Staff

Dr. Christina Svec

Director of Choirs

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Dr. Christina Svec is currently the Assistant Professor of Music Education at Iowa State University where she teaches courses in elementary and secondary choral music methods. She received her PhD and Bachelor of Music Education degrees from the University of North Texas and a Master of Music Education degree from Michigan State University. She has also earned three levels of certification in Music Learning Theory and three levels in Kodály.

Before coming to Iowa State and the Ames Children’s Choirs, Dr. Svec taught elementary music for six years and has been involved with early childhood music for nearly fifteen years. She has served as Director of Children’s Music for First United Methodist Church of McKinney, TX and as Director of Music (including Children’s Choirs) for First Presbyterian Church of McKinney, TX.

In addition to her music-making and educating, Dr. Svec is a passionate music education researcher. Her research interests include research methodology, research pedagogy, and singing voice development. She has presented papers, research posters, and sessions at conferences locally, nationally, and internationally. Her publications can be found in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education and Psychology of Music.

Erika Johnson

Choir Director

Erika Johnson Erika Johnson is a vocal and general music teacher for the Ames Community School District where she teaches K-5 general music and an extracurricular choir. She has worked with children in the performing arts for 22 years, encompassing preschool through high school teaching, private voice and violin instruction, children’s choir director, and musical theater director. Mrs. Johnson studied music education and vocal performance at Ithaca College and completed Kodaly training at Wichita State University. She resides in Ames and enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and three young children.

Emily Malamos

Operations Manager

Emily Malamos joined the Ames Youth Choir in 2023. She is a graduate from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa with a Bachelor of Music in Education. As a student, Mrs. Malamos was a flutist in various ensembles at Wartburg including: the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Community Symphony, Flute Choir as well as the Waverly Municipal Band. Upon graduation she worked as the 5-12 band instructor for Paton-Churdan as well as the 7-8 band instructor for Greene County Schools in Jefferson, Iowa for a year before moving to K-4 music full-time for Greene County. In 2023 she began teaching PK-6 music at St. Cecilia School in Ames where she has been working on building the band program back up to where it once was.

Mrs. Malamos and her husband live in Ames with their two young children. She enjoys learning new skills and being crafty in her free time, as well as spending time with family and watching her children explore the world around them.

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