Our Staff

Aash Durg is a guitarist, composer, band leader, and educator who has already made significant strides in the jazz world at the age of 22. As a recent graduate of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music with a degree in Jazz Performance, Aash has showcased his skills in several award-winning ensembles. These include […]

Alina Park is a distinguished cellist and educator whose career has been marked by exceptional performances and a dedication to teaching. With a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the College of Music at the University of North Texas, Alina Park has established a notable presence in the classical music community. During their academic […]

Tina has been a performing musician since 1973 starting on violin. Her passion for music grew over the years helping her spark interest in learning viola, mandolin, guitar, ukulele, piano, and singing! While she began her career as a classical violinist, as years passed she found a passion for other styles of music such as […]

Andi Cruz, a voice and piano instructor originally from the Houston area, relocated to Austin for college where they earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education from The University of Texas at Austin. During their time at university, Andi gained valuable experience teaching voice lessons, directing choirs, and working with children of all […]

Jake Stuart is a dedicated music educator with 10 years of experience. Graduating from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Commercial Music and a specialty in rock, jazz, blues, and classical guitar, as well as bass guitar, they inspire students of all ages to explore their musical talents. Through personalized instruction, Jake fosters creativity, […]

Renata started her musical studies in Caracas, Venezuela at the age of 5, focusing on piano and voice. She attended the Manuel Alberto López Experimental School of Music and IUDEM (University Institute of Musical Studies), where she received instruction from esteemed music educators, including Mayre Martinez, the first Latin American Idol. At 19 years old, […]

“Israel, or simply, Izzy, started his musical journey at the young age of five. His first encounter with the drum set was in his home church where he became well-aquatinted in Spanish Gospel and Contemporary Christian Music. Throughout his childhood, Izzy developed his musical knowledge by self-study but received guidance from many great mentors in […]

Kimberly Pennington has been teaching children for over 25 years in public and private sectors, both with regular education students and children with special needs. A mother of five and grandmother to one grandson, she is very aware of the ages of development and stages of learning. She appreciates taking a holistic approach while teaching […]

Guitarist, Pianist and Composer Jason Schimmel is a native of southern California and has been performing and teaching professionally for over 20 years. He holds multiple degrees in classical, jazz, film scoring and electronic music from the University of California Santa Cruz and the University of California Los Angeles. He has performed at many notable […]

My name is Barbara (Barbi) Irizarry-Rivera and I have a degree from Florida Atlantic University in Commercial Music Business and have been teaching vocals and keys for 3 years now. I first started singing in school when I was in Elementary School learning through music class and soon through chorus. I was always looking for […]

Katherine Clinch has established herself as a versatile and engaging educator and performer who is driven towards fostering her students creativity and individuality through music. At age 14 she enrolled in Juilliard Pre-college in New York City, where she had the opportunity to play timpani with the Manhattan School of Music Graduate Opera, as well […]

James Cloyd studied music theory at the Institute For The Arts and has been performing and teaching in Austin for over 15 years. James uses an innovative approach to make music concepts intuitive and accessible to students of all ages and experience levels. Not only do they learn to play their favorite songs, but in […]

Frederick Jackson is a classically trained pianist originally from Rochester, NY. From a young age, Frederick was surrounded by music through his family and church and being exposed to a wide range of musical genres. Some of his favorites include Classical, Jazz, Gospel, musical theater, and others. He began to discover his passion for music […]

-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 […]

Chris Wright is a guitarist, pianist, and educator with a musical career spanning over twenty years. He first became interested in playing guitar as an early teen after being influenced by Guns N’ Roses. At the same time he developed an appreciation for the great classical composers and began piano lessons. Studying these two instruments […]

My name is Collin, I am a professional musician, producer, and educator based in Austin, Texas! I have been playing music for over 15 years, toured nationally as a sideman, led several bands of my own, recorded in top of the line studios, and worked with world class musicians. I love all kinds of music […]

Ryan studied contemporary and classical vocal performance, contemporary guitar performance, and music business in college. He earned a B.A. in Music Business with a minor in Vocal Performance from McNally Smith College of Music, as well as an A.A.S. in Vocal and Guitar Performance from Lake Michigan College. It was when he was in college […]

Surrounded by music his entire life, Reuben began taking drum lessons at age 15. He excelled in marching, symphonic, and jazz bands during high school, and majored in music education at Northeast Louisiana University. He also developed his drum set abilities by listening passionately to all types of music and practicing an extreme number of […]

Cari is a rock drummer originally from Palm Bay, Florida. She got her start on guitar at age 12, then picked up bass and drums shortly after. In high school, she learned how to use audio equipment for live sound and began throwing shows around town and recording local bands. A few years later she […]

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 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 […]

At an early age, Beth Raschke grew up hearing her parents’ record albums ranging from Bach to Broadway. At church, she was surrounded with beautiful voices and wonderful instruments. By the age of 7, Beth began piano lessons at a local music shop, similar to Velocity (!), and joined the church children’s choir. At the […]

Award-winning American pianist and musician Timothy Jones has established himself as a versatile talent who possesses an abundance of creative and artistic energy. Timothy has performed in venues worldwide such as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and has been invited to study and perform at many top international music festivals (Aspen, Chautauqua, Bowdoin). On top […]