Jen Wood
Jen Wood grew up in Seattle and was raised by two moms in a blended family where music was always in the forefront. At the young age of 15 she formed the band Tattle Tale with Madigan Shive (Bonfire Madigan) during the era of the Riot Grrrl movement. Wood’s musical journey took off quickly and she continued on as a solo artist and guest vocalist. Wood has released 5 full length albums and a slough of EP’s on various indie record labels and most recently released an album with her dance pop project called GEMZ and an independently released EP with her other project called SYNERTIA.
Known widely for her collaborations with The Postal Service (“Nothing Better” and “Such Great Heights”) and her featured work on Netflix’s Carole & Tuesday, Jen finds the light in the shadow and shares it with a rare vulnerability.
Jen currently lives in California and teaches online lessons in Voice, Guitar, Piano, Ukulele and Original Songwriting.
Joe Simpson
For the past 25 years, Joe Simpson has poured his heart into piano, voice, and guitar lesson instruction. Over those years, he’s taught students age 5 through 83. He has 13 years of classroom experience, teaching K-5 General Music, as well as middle and high school choir. He spent 4 years in the 5-time Gold Medal winning A Capella Barbershop Chorus, The Ambassadors of Harmony in St. Louis, Missouri. From 2022-2024, prior to relocating from St. Louis to the PNW, Joe was the Executive Director and Instructor at his own non-profit studio, JoReMi Inc. Between high school, college, and adulthood, he spent a total of 18 years on the stage, singing, dancing, acting, and music directing. 12 of those years were in the community theatre community in St. Louis. For 17 years in Ohio, and 23 years in St. Louis, Joe was singing, playing piano, and/or music directing bringing joy to the folks in the pews in the Catholic Church. Somewhere along the way, he squeezed in 20+ years in the Social Service industry, as a counselor, case manager, therapist, and student support specialist, which he brings into his music education, because music is about community, joy, healing, and growth.
Joe’s goal is to take you, or your child, on a journey of exploration, discovery, and development into the magic of being a musician for self improvement, healing, and community connection. Come join the fun and discover the joy of building new skills, doing something you thought you never could, and making the world a better place, one note at a time.
“It started early for me. On one hand, as a small child music just seemed to call me. While I was no prodigy, it just rang out in my soul. As I discovered its joy, I realized quickly it was also a healing escape from the trauma I was experiencing. Fast forward to my high school years, when I joined concert choir, show choir, and theatre, it literally saved my life. When I performed, the madness stopped storming for a few hours and I realized joy in my heart again.” -Joe Simpson, Instructor
Anna Mariko (she/her)
Born and raised in the Greater Seattle area, Anna has been an active part of the local music scene for over 15 years, performing as a drummer across various projects and bands. A Berklee College of Music graduate, she’s passionate about youth music education, with over six years teaching in Seattle and Boston. She also composes freelance commercial music and creates original work under her solo project, Prismia. While open to all genres, her style spans Rock, Pop, Funk, R&B, and Punk.
Michelle Dodson (she/her)
Michelle Dodson is a young freelance musician and private music teacher specializing in cello performance. She performs and teaches a range of music genres spanning baroque, classical, jazz, and modern. She has played cello for 19 years.
She began her music degree at age 16 at University of Missouri St. Louis, and she transferred to DePaul University in Chicago after graduating high school, where she earned her liberal arts degree, a Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in cello performance, and a minor in economics from the Driehaus College of Business. While living in Chicago, she taught at the Music for Kids non-profit project. She also performed with the Chicago Composers’ Orchestra, City Lights Orchestra, and the funk-fusion band Pyzow! for their debut album in 2018. She also worked closely with modern composers to world-premiere eight new pieces.
Upon moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2018, Michelle became involved in the recording industry, being a featured artist in soundtracks and recording two solo albums of baroque and modern music respectively. She currently performs in the Seattle area with Everett Philharmonic, various string quartets, and substitutes in a variety of ensembles. She is passionate about working with local artists to create multidisciplinary art events to make classical music accessible to more members of the community.
Michelle currently specializes in teaching piano and cello, emphasizing an understanding of music theory, interpreting musical ideas, and developing instrument technique to communicate the musical ideas. She, her dog, and her cat love to go on hikes or walk around town when she is not playing music!
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @michelledodson19 / Paypal michelledodson19@gmail.com / Cash App $connecttheDODS
Andi Ridings (she/her)
Andi is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and performing artist that hails from the Saint Louis, Missouri region of the Midwest. She grew up with an inclination towards the arts: dancing to film scores, harmonizing with her family in the car, and sketching on the bed next to her older sister. Although Andi was raised by a single mother and finances were often tight, she came from a family of artists and musicians, and by the age of 9 was graciously gifted a school violin to play on in her elementary school orchestra. Later, she went on to pursue music full time, and earned her Bachelor of Music from Southeast Missouri State University, where she specialized in violin, performing with string quartets and symphonies across the Heartland, as well as on a larger scale in places like New York, Chicago, and Italy.
