Our Staff

Begin Your Journey as a Musician

GET STARTED

Blake O’Neal

Guitar, Bass & Ukulele

Blake O’Neal is a jazz guitarist, born and raised in San Antonio. At age 10, he picked up a guitar, drawing inspiration from folk, pop, and one artist in particular, John Mayer. As the years passed, he found himself drawn to all genres like R&B/soul, jazz, hip-hop, fusion, funk, and metal. He pursued a bachelor’s […]

Jonathan Portillo

Guitar (Electric, Acoustic, and Bass), Ukulele, and Piano

Jonathan Portillo is an Austin-based jazz musician and educator. Hailing from Dallas TX, he graduated with a degree in Jazz Performance from Texas State University in 2022. He has performed at Parkers Jazz Club and Monks Jazz Club, as well as other venues in the Austin and San Antonio area. In addition to his musical […]

Rob Schumacher is a professional drummer with more than 20 years of experience.  As a young child he has always had an interest for drumming and rhythm.  His music education began in middle school performing in the 7th and 8th grade concert band, and continued throughout high school as one of the schools top drummers for […]

Russell Robinson

Cello, Violin, Viola, Guitar, & Mandolin

Russell Robinson graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 2014 and has been teaching private lessons ever since. He teaches violin/fiddle, viola, cello, mandolin, and acoustic guitar with emphasis on developing good form and an understanding of music theory as it applies to Western Classical, American Folk/Pop, […]

Nila Dhinaker

Piano & French Horn

I am an experienced and passionate music educator offering piano and French Horn lessons with a Bachelor of Arts in Instrumental Performance and Behavioral Neuroscience. I studied piano under Dr. Kiyoshi Tamagawa and French Horn under Dr. Patrick Creel at Southwestern University for three years before graduating with honors as a Paideia-distinguished graduate. During my […]

Shwu-Miin started taking piano lessons at age six, and was thrilled upon the completion of her last degree that she can finally be her own boss at interpreting any music. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Florida State University, MM from San Francisco Conservatory of Musi, and DMA from University […]

Bianca Reveles

Voice, Piano & Music Explorers

Bianca Reveles, a native of Dallas, TX, is a dedicated music teacher known for her positive and encouraging approach to education. With almost 18 years of vocal experience, she brings a wealth of musical expertise to her students. Bianca’s teaching portfolio is extensive, encompassing piano, voice, and early childhood music. Her genuine passion for working […]

Austin Peters

Voice, Piano, Guitar & Ukulele

Austin Peters is a multi-instrumentalist & vocalist with a lifelong passion for music. Inspired by the great players of the 20th century, Austin has been playing music since age 12 and began performing professionally at 17, balancing academic competitions with real world experience. He has performed in a wide variety of settings, from marching bands […]

Alisa Black is an operatic soprano who resides in the Central Texas area. She is originally from Houston, Texas, where she began her musical journey in her late teenage years. Miss Black received a bachelor’s degree of Music in Vocal Performance at Texas State University. In the past, she has covered the notable role of […]

Annisha Mackenzie

Voice & Piano

Annisha Mackenzie is a classically trained vocalist and stage director. Her primary passion is opera, but she is also a lover of musical theatre, pop, and rock. She teaches voice students of all levels and styles as well as piano for beginners to early intermediate. Annisha graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree […]

Damon Martinez

Drums & Percussion

Damon Martinez began playing the drums when he was 11 years old. He started by hosting jam sessions at his home and jamming with his friends to cover songs by popular rock/pop artists. Soon, he began writing music with various bands that he and his friends formed and performed with at school events, birthday parties, […]

Luis Rangel

Guitar, Bass, Ukulele & Piano

Luis Rangel was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and moved to Austin, Texas at the age of 8. His musical journey began at the age of 4 with violin lessons, which he later switched to guitar at 12. After being accepted into the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, he studied […]

Geena Spigarelli

Guitar, Ukulele & Bass

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Geena Spigarelli is a seasoned bassist and music instructor who holds a degree in Music Performance and Sound Recording from Texas State University. Throughout her career spanning close to two decades, Geena has shared the stage, toured and recorded with numerous renowned local and international artists, including Emma Elizabeth […]

Amanda Thomas

Voice, Piano & Music Explorers

Amanda first began her journey with music as a junior high student who recognized that no singing opportunities existed in her rural Idaho town for someone her age. She insisted on joining the high school choir with her older sister and formed a life-long love of singing and playing numerous instruments. After years competing in […]

Stephanie Talley is a piano teacher who fell in love with the piano and classical music at the age of 8. She is a graduate of Angelo State University. She is classically trained and loves having the opportunity to pass that along to her students. Stephanie has been teaching piano for 20 years and has […]

Kelly Smith Toney

Piano, Violin & Viola, Cello

Kelly Smith Toney received her bachelor and master degrees from The Juilliard School. Upon graduation, she joined the Singapore Symphony Orchestra for a two-year engagement. Mrs. Toney has been concertmaster and orchestra contractor for Opera Louisiane (since 2006) and several other Baton Rouge, Louisiana area orchestras (since 1986). She was concertmaster for more than 29 […]

Konstantin Pavlov

Violin & Viola

Konstantin Pavlov was born in Russia to a family with a cellist father and a pianist mother. Konstantin started his violin studies at the age of six with Professor Vladimir Bobilov, and continued his musical studies with him until admission to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory at Moscow. After obtaining his Master’s Degree in violin education and […]

Paul was born and raised in El Paso, moved to Austin to pursue a career in music and earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from The University of Texas at Austin. Paul studied performance and composition with fantastic educators Wayne Salzmann II, John Fremgen, John Mills, Tony Edwards, Steven Slawek, Gourisankar Karmakar and […]

Chris Young

Guitar, Bass & Ukulele

Chris began playing the guitar at the age of eight, and was influenced by blues and rock greats such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eddie Van Halen. Starting at age 10, Chris started study of classical guitar and 13, won Houston’s “Best Guitarist in Houston Under 18” in the rock category. While studying […]

Oscar is an enthusiastic teacher and dedicated musician who has been teaching for over a decade in Austin and abroad. At an early age, he was surrounded by Colombian folk and Latin American music and exposed to different instruments and styles which sparked his interest in the guitar. A few years later, he was fortunate […]

Nathan Montgomery

Guitar, Bass & Ukulele

Nathan taught his first guitar lesson at age 12 and has been teaching ever since while earning a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Performance from Wayne State University. Nathan has a unique perspective on study and teaching music lessons with over 30 years teaching experience including private instruction, group lessons, ensembles and classroom instruction. Nathan’s […]

Stinson Seuser

Piano, Clarinet & Ukulele

After graduating from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas, Stinson enrolled at the Sarofim School of Arts at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was an active member of the musical community. While a student, Stinson performed in the University Jazz Band and the Classical Guitar Ensemble, Co-founded […]

Emil Pohlig

Piano & Flute

Emil grew up in rural Southwest Virginia, began playing piano and percussion in the 6th grade and loved music so much he wanted to play all instruments and began playing the flute, trumpet, oboe, sax, piano and violin. The instruments that stuck were piano and flute. In college, Emil continued his love for music, even […]

Rebecca studied piano under Charlotte Tull and Dr. John Paul earning a Bachelor in Music degree at Sam Houston State University for music theory and composition, and continues to study under Dr. Timothy Woolsey and perform solo piano recitals. Since 2002, Rebecca has been the music director at Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church in Cedar […]