Elaine Kay Valles is a music educator who presently resides in Whittier, California. When she was a child, first in Mexico, then in West Virginia, her parents made sure that she and her brother had music lessons. Elaine studied both piano and guitar. She attended Mount Vernon Academy in Ohio, where she sang in the choir all four years and took voice lessons from Eurydice Osterman. She was a charter member of the first MVA Hand Bell Choir, a group started in 1977 and directed by Virgil Fryling.

Valles completed a degree in elementary education with an English major and music education minor at Andrews University. She studied voice and piano, had theory under LeRoy Peterson, participated in Pioneer Church Choir, singing under James Hanson and James Bingham, and, during breaks, directed her home church choir and sang as a soloist on her hometown's television station’s religious programs.

Since graduation and her marriage to Nephtaly Valles, a minister, in 1981, they have served in four conferences and two states. During those years she has taught piano as well as guitar to numerous students of all ages. She served as minister of music for over 3 years when they resided in Fullerton, California, presenting seasonal programs and cantatas and directing a handbell choir. While in Fullerton, she also taught music in two local church schools, conducting their singing and tone chime choirs and teaching piano.

More recently, she has been conducting a tone chime choir at the Whittier Adventist Elementary School. They have participated in the Pacific Union Handbell Festival for high school and college students from California and nearby states for the past two years, the only elementary group to be included.

ds/2005