Originally from Jackson, Melissa has been teaching music in the Metro area for over ten years. Prior to that, she taught privately in Monroe, Louisiana for several years. Her love for music began at a young age through her involvement in church, where active participation in the music ministry as an adolescent provided extensive experience in choir, piano, and handbell ensembles. She also began studying violin at the age of eleven and continued through her sophomore year of college.
Following high school, Melissa attended Hinds Community College, where she began pursuing a music degree as a voice major. She later transferred to the University of Louisiana at Monroe and earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. During her studies at both institutions, she was actively involved in numerous choirs, chamber ensembles, opera productions, and musical theater performances.
Her stage credits include Velma Kelly (Chicago), Yum-Yum (The Mikado), Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls), Kost (Cabaret), and Jellylorum (Cats), as well as appearances in several stage plays. While at ULM, Melissa regularly competed in National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) auditions, placing as a finalist on multiple occasions.
Melissa has been playing piano for over sixteen years and has extensive experience accompanying vocalists in recital and performance settings. She previously served as the Worship Arts Coordinator at her church for over ten years, where she led music weekly from the keyboard and worked closely with vocalists and instrumentalists.
Her ultimate dream is to one day establish a facility dedicated to the performing arts. Melissa has helped many students discover a love for music and performance, and several of her students have gone on to perform on stage. Watching her students thrive in their musical pursuits brings her great joy.
Melissa believes music and the performing arts are gifts from God, and she strives to give all glory back to Him through her teaching and performance.
Jeremy is originally from Raymond, Mississippi, and began playing guitar at the age of thirteen. Whether performing on a church worship team or studying classical guitar privately, he quickly discovered music to be a meaningful creative outlet with lasting rewards.
After graduating high school, Jeremy enrolled at Hinds Community College as a classical guitar major. During his first year, he performed in the guitar ensemble and competed in a regional guitar competition. While deeply engaged in the guitar world, he also began discovering a growing passion for the piano. This led him to change his major to piano during his sophomore year.
Upon completing his coursework at Hinds, Jeremy transferred to the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy. Throughout his academic career, he served as pianist for St. Thomas Episcopal Church and worked as the musical director for Guys and Dolls at the Strauss Youth Academy for the Arts.
He gained experience performing in multiple choirs and chamber ensembles and played in pit orchestras for numerous productions presented by the university’s School of Performing Arts.
Jeremy has found that his greatest fulfillment in music comes through collaboration and teaching. He has been teaching private guitar and piano lessons for over ten years and dreams of one day establishing a facility dedicated to the arts.
Although Jeremy later earned a Master of Science in Computer Science and currently works as a software engineer, music remains at the heart of his creative life and teaching philosophy.