Arkansas Musicworks - Piano Lessons

Piano Teachers
	Craig Brown - Piano Craig Brown started taking piano when he was 6. When he was 12, he switched to playing saxophone for school, but continued playing piano in his own time. He has been in choirs, marching bands, drum corps and praise and worship teams. He has played piano accompaniments for BCSA schools and taught private lessons for both piano and sax. He currently plays piano and sings for Faith Builders Family Church in Rogers.
	Charlotte Childs - Piano Charlotte Childs has maintained a piano studio in northwest Arkansas for 27 years. She began piano lessons at at 7, held 1st chair clarinet in high school, and was pianist and organist at her church at age 16. An alumni of John Brown University, she had a scholarship in clarinet, and studied piano under Dr. Joe Zimmerman. She studied privately for 3 years with Fran Shuller-Ellis. She has been an accompanist for 20 years, working with NW Arkansas school choirs. She is a primary pianist for the First United Methodist Church in Bentonville. She played keyboard for the Jack Mitchel Big Band for 2 years, now substituting as needed. She and her husband, Tony, had a band, The Happy Five, and ChildPlay, and currently freelance with other musicians. She is pianist for the Opus 3 Trio, playing classical, jazz, Latin, and other styles. She is an active member and past chairman of the National Piano Teachers' Guild, and past chairman of Arkansas Music Teachers' Association. Her students consistently earn excellent and superior ratings, and many go on to find a career in teaching, performing, or simply continue to enjoy playing. Her teaching is seeped in patience and humor; she caters to each student's learning style, being insistent on excellence and thoroughness throughout the learning process. She believes that although students may differ in their initial talents and aptitudes, everyone can cultivate a certain level of musicality through effort and commitment.
	Kay Fish - Piano / Voice / Guitar / Mandolin / Banjo / Dulcimer Kay Fish comes to Musicworks with 35 years of teaching experience. Ms. Fish began teaching private music lessons while attending graduate school at the University of Missouri in Columbia, after receiving her Bachelor's degree from Stephens College with a Major in Vocal Performance and a Minor in Piano. She was awarded a position with the Houston Grand Opera Studio program and moved to Houston, Texas after completing graduate school, where she began teaching music at The Awty International School. After twenty years teaching in the private school sector, Ms. Fish opened up The Kay Fish Music Studio in the Houston area, offering private music study in voice, piano, guitar, recorder, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer and percussion. Recently, Kay relocated to Northwest Arkansas to be near family, where she teaches private music lessons in Fayetteville and now, proudly, at Musicworks in Bentonville.
	Karen Geary - Piano Music is a life-long language which is rewarding and fun for all ages. It is not too early, or too late, to learn to play. You can continue playing what you began when you were young. Music is a stress-reliever and means of inspiration and worship for you and those who hear you play. Note reading, chording, ear training, and theory are incorporated in the lessons. While teaching piano as an adjunct music teacher at a community college in Minnesota for 14 years, children, young people, adults, and senior adults, learned the joy of music for themselves. I have taught music part time in my home for 25 years. As a retired teacher and guidance counselor, I use encouragement, positive reinforcement, and patience to make the learning challenging but fun. When disciplined students practice, with the encouragement and supervision of parents, they do learn quickly. Parent involvement for young students is necessary for success. I specialize in old time, contemporary, traditional, classical, and spiritual music. I have a passion to train musicians who will enrich their churches with skilled musicians. As a church organist and pianist for 40 years, I teach the past traditional church music, as well as the new contemporary styles.
