Founder & Director—Voice & Piano Teacher

Sara values a holistic approach to teaching, giving her students all of the tools they need to not only succeed in their music studies, but to also build confidence and enjoy the process.

• Singer: Opera, Jazz, Pop, Rock 
• BA in Music: CSULA
• Original Pop/Rock Album Releases: 2006 EP “Crossing the Rubicon” & 2019 LP (in production)
• Operatic Roles: Queen of the Night (Mozart’s Magic Flute), Mimi—concert excerpts (Puccini’s La Boheme), Rosina-concert excerpts (Rossini’s Barber of Seville)
• Jazz Singer: Mitch Straeffer Quartet-various Chicagoland Venues and Weddings

Voice & Piano Teacher

Emily is an enviable musician, who truly plays piano as well as she sings! Emily’s piano students get to enjoy ear training with a professional singer, while Emily’s voice students get to study voice with a true piano accompanist! Emily holds her students to a high standard while at the same time creating a relaxed and enjoyable learning environment. 

• BM in Music, Capital University in Ohio
• Professional Singer/Actress: Classical, Musical Theater (multiple roles in Chicagoland productions), Pop 
• Piano Accompanist: multiple student voice recitals
• Special Education Teacher: schools and private lessons
• Fluent in American Sign Language

Violin Teacher

Amy is an incredibly talented and sought-after violin player and teacher. Amy performs all over the country and is a very busy violinist!  Amy also has the perfect patience and warmth required for teaching young beginners, all the way up to advanced, college-bound students. 

• BM in Music from Roosevelt University in Chicago
• Currently pursuing a doctorate in violin performance
• Wedding Music Performer and Coordinator
• Violinist for several string ensembles and orchestra performances
• Suzuki Teacher Training

Drum Teacher

Larry Beers is a professional drummer from Chicago Illinois.

“I’ve been in over 15 bands in my nearly 29 years of living in Chicago. I’m currently in the Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra, the Bad Examples, Anna Soltys & the Familiar, Bad Forum and Mucca Pazza, to name a few. Mucca Pazza is the most unique band in terms of style and approach. We’re 30 strong with Percussion, brass, woodwinds and stringed instruments. We mainly play our original material, we have cheerleaders and we also have marching band uniforms that do not match and it’s quite a spectacle.”

Dynamic Music is lucky to have one of the best drummers in the city, on our staff and passionate about teaching students how to play, and how to play well!

Piano Teacher

Nena always has a waiting list of students. This is not surprising, because Nena takes great care with each student’s lesson program and she applies her nurturing personality along with her attention to detail, to every moment of every lesson. Nena is both serious and sweet- and her students benefit greatly from her teaching style, her knowledge of piano, and her character.

• Music Education Degree from Musical Academy: Nis, Serbia
  (University Degree)
• Classroom Music Teacher
• Choral Conductor

Piano, Guitar, Bass, & Ukulele Teacher

Mitch began his musical journey as a classical piano student and then he moved on to playing guitar and bass. Mitch now has a long performance career under his belt, playing bass all over the world and across many genres. Mitch performs regularly throughout the Chicagoland area, playing blues, jazz, rock, pop, classical, musical theater, folk, blue grass, and country... to name a few!

Mitch loves music and is dedicated to helping students of all ages to discover the joy of both understanding and making music. 

• MM in Music Composition from DePaul University in Chicago
• Professional World-Travelled Bass Player
• Intensive Music Composition and History Study
• Ensemble Instructor (rock, pop, jazz, you-name-it)
• Composer (classical & popular)

Piano & Drum Teacher

Rob began as a classical pianist before moving into a professional drumming career! Rob is an exciting teacher and player, who bridges drums and piano, and is also a creative song writer! Rob teaches his students proper technique and theory, and piano students watch out, because you’d better play in rhythm :). 

Rob has so much fun teaching and playing, and we are so glad to have him on our staff.

• Music Degree from Columbia College in Chicago

• power trio, Mos Scocious, who has performed at Summercamp Music Festival for the last three years, shared bills with Parliament Funkadelic and Rusted Root and was also voted Chicago’s best local band in 2011 in the Chicago Reader’s online poll.  

• Robert also performs in singer/songwriter Michael McDermott’s band, The Westies. The newly formed band has created a buzz with stops in Pittsburgh, New York City, Asbury Park, Madison, Philadelphia and of course Chicago.  

• Most recently was selected in the top five in a city wide Jazz Improvisation contest by the Luminarts Cultural Foundation.

Oboe & Piano Teacher

Kristina Graham is an experience private lessons instructor and band program teacher. Her primary performance instrument is oboe, but if you hear her perform on the piano- you would certainly be fooled into thinking that it’s piano!

Kristina is a talented musician on both piano and oboe, and as a teacher she is loyal, dedicated to high standards, and passionate about nurturing young students on their musical journeys.

