an experienced educator, performer, and composer in the Chicago area. He holds a B.M. in guitar performance from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music and a M.M. in Jazz Composition from DePaul University.

Some of his primary instructors have included Peter Ulrich, Willie Wiebe, Larry Roy, and Stephen Ramsdell with additional lessons and masterclasses with Scott Hesse, Mike Allemana, Steve Coleman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Rez Abassi, John Patitucci, and many others. 

He has performed with musicians such as Jimmy Greene, Benny Golson, Jon Irabagon, and Marquis Hill and has appeared in some of Chicago's top venues for jazz, including the Green Mill and the Jazz Showcase. Kevin has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Iowa City Jazz Festival.

Kevin Brown is an adjunct faculty member at Trinity Christian College where he directs the jazz ensemble and teaches private lessons in guitar and composition.