Rebekah Trevelise, founder (piano ages 3 - adult, group piano classes, private piano lessons)
Rebekah Trevelise began formal piano instruction at the age of 4, and started teaching piano to students at the age of 15. Upon completing her Bachelor of Music with a concentration in Music Education (piano principal) from University of Texas at San Antonio, Rebekah continued to teach students. She joined the Austin Chamber Music Center in 2010, and performed with many different chamber music groups. In 2013, Contagious Harmony, a professional flute and piano duo, was founded, of which Rebekah was the pianist. Rebekah is currently becoming certified as an Occupational Octaves piano instructor in order to provide piano instruction to students with special needs of all ages. Rebekah also recently became a licensed KiddyKeys instructor and is currently expanding KiddyKeys class options for local preschools in Austin.
~teaching style: low to moderate pressure, moderate intensity and structure, specializes in intermediate through advanced piano students, piano classes
Megan Berson (violin, viola, guitar)
Megan Berson has been playing the violin, viola, piano, and guitar for over thirty years. Her musical endeavors have taken her all around the world performing in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Radio City Music Hall, Roseland Ballroom, Top of the Rock, The Plaza Hotel, and The Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas. She has also toured across the United States multiple times, performing with various bands and artists. Megan has played in the string section for Ashford and Simpson and has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Alisha Keys, Cyndi Lauper, Sarah McLachlan, and several other notable musicians.
Megan received her BA in Music Performance from San Diego State University under the instruction of Rebecca Campbell and Tom Stauffer, and has studied with principal members of The Berlin Philharmonic, The San Diego Symphony, and The Los Angeles Philharmonic. She also studied classical guitar and music theory with Fred Benedetti (a pupil of Andrés Segovia), and George Svbobada. Megan recently moved to Austin, Texas after living in NYC for ten years, and is enjoying bringing her musical talents to patrons all over Austin and the surrounding Hill Country. Her teaching style is catered to the individual needs of her students. She uses different methods including the Suzuki method, and she also teaches pop, rock, jazz, swing, and Texas fiddling.
~teaching style: moderate pressure and intensity, loves finding what students are passionate about and helping them meet their goals.
Justin Carney (private piano, guitar, voice, choir, double bass, music theory, orchestra)
Justin received his BA in music performance from Temple University in 2007. Since graduating he moved to Los Angeles to perform with the famous duo Marty and Elayne from the Dresden. He has also toured and performed with trumpeter Clark Terry, The Heavy Pets, Nina Diaz from Girl In A Coma, Slide Hampton, Terell Stafford, Tim Warfield, The Elliot Deutch Big Band, and grammy award-winning The Escape Club.
Justin’s approach to teaching music is to make sure that his students have a vision of where learning music can take them. Justin incorporates personal development into his private lessons for his students to grow not only as musicians but to develop self-esteem and self-belief. He has had many students who have pursued music in college, and has also had students become professional performers. Justin and his wife have an adorable one year old boy, and are new transplants to Austin. Justin currently teaches at a local catholic school in Austin, TX as their music and art teacher. You'll also catch him performing locally with different bands.
“Learning music has given my life direction. Through music, I’ve learned that anything is possible, as long as you prepare and expect good things. If you take care of the music, the music will take care of you."
~teaching style: moderate pressure and intensity, loves incorporating music theory into lessons, loves teaching students how to get the most our of their practice time.
Taryn Stafford (accelerated piano classes, private voice, piano, guitar, and ukulele lessons, musical theater, choir)
Taryn Stafford grew up singing and playing piano, and has always had a passion for music and the expression and connection it creates. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, Minor Theater Arts from Southwestern University. She is a lyric soprano with a background in opera, musical theater, and dance.
Taryn's favorite roles she's peformed include "Belle" in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, "Gertrude McFuzz" from Seussical, "Poppy" in Noises Off, and "Lady of the Lake" from Spamalot. She also served as assistant stage manager for Civic Amarillo's productions of Les Miserables and Oklahoma!, and was also assistant choreographer for Oklahoma! She enjoys all aspects of production including working backstage production, building sets, dressing sets, scenic artistry, costuming, and directing young children's musicals.
On the weekends, Taryn is an active musician with the Expression Church worship team (playing piano and singing), and also perform for children as a Disney princess with Lexi's Little Princesses, a local company.
Taryn's teaching techniques hone in on bringing out each student's unique personalities and abilities. She encourages students to approach music objectively, while enjoying the process of learning and creating. When teaching all disciplines (voice, piano, guitar, ukulele, choir, etc.), Taryn teaches techniques from a classical base for a strong understanding of music to support any genre or style. Taryn is a strong proponent of healthy singing, and has thorough knowledge of vocal pedagogy (the mechanics of the voice), and makes sure to incorporate that in whatever level the singer needs, all the way from the beginning stages to vocal rehabilitation. Coming from a performance background, Taryn also regularly delves into song interpretation, memorization, stage presence, movement and alignment, and the nuances of performing.
