B.A. in music from George Mason University (guitar concentration) Over 7 years of teaching experience Loves teaching children Able to teach out of the home, and students home

Melissa began singing in a church choir at the age of four and has been "hooked" ever since. After years of performing in various choirs and taking lessons herself, she went on to earn her Bachelor's degree in vocal performance at Illinois Wesleyan University and her Master's at Illinois State University. Meanwhile, Melissa was also studying piano from childhood through college. Now in her 21st year of playing, Melissa loves to teach beginner and intermediate pianists in addition to young singers. She is a newcomer to the DC area, and has previously lived, sung, and taught in Illinois, Indiana, and Vienna, Austria. Melissa has performed on both the undergraduate and graduate level (and beyond). Her experience includes operas, operettas, recitals, musicals, and choirs. She has performed in venues ranging from the Indianapolis Opera to the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Over the years she has performed in the United States, Canada, England, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. She also studied piano for many years, and has experience as an accompanist and vocal coach. Other than her pedagogy training and the typical university diction and literature curriculum, she also took 14 years of French, and lived in a German-speaking country for the better part of a year studying the language. Her knowledge of diction and language issues is extensive. This, combined with her comprehensive training in music theory, history, and repertoire, gives her a vast reserve of knowledge and resources for her teaching.

Michael T. Brown is a diverse performer, equally comfortable with everything from operatic literature to Scottish folk songs. On stage, he is regarded as a strong actor with a rich voice, and he is known for being a quick read. His opera roles have included Captain Fitzbattleaxe from Gilbert and Sullivan's Utopia Limited, Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus, Monostatos in Magic Flute, Peterman in M. Choufleuri, and numerous chorus and supporting roles. He has also performed in Scottish folk and folk rock bands as a singer, guitarist, Irish bouzouki player, and recording artist. He has earned a M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy at Catholic University's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music and a B.M. Ed. from Gordon College in Wenham, MA. 

Thabie has been  teaching  at Keys to Creativity for 2 years  and  he recently received his masters in the field of  Piano Pedagogy and Performance at George Mason University.  While at George Mason he studied with Dr. Joanne Haroutounian and Dr Anna Balerkerskaia.  During his graduate studies he performed a lecture recital featuring the works of John Field and a senior recital.  During his undergraduate studies he was invited to play at the Schlern International Music Festival in Italy where he performed a Nocturne by Glinka and the Second movement of the Haydn Gypsy Piano Trio.  He recently completed his Suzuki book 1 certification training with Mary Craig Powell in Columbus Ohio.

I'm a passionate teacher with over 7 successful years of teaching experience. I began teaching voice, piano, guitar, saxophone, and drums as I completed my degree in Music Education and Composition.