​

About

​

 

Ethan Kohring began his collegiate studies at William Rainey Harper College, where he earned an Associate of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Music in 2016. While at Harper, he studied voice with Professor Susan Lundholm and piano with Dr. Janice Razaq. During this time, he founded Harper A Capella, was inducted into multiple honor societies, and received both the Harley Chapman Music Scholarship and the Excellence in the Discipline Award.

​

He continued his education at Millikin University, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education – Vocal Emphasis. There, he studied voice under Dr. Amy Fuller, piano with Dr. Silvan Negrutiu, and organ with Dr. Bruce Gibbons. He was an active member of several ensembles, including the University Choir, Dissonance (a cappella), and the One Voice vocal jazz group. In addition to his performance work, he served on the boards of student chapters for music education organizations, joined educational honor societies, and was awarded the Dr. Maria Klott Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in both piano and voice.

​

Ethan’s teaching career began with a student teaching placement in choir and hip-hop at Glenbard East High School, followed by interim roles in choir and band at Oak Park and River Forest High School, and general music instruction at Lisle Elementary School. He later joined Wilmette District 39, where he led a 5th–8th grade choir program and a hip-hop production course. Despite the challenges of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped grow the choir from 110 to 159 students, expanding opportunities to include field trips, competitions, and community events.

​

Currently, he teaches at Golf School District 67, where he oversees the PreK–8 general music program and the 3rd–8th grade choir. He is also currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Music Education with a focus on choral and general music at VanderCook College of Music. In his role at D67, he has led a full redesign of the general music curriculum to focus on both musical relevance and the development of core musicianship skills such as an 8th grade general music class that focuses on Hip-Hop production. The program now includes modern tools and units, such as a classroom set of MIDI keyboards and ukuleles, giving students hands-on opportunities to engage with music in creative and meaningful ways. In addition, Ethan serves as an assistant vocal jazz director at Niles North High School directing the ensemble "Sound Check" and as the Co-Representative for the ILMEA District 7 Jr. Chorus division.