Darrin Burrell

Flute, Piano, Guitar, and Trumpet – Available for Virtual Lessons Only

A northern Virginia native, Darrin Burrell discovered his passion for the arts when he was very young, acting in his first play at age four, and beginning music classes in school at age five. Darrin has been playing flute for over 13 years. He found early on that he wanted to pursue a career path in music, which led him to study at Greensboro College in North Carolina. During his college studies, Darrin was fortunate enough to travel overseas to study at the University of Hong Kong in 2008, an experience which changed his life and musical perceptions greatly. In 2010, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Greensboro College with a Bachelor of Arts in Flute Performance and a minor in International Studies. After graduating, Darrin returned home to northern Virginia and began teaching private lessons. Darrin largely considers himself a Jazz musician, but he also greatly enjoys listening to and playing Classical and International music. Darrin now lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. In his free time, Darrin also enjoys playing basketball, reading, and learning new languages- currently taking on both Russian and Spanish. Learn more about Darrin in his teacher showcase post on our blog.

Jairo Chavez

Guitar, clarinet, sax, flute, oboe, and piano

Jairo is a music student at George Mason University who has been teaching saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, and flute in the area for several years now. He attended Northern Virginia Community College where he received an Associate’s in Music. Jairo is now at George Mason working towards getting a bachelor’s in Instrumental Music. Though he focuses mainly on classical sax, Jairo is also well versed in jazz and other pop styles. He has been playing saxophone in the DC area for six years, playing with groups such as the American Balalaika Symphony Orchestra, the Mount Vernon Community Swing Band, and is one of the founding members of the Northern Virginia Saxophone Quartet. Jairo also teaches piano lessons with us and his students appreciate his kind nature and his proficiency in all he teaches.

Doug Ross

Bass guitar, guitar, and piano

Bassist Doug Ross has traveled an adventurous musical path around the world, from the Caribbean to Asia and all over the U.S. After winning awards in high school bands, he was encouraged to head to Hollywood for intensive study with bass greats Gary Willis, Jeff Berlin, and Steve Bailey at the Bass Institute of Technology. Since graduating with honors from B.I.T, Doug has played thousands of gigs and recording sessions all over the world with diverse artists such as jazz guitarist Jody Fisher, Motown legends Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Brazilian singer Katia Moraes, and rock drummer Gregg Bissonette, to name a few. In 1995, a tour as bassist for Fantasia Musical Circus led to a seven year residence in Japan, including four years heading the bass program at Fukuoka School of Music, one of Japan’s largest music colleges. In 2002, Doug set off for the greater musical challenges of Los Angeles. He spent the next thirteen years teaching at Los Angeles College of Music (formerly LAMA), performing as a sideman and bandleader, and releasing a solo album in 2007 on Egad records. At LACM, Doug had the privilege of teaching alongside many of LA’s finest musicians, including Tierney Sutton, Frank Gambale, Jerry Watts, Ralph Humphrey, Andre Berry, Joe Porcaro, Carl Verheyen, and Tim Landers. Recently, after a twenty year absence, Doug returned to his hometown of Washington DC, where he’s performing with top local artists like Daryl Davis and Jaared Arosemena, as well as composing and performing all the music for the top-rated Futility Closet podcast.

Matthew Larson

Trombone and Piano

Born and raised in northern Virginia, Matthew has been playing both piano and trombone from the age of eleven. He began teaching in high school and it has been a part of his life ever since. Currently Matthew is working on a degree in music performance at the University of Maryland. He has a diverse performance history from classical to jazz to rock. He has performed in many notable locations such as the Kennedy Center, the Strathmore, Ram’s head, and sound stage. Matthew is passionate about music education; he believes that teaching music offers a unique opportunity to provide children with valuable life lessons in a fun low pressure environment. He believes learning music helps children develop self-confidence, teaches dedication, self-expression, and practice strategies that are useful across a broad variety of situations. To ensure each student flourishes, he carefully caters his teaching methods to each individual.