	Brandon Hollis - Piano / Voice Brandon Hollis was forced to begin playing piano by his father when he was 10 years old. It is now one of the moments he is most grateful for, as it led him to discover a musical passion within, and what began his journey as a pianist, trumpet player, singer-songwriter, and worship pastor. Born and raised in Kansas, Brandon graduated Summa Cum Laude from Washburn University in 2000 with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education and a minor in Business. He began teaching privately while attending college and brings over 20 years of experience teaching students from ages four to 67. Brandon worked as a general music teacher at Royal Valley Schools for two years after college and later as an adjunct instructor at Cowley County Community College for seven semesters. He has served as a worship pastor for churches in Topeka, Kansas City, and most recently, Ark City, recruiting and training singers and instrumentalists to be a part of his teams. While living in Kansas City, Brandon was also involved with two different bands, writing and performing original songs locally and recording in studio. His approach to teaching is personalized to the learning style and personal tastes of his students. While learning essential musical concepts and techniques, Brandon believes in having fun and laughing as much as possible. He recently relocated to NW Arkansas with his wife and three children and is proud to be a part of the Musicworks community.
	Kayla Malczycki - Piano / Voice Hello! I have been a music teacher forever. And I mean forever. I began taking piano lessons when I was 4 years old and teaching piano when I was 14. I have a master's degree in music education from the University of Arkansas, where I was a member of the Uarkettes and, later, taught group piano. I love teaching piano, voice and Kindermusik.
	Kristy Mezines – Piano Making her professional debut at age 10 with the Kammergild Symphony, Kristine has soloed with many orchestras including the Town and Country Symphony, St. Charles Symphony, St. Louis Young People's Philharmonic, Webster University Symphony, and the St. Louis Symphony.? She has been invited to present solo recitals at the Sheldon Concert Hall, Christ Church Cathedral, E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall, and Missouri State University. Kristine was a principal performer at the St. Louis Municipal Opera, a guest artist at the opening ceremony of the International Piano Pedagogy Teacher's Conference, and was featured on NPR's "From the Top" show. She attended Lynn Conservatory for her Masters' Degree in collaborative piano where she studied with Lisa Leonard. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Arkansas where she studied with Jura Margulis. Among her other teachers are Zena Ilyashov, Daniel Schene, and Vera Parkin. She serves as orchestral pianist in the Artosphere Orchestra and can be heard on the CDs "Notes from the Underground," "Pa la Calle," and "Undreamed Shores."
	Kelly Musick – Piano/Voice Kelly Musick earned her Bachelor's Degree in Music Ministry from Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO in 1991. There she discovered a passion for teaching private vocal lessons and later piano. Her career in music was destined long before college. Young Kelly always participated in church music, began piano lessons at the age of five, enjoyed choir, band, show choir and musicals in high school. While vocal performance is her passion, she has also conducted choirs, bands and orchestras. Ms. Musick educates her students in basic vocal and piano techniques that carry them on to advanced learning. Every student is encouraged to apply their skills through performance opportunities including theatre and recitals. Many of her students have gone on to professional, semi-professional and related fine arts careers. Kelly recently moved from her home of 30 years in Joplin, MO where she could often be seen performing on the Joplin Little Theatre stage. Other experiences include conducting musicals, stage managing THE NUTCRACKER and other ballets, performing with the "world renowned" THREE DIVAS, traveling to Europe with The American Opera Studio (Kansas City), managing her dance wear store, singing jazz at several downtown dining establishments and keeping up with her two daughters busy performance schedules. She now resides in the Rogers area and is very pleased to be an integral part of the Arkansas Music Conservatory.
	Karen Sasine - Piano Karen Sasine is an experienced piano instructor, having taught students across the United States and in Brazil. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Education from Brigham Young University in 1992, where she studied under Richard P. Anderson of the American Piano Quartet. She began her teaching career as an elementary school teacher in New York State. Locally, she has accompanied for the Bentonville School District at Washington Junior High and Fulbright Junior High choirs and has performed at all-region and all-state choral music festivals. She is a member of the local chapter of the American Organist Guild and serves as a church organist in Bella Vista. She is the mother of four very talented young people who have performed and toured in high school and college choirs around the world. She serves in a volunteer capacity with young women's church groups across Northwest Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.