~teaching style: low to moderate intensity. Encouraging, patient, and positively focused on the student's interests and personality while teaching the fundamentals and musical expression.
Linda Angkasa (accelerated piano classes)
A native of Indonesia, Dr. Linda Angkasa is an active performer and has given a number of recitals in the United States, France, United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. An avid chamber musician, she has performed with vocal, string, win, brass, percussion, and mixed ensembles in recitals and opera productions.
As a teacher, Linda has been teaching for over a decade and has experience working with children, college students, and adults in individual as well as class settings. It is her firm belief that the center of piano pedagogy should be to nurture and develop the individual's own voice and convictions, and ultimately give them the proper tools to be able to express these visions with the greatest facility possible. Her main goal in teaching is to share her musical knowledge and make the study of playing piano engaging and fun for her students.
Linda received a full scholarship for her undergraduate studies at the Long Siew Too Conservatory of Music. Linda was the first Indonesian to graduate with first class Honors from YST Conservatory of Music. In her hometown Medan, she was the first prizewinner of the Yamaha National Competition X in 1995, as well as the first prizewinner of the 50th-Year Anniversary of Lembaga Musik Murni in 2000. Linda received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at Shepherd School of Music, Rice University on a full scholarship. She also received her Master of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University, with a full scholarship awarded by her Alma Mater - Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore. In her spare time, she loves to travel and spend time with family and friends.
~teaching style: engaging and fun with low to moderate pressure.
Lulu He (accelerated piano classes and private piano lessons)
Lulu comes from China, Nanjing, and completed her Bachelor's studies in Preschool Education (Music) by attending Changzhou Institute of Technology in China and VIA University College in Denmark. She has the Vocal Music Performance Certificate awarded by the Musician Association of Jiangsu and has top level qualifications on piano skills from both China Music China Conservatory of Music and the Musician Association of Jiangsu. Lulu also received the Scholarship for Outstanding Artworks and Art Performances and The 'Chinese Dream' National Tour of Arts Show (2014) the East Conference Final: The Gold Prize for Piano Performance by Adults. In 2017, Lulu was awarded the Excellent Advisor Award of Chopin's Piano Competition for amateur teenagers.
Lulu believes music is very important to children. She began her piano studies at the age of four, and has gained plenty of experience performing on stage and teaching piano lessons in groups, as well as privately, the last six years. Lulu has an optimistic view on the world which gives her the passion to enjoy life and offer her hand to those in need. She loves working with young children and has been a teacher at a local Montessori school in Austin.
~teaching style: moderate intensity and pressure, specializes in teaching young children and accelerated piano classes.
Deborah Hammons (musical theater and choir, KiddyKeys, and private voice lessons)
Deborah is classically trained, having received her Bachelor of Music degree from Biola University and Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Vocal Arts from University of Southern California. She has perfomed in many musical genres, including opera, oratorio, art songs, as well as on concert stages and musical theatre. Opera roles include: Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte, Servilia in La Clemenza di Tito, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and Pamina, Queen of the Night, and Papagena (though, not all at once!) in Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), and Mimi in La Boheme. Musical Theatre roles include: Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods, Mrs. Bedwin in Oliver, and Leslie in An Evening with Steven Sondheim. Deborah's voice has been heard in TV and film, as she worked as a studio/session singer in Hollywood for several years. She has recorded two CDs, Cherokee Hymns and My Favorite Things, a live recording of her solo concert of an eclectic evening of opera, musical theatre, and pop standards. She is the director, singer and founder of Opera, Etc., a small opera company in the Hill Country, providing musical programs for a variety of events and venues.
When teaching voice, Deborah's goal with every student is to improve breath support, focused singing, and acting a song (especially for auditions), as well as boosting each singer's confidence and stage presence. Every singer is different, but she will always warm-up and vocalise with some specific goals in mind: smoothing the break between chest voice and head voice, strong breath support, "placing" the voice to achieve and maintain the focus/energy of the voice for maximum impact and delivery, as well as determining and solidifying the sensation of proper voice placement. When working on a specific song, Deborah applies those vocalises to the melody and direction of the song, as well as finding meaning in the lyrics to make the song their own. Every song is a mini scene, in which the singer becomes the character of that song. It doesn't neccesarily have to be musical theatre, per se. Every song has a viewpoint, regardless of genre. Deborah's job, together with her students, is to find that viewpoint and sing from there, while also applying good breath support and placement of the voice, which stems from the vocal exercises we do in our warm-up time.
