Our Staff

Elyse Miller is a Colorado-based musician, visual artist, and educator who has been performing music for over 15 years. She has taught music and performing arts in a variety of settings, working with students of all ages. Elyse brings an interdisciplinary approach to her teaching, drawing from her background in theatre, dance, poetry, and visual […]

Chris Weist is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and sound engineer born and raised in the Appalachian hills of Pennsylvania. While his musical foundation began with drums, his journey has taken him across the country as a touring musician, most notably with Colorado’s Wood Belly—a nationally recognized bluegrass/Americana quintet winning the 2018 Telluride Bluegrass band competition and […]

Lilah Vener is a born and raised California musician. Her love for music started as a young girl discovering her love for jazz and R&B vocal pursuits. She has been live performing and devoting her entire life to music studies for over 15 years. Her devotion to vocal performance, guitar and piano have given her […]

Anthony Manoguerra is a multi-instrumentalist and educator new to the Northern Colorado area as of August 2023. Anthony holds a BA in Percussion Performance with a Jazz Performance focus from Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, and he is currently finishing his MM in Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. Anthony began studying music […]

Eric has been an active musician for 3 decades, playing with original rock, blues, and indie acts across the country, and was active in the LA/Las Vegas session scene for close to a decade. Currently, Eric writes and produces original music for the indie-americana artist, Pearl Oakes, and performs with Colorado based grassy-americana band, Wood […]

Devyn, a recent transplant from San Marcos, Texas to Fort Collins, brings over a decade of playing and performing experience and two years of teaching with the Department of Labor. With a passion for music education and expression, Devyn aims to provide students with a solid understanding of musical concepts to help them discover their […]

Jason Hunt is a recent transplant to Fort Collins from Chicago, Illinois. He is a graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in classical guitar. He Has been teaching around the Chicagoland area for the last 23 years prior to coming to Fort Collins. In addition to teaching, Jason has also been performing solo and […]

Ryan grew up in Boulder and fell in love with the piano at a young age. Inspired by great teachers, he decided to pursue music education and performance for a living. While at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, he earned a B.A. in Classical Piano Performance. Ryan returned to the Front Range in 2022 […]

Valerie is a vocalist and pianist based out of Northern Colorado. She’s taught at Loveland Academy of Music since 2019, helping her students become deep music appreciators, find joy in playing, and incorporating her vast performance experiences into her teaching methods. Valerie graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree […]

Tanner has been playing drums for over 12 years and has performed in bands for about half of that time. He has performed in several band competitions and played all around Colorado, even performing in Wyoming during Frontier Days. He spends his free time listening to music or practicing, but outside of music his favorite […]

Brayden is a Colorado Native that studied classical guitar, voice, and piano at SUNY ACC in New York, along with playing in a couple different bands. Before that, he grew up playing mostly rock, blues, and metal guitar. He comes from a family of musicians and has a wide range of musical tastes. He has […]

Helen M Kimber is a mezzo-soprano from Arcata, California. She graduated with her MM in Vocal Performance at the University of Northern Colorado, and also holds a BA in Vocal Performance from Humboldt State University. She has always had a passion for music and has been performing since the age of 5. She performs quite […]

Tristan is a jack of all trades! He recently relocated to Colorado from South Florida with the hopes of pursuing his education further, while studying jazz guitar at UNC. Tristan teaches guitar, piano, bass, guitar, ukulele, and drums at the Academy. With varied experience in bands, ensembles, and through education Tristan brings a knowledge of […]

Liam Hughes is a Colorado Native who has been playing music for over a full decade, primarily focusing on Guitar, Voice, and Bass guitar. However, he also teaches Mandolin and Ukulele. He loves video games in his free time and in his music time typically plays rock and roll or metal, though his education is […]

Zack is a percussionist, performer, and educator located in the Northern Colorado area. He received a degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Northern Colorado and has played percussion for over 15 years. Currently, he teaches private lessons, the Loveland High School Drumline, the Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble, and performs with various bands in […]

Katie Folse is a Fort Collins native who has been playing music for over 20 years. She received an Art History degree from Colorado State University and has been teaching guitar for over 10 years. Her professional goals as a musician are to continue to expand her knowledge on teaching and music in general. Her […]

Vanisha teaches piano, ukulele, violin, and voice! Originally from California, Vanisha has over 35 years of experience in playing music and 25 years of experience as a music educator ranging from teaching instrumental music in a Montessori classroom, band and orchestra at public and charter schools, music for after schools programs, as well as managing […]

Cory is a multi-instrumentalist who comes from South Dakota and has been playing music for 22 years. Cory obtained his Bachelors of K-12 Music Education from South Dakota State University, and has his Colorado K-12 Public Teaching License. He has taught 2nd through 12th grade music in Haxtun Co as well as taught HS Choir […]

Hey everybody! My name is Kathryn and I love teaching voice and piano here at the Academy! I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, with a degree in Music Education. After college, I taught choir and general music for 3 years in St. Louis, Missouri before pivoting into private voice and […]