	Ismaelena Serrano – Piano / Voice Ismaelena has a great passion for teaching and has been giving voice and piano lessons for 10 years. Upon completion of her B.A. in Music, she opened and managed her own studio in Dallas, Texas of 50 students in 2013. In 2016, she moved to Fayetteville to pursue a double Master's Degree in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from the University of Arkansas that she will complete this year. She is currently a Graduate Assistant in the University's Voice Department, teaching undergraduate classes and private lessons. Ismaelena is passionate about solo performing as well as choral singing. She has placed at all eight National Association of Teachers and Singers' competitions she has competed in at both the state and region levels. Her most recent choral performance was with Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers at Lincoln Center in New York City. Ismaelena has been classically trained since the age 13, but also has an extensive background in musical theater, jazz, and contemporary and Christian music. Ismaelena loves children and finds no greater joy than sharing with them the gift of music!
	Katrina Twitty - piano / voice Originally from Northwest Arkansas, Katrina Twitty has been a teacher in the music education industry for over fifteen years, from the private home studio to the performance stage and college classroom, as a voice and piano instructor, choir director, vocal/instrumental ensemble conductor, musical director, opera scenes director, composer, arranger, vocal/instrumental performance coach, choreographer and piano accompanist. As a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), she has served on the music faculties of the renowned University of Denver Lamont School of Music, Red Rocks Community College and Arapahoe Community College Department of Music of Denver, Colorado. As a soprano, her singing and stage performance experience spans over 25 years, performing both regionally and internationally in a variety of genres, including Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Cunegonde in Candide, Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, Mrs. Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare, Marsinah in Kismet, Musetta in La Boheme and Lucy in The Telephone. Katrina has performed with the Passaggio Opera Company of Denver, Opera of the Ozarks, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Theatre of the Rockies, Mountain Chamber Music Society of Denver and the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy and has placed as a Finalist in both the 2004 and 2007 Rocky Mountain Region Metropolitan Opera Auditions and Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition. She holds a Master's degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Denver Lamont School of Music. Katrina brings a Classical technique to private instruction, promoting healthy development and function of the instrument, that can be applied to any style and musical interest of the individual student, including Classical, Musical Theater, Folk, Pop/R&B, Jazz, Country, Gospel/Contemporary Christian and Disney. Her heart's deepest passion is in guiding and inspiring students of music to discover and develop his/her own unique "voice" and performance toward becoming both leaders and teachers in the music and arts community.
	Lori Stevens - Piano Lori Stevens has been playing music on all levels for most of her life. She began her classical piano training at age seven in Southern California where she was privileged to study under Joanna Hodges. Lori continued her musical studies through high school and college playing the tenor saxophone, clarinet, bassoon and piano in various musical ensembles and also participated in vocal jazz groups as a mezzo soprano soloist. She began her college career with a piano performance scholarship and graduated from California State Long Beach with degrees in both English/Creative Writing and Music. Lori went on to receive her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University and strongly believes that there is healing in music. She has five children who are all musical; her oldest being a professional pianist and vocal director in the San Francisco bay area. The other four of her children live here in Northwest Arkansas and have found other passions which have led them to be a TV news anchor for KNWA, a paramedic for Central EMS, a deputy sheriff with the Washington County Sheriff's Office and a hopeful architect attending college. Lori recently moved here from Orange County, California where she has taught in her private piano studio and in music academies for the last 25 years and is thrilled to be sharing her love of music with the students at Musicworks.
	Allen Zirkle - Piano/Guitar Allen holds a Master of Music Degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Arkansas State University. He also holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Music Education and Piano from Arkansas Tech University. Allen is a NCTM (Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in Piano). He has four years of teaching experience, two of those years being at the collegiate level. Allen enjoys teaching guitar and piano lessons to students of all ages and skill levels. He has worked with several churches throughout Jonesboro and Russellville as a lead guitarist, pianist, and worship leader. He offers lessons in piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and classical guitar. Allen specializes in classical music and church music (contemporary and traditional), but can teach any style that the student is interested in learning. Students studying with Allen can expect to receive well rounded instruction in music theory, musicianship, and performance skills.