Our Team
Taryn GONTJES
Cityside Choir Director
Taryn is in her tenth year of teaching and eighth as the choir director at Cityside. Taryn teaches all of the Cityside Choirs including Honors Choir. Before teaching at Cityside, Taryn taught in the Hamilton area and worked as a freelance choreographer, theatre director, and voice teacher. She also directed the middle school theatre program in Zeeland, directing and choreographing over 25 productions between Cityside and Creekside!
Taryn holds bachelors and masters degrees from Grand Valley State University and is also an active member of the Michigan School Vocal Music Association. Choirs at Cityside under Miss Timmer have consistently received top ratings at District Choral Festival and high compliments from MSVMA adjudicators.
Outside of school, Taryn loves watching and playing sports, wrestling with her two boxers, and spending time with her husband Jaymes and daughters, Dempsey, Phoenix, and Hollyn.
Tessa Munster
Cityside Music Parapro
This is Tessa’s first year as a parapro in Zeeland, and Cityside is so fortunate to have her! She assists band, orchestra, and choir with many tasks, works with small groups, teaches sectionals, organizes the department fundraiser, plans trips, and so much more.
Tessa is a recent graduate of GVSU in music education and played in the saxophone studio there. She also loves to play piano and other woodwind and brass instruments. When she’s not doing all things musical, Tessa loves to read, crochet, and bake sourdough bread, but most of her free time is spent with her Maltipoo puppy, Barney.
Cityside is so fortunate to have Ms. Munster and we appreciate her so much!