Fine Arts
At SFCA, students of all ages enjoy opportunities to develop their artistic talents. In fact, 98% of our students are involved in practical and performing arts! If you love the arts as much as we do, you’ll applaud our arts education portfolio!
A Message from the Performing and Practical Arts Team
The Fine Arts department at Southwest Florida Christian Academy glorifies God alone. We give praise and honor to our heavenly Father in song and deed. He alone has blessed our staff of qualified teachers and talented students.
We teach our students that we can honor our God by reaching for excellence in all things, including the thirst to know how to serve Him with the talents He has given them, whether it is preparing a piece for a music performance assessment, participating in art festival, or auditioning for Disney’s Candlelight Processional.
We will strive to serve our students in ways that will prepare them for future endeavors using their talents.
God Bless you and yours.
FINE ARTS ACADEMY
The SFCA Fine Arts Academy functions as an atmosphere for individuals to experience, learn, cultivate, and express the creativity given to them by the Creator, God. Providing training in the arts is our avenue to draw our school and community to Christ and to equip future worshipers already in relationship with Christ.
Meet Our Team
nathalie higgins
SFCA Extracurricular Program Director
Madame Higgins, originally from France, came to the U.S. as a high school exchange student and later settled here after meeting her husband. With over 20 years of experience in education, she has taught French from elementary through high school. She’s also worked as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional. The Higgins family grew with the addition of three children Jaiden, Caleb, and Alyssa who were saved by God’s grace and lovingly raised in a Christian home. The family moved to Florida, where Madame Higgins continued teaching. After Mr. Higgins’ passing in 2018, they leaned on their faith, focusing on God and family. They’re grateful to be part of the SFCA community and continue to thrive.
Christian Miller
Photography
Your Instructor, Christian Miller, is a native Floridian who crafts compelling visual narratives through videography and photography. He brings a Bachelor’s Degree from Full Sail University and years of experience, expertise, and passion. He has served as a photojournalist on NBC2, and ABC7, and currently serves as the Digital Media Producer here at McGregor Baptist Church.
Chelsea Kackley
Beginning to Intermediate Voice
Chelsea has loved music and working with students since her youth. She has sung with various choirs and ensembles at McGregor Baptist Church and SFCA, performing solos, duets, and band-led pieces. A graduate of Liberty University with a Master’s Degree, Chelsea has recorded with the Florida Worship Choir and Orchestra. While her passion is worship music, she’s also performed at community events, weddings, funerals, and even sports events. She currently leads the SFCA Praise Band and helps with the McGregor Baptist Children’s Choir. We’re grateful to have her, your students will be blessed by her leadership and experience.
Christina hartley
Piano & Band Instruments
Chris earned her B.S. in Music Education from Toccoa Falls College in 1991. She’s been teaching privately ever since and is a licensed Kindermusik Educator. She has performed at Broadway Palm Dinner Theater and Cape Coral Cultural Theater, and several of her students have gone on to compete or teach music. A pianist since age 7, Chris has played in church since she was 12 and developed a love for both gospel and classical music, especially Mozart. She accompanied choirs and ensembles at ECS and spent 20 years as the pianist at Christ Community Church. Now an active member of McGregor’s orchestra, she plays Synth Keys in the Worship Center. Chris is also a proud Disney fan and dog mom to her Yorkiepoo, Pip.
jackie jarvis
Strings – Violin all levels
Jackie has been with the Academy from its beginning, and we are so blessed to have her as a part of our Fine Arts family. Jackie not only studied at the University of the Philippines but also with world-renowned violinists. She has over 20 years of experience teaching strings and piano and currently teaches these disciplines privately here at the MBC Fine Arts Academy and throughout the city. Jackie has performed with several Symphony Orchestras in the Fort Myers area out of state. She has played with the McGregor Worship Orchestra and enjoys sharing her talent with all who will listen. Jackie has mastered the skill of training young students and has encouraged them to bring out the very best they have to offer.
Kent Jurgenson
Band Instruments, Brass (All Levels)
Mr. Jurgenson currently teaches high school band at Southwest Florida Christian Academy, our Christian school. Though he teaches all beginning band instruments his “sweet spot” is with low brass. Over the past years at SFCA, Mr. Jurgenson has been a huge boon to our school’s marching band and has raised the bar of creativity to a level that challenges our students enough to evoke their best without pushing so hard to bring about defeat. This style and spirit of teaching embodies what the MBC Fine Arts Academy strives to accomplish in every discipline.
Matthew Green
Violin (All Levels)
Matthew Daniel Green, violinist, began his studies at the Pittsfield Community Music School and continued at the Konservatorium Luzern in Switzerland before graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed in New England, Miami, and Switzerland, and as a soloist with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, Lakes Region Symphony, and Greater Manchester Youth Symphony. He has also performed with artists like Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Donna Summer, and Marvin Hamlisch. A teacher since 1981, Matthew has taught at the New England Conservatory and several community music schools in New England. Since moving to Florida in 2017, he has taught at the Lakeland School of Music and Forte Music and Arts Academy.
Fall and Spring Semesters
Vocal / orchestral / band
Both the Fall and Spring semesters are designed to be 12-week sessions and are offered in a group class setting and individual sessions. A four-week trial lesson is also offered. See our current fee schedule for session times, rates, and pre-requites (if applicable). Sessions offered:
- VOICE (Beginning)
- PIANO (All levels)
- STRINGS
- Cello (Beginning)
- Viola (Beginning)
- Violin (All Levels)
- DRUMS (Beginning)
- BRASS (All Levels)
- Saxophone
- Trumpet
- Baritone
- Tuba
- French Horn
- Trombone
- WINDS (Beginning to intermediate)
- Flute
- Clarinet