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Emma Dunham is a military kid who hails from sunny SoCal. She was born into a musical family and began classical piano and harp lessons at a young age. Emma studied with John Mortensen and Jackie Davis, graduating summa cum laude from Cedarville University with a BM in both keyboard pedagogy and harp performance (2024). She began teaching piano as a sixteen year old and has taught 30+ students of all ages, recently gaining her national teaching certification (NCTM) through MTNA. Emma loves teaching and performing and was awarded the Love Pedagogy Scholarship (2022) and the Charles and Margaret Clevenger Piano Award (2023) for excellence in her studies. 

Emma has wanted to teach music since the age of eight. She strives to inspire her students to love and enjoy music through individually tailored lessons. Each student is unique, and Emma takes delight in finding out how to best encourage them to reach their musical goals. She loves incorporating games, theory, improvisation, composition, and ear-training into traditional lessons. Emma helps students find appropriate pieces that they will enjoy working on, in a variety of genres. In her free time, Emma enjoys reading, running, playing ultimate frisbee, or spending time with her husband, a lieutenant in the Air Force.  

Born to a musical family, Jeannine grew up in a multi-instrumental and multi-cultured home. She began formal classical training at the age of 7, studying the violin and singing in choir. Informally, she sang in the church gospel choir. She continued her education in music throughout her teens at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, and later attended the University of Missouri School of Music, where she played violin in the University of Missouri Philharmonic. Throughout her life, she has continued this pattern of formal and informal development, with the help of teachers and collaborators far and wide. Ever pushing the boundaries of her own comfort zone, Jeannine took an interest in improvisation and started moonlighting with country, blues, bluegrass, and rock bands around Missouri, while studying jazz theory and improv in college. She has toured and traveled as an artist and teacher - though she is always a perpetual student of music. Jeannine has been a strings teacher for 9 years. During a pandemic-enforced break from teaching, Jeannine moved to Colorado and ended up meeting her husband and birthing two beautiful little humans. Jeannine and her husband co-lead a band together called The Canary Initiative.   

Jeannine is thrilled to return to teaching. She uses a student-led, goal-oriented approach to learning, involving modern music, improvisation, and playing by ear while leaning on scaffolding from traditional pedagogy and Suzuki method. Jeannine focuses on helping students learn the music that inspires them by getting into the nuts and bolts of how it's made (theory), how it's played (technique), and what may have inspired it (music history). Learning music is not only fun, but teaches you discipline, cooperation, math, science, history, language, courage, self-esteem, emotional literacy, and self care. It is truly a lifelong journey that connects you to universal humanity and divinity. Jeannine also teaches secondary instruments piano, viola, and cello.

Hailing from SoCal, Iva brings 37 years of music knowledge. Her family was filled with a variety of mediums in art, eclectic styles of music, and culture. Moving to Tucson, AZ, when she was just 5 years old, Iva embraced taking part in church musicals, large plays and reenactments, choir, and most importantly, she seemed to always have a piano at her fingertips. She began learning music theory and training in classical piano, participated in various piano competitions, and enjoyed recitals. However, she was challenged to overcome anxieties when at the keys, or mic. in front of people. She was also told by her teacher that she wouldn't be very good because her fingers were too short. Challenge accepted! With much practice and persistence, she endured. She later learned additional instruments such as guitar and different percussion instruments and, despite other criticisms, developed her vocal skills.
   In high school, she moved back to SoCal where she focused on theatre, aside from sports, martial arts, and dance. She became the vocal instructor and piano accompanist for both choir and theatre. At church, she led youth worship, played and sang specials, and revised her classical techniques of playing to help enhance the feel of the worship team. This later started a venture of music leadership for programs such as AWANA, VBS, and children's choir. Sharing her joy of music with the world had always been a goal, but showing children of all ages and various walks of life, the benefits of music and dance became an addictive passion. It wasn't always easy, but it was by encouragement that she is ardent, and it is with that same allocation that she is inclined to teach. 
    Trained by friends and family, while attending a wide assortment of concerts, she began singing in bands and was a manager in a music store, but longed to share more. She brings a raw, holistic, and enthusiastic approach when it comes to the music world and specializes in students who are not traditional learners. "I believe music to be a language of its own, able to unite even the most disjointed of peoples or situations. It is a form of communication that everyone experiences uniquely, yet draws just the same."

Noelle Pennison is currently enrolled as a Music Major at Pikes Peak Community College. Growing up she sang often with her sister and became inspired by the renowned violinist, Lindsey Stirling. 
She has been playing the violin for over 8 years. She began learning in the Orchestra of Thomas Maclaren School in sixth grade and continued at the School for four years. During this time she even had the opportunity to play with her class at the Colorado Springs Philharmonic when she was in Orchestra IV as a 2nd Violinist and was also involved for a short time in the school’s bluegrass club where she was taught to improvise her playing and learn a bit of fiddle music. When she switched schools, she continued to play the violin and even developed the skill to play music by ear.

She soon became interested in the voice acting industry towards the end of high school and found that her love for singing helped her become an even better voice actress by broadening her vocal range. 

Noelle believes that music is a beautiful form of art that sparks peoples' creativity and wonder. Her ultimate goal is to share that with her students and help them explore their musical passion or help them find it.