Over the years, she carved out her own path by freelancing and arranging music of all genres for concerts, weddings, and banquets. She also picked up several other instruments along the way, including viola, cello, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, piano, and voice. Since relocating to the Seattle area in 2017, Andi has shifted away from her classical roots, and is currently co-writing her debut album with her fiancé in their band June Gloom. They plan to release their first album in the near future — so stay tuned!
Throughout her musical journey, Andi has taught lessons to all ages and backgrounds in every place she has had the pleasure to call home. Her goal as a music teacher is to keep the student’s spark for music alive and thriving, and to cater her teaching style to each individual student, as everyone has different styles of learning. When receptive to it, Andi likes to incorporate music theory, analysis, improv, and songwriting into her student’s favorite tunes to encourage them to dig deeper with the music her students already know and love.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @ridingswritings
Lonnie Williams (he/him)
Lonnie Williams grew up in Beaumont, Texas, where the recording of Cannonball Adderley on the jukebox at his family’s barbecue restaurant inspired him to take up the saxophone at a young age. Starting as an alto sax player in his school band, Lonnie practiced every day and eventually moved to Seattle where he was inspired and embraced by the city’s jazz scene. In the years since, he has played with such legends as Eddie Harris and Joe Henderson, and in venues all over the world. Considered a legend in the Pioneer Square jazz scene, Lonnie hasn’t let success get in the way of his calling to teach, which he has followed since he began tutoring other kids in his school band in junior high. He encourages his students to learn through his own mantra of “practice practice practice!” but also believes strongly that music should always be fun. He hopes to inspire his students to find as much joy in the saxophone as he has for so many years.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @ladyerin — Use memo line: FOR LONNIE WILLIAMS
Nik Singleton (she/her)
Nik Singleton was born and raised in the Southwest, and has been singing since early childhood. She discovered her love for harmonies at a young age, and spent most of school singing in choir. When she graduated high school, she took her singing out of the classroom and onto the stage, playing in a multitude of bands over the past 15+ years. Specializing in harmony work, she also has many years of experience in the studio and as a session singer and producer.
She has worked with a wide range of projects across multiple genres, sung on many records and live streams, and appeared on season 13 of “The Voice.” She has over 15 years of performance experience, resulting in an abundance of practical application knowledge for live performance, both on stage and in the studio.
Her goal is to instill confidence and expand skill in her students, and encourage artist expression and joy. She aims to create a comfortable space for exploration of the voice, including expanding knowledge of vocal health practices. She has much knowledge to impart on the topics of harmony singing, stage presence, and wants to help you discover you own personal sound and confidence as a performer.
She loves the ocean, and is an avid surfer and scuba diver. She loves to cook, and is happiest when she’s connecting with and meeting new people.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @NikSingleton / Paypal singnikkising@gmail.com
Kevin Murphy (he/him)
Kevin Murphy picked up the guitar when he was 10 years old. At the age of 14, he formed his first band and performed around Seattle opening for established local bands, including Mudhoney. In 2006, Kevin formed the rock/folk band The Moondoggies which led to 4 full length albums on Sub Pop subsidiary Hardly Art. The Moondoggies have toured and performed alongside bands such as The Lumineers, The Cave Singers, The Head and The Heart, Blitzen Trapper and Dawes. Kevin has also shared the stage with legendary artists Robbie Robertson, CSNY, Brandi Carlile, Dave Mathews, and more.
Kevin’s teaching philosophy is based on learning the instrument in a fun, creative and personalized way connecting to each individual student and their own mode of expression. He believes there are songs to be learned and songs to be written. Kevin’s goal is to ignite a fire in one’s self expression and a confidence in playing that will remain with them during their whole life, whether it’s onstage or in their living room. He feels music is incredibly valuable to communicate the feelings we can’t always put into words and that it has the ability to rewire our brains for the better, especially in the minds of young students. Kevin is the father to two wonderful young girls, Sonnie and Zuma.
Emily Jensenius (they/them)
Emily Jensenius was born in Issaquah, WA, into a family of music lovers that includes several pianists, an opera singer, and a zither player. As a teen, Emily played viola in the Seattle Youth Symphony and also performed on Classic King FM radio with their string quartet. Emily went on to study viola performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, and Florida State University. Their major teachers were Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey, James Dunham, and Pamela Ryan. At FSU, Emily received assistantships to coach viola and chamber music, as well as to play with the College of Music's Eppes String Quartet, which collaborated with student composers on new works. The Eppes was coached by cellist Greg Sauer and mentored by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.
As an orchestral musician in Florida, Emily played with many professional ensembles, including the Tallahassee Symphony, the Columbus Symphony, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, and the Albany Symphony. After graduation, Emily was fortunate to live in Oxford, England, for a few years, where they taught privately and performed as a member of the Oxford Chamber Orchestra and the Oxford Sinfonia. Emily currently lives near Washington, D.C., and teaches for Mode online.
Emily encourages students to be self-directed and will follow each player's musical interests while also fostering healthy technique and critical listening skills. A lesson with Emily will typically focus on the physical setup, pitch and rhythmic awareness, style and phrasing, and strategies for efficient practice. Emily's goal is for every student to enjoy being a musician and to feel increased self-confidence as they improve. Some of Emily's other interests are distance running, watching video essays, listening to oldies, folk, or pop music, and baking pies.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @ej_viola