Our Teachers
Beatrice Blumenthal
Bebe loves to teach students of all ages and levels. She is passionate about making lessons comfortable and engaging, and wants her students to feel excited for their practice.
Bryan McDowell
Bryan’s brings extensive performance experience to the studio, where his goal is to meet students where they are and guide them to a high level of enjoyment and understanding of the music they play.
Chris Ousley
Chris’s deep jazz pocket and graceful Kentucky-style banjo is only outmatched by the spritely twinkle in his adventurous eye.
Elissa Mendez-Renk
Elissa teaches Piano and voice to musicians of all levels emphasizing finding the right balance of progress between lessons while also finding time to enjoy learning music without feeling rushed.
Ellen Gira
Ellen enjoys teaching in a variety of styles, from Classical to Scottish/Irish music and Old-Time, covering a wide range of skills including tune playing, backing, arranging, and tune composition.
Erik Sharar
Erik Sharar has been teaching students of all ages in a variety of musical styles, including classical, pop, rock, Latin, flamenco and jazz in the DC area and internationally for almost twenty years.
Gabby Cameron
Gabby is an excellent banjo player, singer, songwriter and devoted teacher. She is an Artist in Residence at Strathmore while pursuing her PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland.
Henry Meade
Henry brings his composition and playing experience to the studio, where he teaches piano and guitar in a variety of styles.
Joanna Clare
Joanna has been playing the violin since she was three years old and has been teaching individual Suzuki violin and Irish fiddle lessons in person and online since 2020.
Joey Jenkins
Joey Jenkins is a drummer in the DMV area who has been teaching for over a decade. His diverse drumming background is mainly focused in blues, rock, and hip-hop styles, but includes jazz and experimental music as well. He teaches Drum Kit, Cajon, & Hand Percussion.
Jonathan Metcalf-Burton
Jonathan has a bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies Saxophone Performance from the University of Maryland, College Park. He tailors his teaching to the unique needs of each student, working with learners of all levels.
Jonathan Vocke
His rich knowledge of old-time and bluegrass tunes will add to the repertoire of any aspiring bluegrass or old-time player. Jonathan teaches guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin and ukulele....
Justin Heath
Justin is the guitarist in the progressive bluegrass band Cherry Blossom Special. Justin is a passionate teacher and loves to help his students achieve their goals in music.
Luke Chohany
Luke specializes in bluegrass, jazz, country, and old-time music, and is comfortable teaching in just about any style....
Manuela Osorio
Manuela has a bachelor’s degree in Music Composition from the University of Maryland and teaches violin primarily under the Suzuki Method.
Mari Carlson
Mari Carlson has been playing violin since she was only three years old. After 25 years living in the Minneapolis area, Mari plays with “whatever-grass” band Cherry Blossom Special with 2 other SMT teachers, and some other fabulous musicians.
Nick Cameron
Nick Cameron is a prolific mandolinist and three-time vocal finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Student Competition.
Nick Wilby
Nick studied Jazz Guitar at the University of Massachusetts. Nick moved to DC to pursue a career playing and teaching music and to work with DC-based Pointless Theatre Company as a composer, arranger and performer...
Noah Bowman
Noah is a multi-instrumentalist musician with deep roots in the old-time tradition. He’s known for his unique fiddle interpretations and great facility with clawhammer banjo and old-time guitar...
Noah Gitlis
Noah studied guitar at the Berklee College of Music. Noah is also an active session player, with special expertise in composition and improvising....
Seth Kibel
Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier woodwind specialists, working with some of the best bands in klezmer, jazz, swing, and more. Wowing audiences on clarinet, saxophone, and flute, Seth has made a name for himself in the Washington/Baltimore region and beyond.
Valarie Miles
Valarie teaches voice and piano to ages 3 focusing on developing the whole musician. Her lessons encompass sight-reading, ear training, music history, and performance preparation, with particular attention to stage presence and artistic confidence.