• Indiana University Jacobs School of Music - Bloomington, IN Master of Music - Oboe Performance
  Performer’s Certificate
  Outside Area in Arts Administration
  
• Sistema Ravinia, Oboe/Woodwind Instructor, Lead Teacher
• PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE:
  2015 Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, Substitute, Battle Creek, MI 2014 Pierre Monteux School Summer Music Festival, Hancock, ME 2013 Napa Valley Summer Music Institute, Napa Valley, CA
  2013 IMANI Winds Chamber Music Festival, New York, NY
  2013 Bloomington Chamber Singers, Bloomington, IN 2013 Main Street Opera Theater, Plymouth, MI
  2013 Arbor Opera Theater, Ann Arbor, MI
  

Piano Teacher

—Energized, creative, and intuitive, Tamara develops thoughtful learning experiences that build a strong foundation of playing technique and music theory.

Tamara is a skilled pianist and a professional musician who is passionate about staying current with the best teaching practices and passing on the art of playing piano.

Tamara is In tune with each child's or adult's dreams and imagination. Tamara's teaching creates a safe, nurturing and caring relationship with families who aspire to a whole musical experience. Tamara's hope is to provide a piano program that inspires a life of music making.

• Tamara Sarajishvili Dominguez was born and brought up in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia (then part of the USSR). 
• From 1986, Tamara studied piano at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, finishing her studies in 1991 with a Master's Degree under the guidance of famous Georgian pianist Nino Chirakadze.
• Tamara continued her teaching and performing career in Paris. For several years
• Tamara worked as an accompanist of ballet classes at the Russian School of Arts in Paris. 
• The highlight of Tamara's teaching career was attending Al Bustan International Festival in Lebanon where her student was invited to take part by maestro Gianluca Marcianò. 
• Tamara enjoys performing and has appeared in many and varied settings with repertoire ranging from light music to classical music. Tamara is fluent in English, French, Georgian and Russian.
  

Piano Teacher

Mike plays professionally all over the Chicago-land area, everything from pop to classical, rock and jazz. 

Mike offers a tradition piano lesson covering all classical understanding and technique, while also giving his students the treat of having the opportunity to study with a professional jazz and pop/rock keyboard player and composer/arranger.

Mike is kind, patient, knowlegeable, and everything students need in a teacher. 

Check out Mike’s students, Jackson & Chase Abat, playing Eleanor Rigby: 

Voice & Piano Teacher

Luana Arabadgi is professional, kind, and a superstar when it comes to teaching!

Luana’s students adore her, and she supports them by sharing her talent, knowledge, and expertise in confidence building.

• EDUCATION: The Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam, NY
  Bachelor of Music, majors: Music Performance and Music Business – GPA: 3.82/4.0
  Concentration: Voice
  
• PERFORMANCE
  EXPERIENCE:
  (OPERA) L’Etoile Koukouli
  2016 Manhattan Opera Studio
  2015 Crane Opera Ensemble
  2015 Crane Opera Ensemble
  2011 Escola Municipal de Sao Paulo
  2016 Carnegie Hall 2015 Hosmer Hall 2015 Hosmer Hall 2011 Hosmer Hall
  New York,NY Potsdam,NY Potsdam, NY São Paulo,Brazil
  New York,NY Potsdam,NY Potsdam, NY Potsdam,NY
  
• Chicago Summer Opera Manager

Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, & Piano Teacher

Adam rocks! He rocks as a person, a teacher, and of course- a musician. Adam teaches with great care to detail, and also keeps the lessons modern, fun, and engaging. And while he might look slightly menacing in his picture ;), I assure you, he is one of the nicest individuals you will meet!

• Adam studied guitar performance and music theory and composition at Columbia College in Chicago.
• Adam has been teaching for over 10 years (students of all ages and levels)—plays and teaches a variety of styles including: classical, rock, blues, pop, psychedelic, metal, ska, reggae, and flamenco
• Adam is also a singer/songwriter and has been performing his own compositions in multiple bands since age 12

Message directly from Adam to his students: 

My Philosophy on Music:

There is imitation and creation, but to truly create, one must first learn the established forms before

one can break them. Eventually through discipline to these forms, one will see these forms not as

absolutes governors, but instead a variety of tools that aid us in our artistic expression and

enjoyment.

My Philosophy as an Educator:

To be an effective educator I believe that one must not only create a curriculum and pay attention to

the individual needs of their students, but one must also provide an environment that fosters growth.

That is why I am a firm believer in being extremely kind, providing positive feedback and

maintaining a safe environment.

Voice & Piano Teacher

Whether she is singing in New York or Paris, Brittany never forgets her students. She will stay up until midnight in Paris, to skype with with her students before a performance (true story)!

Brittany is equally dedicated to her students and her performance career as an opera singer. 

