Anna Dvorak

ANNa DVORAK

is a teacher of Voice, Piano, and Playground with Eclectic Music and also happens to be our Executive Director. Anna has been with Eclectic Music since 2018, you have probably received an email or ten from her. In addition to her work behind the scenes, she is appears frequently as a professional actor on the great stages of Atlanta. She is a graduate of the University of Florida where she received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre.

Anna specializes in Musical Theatre voice and performance. She believes that healthy singing is beautiful singing. She works to cultivate an understanding of vocal anatomy and proper use. Anna also believes in the power of positivity and hard work. She encourages her students to be committed, engaged and informed musicians that lead with their passion for music. And that is where she loves to begin; their passion. “Joyful music learning and performance begins with whatever the student is enthusiastic about.” She loves to use teaching techniques that are silly. One of the best practices, she says, is to get the student out of their heads, to start having fun and learn to not take themselves too seriously.

INSTRUMENTS.

Voice, Playground, Piano, Audition Prep, Performance.

STYLES.

Musical Theatre, Pop, Jazz, Country.

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

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Guy Strauss

Guy Strauss

has over 20 years of professional experience as a touring musician and session drummer for various major label and independent artists. He has been an educator for over 15 years, teaching private lessons as well as music classes at Academe Of The Oaks where he serves as the Music Department Chair. Guy shares his passion for music and his real world experience of being an active working musician with his students. Lessons focus on independence, technique, notation, rudiments, musicality and song based learning. 

As a performer Guy has appeared on film soundtracks and has played internationally opening for acts such as Elvis Costello, Muse, Cheap Trick, The Fray, The Wallflowers, The Cranberries, Blur and many others.

Guy holds an Associate of Arts Degree from Miami Dade Community College, and completed the certificate program at Drummers Collective in NYC. He has studied with many prominent drummers including Steve Rucker (University of Miami Professor , and Bee Gees drummer), Mike Clark (Herbie Hancock), Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith (Tonight Show Band).

Guy’s goal is for lessons to be fun, educational and practical. His students will learn about rhythm, counting, reading standard notation, technique, independence, time keeping skills, dynamics, feel, song form, ear training and general musicianship. We will explore these concepts through written exercises, rudiments, books, and of course by playing along to songs. Once the student has developed a solid foundation, the focus will shift to more of the students personal musical interests and goals.

INSTRUMENTS.

Drums, percussion, piano, music production and band coaching.

STYLES.

Rock, pop, funk, R&B, jazz, blues, and world music.

REQUIREMENTS.

Ages 7 and up, all skill levels.

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TESTIMONIALS.

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Hannah Lake

Hannah Lake

is an actor, singer, dancer and teaching artist who loves plants, yoga, and of course, music! She always strives to be kind and encouraging to every young artist - just as her very first piano teacher was to her. Hannah believes that hard work and a can-do attitude are more important than talent alone.

As a teacher, Hannah loves activating the imagination, especially when playing and working creatively with young students. She recognizes that children have a super power in exploring the world with reckless, joyful abandon! Hannah strives to incorporate that into her lessons in any way possible and aims to have her students smiling and giggling so that they feel empowered and open to learn (and keep learning)!

Aside from teaching and performing, Hannah loves to get creative in all forms, including painting, baking, cooking, and photography!

INSTRUMENTS.

Voice, Piano, Ukulele, Playground.

STYLES.

Musical Theatre, Pop, Country, Rock.

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

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TESTIMONIALS.

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Hannah Marie Smith

Hannah marie Smith

(she/her) is a BFA Musical Theatre graduate from Reinhardt University and an alumnus of Horizon Theatre's AppCo program. She has been teaching voice to middle and high school students for six years and continues to perform in Atlanta, with recent credits including Beautiful (Aurora Theatre), Boys in the Buff (Out Front Theatre), Head Over Heels (Marietta Theatre Company), and Disaster (Onstage Atlanta). She has also performed in traveling concerts like Ladies of the 80s and She's a Rebel.

Hannah is a seasoned performer and educator with a passion for helping her students unlock their vocal superpowers! As a former "baby belter" and a pianist, she brings her own stage experience and teaching know-how to guide students through the tricky terrain of head voice and mix. Hannah is all about embracing individuality and finding that special connection to every song, making performances truly shine. She believes that a mix of hard work, imagination, creativity, and action is the secret recipe for any piano or voice student to hit all the right notes and achieve their dreams!

INSTRUMENTS.

Voice, Vocal Coaching, Audition Prep, Piano.

STYLES.

Pop/Rock, Jazz, 70's/80's Rock, Musical Theatre, Funk, Country, Classical.

