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Barbara is a well-seasoned music instructor with 40+ years of experience.  Her musical journey began at age 9, when she received her first accordian from Stuttgart, Germany. Within 10 years she became a master of the accordion, as well as a competent pianist, trumpet, frenchhorn, and guitar player.  In her early 20's she decided to couple her passion for music with her desire to help others by enrolling into the Music Therapy program at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where she earned a BA in Music Therapy.   

After completing a 6 month internship as a music therapist at a psychiatric hospital in California, Barbara decided to continue working with mental health patients because the work was so rewarding.  After several years in the medical field, she made a career change and accepted a position as the K-12 music teacher at a Christian school in her hometown, where she taught music to children of all ages and skill levels.  Barbara is now teaching Piano, Accordian, and Trumpet at Lakeland School of Music and enjoys sharing the gift of music, in a fun and creative way!  When she's not teaching music at Lakeland School of Music she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, writing music of her own, worshiping and training others in worship, and of course taking long rides on her 3-wheel motorcycle!  Register today, and learn from someone who's passionately committed to the success of each and every one of her students. 

Diana is a gifted musician, born in Venezuela to a loving mother and father who were both seasoned musicians.  She began her music education very early in life, and studied music for five years with the National Children's and Youth Orchestras of Venezuela, an internationally recognized music institution. At the age of 14, she began studying Music at the Music Conservatory of Venezuela, graduating at age 19.  Her studies and performances demanded profiency in guitar, bass, piano, and ukulele.  

For more than a decade, Diana has performed on many different stages as a singer, dancer and lead guitarist for a variety of bands and musical acts.  Diana has been teaching private lessons in guitar, piano, bass, and ukulele since 2018, and she's always excited to share her love for music with beginners and more advanced players alike. With her recent opening of Monday availabiity, Ms. Diana now has many available lesson times on Mondays, which won't last long!  Take advantage of this opportunity today, and learn from a seasoned pro!

Google Review ​​​​​​ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
"Jimmy the guitar teacher is great!" — Jason 

Jimmie has been a professional musician for over 25 years and has travelled internationally performing and recording his music. He has performed live on stage with music greats such as Kirk Franklin, Gregg Allman, Brian McKnight, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Loretta Lynn and Patti LaBelle just to name a few.  His passion for music is contagious and he loves working with students of all ages and skill levels on guitar, piano, and voice.  In addition to teaching private music lessons, Jimmie has also led worship at various churches around the country, and has experience directing choirs and worship teams.

Luis is a passionate musician, worshiper, and music educator who began his music journey as a young boy playing music in church.  In 2022 he graduated from Southeastern University with a Bachelor in Music Education, and shortly after accepted a position as the middle school music teacher at Discovery Academy of Lake Alfred where he continues to teach today. Luis teaches beginner, intermediate, and advanced voice and piano lessons, and beginner guitar, ukulele, bass guitar, and drum lessons at Lakeland School of Music. He is bilingual and speaks both Spanish and English, and is currently learning Portuguese. With 10+ years of experience in teaching music to students with special needs, Luis has developed a level of patience and devotion that is rare for a teacher of his age.  He is passionate about sharing the gift of music with his students and enjoys helping them reach their full potential as developed and trained musicians. When Luis is not teaching music, he enjoys playing piano and singing with the worship team at Heart of the Father church in Lakeland, FL, and spending time with his beloved wife, Anais and daughter, Selah.

Google Review ​​​​​​​-  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

My teacher Paloma is the best cellist that I have ever been able to sit next to. I have learned so much from her already in a short amount of time, and don't plan to stop lessons any time soon. Thank you LSM and Paloma! :)

— Kaitrin Marinaro

Paloma is a multi-instrumentalist and music performance major at Florida Southern College who's primary focus of study is cello, and secondary instruments of study are piano, viola, and percussion.  She's been seated as first chair celloist in the Polk All-County Orchestra since her freshmen year to present.  She's also recieved superior with distinction awards in Solo & Ensemble, and has experience in playing with a variety of groups, including the FSC Percussion Ensemble and with the FSC Jazz Band. Paloma enjoys sharing her gift of music with students of all ages and skill levels, and currently teaches piano, viola, and cello for LSM.  She takes great delight in showing her students how fun music can be, while instilling the various disciplines of music that are required by all great musicians. Paloma is a wonderful, experienced music teacher with both the skills and personality to help students stay engaged and reach their full potential!  Paloma is also bilinguel and speaks fluent spanish making her an excellent choice for our spanish speaking families and students!

Ms. Alivia is a violinist from Utah, who started classical training at the age of eight years old, through the Suzuki Method. She has years of experience performing solos, duets, quartets, and orchestral music. Some of the venues she has performed at include, Abravanel Hall, BYU-I, FSC Branscomb Auditorium, and the Mormon Tabernacle. During her high school years, she was enrolled in the Lyceum Philharmonic Orchestra where she had the honor of recording Laura Osnes' single "My Favorite Things." Prior to the Lyceum Orchestra, Alivia performed with the Utah Allstate Orchestra, and more recently has had the pleasure of being concertmaster of the FSC Orchestra, and performing with the FSC Opera Orchestra. In addition to her violin performing skills, she has also taken multiple years of private piano lessons, and is gifted in teaching both piano and violin to students of all ages and skill levels.

