About the Authors

Bonnie Blanchard has long been respected in the Seattle area as a versatile freelance musician and a dynamic instructor of award winning students.  She holds music and teaching degrees from the University of Washington. She began playing flute when she was 19, and later engaged in a series of private instruction on piano, violin, viola, voice, and flute.

A flute instructor for thirty years, Bonnie has had the opportunity to work with many of the world’s greatest flutists and teachers. Her creative ideas and unbridled enthusiasm for teaching have consistently produced students who win top awards in local and national contests and earn college and conservatory scholarships.  Her students excel at their instrument and love what they are doing.  The rapport Bonnie cultivates with her students and her unique teaching techniques create musicians who develop the skill and a lifelong love of music that helps them achieve in other areas of their lives.

Bonnie is founder of the popular Silverwood Music Ensembles and is featured on the Silverwood compact disc, Here Comes the Bride, used by brides all over the country. Silverwood has performed in the Northwest’s top venues including performances for The Boeing Company, Microsoft, The World Trade Organization delegates and for President Bill Clinton.

Bonnie lives in Seattle with her “tone deaf” but supportive husband, and their two sons who each play piano and a string instrument. Most of the time they accept her special blend of motivation and humor as the result of genuine concern for their talent and potential.

Cynthia Blanchard Acree is the author of The Gulf Between Us: Love and Terror in Desert Storm. Her dual memoir was featured as a “Today’s Best Nonfiction” excerpt in Reader’s Digest. Her presentations around the country have included appearances on ABC’s “20/20,” NBC’s “Today,”  CNN, FOX, C-Span 2’s Book TV, and National Public Radio.

Cynthia graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Washington, where she also earned a Master of Science degree in Psychology. An author, writing consultant, editor, and dynamic speaker, she has developed and presented scores of programs on topics including public speaking, motivation, and goal setting. Her “Writing for Results” workshops draw on her nearly three decades of experience helping people to strengthen their writing skills and their confidence.

Cynthia has performed in choral groups in Washington, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, and now sings with the North San Diego County Concert Chorale. She lives in Oceanside, California with her husband and their two boys who play violin and trombone. Her sons have given her the opportunity to field test suggestions for how to get kids to practice.