In musical theater, Deborah's goal is to teach students how to listen while they sing, so they learn to sing together, along with learning to become a character that is believable to the audience. The job of a musical theatre performer is to believe it first, then present that to the audience, while still using a good vocal technique. We will warm up at the beginning of every class/rehearsal, practicing good vocal technique, then to learning songs, and learning who we are as characters singing the songs. Finding a point of view is crucial. If you're an elf, be a great elf! Or penguin, or cowboy, or ... Students will learn the basics of stage etiquette, stage direction, and stage presence, as well as how to sing in and with a group.
~teaching style: low pressure, low to moderate intensity; fun, engaging, encouraging, and enthusiastic, while teaching a solid technique and acting a song, regardless of genre.
Austin Bradley (private piano and voice lessons, children's choir ages 5 - adult)
Austin Bradley is an accomplished vocalist, pianist, and choir director. He graduated with a Bachelor's of Music as a Presser Music Scholar at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. During college, Austin spent a summer studying language and performing opera in Italy. He then completed his Master's Degree at the University of Texas at Austin where he met his wife, Natalie. The two have performed in several recitals and operas together and still perform together today. Austin is a voice lesson teacher in the award-winning choir programs at Vandegrift HS and Canyon Ridge MS. As a pianist, Austin has taught students aged 5 to adult, and specializes in incorporating singing into piano lessons for aspiring young singers. Austin directs the children's choir at University Presbyterian Church in downtown Austin. Every summer, he is music director for the summer Performing Arts musical summer program - a unique camp that immerses children into every aspect of putting on a full-length musical.
~teaching style: low to moderate pressure and intensity. Patient and focused on the student's interests and personality, building all-round musicians through music theory and singing/chanting.
~teaching style: encouraging with low to moderate pressure, loves to find material that motivates the student and helps to build strong fundamentals.
Benjamin Dia (private piano, guitar, and ukulele lessons)
Benjamin Dia is a pianist, arranger and conductor. He made his debut as a collaborative pianist with the principal players of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the Asian Composers League Festival in the Cultural Center of the Philiippines, premiering new works by emerging Asian composers. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of the Philippines, he went to the United States to pursue his graduate studies at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Since then he has performed in music festivals and in venues such as The Asia Society of New York, Merkin Concert Hall, Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts, Oslo Konzerthus and in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.
A versatile musician, he has also worked with various orchestras, chamber groups, choruses, opera and theater companies both in the Philippines and the United States. Past collaborations include Ballet Philippines, Ma-Yi Theater Company, Repertory Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino, San Miguel Master Chorale and Orchestra, Bare Opera, Children's Orchestra Society of New York, Panoramic Voices, ZACH Theater Pre-Professional Company and the rock groups The Invincible Czars and Aegis.
~teaching style: moderate pressure and intensity; focuses on fundamentals and building good performance habits to prevent injury; loves advancing his student's skill level
Adam Nurre (private percussion, drum-set, guitar, bass, ukulele, and piano lessons)
Percussionist Adam Nurre earned a BM in Music Education with a minor in Performance from Northern Kentucky University, where he was a two-time recipient of the Corbett Scholarship for the Arts in 2010 and 2011. Adam began playing drums at age 7 and soon branched out into all areas of percussion study including orchestral performance, drum set, and hand drumming, and has been performing professionally for nearly 25 years. In addition to percussion, Adam also performs regularly as a bass guitarist and is often commissioned for percussion compositions and arrangement works for winds, strings, and marching bands. A native of Cincinnati Ohio, Adam relocated to Austin in 2012 and quickly became busy working in the local music scene, leading to numerous tours and festival dates throughout the US and Europe. As an educator, Adam has taught private lesson students of all ages and ability levels, and has served as an assistant director and percussion specialist for school band programs in Ohio, Kentucky, and Texas.
~teaching style: low to moderate pressure and intensity; focuses on fundamentals and building good performance habits; enjoys finding methods and materials to match each student's individual interests and learning style.
Hanna Chung (private piano lessons ages 4 - adult)
Pianist Hanna Chung, a native of South Korea, recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano at the Butler School of music at the University of Texas where she served as Teaching Assistant. She holds a Master of Music degree in Collaborative piano from the Eastman School of Music. She is a recipient of the Ruth and Arno Drucker Scholarship and Mary Elizabeth Sherill Scholarship. Her primary teachers include Anne Epperson, Colette Valentine, and Jean Barr. As a passionate educator, she believes in the value of musical training.