Born in the UK, Carol moved to Canada as a teen with her family. She has recently moved to Lakeland after owning a successful music studio in Cobourg, Ontario for the last 35 years. Carol has prepared students of all ages for competitions, festivals, recitals, musical and college auditions and Royal Conservatory of Music examinations. Carol has been a member of the Concert Band of Cobourg since 2011 where she plays flute and provides vocals for concerts and clarinet and saxophone for the marching band in parades.

Carol is a graduate of Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC and received a bachelor’s and master's in music with a piano and voice proficiency. Secondary proficiencies include clarinet, flute, saxophone and oboe. Currently Carol leads worship and directs the choir as music director at Light and Life FMC in Lakeland. Carol is able to teach a variety of styles from classical, pop and contemporary worship and is comfortable teaching all age groups and levels. She is eager to share her love for music with her students and considers it a privilege to be a part of the student’s journey.

Google Review ​​​​​​​  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
"My youngest works with Ms Grace on piano and has learned so much and enjoys her lessons!"

— Amber Sprunt

Grace is an accomplished pianist with an extensive background in classical piano as well as contemporary worship and sacred hymnal music.  She studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Conservatory Canada where she received her honorary certification of classical piano and theory education.  She later studied at Canada Christian College (Toronto, ON) for her Bachelor of Sacred Music degree where she expanded her musical playing extensively through chordal arrangement, improvisation, and playing by ear in various styles.  She has also studied extensively with many world renowned concert piano teachers and performers worldwide, including Hoda Nassim (Ottawa, ON), Margaret Macpherson (Ottawa, ON), Sergei Pavlov (Toronto, ON) , Sue Yi Yong (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia), Zheng Ping An (Taipei, Taiwan) etc.  In addition to teaching piano for Lakeland School of Music she also serves as a piano and flute accompanist in various Churches throughout her international teaching ministry in Malaysia, Taiwan, Canada, and US. 

Judy is a highly trained and experienced voice and piano instructor who has taught private lessons in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida since 1977.  She has extensive experience with preparing students for school competitions, and both theater and college auditions. Her students have scored a 95%+ superior rating at both district and state level school competitions in the Indiana State School Music Association yearly festivals for more than eight years (both voice and piano), with many students earning full scholarships to various music programs. 

Google Review ​​​​​​​ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
"Miss Nikki is an awesome teacher!"

— Irene Mondragon

Nikki was born and raised in Azerbaijan, at that time a part of the USSR, in a family of talented and dedicated musicians. Her father taught clarinet and her mother taught Kamancha, a traditional string instrument. Immersed in music from an early age, Nikkie loved listening to classical music on vinyl records. She began studying piano at the age of 7 at a music school for children. After seven years, she was promoted to a music academy in the same year Azerbaijan became an independent country. After completing her high school music studies, she played in the church worship band for 13 years while teaching piano lessons to children and adults from different countries around the world! In 2011, she graduated from Baku Music Academy with a Bachelor's degree in Organ Performance. She also completed her Suzuki Teacher Training with the Suzuki Association of the Americas in Colorado. The same year she began her work at an International School in Northern Iraq teaching local children piano using the Suzuki Method. In 2013, she moved to the USA where she currently works with children in a preschool as well as teaching piano using the Suzuki Method at Lakeland School of Music. The Suzuki Method is an internationally known music curriculum and teaching philosophy dating from the mid-20th century, created by Japanese violinist and pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki. The Suzuki Method allows children to start as early as 3 years old and offers children and adults of all ages the opportunity to develop their ear, while simultaneously learning the skills needed to efficiently play their instrument before ever starting to read music. As students progress through the curriculum, they will also learn and master the skill of reading music. You can read more about the Suzuki Method at https://suzukiassociation.org/about/suzuki-method/

Melissa (online lessons only), is an active piano instructor, accompanist, collaborator, and soloist located in Central Florida. Her diverse musical interests and study have led to a variety of teaching and performing opportunities. Currently she serves as an adjunct professor of piano and accompanist at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida in addition to teaching online piano and voice lessons with Lakeland School of Music.  

Melissa has taught in multiple settings, including university, public school, and studio. She formerly served as an adjunct professor of class piano and graduate teaching assistant at the University of Central Florida (UCF), director of piano and chorus at Lakeland Senior High School, class piano instructor at the Dr. Phillips School of the Arts in Orlando, as well as a piano and vocal teacher in several music studios - all while managing her own.

As collaborative pianist, Melissa has been privileged to work with various students, churches, artists, and groups. Formerly she freelanced at UCF and West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Melissa has worked with multiple choral, band, and orchestral K-12 programs across Central Florida. Several churches in Pennsylvania and Florida have felt the passioned influence of Melissa’s traditional piano playing, contemporary worship band keyboard playing, original musical compositions, or participation in special event/music productions. She has coached and accompanied auditioners for organizations such as Disney, MTNA, NATS, and Opera Orlando. Lastly, her work at the Opera Orlando Youth Company, the Maitland Symphony Orchestra, and the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Maitland were significant local community- building highlights.

In her spare time, Melissa seeks ways to refine her craft whether it be studying and accompanying faculty and students at the InterHarmony Music Festival, taking private voice lessons, or pursuing foreign language study to further develop vocal coaching and diction skills. She also enjoys Zumba, baking, the beach, and most importantly, time with her loved ones- particularly her four amazing children!