Faculty
The Studio D faculty is comprised of dance, music, and theater teaching artists as well as licensed occupational, physical, and speech therapists. Each class is led by a 3-person team with two artistic teachers conducting the lessons and a therapist providing specialized support to our students.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Dalia Berman – Music Instructor, Percussionist
Dalia is a percussionist and music educator with over a decade of performance and teaching experience. She specializes in teaching concert, marching, and world percussion at schools and programs around the country including DCI’s Blue Stars. Dalia received her Master’s degree in World Percussion from California Institute of the Arts and her Bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance from California State University, Northridge. In addition to working for Studio D, Dalia is a member of the 300th Army Band based out of Southern California. Dalia has been on the Studio D faculty since October 2017. Her favorite part about working with this program is growing together with the students. No two classes or lessons are ever the same and that is all thanks to the personality and creativity that each student brings.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Steph Davis – Speech Language Pathologist & Behavior Analyst
Steph is a dual-certified speech-language pathologist and behavior analyst. She holds a Master of Arts in Special Education from Ball State University and a Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders from California State University, Long Beach. Her dreams came true when she joined the Studio D faculty in 2022 because her first career was as a dancer/singer/actress for stage and film! She is grateful for her students and the opportunity to share her love of speech and language to deepen engagement in the arts at Studio D.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Megan Chan - Occupational Therapist
Megan is an occupational therapist who earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2016 from Stanbridge University. In winter of 2017 she joined the Studio D team and has loved supporting the students’ engagement in dance and music.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Kathryn Haas - Occupational Therapist
Dr. Kathryn Haas has been serving the community as an occupational therapist since 1999 and with Studion D since 2018. She is SIPT Certified. Her passion is autistic empathy. Her research revealed that autistic empathy is physically manifested by the language of stimming and hopes that, globally, neurotypicals feel empowered to learn it. Her passion informs her work with Studio D, helping students, teachers, musicians, and volunteers to foster engagement.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Ashley Jones – Dance Instructor
Ashley is a Professor of Dance at CSU Dominguez Hills, West LA College, and Golden West College. She holds an MFA in Dance from UC Irvine where she received the Graduate Deans' Dissertation Fellowship, an MA in Dance Education from CSU Long Beach, and a dual bachelors in Business Administration and Political Science from the University of Southern California. Ashley is a founding member of Studio D and has taught all age groups and styles within the program since 2016. She teaches ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, Latin, and musical theatre dance styles across Orange & LA county to all ages, levels, and abilities and has worked extensively as a dancer and choreographer throughout the United States.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Michael Malinowski – Music Instructor, Percussionist
Michael is a professional drummer and educator. Since receiving his Bachelor’s in Music for Percussion Performance from California State University, Long Beach, he has performed alongside artists such as Blue Man Group and Sheila E. He's performed in many venues including the Hollywood Bowl and Ford Amphitheatre. Michael joined the Studio D faculty in the fall of 2019. In addition to working at SCFTA, he teaches percussion at Stanford Middle School and runs his own private lessons studio. He enjoys working with a diverse group of students and learning how to interact with each one to achieve their full potential.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Brittany McLean – Physical Therapist
Brittany has been a dancer since the age of two and competed on her high school and the University of Oregon dance teams. She has five years of experience as a pediatric physical therapist with a doctorate degree from Chapman University. She has experience teaching dance in a studio setting as well as in a therapeutic setting. She has a passion for dance and helping children and adults with disabilities, finding Studio D to be a perfect fit!
Photo by Elaina Francis
Cynthia McGarity – Curriculum Consultant, Musical Theater Director
Cynthia is a singer, music director, director and master teaching artist with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Highlights from her career include that of Master Teaching Artist at Disneyland for Disney Performing Arts; lead master teaching artist for Disney Musicals in Schools under the auspices of Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County and Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles; vocal coach for episodic television on the set of NBC Studios Parks & Rec; voiceover artist for PBS Television’s ART-Art Series; and past Music Department Chair/Voice teacher at The Young Americans College of the Performing Arts. Cynthia loves working with students of all ages and abilities and joined the Studio D faculty in the spring of 2019. She developed the Musical Theater class curriculum for Studio D in the fall of 2018. She brings joyful energy to her classes and encourages self-expression from her students - it is impossible not to have fun.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Gina Quintana – Dance Instructor
Gina has 30 years of teaching experience extending into dance studios, hospitals, schools, and nonprofits. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from University of California, Irvine, is a certified yoga instructor and trained with Dance for Parkinson’s. Gina joined the Studio D faculty in the spring of 2017. Her classes are fun, supportive, and creative and she loves everything about this program! She enjoys working with everyone involved - the students, families, volunteers, and faculty. Having both a dance and music instructor, and a therapist is not only a great opportunity for our students, but an amazing environment to work in.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Anna Sladkey – Physical Therapist
Anna is a physical therapist who has been a faculty member of Studio D since 2017. She is a Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist and received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Western University of Health Sciences in 2009. Her favorite aspect of Studio D is that it allows students of all abilities to have a fun and safe space to be themselves and experience the joy of dance and music.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Meg Terán – Curriculum Consultant, Dance Instructor
Meg is a dance-teaching artist, bilingual educator, and curriculum writer who has worked with dancers of all ages in schools and community settings. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in World Arts and Cultures and a minor in Spanish Literature from University of California, Los Angeles. Additionally, she has a Master of Arts in Education from Chapman University. In 2010, Meg received the Elementary Dance Educator of the Year award from the OC Music and Arts Administrators. Meg has been with Studio D since the fall of 2016 as a curriculum developer and began teaching for the school in the spring of 2017. She enjoys collaborating with the dance teachers, music teachers and therapists to facilitate a joyful, challenging class. Additionally, she also enjoys working with students and families, and witnessing friendships grow among all of the young artists in our community.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Michael Tran – Percussionist and Pianist
Michael Tran is a dedicated educator and musician, driven by a genuine passion for fostering musical growth. With over a decade of experience in playing piano and percussion, Michael brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. Since joining Studio D in 2022, he has had the privilege of witnessing the inspiring progress made by students under his guidance. With a bachelor's degree in Music Education from Cal Poly Pomona, Michael also serves as a percussion coach at Woodbridge High School in Irvine and The Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps in Concord, further enriching his musical journey as an educator.
Photo by Elaina Francis
Christina Villaseñor – Occupational Therapist
Christina is an occupational therapist who earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from California State University Dominguez Hills. She joined the Studio D faculty in fall of 2021 due to her passion for creating opportunities for all to engage in creative expression and the fine arts. She enjoys being able to facilitate the students’ participation with dance, music, and theatre and witness the joy they receive from doing so.
Photo by Elaina Francis
James Wieners – Music Instructor, Violinist
James has been with Studio D since its inception in 2016. As a freelance artists, he has been involved in solo, chamber, and orchestral performances throughout Southern California. Equally at home in early music, classical contemporary and popular styles, he can be found playing and recording with groups and ensembles in a variety of musical genres. James has a Masters of Music from the Longy School of Music, a Bachelors of Music from Biola University and has participated in workshops and festivals at the Berkless School of Music and Oberlin College Conservatory. As a teacher, he has worked as a private instructor, chamber coach, clinician, and conductor. He currently maintains a private teaching studio in Orange County.