Jeremy is originally from Raymond, MS. He began playing guitar at the age of 13. Whether it was the church worship team or private classical guitar lessons, he found the guitar to be a great creative outlet with many rewarding benefits.
Upon graduating high school, Jeremy enrolled at Hinds Community College as a classical guitar major. During his first year as a student, he played in the guitar ensemble and competed in a regional guitar competition. While loving the guitar world, Jeremy was also discovering a new passion for the piano. So much so, he changed his major to piano in his sophomore year. Upon completion of his coursework at Hinds, Jeremy transferred to the University of Louisiana at Monroe where he obtained his Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy.
During his time in school, he served as the pianist for St. Thomas Episcopal Church and was the musical director for Guys and Dolls at the Strauss Youth Academy for the Arts. He gained experience in multiple choirs and chamber ensembles. He also played in the pit orchestra for many productions put on by the school of performing arts.
Jeremy has found that his love for music lies in collaboration and in teaching. He has been teaching private guitar and piano lessons for over 10 years. His dream is to one day have a facility dedicated to the arts. Although Jeremy went on to obtain a Master of Science in Computer Science and currently works as a software developer, he has not forgotten his first love.
Originally from Jackson, Melissa has been teaching locally in the Metro area for around seven years. Before that she taught privately in Monroe, LA for several years. Her love of music started at a young age in the church. Being active in the music ministry as an adolescent allowed for much experience in choir, piano, and handbell ensembles. She also began learning the violin as early as eleven years of age and that continued on until her sophomore year of college.
Upon graduating high school, Melissa attended Hinds Community College where she began pursuing her music degree as a voice major. Upon completion of course work at Hinds, she transferred to the University of Louisiana at Monroe where she obtained a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Permformance. During her time at both Hinds and ULM she was involved in several choirs and chamber ensembles as well as opera productions and musicals. Her stage roles range from Velma Kelly in Chicago to Yum-Yum in The Mikado. Other roles she has portrayed include Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Kost in Cabaret, and Jellylorum in Cats. She has been a part of several stage plays as well. During her time at ULM, Melissa frequently competed in the National Association of Teachers of Singing auditions and placed in the finals on more than one occasion.
Melissa has been playing piano for over 16 years and has experience accompanying singers in recital setting. She is currently the employed as the Worship Arts Coordinator where she leads on a weekly basis at the keyboard. Her ultimate dream is to one day have a facility dedicated to the performing arts. She has helped many students discover a love for music and performing, and several of these students have gone on to perform on stage. Seeing them in their element brings her great joy.
Music and the performing arts are such a blessing from the Father and Melissa holds true to the belief that every bit of the glory should be given back to Him.