Shannon Keeler
General Piano, Advanced Classical Studies, Beginning Jazz Studies, Preschool Piano

Shannon Keeler has been playing the piano for as long as she can remember.  She began formal piano instruction at the age of five years old, and hasn’t stopped playing since.  By the age of fifteen, Shannon was accompanying church choirs, playing piano concertos with the school orchestra, and teaching the neighborhood kids piano.  It was then that she made the discovery that teaching piano was just as much fun as playing piano, and decided to pursue a career as a piano teacher.  Following high school Shannon obtained a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Western Washington University, then went on to get a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Denver.  Since graduation, Shannon has been teaching, directing Puget Sounds Piano Studio, and studying jazz.
 
Shannon believes that the role of the piano teacher is threefold: to instill a lifelong love of music in the student, to enable the student to pursue that love through skills learned in the lessons, and to open as many musical doors as possible for students to explore.  As beginning piano students advance, Shannon tries to shift her role from that of a teacher, to a mentor, to finally an advisor.  She encourages students of all levels to perform in a variety of settings, and feels that ensemble playing is an important piece of piano study.  She also feels that the teacher-student-parent trio is the best recipe for the student’s success.
 
Besides teaching and playing piano, Shannon enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her husband, son and daughter.
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Lynn Kohn
General Piano, Advanced Classical Studies

Lynn Kohn began studying piano at the age of five with her identical twin sister.  Soon there were two pianos in the house and duets and two piano music became the focal point of her musical family.  She and her sister studied piano throughout their early years and childhood.  High school included singing, accompanying, music festivals and a few piano competitions.  Lynn received a scholarship in piano performance to Western Washington University where her studies progressed with Dr. Edwin LaBounty.  During college and beyond, Lynn and her sister performed two-piano music throughout the Puget Sound area including with the Olympia Symphony and the Tacoma Symphony.  Lynn received her masters in performance at San Francisco State University with Carlo Busotti.  She was very involved with the Suzuki Piano Program there and eventually became the assistant coordinator for 80 children.
 
Lynn's goal as a piano instructor is to bring musical enjoyment and knowledge to the student.  She believes that piano creates the foundation for all forms of music and also with it a discipline which lends itself to all aspects of life.  She tries to instill in the student a love of music and hopefully the skills needed to carry that knowledge to other instruments.
 
When not teaching or playing the piano, Lynn enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.
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Sarah Burgess
General Piano, Advanced Classical Studies, Beginning Jazz, Beginning Vocal Studies

From singing all the words to the songs from Annie to practicing in the midst of all of her brothers and sisters playing around her, Sarah Burgess has loved music for as long as she can remember.  Sarah started taking classical piano lessons at age seven, winning several competitions through the Iowa Music Teachers Association.  She was assistant accompanist to her church and high school choir, and got her start teaching during high school as well.  After receiving her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa, Sarah moved to Seattle and earned her Bachelor of Music at Cornish College of the Arts, specializing in piano, jazz voice and composition. 
 
Sarah is a certified Musikgarten teacher, specializing In early childhood music and movement classes.  She also teaches piano and voice lessons to learners of all ages and musical backgrounds.  Sarah’s priority in teaching is to foster one’s natural love and enthusiasm for music.
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Laura Ouimette
General Piano, Advanced Classical Studies, Children’s Choir Director

Laura Ouimette began studying piano at the age of seven after watching her older brother take piano lessons and becoming immensely jealous! She began serious study of the pipe organ under Ronald Ebrecht at Wesleyan University, where she received her BA in music. Upon graduation, she continued her music study on the Sendzimir scholarship while completing an Americorps program. She subsequently was the Music Director at the North Haven Congregational Church while teaching privately. In 2009 she began her Masters degree in organ performance at the University of Washington with Carole Terry. She currently accompanies the University Chorale and is the organist at Blessed Sacrament Parish in the University District in Seattle. She has performed at the International Diapason Festival in L'viv, Ukraine, at UNIVA and the IMBF in Mexico, as well as throughout the United States, recently appearing on concert series in NY, VT, and WA. She has also danced with the CT based company Dancenlight.

