Welcome

Mrs. Iris is an exciting addition to our teaching staff and will be teaching piano. Iris is a degreed instructor with a Bachelors Degree in secondary education with a music education focus from Crown College in Tennessee. She has taught music for over 10 years. She has been an accompanist since she was in middle school, accompanying choirs, soloists, and ensembles. 

Emilie is one of our amazing violin teachers.  She is a music student at Stetson University and works hard to bring good technique and thorough training to every student.  She is excited to meet you!

Joe is our awesome guitar instructor.  Joe is a graduate of both Musicians Institute and of Berkeley College of Music.  He has been a guitar teacher and performer for many years. He will be bringing classical theory and technique as well as popular repertoire to every student!  

Samuel Aldana, a student in music performance at Stetson University, has been passionately pursuing the violin for 14 years. He began his musical journey at the Doral Conservatory Academy and later at the MusicAll Youth Orchestra, the South Florida Youth Symphony and the Doral Symphony Orchestra. His hard work has taken him to different stages worldwide, including the Giovanelli Festival in Italy, the Summa Cum Laude competition at Vienna’s Musikverein, and Carnegie Hall as part of the Honors Performance Series in 2022 and 2023. Most recently, he participated in the Killington Music Festival in Vermont in 2024. Aspiring to become a soloist, orchestral musician, and college professor, Samuel is dedicated to advancing his artistry and achieving excellence in his musical career.  

Kate began studying the Celtic harp with Tina Tourin, Founder and musical instructor of the International Harp Therapy Program in 2005.  She completed the 2 year nationally accredited  program in 2007 and began working with Ambercare Hospice  of Albuquerque, New Mexico as a Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner. She comforted patients with her harp music as they transitioned.

She also studied harp with Linda Larkin of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ms. Larkin invited Kate to perform in Ms. Larkin’s High Desert Harp Ensemble.

The Ensemble performed in a variety of settings from Senior Centers and  librarys to Renaissance Faires and Churches such as the St. Francis Cathedral,  First Presbyterian Church and Congregation Beit Tikva, all in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  The Ensemble also performed with author Robert Newell at The Georgia O’Keefe Arts Center in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Linda Payne and Kate began The Angels of the Strings, a harp duo under the tutelage of Ms. Larkin.  A few of their more notable performances were performing at the Santa Fe Opera dinner before the opera began, several performances with the New Mexico Bagpipe, Drum and Fife Corp. and joining many other performers for A Night of Celtic Entertainment, with music, dance and storytelling in Santa Fe, New Mexico.   The Angels of the Strings traveled to San Diego, Cal. to join Ms. Tourin and 99 harpists for a benefit concert for  The Salvation Army.  It was incredible to hear 101 harpists all in one room at the same  time!   From 2010-2020 Kate attended The Spanish Peaks Harp Retreat in Walsenberg, Colorado. She studied and performed with 20 other harpists for 5 days in the summer.

Kate began to teach the harp in 2012. She taught through the ‘Apple Mountain Music Center’ in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ‘The Candyman Strings and Things’ in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She also received many students through word of mouth.  Her first student told her she had been wanting to study harp “all her life,”  she was nine years old at the time. Kate has taught students ranging in years from 7-85. She teaches lever harp. Kate now resides in Debary, Florida. 

Logan is our Group Lesson and Learning Lab Coordinator.  Logan is a Trumpet student at Stetson University and is striving to help Music for the Ages develop our group lessons.  He is also working to integrate an after school learning lab so kids can have a safe place to study and practice after school.