~teaching style: fun and engaging, low to moderate pressure
Katrina Saporsantos (piano, voice, ukulele, and children's choir)
A native of the Philippines, Katrina is an operatic soprano and pianist who began her musical studies at the age of 3. Katrina played the piano for many years before discovering that her voice was her primary instrument, and that singing and connecting with people through song gave her so much joy. She earned her Bachelor's of Music in Voice from the University of the Philippines, and her Master's in Music and Professional Studies Certificate in Classical Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She has earned recognition for her performances and is also a prizewinner of several competitions. While her passion and most of her career is in performing, Katrina also finds much fulfillment teaching private voice and piano lessons, giving master classes and vocal workshops to people of various ages, backgrounds, and musical levels.
~teaching style: exuberant, low to moderate pressure, specializes in voice and piano expression
Rachel Browne (private piano and harp lessons, KiddyKeys classes, theory classes)
Rachel Browne served as the principal harpist of the National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia in the city of La Paz for 10 years.There, she also taught music theory in Boliva’s National Conservatory and in the NSO’s own Taller de Estudios Orquestales. Her article “Playing the Harp in Bolivia,” was published in the American Harp Journal in 2007, and she was honored with a medal from the Legislative Assembly of Bolivia for her contributions to national culture and education. Rachel began her musical studies as a pianist, giving her first recital at just 4 years of age, and continuing piano studies throughout high school and college.Rachel holds a Masters in Music from The University of Texas at Austin, where she enjoyed performing with the San Antonio Opera, the Round Rock Symphony, Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Salvage Vanguard Theater. Her Bachelor of Music degree is from Ball State University, where she was a Whitinger Scholar (awarded for academic excellence, creativity and leadership) and studied with Professor Elizabeth Richter. While a student, she won first place in the Undergraduate Soloist Competition, giving a recital in Osaka, Japan in 2003 at the Osaka Women's University, and studied a semester of Music and Humanities in Vienna, Austria.Rachel was a first-place winner in the Glenn Miller Scholarship Competition, in the American Harp Society Competition, and received the Alliance for Excellence Award in the Performing Arts. As a teacher, Rachel hopes to inspire musicality, confidence, and heightened mental awareness, since music provides a pathway to all ideas and feelings. In addition to teaching piano lessons, she also leads lessons and master classes every summer in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where she is a Faculty member at the Rocky Mountain Springs Harp Program.
~teaching style: low pressure, low to moderate intensity, loves making music theory come to life!
Greg Giacona (private piano lessons, composing/arranging, MIDI and digital audio music production)
Greg has been playing the piano since 5 years of age and pursued extensive classical and jazz piano study throughout his college years culminating in a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music, Piano Performance from Texas Southern University. He holds several professional musician jobs ranging from piano solo to many group types (including his own Austin-based piano/cell duo, Paradiso Piano/Cello), performing in styles from pop to jazz to classical to blues, etc. He also currently does music production services out of his privately owned studio in Bee Cave, and leads worship on Sundays at Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, TX. Greg also teaches private piano lessons to all ages and abilities.
~teaching style: moderate pressure and intensity, specializes in classical and jazz with advanced students, building confidence and developing the musician in their artistry.
Trevor Shaw (private voice, guitar, ukulele, trombone/tube/trumpet, drum set, piano, and composition)
Trevor Shaw is an established composer, conductor and performer. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas music school, where he played trombone in the renowned One O'Clock Jazz Lab Band. Since graduating, Trevor has become heavily involved in the world of choral music. He has led choirs throughout the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland. His choral and instrumental works have also been performed by many church choirs, professional ensembles and collegiate choirs across the U.S., the U.K., South Korea and Australia. He is the principal conductor and co-founder of the Inversion Ensemble, an Austin-based choral group dedicated to performing new works by Texas composers. Trevor is also very active as a private music instructor, a singer and multi-instrumentalist, and maintains a widely-read music blog. He is co-owner and exclusive arranger of the professional a cappella company, Tinsel. His original compositions are published by See-A-Dot Music Publishing and Kagarice Brass Editions.
~teaching style: low to moderate pressure and intensity, provides well-rounded instruction in an engaging manner
Detelina Vuchkova (online piano lessons, ages 4 - adult)
Ms. Lina has been successfully touring Europe for 14 years as a lead singer and piano player since her graduation from Higher Musical Pedagogical Institute. She has been performing on the Scandinavian stages of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria, and her native country, Bulgaria. Lina is the proud mom of a 5 year old daughter and provides fun, engaging online piano lessons to students age 4 through adult. Take convenient lessons from your home - no travel involved!
~teaching style: low to moderate pressure, fun, patient, and engaging (loves to incorporate theory games when new musical concepts are covered during lessons)