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

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Jennifer Hanna

Jennifer Hanna

Jennifer Hanna has been teaching voice and piano lessons for over 15 years.  She is an early childhood music specialist and has been a teacher at Eclectic Music since 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Millikin University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University. She continues to be an avid student and takes continued training in guitar, voice and advanced music education. Jennifer teaches music at St. James Preschool in Buckhead.  She also directs the Cherub Choir at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Buckhead, where she is also currently a staff singer.

Jennifer began studying piano at the age of 9, flute at age 11 and voice at the age of 13. As a child and teenager she enjoyed performing in recitals, musicals and choirs.  She sang in the Ohio All State Choir and played flute in the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. While an undergraduate at Millikin University, Jennifer performed in operas, including Pirates of Penzance, Down in the Valley, Die Fledermaus, and The Marriage of Figaro. In 2005, she moved to Atlanta to complete her Master of Music Degree at Georgia State University.  She played the roles of Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’ Hoffmann and Harry in Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring at GSU.  She later professionally played the role of Mozart in the opera Wolfy at Theatre Decatur. Jennifer participated in the Harrower Opera Workshop at GSU and La Musica Lirica Opera Festival in Urbania, Italy, performing roles in opera scenes including Hansel and Gretel, Cosi fan Tutti, Louise, Alcina, Fastaff and The Mikado to name a few.  

Jennifer takes a holistic approach to teaching music. She believes the process of learning to sing or play an instrument helps students to develop important life skills such as improved work ethic, self-confidence, optimism, faith, interpersonal and communication skills, and leadership potential.  She keeps this in mind when working with each student.  Jennifer teaches piano and voice to both children and adults.   She teaches a variety of musical styles, including classical, pop, musical theater, rock, ragtime and jazz. 

 As a voice teacher, Jennifer focuses on building a strong technical foundation. Her goal is to help students to develop a strong, effortless, pleasing tone while communicating a meaningful thought, idea, or emotion. With her piano students, Jennifer strives to keep the learning process fun and rewarding. She continually uses new approaches depending on the unique interests and inherent gifts of the students. She often incorporates singing, rhythm sticks, bells, egg shakers, drums, ukulele and guitar in her lessons. Her goal is to help each student not only learn to read music, but also to play by ear and improvise. Jennifer encourages her piano students to sing, and her singers to play. Jennifer believes that just as playing an instrument makes us better singers, so does singing make us better instrumentalists!

INSTRUMENTS.

Piano, Voice, Flute, Playground.

STYLES.

Classical, Pop, Musical Theatre, Rock, Ragtime, Jazz.

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

TESTIMONIALS.

“She was such a warm, fun, flexible teacher. I think it was a perfect balance for age 5 of skills and fun. He left class with stronger music appreciation. I would definitely recommend Playground and Jennifer to anyone with kids PreK-1st grade.”

- Halley, parent

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Jeremiah Hobbs

JEREMIAH HOBBS

is a teaching artist and songwriter who grew up just down the road in Newnan, GA. Spanning almost a decade now, Jeremiah’s teaching experience started with summer camp (he’s already become an Eclectic Music camp fave) and includes guitar, musical theatre, sports, and art! 

Jeremiah’s career has taken him to New York and back! During his stint in the Big Apple, he wrote a musical that was accepted into the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2015. 

As a teacher, Jeremiah wants to connect with his students, learn what motivates them, and structure lessons around what each student enjoys. He wants to get to know you so that he can encourage you to make the music that brings YOU joy! 

When Jeremiah isn’t at the studio, you can find him at home with his beautiful wife and sweet little tot creating art, blowing bubbles, and making music as a family.

INSTRUMENTS.

Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Songwriting, and Melodic Percussion.

STYLES.

Pop, Rock, Folk, and Musical Theatre.

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

TESTIMONIALS.

Coming Soon!

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John O'Leary

John O’Leary

is a professional saxophonist and music educator with over 15 years of performing and teaching experience on piano, saxophone, clarinet, and flute. He received his Bachelors of Music from Florida State University and obtained his Masters of Music from the Manhattan School of Music both for jazz saxophone performance.

During his time at MSM, he studied directly under many jazz legends and was fortunate to perform in some of the biggest jazz clubs in New York City. Over the years, between playing on cruise ships for a year, and moving between NYC, Miami, and Atlanta, John has had a lot of amazing musical adventures: from teaching summers in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, to playing lead alto for an international Broadway Tour, to holding a weekly Bossa Nova Brunch in South Beach Miami, and touring Canada with a NYC-based funk band. He’s got plenty of stories to tell, and more importantly, many life lessons to share!

As an educator, John is influenced by his work as a contemporary musician with conservatory training. Because of his education and varied performing experience, John puts the focus on practical, real-world techniques that are rooted in traditional methods. This way, you’re not only learning all the “classical” skills like reading music, analyzing theory, and technical mastery; you’ll also develop your ear so you can play without sheet music, you’ll learn about songwriting and improvisation so you can write your own music or jam with others, you’ll study current music styles/trends, so you can understand not only the foundations of music and how to play your instrument, but how to play music like today’s top performers, and how to have all the tools necessary to do anything you want musically!

