Kerrissa Silverthorne, M.M.

Kerrissa Silverthorne serves as an adjunct professor in the Music at Cornerstone University.  Professor Silverthorne conducts the Symphonic Winds ensemble and coaches the bassoon studio.  The central goal of her life is to bring honor to the Lord through the pursuit of musical excellence and to help young musicians achieve that same goal.

In 2003, Professor Silverthorne graduated with her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Grand Valley State University, where she performed as a featured soloist and Concerto Competition winner.  Her classroom teaching experience spans all ages, from college to kindergarten.  She taught for the private schools in the Coopersville area for many years and most recently taught concert band, marching band, and the woodwind ensemble in the award-winning West Michigan Homeschool Fine Arts program from 2020-2023.  In 2009, she graduated from Southern Oregon University with a Master of Music degree, concentrating in instrumental conducting.  She has authored magazine articles on various music education topics and a book on the musical technique of note grouping (the Tabuteau Method).  For the past six summers, she has served the American Band College as a grader of graduate degree candidate projects, coaching teachers on how to improve their conducting nuance and rehearsal techniques.

Professor Silverthorne has been the Principal Bassoonist of the Holland Symphony Orchestra since 2013 and performs extensively as a soloist and orchestral musician throughout West Michigan, including two performances in the stage orchestra for grammy-winning artists Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant.  She is a military band veteran, having performed internationally as a musical ambassador of the Army for six years, where she was Principal Bassoon, First Clarinet, and Tenor Saxophonist.  Her highest joy is glorifying God through the art of music and guiding students in their musical pursuits.