Meet the Fine Arts Faculty

J.D. Frizzell
Director of Fine Arts
Director of Vocal Music

J.D. Frizzell, a composer, conductor, and baritone, is the Director of Fine Arts and Director of Vocal Music at Briarcrest. He earned the double Master's in Music Theory/Composition and Conducting from The University of Southern Mississippi, where he also earned the Bachelor's degree in Music History and Literature.

As the Director of the Fine Arts department, Mr. Frizzell is responsible for coordinating all Fine Arts programs (K2-12th grade).  He also serves as an advocate and school liaison for all of our outstanding visual, musical and dramatic arts at Briarcrest.  As the Director of Vocal Music, he teaches the Concert Choir, Honors Chamber Singers, and OneVoice. In addition, he teaches private voice lessons through the Briarcrest Conservatory and is the musical director for the high school musicals.

Mr. Frizzell, winner of the 2007 Intégrales Composition Contest, writes music for choir, orchestra, symphonic band, voice, handbells, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments.  With music published by many major companies, he has had best-sellers throughout the world.   In 2011, the board of the Tennessee Music Educators Association named him the Oustanding Young Music Educator of the Year.  He was also awarded the Dr. Clair E. Cox Award for Teacher Excellence.

Jenna Fergus has been teaching High School Art at Briarcrest Christian School since fall 1999. She went back to college at the University of Memphis to earn a BFA in art education graduating Magna Cum Laude. 

 In the fall of 2011, Jenna received her Master's of Intercultural Studies from Union University. She is an active member of the National Art Educator’s Association. To her art is a not merely a subject to be studied, but a language to use to communicate deeply. She enjoys showing her mixed media works within her community and beyond. See her work on the Instructor's page.

Jenna Fergus
High School Visual Arts

Melody Weintraub
Middle School Visual Arts/Drama

Melody Weintraub is returning to Briarcrest Middle School where she formerly taught art and drama. She received her Master's of Art Teaching in Secondary Art Education with plans to complete her doctorate in education. Currently she is also an adjunct instructor in Art Education at The University of Memphis.  She has a decade of K-12 classroom art instruction experience in both private and public schools, over 20 years experience in community art instruction and has presented at National Art Education Association and Tennessee Art Education Conferences.

Weintraub has been published in several issues of School Arts Magazine and is the author/illustrator of the children’s book The Little Bluebird (2001) and illustrator of ABC’s for Teachers by Billie McDonald Jeffries (1993). Besides art, Melody’s hobbies also include acting. She can be seen in several television commercials and also appeared as the history teacher in the film, “The Blind Side.” Mrs. Weintraub’s favorite Bible verse is Ephesians 2:10 and she attends First Evangelical Church with her husband, Jeff.   See her work on the Instructor's page.

Elizabeth Parsons serves as the Vocal Music Assistant Director and the Assistant to the Fine Arts Director. Liz received her Bachelor's degree in piano performance from the University of Memphis. After graduating in 2002, Liz then served as the staff accompanist for the choral department at the University of Memphis until 2012. She has a strong background in collaborative piano and has accompanied many vocalists and instrumentalists in various performances on the collegiate level and also professional level, as well as accompanying numerous choirs throughout the city. Currently, Liz is the accompanist for the Memphis Symphony Chorus, playing for all rehearsals and assisting in leading rehearsals.

Prior to coming to Briarcrest, Liz served for eight years as the Director of Worship and Liturgy at All Saints Presbyterian Church, in midtown Memphis. She crafted the liturgy for each Sunday, as well as working with talented musicians from the congregation to lead God’s people in worship each week.

In addition to her responsibilities with the choirs at Briarcrest, Liz teaches private lessons through the conservatory. As a collaborative pianist and teacher, Liz’s passion is accompanying and enabling other musicians to make music to the best of his/her ability.

Liz Parsons 
Vocal Assistant Director and Assistant to the Fine Arts Director

Skip Quinn
Middle School Director of Bands 

Henry “Skip” Quinn has been a band director in the Memphis area for 33 years, the past 19 years at White Station Middle School. He feels very blessed to be joining the Briarcrest faculty.  He began his musical career as the Principal Tubist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra while attending Jacksonville University working on his Bachelor's of Music Education degree. He earned a Master's of Music Education degree from the University of Memphis. Skip’s bands have consistently received superior ratings at concert festivals all over the United States. They have been heard by some of the finest musicians and performed in the some of best venues in the country.  He is the author of the Memphis City Schools middle school band curriculum.

At Briarcrest, Skip will be directing the middle school bands and will teach AP Music Theory at the high school.  He will have the band room open every school day until 4:00 p.m. to provide additional instruction and practice time for all middle school band students and in the summer, he will offer individual and group lessons as well as a summer band camp.

Michael Parsons serves as the Director of Bands at Briarcrest Christian School. His responsibilities include directing an overseeing all instrumental music programs at BCHS including  HS Concert and Marching Bands, HS Indoor Drum Line, SoundScape, and the MS and HS Praise Bands. Michael holds a Master's of Music Degree in orchestral conducting along with a Bachelor's of Music Degree in percussion performance, both from the University of Memphis.

In addition to classical music, Michael has had a very active career in commercial music, performing with artist such as Keith Urban, Booker T and the M.G’s, and with the national/ international touring band, Sound Fuzion. Michael has performed in China, Germany, Venezuela, Scotland and throughout the U.S., including a performance at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York.

