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

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: 

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.

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
  

Flute—Piano—Guitar—Bass—Ukulele

Michael Lockler received his Bachelor's in Jazz Studies at North Central College. There he studied with Marie Bennett and John McLean. He received his Master's in Performance, while studying at Northern Illinois University.
 
Michael is a member of the 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

Teaching Experience (piano, guitar, ukulele, bass, and flute):

• Dynamic Music: 2019 to present
• Musical Expressions​ - Naperville, IL  ​August 2018 to Present
• “Music Matters” School of Music​ - Batavia, IL  May 2018 to September 2018: NIU
• Community School of the Arts​ - DeKalb, IL  January 2018 to May 2018: Teacher
• Naperville Music​ - Naperville, IL  September 2015 to April 2016