Tiana Longmire is a classically trained singer, vocal arranger, vocal coach, and DJ pursuing a degree in Mathematics with a double minor in Music and Economics at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs. Singing since the age of two and surrounded by a family of singers, musicians, and artists, her passion for music developed early on. With over 10 years of experience as a singer, she has been involved in choirs, musicals, showcases, competitions, etc. throughout the years.

Tiana currently teaches voice to various ages, specializing in R&B/Soul, but also has experience in Pop, Musical Theatre, Classical, and Gospel vocal styles. Tiana’s approach to lessons is individually goal-oriented, focusing on what her students want to accomplish not only in the long run but for each lesson. Though each student has different goals, she wants to make sure all of her students have a solid and healthy foundation for their instrument for years to come.

Travis' life in music started early on. He took piano lessons from kindergarten to fifth grade and started on trombone in third. All through junior high and high school he had the opportunity to play in youth and independent orchestras, concert, athletic and jazz bands. Travis went on to study music at the University of Colorado here in Colorado Springs where he studied under world-class musicians, traveled in a Gospel band, started a career in film composing and band directing. Outside of the music school he teaches junior high and high school band. 

After years of exploring, teaching and becoming competent on different instruments, Travis can safely say that learning music can be a pain...but it doesn’t have to be. His philosophy on learning any instrument or anything concerning music is that, “Learning naturally is learning efficiently”. Regardless of who you are or where you come from, our brains have common ways of retaining information. If learning is not, in some way, rewarding or seems out of reach, then the learning process slows down. What Travis tries to create with all his students is a fun, engaging and challenging environment where music can become simple and natural. 

Travis is glad you’ve considered The Colorado Springs Music School. He looks forward to working with you and helping you reach your goals!

Originally from Pueblo, CO, Chris K earned his Master’s degree in  music education from Old Dominion University and his Bachelor’s in music therapy from Marylhurst University. As an educator, he emphasizes fundamentals and strives to meet the unique needs of each student.

A former musician for the U.S. Navy, he has traveled the world performing with the U.S. Navy Steel Drum Band, Sixth Fleet Band of Naples, Italy, and Seventh Fleet Band of Yokosuka, Japan. Chris was also on the faculty of the Armed Forces School of Music where he taught percussion and arranging to active duty Army, Navy, and Marine Corps students. He has also performed and/or recorded with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Wind Symphony, Portland Wind Symphony, jazz guitarist Geordie Kelly, composer/guitarist Dan Cosley, singer/songwriter William Stafford, and Colorado artists such as Wayne Hammerstadt, The Inman Brothers, and Last Patrol. He has released two solo EP recordings of original compositions entitled “Soundspace Vol. 1” and “Percussion”. Both are available for streaming on all major sites.

Deidre is a lifetime musician and has been learning and playing music from a very young age. The movie Fantasia inspired her to play the harp when she was two. After taking piano lessons until she was ten, she finally started on the harp and has been playing both instruments ever since. Her family has always been musical. Deidre grew up singing in her family choir. That love of vocal music followed her to college at BYU- Idaho where she majored in Music. She sang with the Collegiate Singers at school and went on to sing with the Cumberland Oratorio Singers in North Carolina and the Colorado Springs Chorale in Colorado. Deidre has conducted choirs at her church for years and was the choir director at Mitchell High School from 2016-2017.

Deidre believes that music is universal and all encompassing. Her belief that everyone can sing combines with her love for her students and creates a safe place for exploration and accomplishment. Each student is individual and each has a unique journey, but everyone can do music. She laughs with her students and has fun while still guiding their steps forward. Her teaching is influenced by her cardinal rule: "Loud and proud. Strong and wrong." Whatever you do, do with confidence.

Joy started playing violin at the age of 10. She continued her lessons and participation in school  orchestras throughout her educational years. In college she learned piano and took classes to learn how  to play all the other instruments in the symphony orchestra. In college she earned her Bachelor of  Liberal Arts with a minor in Music. She went on to play in community orchestras and played once with  the Denver Symphony. 

Joy started teaching music lessons seven years ago. She taught violin for two years at a private school in  conjunction with teaching her other private students. Her main instrument is the violin but she teaches  viola, cello and piano also. Joy taught herself to play guitar at the age of 16 and can pick up most any  other instrument or piece of music and learn it quickly and with ease. She also sings in two choirs, the  Roman Catholic Chamber choir and weekly with her church choir. She also cantors at her church. 

During the school year Joy works as an assistant teacher with School District 11. Joy’s passion is music  and has been playing and performing for over 50 years. She loves teaching music and watching her  students grow and excel.

Reza Z earned his master’s degree in psychology from Duquesne University and his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a music minor degree from Rutgers University. He has worked with children with disabilities throughout his life, has taught guitar, bass, and music theory for 10 years, and has taught psychology classes over the last 15 years in higher education at Pikes Peak State College, UCCS, Penn State, Carnegie Mellon University, CUNY, and many other institutions. 

He has been playing guitar and bass for 35 years and has played in numerous bands throughout his life in clubs, at parties, and on the radio. He produced and recorded his own CD in 2009 and earned a guitar endorsement deal with XOX Audio Tools. He is also well versed in music production with Logic Pro X and can help his students compose, produce, and publish their own music. His teaching style is “student-centered”. He focuses on the individual needs of each student and whether it is theory, creativity, songwriting, or just about anything else, he will tailor his teaching style to accommodate your needs. When it comes to music, he is very down to earth, approachable, as well as meticulous and is eager to help his students learn.