Commercial Music Faculty & Staff

Max Johnk is a bassist, composer and teacher. A native of the Fargo- Moorhead area, Max ea...

Max Johnk is a bassist, composer and teacher. A native of the Fargo- Moorhead area, Max earned his bachelor’s degree in music from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2011, and went on to earn his master’s degree in jazz studies from Northern Illinois University in 2014. While at NIU, he played in the nationally recognized NIU Jazz Ensemble and the Rosebud Foundation Jazztet. Max returned to the FM area in 2014. He currently teaches at MSUM, and at Amped School of Music in Fargo. An active performer on double bass and bass guitar, Max can be heard in a variety of freelance situations, and with increasing frequency as a bandleader. Allweather, his acoustic modern jazz quartet, released its self-titled debut in 2019. Division of Masters, a trio project blending underground rock music and free improvisation, released the album “Laid Across Your Path” in 2021.

Paul Liversage received his Masters of Music Education degree from Florida State Universit...

Paul Liversage received his Masters of Music Education degree from Florida State University and did his undergraduate studies at North Dakota State University. He has been a music educator in Minnesota since 1984. Paul performs with a number of local ensembles including Avalanche, Lake Agassiz Concert Band, and FM Kicks Jazz Band.

Alison Molony is a professional singer with almost 20 years of experience in the entertain...

Alison Molony is a professional singer with almost 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She first began as a singer/dancer for Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee, MN at the age of 18, and has since performed with numerous musical groups and variety acts throughout the United States. With a focus on commercial vocals, Alison specializes in pop, rock, R&B, country, and jazz. She currently fronts local band Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome, best known for their 6-piece horn section and tribute performances in the Fargo-Moorhead community. Alison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. At Minnesota State University Moorhead, Alison is thrilled to co-lead the Commercial Music Ensemble and teach private voice lessons. Alison resides in Fargo with her husband and two children.

Doug Neill is currently the adjunct bass and tuba instructor at MSUM. He has spent the pa...

Doug Neill is currently the adjunct bass and tuba instructor at MSUM. He has spent the past 32 years as a teacher in Minnesota public schools teaching band, choir, elementary music and orchestra. He is presently an orchestra teacher in the Moorhead public schools. Mr. Neill holds a degree in Music Education from North Dakota State University, and it was during his years there that he spent a summer in the Disney World All-American College Band. As the bass player in that group, he performed with various well-known artists such as Bobby Shew, Steve Houghton and Rob McConnell. During that same summer, he studied with Sam Pilafian on tuba as part of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. In 2012 Mr. Neill earned his Masters Degree in Music Education from Minnesota State university Moorhead. Locally, he has performed as a bass player in the Fargo-Moorhead Jazz Arts Group, the Dick King Band, Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome and many other groups. Mr. Neill has also been the Principal Tubist with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony since 1981.

Dr. Tom Strait is has been a faculty member at MSUM since 2001. He teaches trumpet, trombo...

Dr. Tom Strait is has been a faculty member at MSUM since 2001. He teaches trumpet, trombone and euphonium, and serves as director of the MSUM Jazz Ensemble. He also teaches courses in aural skills, jazz improvisation, and music appreciation. He holds a Doctor of Arts degree in trumpet performance from the University of Northern Colorado, as well as degrees from the University of Texas and Henderson State University. Before coming to MSUM, he taught for several years at both the university and public school levels and served in the U.S. Air Force, performing with the USAF Academy Falconaires. He is currently Principal Trumpet with the Fargo Moorhead Symphony Orchestra and is an active free lance performer in the region. Tom Strait is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

Dr. Kenyon Williams has worked throughout the United States as a professional performer, e...

Dr. Kenyon Williams has worked throughout the United States as a professional performer, educator, arranger, and clinician. A graduate of Abilene Christian University, the Hartt School of Music, and the University of Kentucky, he has performed as a guest soloist and section member for numerous orchestras, including the Abilene Philharmonic (TX), the Louisville Symphony (KY), the Lexington Philharmonic (KY), and currently serves as Principal Percussionist for the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra. As an educator, he has taught at the secondary school level as well as at universities in Texas and Kentucky. Dr. Williams is currently the Director of Percussion Studies at Minnesota State University Moorhead where he maintains an active teaching and performing schedule and directs the acclaimed “Fuego Tropical” World Percussion Ensemble as well as hands-on world music ensembles in Trinidadian steel pan, Javanese gamelan, African drumming, Afro-Cuban salsa, and Brazilian samba. His interests have taken him abroad for extended studies in Ghana, Cuba, Brazil, Indonesia, and Trinidad, where he has performed with the legendary Invaders and Birdsong Steel Orchestras in Panorama. In the United States, he has taken his love for the music of the Caribbean to new levels by establishing, arranging, and performing for steel bands and Afro-Cuban ensembles in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Dakota and Texas. Dr. Williams is a Yamaha Performing Artist and endorses Yamaha and Latin Percussion instruments, Innovative sticks and mallets, and Coyle Steel Drums, through which he has published numerous original arrangements and transcriptions. Dr. Williams is a member of the Board of Directors of the Percussive Arts Society, the largest professional body of percussionists in the world, and has served as a past chairman for the World Music Committee as well as Treasurer for the Minnesota Chapter of PAS. He also performs regularly with the “Varying Degrees” Percussion Trio and recently released a solo album of newly commissioned solo works for percussion entitled “Homage,” which is available on both iTunes and CDBaby.com.