INSTRUMENTS.

Band Coaching, Clarinet, Composition, Flute, Music Theory, Piano, Saxophone, Songwriting, Woodwinds, Audition/Performance Prep.

STYLES.

Jazz, Rock, Pop, Blues, Funk, R&B, Soul, Brazillian, Classical

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

TESTIMONIALS.

"His teaching style balances fun and productivity perfectly"

- Jessey

“‘John Woodwinds’ was a great mentor. He taught me a lot about saxophone, jazz performance, and theory."

- Louis

"He was fun, helpful, and renewed my interest in music"

- James

"John is an amazing teacher who has helped me hone in on my skills on tenor sax and build confidence in playing jazz music and improvising."

- Jess

"I loved working with John because he made me feel confident and excited about music and my passion for jazz"

- Rebecca

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LaTonya Peoples

LATONYA PEOPLES

teaches violin for Eclectic Music. She was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas and began taking violin lessons at the age of five. At the age of sixteen she became a certified Suzuki Violin Instructor giving private lessons, and later graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Music Therapy from Howard University. LaTonya is a violinist, vocalist, DJ, songwriter, and the owner and operator of the Lpeop Recording Studio, LLC. where she writes, produces, and records music to be licensed for Film, TV, and video/gaming projects.

LaTonya has recorded and produced four original albums displaying a wide range in styles of music, including original songs, Jazz, Rock, Spirituals, Pop, Country, EDM, Dubstep, Singer/Songwriter, and Folk. She can be heard as a Violinist/Vocalist on recordings by India Arie, Co-Resonance (a pop/classical fusion string quartet), Ken Ford, Doria Roberts, JJ’s Swimming, and Left Eye Productions/TLC. And her music has been licensed by Love and Hip Hop, 'How Black Mothers Say I Love You', by acclaimed Playwright Trey Anthony, and most recently, my vocal rendition of Wade In The Water was featured on ABC's hit Television Series 'Scandal' - Season 6 / Episode 3. 

In addition to her recording career, she has perfomred in ensembles opening for Gladys Knight, Michelle NDegeocello, Angelique Kidjo, and Alice Walker; and has performed with such organizations as Sister Harriet, Sistagraphy, KMC, ZAMI, Charis Books, ALCI, and The Feminist Women’s Health Center. She has toured with UniverSoul Circus, visiting 26 major cities as a featured Violinist and Vocalist, was a featured performer with the LA Women's Fest, and traveled to Osaka, Japan to perform for the Kansai Music Conference. LaTonya has been featured on BET’s Jazz Central program with Hue, a Jazz Trio and has been heard on National Public Radio's Wade in The Water Series featuring Sweet Honey In The Rock, produced by Author Sonja Williams.

LaTonya has given workshops and in-services on Songwriting, Jazz Improvisation, and Music Therapy, as well as classroom teaching experience as an Orchestra Director. She has also worked with several populations including Special Education, AIDS, and Psychiatric Patients as a Music Therapist. She is just the type of Eclectic musician who fits the Eclectic Music teacher bill and in addition to her eclectic musical styles, she keeps the mantra "Search for acceptance within yourself." close to her educational philosophy.

INSTRUMENTS.

Violin.

STYLES.

Classical, Jazz, Songwriting, Spirituals, Pop, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, and Folk.

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

TESTIMONIALS.

Coming Soon!

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Rachel Ofotokun

Rachel Ofotokun

is a composer and pianist from Lilburn, Georgia. Rachel comes from a musical family and has been engaging with music and composition since age 6, starting with piano lessons and adding cello to the mix in middle school. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music composition and African studies from Emory University. Rachel enjoys classical, experimental, pop, jazz, gamelan, and afro-influenced music. 

Lessons with Rachel are incredibly flexible and goal-oriented. She focuses on building (and reaching) long and short-term goals based on a student's desires and working as a team to achieve them in the most fun way possible! Rachel believes music lessons should be an outlet and safe space where students can spend time pursuing something they want for themselves. As is our mission at Eclectic Music, Rachel works to decolonize the music classroom. 

Outside of the studio, you can find Rachel crocheting, tending to her plants, redecorating her apartment, and sipping tea. She looks forward to making empathic connections with her students!

INSTRUMENTS.

Piano, Playground, Cello, Songwriting, Compositon, Digital Composition, Music Production, Music Theory.

STYLES.

Classical, Experimental, Pop, Rock, Jazz.

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

TESTIMONIALS.

Coming Soon!