Lucas Ashby

Piano, Strings, Drums, and Guitar

Brazilian-American multi-instrumentalist and composer Lucas Ashby’s musical resume stretches back to his early childhood. Born into a family of internationally touring musicians, Ashby brings to his projects a background in rhythms and melodies from South America, West Africa, India, Eastern Europe, American Jazz, & Hip Hop. For the last 15 years, the resulting mosaic of sounds and textures has served as the bedrock of the career Ashby has built as a sideman, performing for the last 9 years as percussionist with nationally-touring afrobeat-funk powerhouse Big Mean Sound Machine, as well as such internationally-renowned artists as Brazilian national treasure Ivan Lins, 14-time GRAMMY winner Paquito D’Rivera, and world-renowned vocal jazz quartet New York Voices (including appearing on their 2007 GRAMMY award-winning album A Day Like This), Brazilian guitar virtuosos Rogério Souza (Duo Violão Brasil) and Diego Figueiredo, and Ghanaian highlife master Osei Korankye. Lucas has also performed all over the US and around the world with his parents, Brazilian jazz vocalist Kenia and acclaimed trombonist and producer Jay Ashby (Paul Simon, Astrud Gilberto, Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, & others). As one of the composers and organizers behind genre-bending 21st-century chamber ensemble Arco Belo, led by accordionist, pianist, and composer Simone Baron and featuring bass icon Mike Pope (Chick Corea, Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn), Ashby had the pleasure of debuting several compositions at the renowned Strathmore Mansion in May 2017. Arco Belo’s debut season continued with performances at renowned venues including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco CA, The Backroom Berkeley CA, and the Cotati Accordion Festival in Cotati CA, among others. Since moving to the Washington, DC region in 2014, Lucas frequently performs locally with a number of regional acts including Veronneau, Rose Moraes, Cissa Paz, Ethan Foote, Pablo Regis de Oliveira, and Marian McLaughlin, among others. Ashby is also a Strathmore 2020 Artist-in-Residence, curating a month of programming at the historic mansion in June.

Kevin Allen

Piano and Voice

Kevin Allen is a multi-faceted musician, working as a music educator, conductor, pianist, accompanist, and singer. In 2015, Mr. Allen became the Vocal Music Teacher at a high school in Prince George’s County Public Schools, where he teaches three choirs and three levels of class piano.  He is also the Director of Music at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Annandale, Virginia, where he has served since 2011. He recently joined the V.A.B.E. Piano Quartet (8 hands/2 pianos). As an active piano collaborator, he has accompanied many instrumentalists, vocalists, choirs, and musicals in Maryland, Virginia, and the D.C. Metro area.  As a singer, he regularly sings with the Heritage Signature Chorale, under the direction of Mr. Stanley Thurston. Previously, he taught middle school chorus in Prince William County Public Schools for 10 years.  He has performed with the Washington Chorus, under the direction of Julian Wachner and The Choral Society of Washington, under the direction of the late Norman Scribner.  He has also served a variety of churches in Virginia and in the D.C. Metro area for over 10 years. A graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Mr. Allen was a piano student of Dr. Sheila McDonald Harleston and a voice student of the late Dr. Gerald Johnson and Dr. Sandra Jarrett.  While at UMES, he performed with the Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Harleston, where he was regularly a soloist during many performances and tours abroad to France, England, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Trinidad.  Also, he was an award winner in the 1998-2000 DeBose National Piano Competitions held at Southern University. He earned his Master of Music degree from Norfolk State University, where he studied piano with Dr. Ernest Brown.  He also performed with the NSU Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Carl Haywood. Mr. Allen is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Music Education degree from Peabody Institute at John Hopkins University.