Laura emphasizes practical skills in her teaching, while trying to instill in her students a lifelong love of the creation of music. She believes a good teacher gives the gift of proper practice technique, so that students can teach themselves to play any pieces they encounter. She also believes it is important to develop collaborative piano skills to increase versatility and enjoyment as a musician. She uses a flexible teaching style that emphasizes the use of metaphor, humor and a creative approach toward learning styles to address the individual needs of each student.

When not busy making music, Laura can be found dancing, hiking and waging war on the slugs in her garden!
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Kate Finn
General Piano Studies

Kate has been a multi-instrumentalist and singer for as long as she can remember.  Her first instrument was piano, and was entirely self-taught until she attended Cornish College of the Arts.  After testing out of several piano classes, she decided to switch from classical flute to classical piano and earned her degree in this concentration under the tutelage of Peter Mack.  She has been teaching piano for eight years in many different settings and to every age group.  In addition to her classical training, Kate is a pop performer and enjoys a healthy career in the Seattle area.  Her wide variety of skills and genres paired with her extensive knowledge of theory and technique makes Kate uniquely suited to teaching.  When not performing or practicing, Kate enjoys cooking, playing with her gerbils and watching Star Trek!
 
“My philosophy is that learning music should be joyful.  I try to start with inspiration, passion, beauty, curiosity - the things that attract us to music - and then provide theory, technique, and assignments to back those ideas up.  Interconnecting these ideas not only makes the information stick, it gives us a reason for all the hard work!  I love working with children but feel equally comfortable with adults, and I tailor my curriculum to suit each musician's needs.  I am open to guiding a student wherever they want to go musically, and exploring this art form together.”_

Samantha Boshnack
General Piano, Advanced Classical Studies, Composition, Jazz Studies

Samantha Boshnack began her musical training at a young age and has been zealously at it ever since. She is a musician with many hats. In addition to being a classically trained pianist, she also plays the trumpet and is an avid composer. She earned a BA in music from Bard College where she studied with renowned pianists German Diez and Bari Mort. In college Samantha started working as a piano teacher as well as an accompanist. Since graduation Samantha has been teaching at Music Center of the Northwest and Mills Music in Issaquah. She also plays piano in dance classes. She is a full-time musician living in Seattle. When not teaching she can be found playing trumpet and composing in a multitude of bands (jazz, rock, salsa, Balkan, etc.) including Reptet, The B’shnorkestra, Picoso, and Orkestar Zirkonium.

As a teacher she strives to find and hone each individual’s passion and aptitude
for music. Each student is encouraged to develop good technique and reading skills. Samantha believes that music is a fun and rewarding way to express one-self and be creative, as well as learn important lessons in patience, practice, and discipline. Students are encouraged to find joy and passion in performing music while becoming the best all-around musician they can be.
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Charlie Smith
General Piano Studies, Jazz Studies, Composition

As a professional musician Charlie Smith has worked in a wide variety of settings. As a composer/arranger he has written music for jazz big band, indie-rock records, contemporary dance companies, film scores and television commercials. Charlie is also a multi-instrumentalist. He has a strong foundation in saxophone and woodwinds. And earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Piano Performance in 2002 from Cornish College of the Arts. Charlie continually performs and records with many different groups playing keyboards, bass, guitar and woodwinds. He has had the opportunity to play music in half of the 50 United States and 9 countries around the world.
Charlie has been teaching private lessons in both piano and saxophone for almost ten years in Seattle area music stores and schools.

Statement:
Because every student has different goals and a different way of taking in information, I very much believe in tailoring music lessons to fit each individual. This kind of personalized approach makes my students more successful more often and creates a fun, interactive learning environment.

I also firmly believe in the importance of musical literacy and focus on a core list of fundamentals in order to achieve this with every student, regardless of level or age. This includes music reading, rhythm, dynamics and articulation, technique, feel, ear-training, and music theory. Knowledge in each of these areas is an integral part of any well-rounded and well-educated musician, and I work hard to insure that my students have the most solid foundation possible. This not only helps them to make better music, but also to make music with more ease, enjoyment, and understanding, which gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment.
And finally, I try to instill a love of music in all of my students by making lessons fun and easygoing while covering all the fundamentals.

When Charlie isn’t teaching or writing music he likes to hang with his super-cool wife, go see rock shows, search for great vinyl records and watch movies with his niece and nephew. And then maybe write some music anyway.
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