While Brittany’s main performance focus is opera, she is also well versed in pop and musical theater, and thoroughly enjoys teaching her young students how to use healthy voice technique for their favorite pop song, or their school musical audition. 

Brittany has is also an excellent piano teacher for young beginners, helping them to learn good fundamental skills and technique, along with ear training in a nurturing lesson program.

• Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from DePaul University in Chicago

Piano Teacher

Nicole is the teacher that every kid wants- spunky and fun, but knows when to be serious! 

Nicole has had many years of teaching experience, and for students as young as 4 years old.

Nicole teaches all styles and all ages and she is also an accomplished church music director and piano accompanist. 

Students who have Nicole for a teacher... don’t let go :). 

• BA in Music from DePaul University in Chicago

Piano Teacher



A focus on engagement

"Thank you for being such a terrific teacher for our motley crew."
"Thanks for being a kind, fun, and very inspiring teacher to our daughter."
"You have a great ability to break things down to understandable parts."
"You're funny ahhhhhhhhh I love piano!"

Achieve your goals in music and enjoy the process? Student engagement is the most important element I bring to piano lessons. By setting goals which are both realistic and challenging, I can help you read music, improvise with other people, and even write your own songs! Music is a beautiful tool for self-expression, so our long term lesson plan will be shaped by the music you love, be it pop, classical, jazz, or something of your own invention.

I also have the mysterious ability to turn rambunctious kids into smiling pianists. If you have somebody in your life four or older who fits this description, ask me about my lesson plans for their age group!

My teaching philosophy

The core of each piano lesson includes music theory, repertoire building, and safe technique, but each of these elements changes depending on the student's goals. If your not sure what your goals are, that's ok! We'll spend part of our first lesson talking about different types of music and find which ones resonate with you. If you're more sure of the direction you want to go, I'll let you know what's worked for past students with similar interests. I have experience performing and teaching pop, classical, rock, jazz, electronic dance music, folk, and musical theater.

Students get to be creative in our lessons. I've curated improvisation workshops open to the public, and frequently get my youngest students writing their own songs! Remember, we essentially learn to read and write words in the same time. I find that doing this with music education strengthens our understanding of music greatly. More importantly, it's also very, very fun.

Lessons range from 30 minutes to an hour once per week, depending on the student and the material being covered.

• Baylor University Department of Music - Jazz Scholarship
• Opened for the incredible Sun Ra Arkestra earlier this year.
• Premiered new work by Roscoe Mitchell of the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
• Member of Spooky Action, synth singer-songwriting with live comic illustration.
• Supporting keys and synth work for theatrical pop-rock band Honey Noble, ambient music outfit Netcat, and many other bands in the Seattle area.
• Experience touring, recording, and gigging.
  

Miss Sora is dedicated to putting incredible care into each and every one of her lesson programs. She does extensive research for each of her students, in order to find the perfect teaching method for their individual interests and learning styles. 

Sora has studied many different music teaching methods, including both tradition and creative approaches. She is now in a unique position, to pull from many different sources to find and create one-of-a-kind lesson designs for every one of her students—for both piano and flute. 

• Master of Music Composition, Carnegie Mellon University, PA
• Master of Music, Brigham Young University, UT
• Bachelor of Music, Brigham Young University, UT
• and Music Teacher in public, charter, private and home school classrooms, and private and group music lessons using Dalcroze and Orff inspired strategies.
• Musician and Composer for school, religious and community organizations.
• Area of Concentration Grades 1-8 Professional Educator License for the State of Illinois 
• Private/Group Flute and General Music Teacher (age 4 to adult) IN, TX, UT, NY
• Flutist/Conductor, concert bands, orchestras, ensembles IN, UT, NY
• Music Theory Teaching Assistant, Carnegie Mellon University PA
• Choral and Instrumental Composer, Arranger, 
• Private Composition Study, University of Utah, UT
  

Guitar, Ukulele, Flute, & Clarinet Teacher

Michael Lockler received his Bachelor's in Jazz Studies at North Central College. There he studied flute with Marie Bennett and guitar with John McLean. He received his Master's in Performance, while studying flute with Dr. Elizabeth Barber at Northern Illinois University.
 
Michael is a member of the flute section for the Wheaton Municipal Band and has had the honor of performing for the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. He has also performed with the Fox Valley Orchestra. He has played various woodwind and fretted-string instruments for productions of musicals by BoHo Theater, BrightSide Theater, and NCC Summer Theater.
 
Michael feels that teaching is one of the best ways to give back to the community. He was fortunate to have had great teachers from the beginning of his musical journey. Their enthusiasm created a love of music in him that he hopes he can pass along to all of his students, creating a future generation of music lovers and performers.

• Northern Illinois University: ​Master of Music 
  ● North Central College: ​Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies
  ● Graduated Cum Laude
• Gave recitals on both flute and guitar