Meet the Praise Band!
Kelly Vaughn Tapley, Worship Leader
Kelly is a long time member at First Christian Church and grew up in Plano. He sings and plays guitar in the worship band. Kelly enjoys seeing the church grow in new and different ways and is glad to be a part of it. He feels a strong connection to God through music and enjoys sharing his talents with the church. Kelly plays in numerous bands in the area. Kelly teaches guitar, piano and songwriting for a living. He enjoys working with children and young adults and hopes to inspire others through music.
Stefanie René Michaels, Worship Leader
Stefanie has been attending First Christian Church since March 2011. She is one of the lead and background vocalists in the praise band, and also leads the congregation in worship each Sunday morning. She co-organizes the music for the contemporary worship service. Stefanie has always had a passion for music and truly believes her God given gift was best used to lead others to seek and experience Christ. She feels closest to the lord through music and hopes to always be trying to assist in creating that same spiritual moment for others through song. Stefanie was co-worship leader at two of the previous churches she has attended. She has been lead vocalist in a variety of bands and duos in the area. Stefanie currently teaches private voice lessons at a studio in Plano as well as with the Septien Entertainment Group in Addison, TX. She has a son named Ethan and enjoys the free time they have together.
Michelle Alonso, Piano/Vocals
A native of Brazil, Michelle Alonso is a composer/songwriter, pianist, and singer. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in Jazz Studies Composition at
UNT, where she also earned a degree in Classical Composition. Growing up in a Christian home, she has always used her musical talent to uplift and show God's love to others. She wants to make music to advance social causes and to testify of Christ to all, especially young adults. She believes that music, being an universal language, can eliminate barriers and help destroy the many layers of prejudice present in our society. She loves most music styles, traveling, learning new cultures and languages, painting, cooking, and swimming. Her favorite Scripture passage right now is Isaiah 58.
Lara Beighley, Vocals
Lara was born and raised in San Antonio and came to North Texas for school after she felt God was calling her to. She was a member of the North Central Christian Praise Team in San Antonio and then joined the First Christian Church of Plano Praise Team when it started in October of 2010. She is a 4th-generation singer in her family, following in the footsteps of her Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, and Mother. Some of her most fond musical memories include sitting at the piano with her Grandmother or singing The Lord's Prayer as a family before holiday dinners. Lara loves many different forms of music but she feels most connected and comfortable with Praise and Worship. Lara's second passion in life is working with children with disabilities. She received her Bachelors of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from UNT in May 2011 and now works as a Behavioral Therapist for children with Autism/PDD throughout DFW.
Brian Henson, Bass Guitar
Brian Henson has been a member at First Christian since 2002 and has served as a Deacon and children's Sunday School teacher. Brian and his wife Sharon are members of the Homebuilders Sunday School class and have two boys, Noah and Camden. As an orchestra director in Plano ISD, Brian enjoys teaching 6th-8th grade students about the love of music. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Sam Houston State and a Masters in Music Education from The University of North Texas. When Brian is not playing an instrument, writing music, or hanging out with his family you would probably find him on a basketball court, a bike trail, or just enjoying the outdoors.
Brenton Bird, Drums
Brenton has been involved in music ministry since he first started playing the drum set at age 14. After high school he worked as a piano consultant in Fresno, San Antonio and Austin. He continued to work on his musicianship by playing with many great musicians in the Austin area. Brenton moved to Denton to pursue his dream of becoming and educated musician. Currently, he is working on his degree in Jazz Studies at UNT. Upon graduation, Brenton plans to teach music, perform and continue praising God through worship
