Community Choir Team
Director
Jason Martin
Jason is the Choir Director at Fort Zumwalt South High School in St. Peters, Missouri and is the Secondary Performing Arts Curriculum Coordinator for the district. He has served as the Middle School Choral Vice President for St. Louis Suburban District, Director of Music at Church of the Shepherd United Methodist in neighboring St. Charles, Choral Vice President for the Missouri Music Educators Association, and is currently the Church and Community Honor Choir Chair for the Missouri Choral Directors Association (MCDA).
Jason holds certification in K-12 Choral/Vocal Music Education and Secondary School Administration. He received the MCDA Prelude Award in 2006, South High’s Teacher of the Year in 2010, was twice selected as the St. Louis Metro District’s Outstanding Director of the Year, and in 2020 he was recognized as Outstanding Educator of the Year.
A 20-year member of MCDA, Jason is an active presenter, adjudicator, and clinician for Missouri’s choral community. When he’s not directing music, he loves supporting the growth of his family while forever chasing his beautiful and forgiving wife’s “honey do” list.
Director Emeritus
John H. Smith
8/23/1946 - 9/16/2023
John enjoyed a long and rewarding career as a music educator and director. He earned a B.M.E. from Oklahoma Baptist University and a M.M.E. from the University of Oklahoma, with extensive graduate work at various other institutions, and a lengthy list of honors and awards to recognize his many accomplishments and dedication to his profession.
He taught and directed high school choral music for 35 years in the Ft. Zumwalt, Jennings, and Riverview Gardens school districts in Missouri, until his “retirement” in 2006, after which he served as adjunct professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Missouri Baptist University, teaching, supervising student teachers, and directing the University Chorus from 2010-2017.
John’s interest in 1991 to establish a community chorus to bring singers of all ages and skill levels together for the pure enjoyment of singing turned into a 30+-year, 130-voice choir, which has brought tremendous joy and enrichment to the lives of so many people and our community as a whole.
We are extremely grateful for John’s dedication, musical direction, and leadership over so many years. John retired in 2021 after 30 years of dedication, development, leadership, hard work … and a feeling of much joy and accomplishment. He was a blessing and inspiration to all of us.
Accompanist
Holly Anderson
Holly started playing the piano at 8 years of age. She went on to play the flute in band and orchestra during her school years. She also learned to play the organ as an adult. Her first experience with accompanying was for her junior high choir. She also played for her high school choir and Youth choir at church.
Holly has played for many churches, school choirs, soloists and instrumentalists over the past 30+ years, but her favorite activity has always been accompanying choirs. She is a wife and mother of three children, and works as a physical therapist. Holly has played for the St. Peters Choral Society for many years and considers it a great privilege to have the opportunity to be a part of the choir. She brings us her great musical and performance talents, and her energy, warmth, and humor have endeared her to our members.
Youth Choir Team
4th/5th Grade Youth choir director
Alaina Baldwin
Alaina Baldwin is currently entering her 6th year as the general music teacher at Eureka Elementary School. She is passionate about teaching music because of the joy and creative outlet music provides to her young students. She studied at the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and received her undergraduate degree in Music Education in 2019. She most recently received her Masters in Educational Psychology from the University of Missouri - St. Louis in 2023. Mrs. Baldwin also had the honor of receiving the Teacher of the Year award at her school for the 2021-2022 school year. When not teaching music, Mrs. Baldwin enjoys spending time with her husband, her dog, Pearl, and her beautiful new baby boy, Hudson. She also enjoys running, playing board games, and eating ice cream.
4th/5th Grade Youth Choir Co-Director
Sarah Dobson
Sarah Dobson is the Choir Director at Bryan Middle School in the Francis Howell School District. She loves building community through singing and teaching the whole child. Her mission is to teach students to be good musicians and good people. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Music Education (Vocal) and minor in Developmental Psychology. She is currently working on completing her Masters in Educational Psychology through UMSL. Sarah is actively involved in professional music education organizations like NAfME and MCDA. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, thrift shopping, and going to concerts or musical theatre productions.
Middle School Youth Choir Co-Director
Karen Kaibel
Karen Kaibel teaches vocal music at Parkway Southwest Middle School in Ballwin, Missouri, where she serves as Fine Arts Department chair and contributes to the Shared Leadership Team. She has Masters degrees in Vocal Performance and Choral Music Education from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She co-directed the Chorale ensemble for the St. Louis Children’s Choirs from 2011 to 2017. Mrs. Kaibel shares her musical enthusiasm during the summers, directing the St. Louis Children’s Choirs’ Summer Camp, working with the Opera Theatre St. Louis summer program, and most recently directing middle school voices at the Francis Howell summer choir camp. Mrs. Kaibel was awarded Outstanding District Director of the St. Louis Suburban Area by the Missouri Choral Directors Association in 2024. She has also directed and accompanied various honor choirs in Missouri and Illinois. In her free time, she loves exploring new places and playing strategy/board games with her husband and two children.
Choral Society Board Members
Choral Society Executive Board
Jason Martin, Executive Director
Mike Ring, President
Bill Llewelyn, Vice President
Don Holt, Treasurer
Julie Lynch, Human Resources
Megan England, Secretary
Keith Scherer, Logistics Chair
Sheila Ingerslew, Member
Brian Reeves, Member
Ken Scherer, Webmaster
JH Smith Community Choir Leadership Board
Mike Ring, President
Bill Llewelyn, Vice President
Don Holt, Treasurer
Jason Martin, Director
Bonnie Huffman, Secretary
Julie Lynch, Librarian
Youth Choir Leadership Board
Alaina Baldwin, Director
Sarah Dobson, Director
Karen Kaibel, Director
Julie Lynch, Member
Kristin Fredricks, Secretary
Taran Sachak, Parent Volunteer