Children's Music

Nancy Clark

Nancy Clark has been a member of the parish and Sunday school director for over 40 years. In that role she has created curriculum, designed projects and recruited and guided teachers.

Nancy is a career educator having been a history teacher at Katherine Burke School and at Lick-Wilmerding High School.

She was also the Dean of Students at Lick-WIlmerding and most recently was head of the upper school at San Francisco Day School.

Marla Perkins

Marla is a pianist who brings to St. Mary’s an extensive background in piano performance and music teaching. She fell in love with music as a preschooler singing with her mother at the piano. Piano studies began at age 5 leading to an Assoc. with The Western Board and B. Mus. from Brandon University, Canada. She received her M.M. from Hartt School of Music, Univ. of Hartford, studying under Anne Koscielny and Raymond Hanson, and Prof. Studies Diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under Paul Hersh. Additional training was at the Guildhall School, Internationale Sommer Akademie Mozarteum, Johannesen Int’l Summer School, The Banff Center, and private study with Diana Lawton and Sir Kendall Taylor.

Marla has performed as soloist, piano duo partner, chamber musician, and accompanist for professional instrumentalists and singers, choirs, and ballet classes. She has also enjoyed work in musical theater. Marla has taught piano and music since age 17 to students of all ages in private lessons, theory classes, ensemble coaching, a vibrant nursery school program, and for those with learning differences. While raising her family in San Francisco she worked with young musicians through Villa Sinfonia, ACT, SFCM’s Summer Music West, several private schools, and her own studio.

Her music has been influenced by years of figure skating, love of nature, a keen interest in mind-body-spiritual connection and healing, and Eastern practices. Marla and Barry are grateful to have had the nurturing community of St. Mary’s in raising their two children to adulthood.

Mike Stafford

Mike began volunteering in Youth Ministry at St. Mary’s in 2009, and has been the Director of Youth Ministries since 2012. In that role he leads youth group meetings, youth retreats, and mission trips. He also helps out with children’s homilies, the Christmas Pageant, and a variety of liturgical roles. Mike also has a day job: Mike teaches high school history and international relations at a local private school.

Mike grew up in the Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia. He graduated from Yale with a degree in History, and got his Masters in Education from UNC Chapel Hill. He has attended St. Mary’s with his wife Margaret since 2008, and they have two daughters, who are also all active in the life of the parish.