Michael has been an instrumental music teacher for 7 years and is also the founding music director & conductor of the Memphis Summer Music Festival hosted by the University of Memphis.

Michael Parsons
Director of Instrumental Music

Justin Pepper
Middle School Vocal Music
Conservatory Director

Justin Pepper joined the staff of Briarcrest Christian School in 2002 as a Vocal Music Instructor. He has been involved with both the middle school and high school, but now all of his time is specifically devoted to the Briarcrest Middle School Chorale and acts as the director of the Briarcrest Fine Arts Conservatory.

He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Education from The University of Mississippi. Justin continued his work at the University to complete his Master's degree in Music with emphasis in conducting and music education. Since moving to Memphis Justin has been involved with the Memphis Symphony Chorus, Second Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir, and now serves as the Minister of Music at Balmoral Baptist Church.

He is a member of MENC, American Choral Directors Association, Tennessee Music Educators Association, and West Tennessee Vocal Music Educators Association.

Tonya Loyd has been at Briarcrest for four years teaching Elementary Art for PreK – 5th grade at her alma mater. Tonya discovered early on in her life that she had a God–given gift and a passion for art.

She is a graduate of the University of Memphis with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art and worked as a graphic designer at an international chemical company for six years. Tonya has also taught children’s Sunday school at Whitten Memorial Baptist Church and served as Children’s Director and VBS director.

Tonya has done a variety of art in all kinds of media such as oil, acrylic, pastel, clay, paper mache, and pen & ink, but her most recent work is mainly personalized watercolor paintings. She publishes her own work and has several limited edition prints. She has been commissioned by several individuals, Mississippi State University’s Alumni Association, and Briarcrest Christian School.  See her work on the Instructor's page.

Tonya Loyd
Elementary Visual Arts

Ashleigh Williams
High School Theatre

Ashleigh Siegfried Williams serves as the director of drama and as the faculty sponsor of Thespian Troupe #7071 at Briarcrest Christian High School.

Since joining the BCHS faculty prior to the 2005-06 school year, Ashleigh has expanded the drama curriculum by adding two courses – dance and acting – to the existing introduction to theatre and production workshop classes. She currently teaches Introduction to Theatre, Acting, Honors Acting, Speech Communication and Production.

A 1994 graduate of Germantown (Tenn.) High School, Ashleigh was a member of the GHS fine arts faculty for four years prior to her arrival at Briarcrest in 2005. She holds a bachelor’s degree in musical theatre from the University of Tulsa and a master of fine arts degree in acting from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and resides in Germantown with her husband, Chris, and daughters, Meg and Campbell. Ashleigh is an active member of Central Church.  Ashleigh was the 2011 Orpheum Musical Theatre Award Winner for Best Director.

Lyndia Fuller, soprano, is Elementary Music Specialist at the Houston-Levee campus. A gradute of the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor's of Music Education, she began her college career with 2 years at Union University where she was a scholarship vocalist and a founding member of Proclamation, a select ensemble. Continuing her studies at Southeast Missouri, she completed her Master's of Music at Austin Peay State University with an emphasis in children's voices. Beginning her teaching career in Texas, she taught for 2 years in the Garland Independent Schools. She taught 6 years at Sango Elementary in Clarksville, TN where she was also director of the Clarksville Children’s Choir through Austin Peay State University's Community School for the Arts for 2 years. In addition, she was the choral director for 6-12th grades in west KY schools for 5 years, an adjunct professor for Fine Arts for Mid-Continent University and has a Level One Orff Certification.

She has more than 30 years of teaching voice and leading choirs in churches and in schools. As a 15-year old girl, she was guided by a Minister of Music who helped her discover her talents and become a life-long disciple of Christ. It is her great joy to continue that mission with her own life. She has been a minister's wife for 38 years, a mother of 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren.

Lyndia Fuller 
Elementary Music

Kim Dougherty 
Elementary Art and Music

Kim Dougherty is the music and art teacher at the East Memphis campus. She married her best friend and fellow law student, Buck, after graduating from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama.  She and her husband have three boys, Will, Jack, and George, and they all attend Briarcrest. She is actively involved at Second Presbyterian Church where she teaches Sunday School.  She is a member of the Junior League of Memphis. Mrs. Dougherty had a career as an elementary school teacher for several years before her career as an attorney.

After homeschooling her own children and tutoring other students in various subjects from Latin to Music in a small classical Christian setting, Mrs. Dougherty felt called to return to her first love of teaching. Mrs. Dougherty received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Wesleyan College and her Juris Doctorate from Cumberland School of Law, Samford University. She spends most Saturdays painting with a group of artists at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. She also enjoys playing the violin with her son, Jack.

This is Mrs. Dougherty’s second year of teaching music and art at Briarcrest, and she has brought to the East Memphis campus an abundance of enthusiasm and a love of teaching.  Known affectionately by her students as Mrs. D, she directed two very successful musical productions this past year that included all of the students from the East Memphis campus; organized, directed, and led a group of students on a mission trip to the Calvary Rescue Mission, where they performed hymns and songs during its weekly worship service; and launched an Etiquette Class for 2^nd – 5^th graders that culminated with a Cotillion for the students and their parents.  See her work on the Instructor's page.