Our Staff

Jaylin Conner

Jaylin Conner

Piano & Voice

Available Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Jaylin Conner, 22-year-old musician and instructor, is thrilled to be a part of the amazing staff at Middle C Music. While this is Jaylin’s first year at

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Jouelle Roberson

Jouelle Roberson

Voice

Available Sundays Jouelle Roberson (Soprano) hails from Washington, D.C. She began her musical studies at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts where she participated in the Show Choir. Following graduation, she

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AJ Rios

AJ Rios

Piano, Drums

Available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Coming from a musical family on both sides, Rios was born fully aware of his purpose and passion. By age 3, he was given his first shot

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Jason Russo

Jason Russo

Clarinet

Teaching on Saturdays only. Passionate about music from a young age, Jason began his studies at the age of eight on the acoustic guitar. Quickly developing an interest in woodwind instruments, Jason

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Ralph Burrows

Ralph Burrows

Trumpet

Teaching on Wednesdays only. “I started playing trumpet, like most, in elementary school.  I took to it right away and started private lessons soon after.  I enjoyed music and trumpet specifically so

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Gene Isayev

Gene Isayev

Saxophone and Flute

Teaching on Tuesdays Gene graduated from State Music College of Grodno (Belarus), with degree in flute performance, flute teaching and band conducting. After playing flute for two years with Mozhaiski Military Academy

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Zak Sandler

Zak Sandler

Voice & Piano

Available Mondays and Wednesdays Zak Sandler has played piano on Broadway for Wicked, Mean Girls, Motown, and The Color Purple. He has music-directed and conducted at The Kennedy Center, Goodspeed Opera House,

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Hays Dowdy

Hays Dowdy

Guitar

Available Sundays. Hays Dowdy is a DC based musician performing live as a solo artist along with elite bands in International Musicians League. Rooted in British Invasion rock, bluegrass, and trained in

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Matthew Waterman

Matthew Waterman

Brass

Available Fridays Matthew Waterman is a trombonist, composer, arranger, and teacher from Bloomington, Indiana. Teaching trumpet, trombone, and baritone/euphonium on Fridays, Matthew believes in treating all styles of music with respect, and

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Tyler Wallace

Tyler Wallace

Guitar

Available Saturdays. For 17 years, I’ve been devoted to mastering the art of guitar playing. During my early years, I focused on jazz and fingerstyle guitar, receiving private lessons and dedicating countless

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Micah Walker

Micah Walker

Drums & Percussion

Available Mondays and Thursdays. Micah Walker is a college-trained musician who plays drumset and percussion. He has 11 years of performance experience and several years of teaching experience. His styles include jazz,

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Eddie Dickerson

Eddie Dickerson

Violin, Cello

Available Tuesdays Eddie was born in Upper Marlboro, MD. and began his musical journey with the violin.  Growing up playing music with his father became a favorite mutual pastime.  While studying music

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Gjinovefa Sako

Gjinovefa Sako

Piano

Available Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Saturday Gjinovefa Sako is both a distinguished pianist and experienced piano teacher. She has over 30 years of experience as a piano instructor, working with

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Potter Clark

Potter Clark

Violin

Available Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday. Potter has had a passion for the fiddle since a young age. He started playing Bluegrass fiddle at 8, jamming with his father and uncle, attending jam

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Brock Holmes

Brock Holmes

Guitar, Bass, Piano & Ukulele

  Available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday Brock Holmes has performed and taught in the D.C. area for more than 30 years. In 2008, he was Music Director of the

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Joan Cushing

Joan Cushing

Piano, Voice & Songwriting

Available Sunday & Thursday Joan Cushing, a former elementary school teacher and cabaret performer, is best known for her political satirical revue Mrs. Foggybottom & Friends, which opened in 1986 at New

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Hayley Gayne

Hayley Gayne

Violin, Voice & Piano

Saturdays, Tuesdays Hayley Gayne began playing music at the age of eight, starting with classical violin, which gave her the opportunity to play with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra during her teenage years.

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Tom Kitchen

Tom Kitchen

Guitar, Ukulele, Piano & Mandolin

Available Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays Tom Kitchen has been straddling musical genres ever since he picked up the guitar. While playing in the Virginia Tech Jazz Big Band, conducted by the

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Nick Fliakas

Nick Fliakas

Guitar, Bass, Piano & Ukulele

Available Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays Nick has worked for years as a multi-instrumentalist and singer in the Washington, D.C., area. He has played music around the world and at such

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Michael Bard

Michael Bard

Guitar, Bass, Ukulele & Piano

Available Mon. & Wed. Michael Bard is an active musician, composer, and teacher who has performed as a soloist and with various musical ensembles throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, North Africa,

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Frederik Spiro

Frederik Spiro

Violin, Viola & Cello

Available Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays Frederik Spiro has 35 years experience playing and teaching violin and cello. As a member of the Albanian Radio Television Symphonic Orchestra and the Albanian National Opera and

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Joe Gallo

Joe Gallo

Guitar & Bass

Available Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays Joe Gallo is a guitarist and composer from Baltimore, Maryland. Having studied classical, jazz, rock and blues in depth, Joe provides his students with a diverse

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Esther Haynes

Esther Haynes

Guitar, Voice & Banjo

Available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday Esther Haynes is a versatile vocalist and rhythm guitarist residing in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Her styles range from vintage jazz to swing, blues, bossas,

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Nelson Dougherty

Nelson Dougherty

Guitar, Bass, & Ukulele

Available Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday Nelson Dougherty is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser and composer. He studied Jazz and classical guitar at Brevard College where earned a Bachelor of Arts with

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Mark Noone

Mark Noone

Guitar, Bass, & Ukulele

Available Wednesday Mark Noone is a founding member and lead singer of the legendary band The Slickee Boys. He has been inducted into to Washington Area Music Association’s Wammie Hall of Fame

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Alicia Kopfstein

Alicia Kopfstein

Guitar & Ukulele

Available Sunday, Wednesday, & Saturday Alicia Kopfstein, Ph.D. is a master teacher (her students call her the “technique queen!”), classical guitarist, folk singer, ukulele player, and classical singer as well as award-winning

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John Linn

John Linn

Guitar & Ukulele

Available Monday, Thursday, & Friday John Linn is a performing singer and songwriter in Washington, D.C., with 20-plus years of experience playing guitar. Having grown up singing harmony and listening to folk

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Jack Irby

Jack Irby

Woodwinds & Piano

Available Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thurdays Jack is a native of Richmond, Virginia. At age 11, Jack picked up the saxophone for his middle school band and has not put it down

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Douglas Gilchrist

Douglas Gilchrist

Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba

Available Tues. & Sat. (Call for more availability) Doug is a longtime teacher and band director in the Washington, DC, and Maryland school systems, leading concert, stage, and marching bands to numerous

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Henry Upton

Henry Upton

Guitar, Bass & Ukulele

Available Sunday and Thursday. Hailing from Washington, D.C., Hank Upton has played bass and guitar for more than 25 years. He has toured internationally, playing more than 1,500 live shows in 20

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Felipe Zuñiga

Felipe Zuñiga

Guitar

Available Thursdays. Felipe first picked up a guitar to escape summer boredom when he was 12 years old at the bequest of his father. Initially, Felipe taught himself but quickly grew serious

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