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Ruth Mehari

Ruth Mehari

is a teacher of strings, voice, piano and fun! She went to Reinhardt University where she studied Music Education (K-12) and Cello Performance. During her time there she also fell in love with theater performance and singing. You may see her playing in an orchestra, acting in a show, or sometimes both at the same time!

As a lifelong learner Ruth is dedicated to helping students discover the joys of learning something new. She is dedicated to creating a warm and encouraging environment for students to thrive in while adapting her teaching style to the needs of the individual in front of her. She values building rapport with her students in order to be able to know what lights their fire so she can guide them to their goals while fostering their love for making music.

INSTRUMENTS.

Piano, Ukulele, Bass (Upright), Guitar (Acoustic), Violin, Viola, Cello, Voice, Audition + Performance Prep

STYLES.

Classical, Opera, Musical Theatre, Pop, Jazz

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

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Sarah Dempster

Sarah Dempster

is a Playground teacher with Eclectic Music. She has been singing since she could talk and draws on her strong background in choral music, musical theatre, and piano when working with students. Along with working at Eclectic, Sarah also sings in the Chancel Choir and the Chamber Chorale at Peachtree Presbyterian Church, as well as mentors the youth choir and handbell groups. Additionally, she runs theatre summer camps with City of Sandy Springs, working with students ranging from preschool to high school. In her free time she is a hobby costumer and can frequently be found bent over her sewing machine, replicating costumes from her favorite movies and television shows.

Above all, Sarah believes in developing a lifelong love of making music, because everyone has the ability to be a musician. She prioritizes making lessons a fun and stress-free environment to allow her students to discover a passion for both understanding and making music. She also takes into account the unique strengths and learning styles of each student, as well as their goals for the program, to ensure they develop the foundational tools necessary to keep making music.

INSTRUMENTS.

Playground.

STYLES.

Playground, Pop, Classical, Musical Theatre

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

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Suzanne Stroup

Suzanne Stroup

is a graduate of Mercer University and an alum of Aurora Theatre's AppCo Company. She has been teaching at Eclectic Music, Aurora Theatre, MJCCA, Alliance Theatre and more for ten years now, and can also been seen performing and directing around town. When Suzanne isn't teaching or performing herself, she can be found in her house, trying to teach her cat Peggy how to sing musical theatre songs. So far, she has been unsuccessful.

Suzanne believes in process over product. If the process of learning isn't a fun experience for the student, the product won't shine. In her classes and lessons, she focuses on fundamentals, but never at the expense of fun.

INSTRUMENTS.

Audition/Performance Prep, Guitar (Acoustic), Piano, Playground, Songwriting, Ukulele, Vocal Coaching, Voice

STYLES.

Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Classical, Disney, Musical Theatre.

REQUIREMENTS.

Students all ages & abilities welcome!

CONNECT.

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Taryn Antrobus

Taryn Antrobus

joins us from Nashville by way of Cleveland. She has had a love for music from a very young age and grew up in an extremely musical environment. After studying Music Business & Entertainment Industry studies, Taryn fell in love with the art of songwriting and performance. She is actively releasing her own music and honing her craft on stage, in the studio, and in songwriting circles.

In her lessons, Taryn promotes a unique learning environment where she focuses on the student's individual needs for their musical development. She believes that teaching opens two avenues - one for the student to expand their mind and form an appreciation for music and one for the teacher to be reminded of why they fell in love with music in the first place. Taryn recognizes that there are equal opportunities for growth for her and her students, both working to recognize potential change in themselves. 

When she’s not performing, writing, or teaching, you can find Taryn experimenting in the kitchen, cozying up with a good book, or enjoying the outdoors. Taryn is excited to help her students nurture their creativity and pursue their natural passion!

INSTRUMENTS.

Guitar, Voice, Piano, Songwriting, Ukulele, Playground, Audition/Performance Coaching, Percussion, and Drums.

STYLES.

Pop, Indie, Singer/Songwriter, Folk, Rock, Americana, R&B, and Soul.

REQUIREMENTS.

Taryn works best with students age 7 and older!

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TESTIMONIALS.

Coming Soon!

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Tyler Parker

TYLER PARKER

(originally from Naperville, IL) is an experienced cellist and piano player whose musicianship led him to a full ride study at Florida State University. Tyler's teaching style focuses on the form and technique of the student.

Tyler believes that “music is constantly evolving with us. Therefore, we should evolve how we teach music”. In that spirit, he works with students to feel the music they are playing and expands to fit the needs and styles of each individual. 

Outside of the studio, you can find Tyler continuing his journey as a forever learner as a student of meditation and music engineering.

INSTRUMENTS.

Cello, Piano, Music Theory, Music Production, Digital Composition, and Audition/Performance Prep.

STYLES.

Classical and Modern Pop.

REQUIREMENTS.

Tyler accepts piano students of all levels and Intermediate cello students!

CONNECT.

TESTIMONIALS.

Coming soon!

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