Joanna Edwards

Piano, Guitar, Violin

Joanna Edwards is a veteran music educator with over 20 years of experience in public and private schools. She teaches piano, guitar, and violin to individual students and in group settings and has held the position of music director at several churches. A native of New Jersey, Joanna received her BA in Music from Rutgers University where she studied piano and violin, as her secondary instrument. Her love for music began when she first started taking lessons on the organ at the age of six. In middle school she began studying guitar and added violin upon entering high school. While trained in Classical music, she enjoys performing and teaching many different styles including pop, rock, jazz, and country. She has performed as a soloist and with other musicians for events and weddings in New Jersey, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Maryland. Early in her career she piloted the Yamaha Music in Education Keyboard Lab for all of the middle schools of Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia and has been a presenter at professional development workshops centered on teaching methods and technology. Her interest in bringing technology into the music classroom began with the introduction of Apple computers into the schools. With the arrival of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), it was not long until Joanna incorporated a MIDI drum machine, MIDI sequencer, and MIDI keyboards into her teaching and performances. A life-long learner at heart, she continues to take classes and attend educational workshops. Recently, she earned a M.Ed. in Educational Technology from Loyola University Maryland. Joanna strives to instill her love of music in her students. She believes lessons should be enjoyable and individualizes her instruction to fit the student’s needs. Music theory and history are covered to provide an overall understanding of pieces being studied. When appropriate, Joanna may integrate technology into the lesson through various music apps on her iPad to provide a more immersive experience.

Gareth Graham

Guitar, Piano, Drums, Bass Guitar, and Ukulele

Having played a variety of different instruments for 10+ years, Gareth has had experience in multiple facets of music. He has played in many gigging bands in a variety of different styles, studied music theory at a college level, composed hundreds of hours of original songs, and has experience teaching music to every age group. Gareth is accustomed to all types of learning methods from self taught rock and blues guitar, to baroque and classical, to jazz composition. He is engaging and dynamic in his approach to each and every student. Gareth finds the way in which each student learns best, and tailors his course in order to better fit their needs, as well as provide them with a fun and enjoyable experience. Gareth is currently enrolled at Montgomery College where he is pursuing a degree in music. He teaches guitar, piano, drums, bass guitar, and ukulele.

Sam Hudson

Clarinet, Flute, Trumpet, Ukulele, Drum-set, Guitar, Piano

Sam Hudson’s introduction to music started in third grade when he recognized the clarinet from the cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants. He was shortly intrigued by the techniques, sounds and solos and went onto perform in many ensembles across New York, including the contemporary jazz youth band Face The Music, and Crane School of Music’s Symphony Orchestra. After receiving a Bachelors in Music Education and Performance, Sam moved to DC to become a high-school music teacher. Sam has devoted his teaching to cater to student interest and expertise in hip-hop beat making and music video creating. Sam has played several instruments throughout his musical career, and continues to perform in the DMV region. Sam’s musical teaching has reached students of all ages and continues to inspire critical thinking and creative ideas for the arts and music community in Washington DC.

Alexandra Fitzgerald

Strings, Piano

Alexandra Fitzgerald, a Connecticut native, is a concert violinist, violin and piano teacher who is now based in Maryland.  She began playing the violin at age four and has had a great deal of prestigious performance experiences since this time.  At age eighteen, Alexandra made the decision to commit to music full-time and in addition to teaching strings, began teaching beginner piano lessons.   She has earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. While at UNCC, she also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies. Her teacher’s passion for Spanish culture inspired her to connect the two areas of study together. As such, Alexandra often arranges and performs Spanish and Latin American music. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in violin performance and serves as a teaching assistant. Alexandra has experience teaching both children and adults.  She strongly believes in making music accessible to everyone.  Her goal is for her students to always be able to play with passion and happiness. 

Blas Capelluto

Piano, Guitar, Drums, Ukulele, and Bass

Blas first started playing guitar at the age of seven. When he reached high school, he took lessons and quickly picked up piano and bass. Coming from a family of drummers, Blas wanted to stand out and become a guitarist, but that changed after he took one drum class and it quickly became his favorite instrument. After having an inspiring teacher, Blas decided he wanted to have that effect on people, and; as soon as he felt ready, he began to give private lessons to family and friends, eventually landing a teaching job at a music academy. Throughout this time, he also wrote and recorded hundreds of songs in many different genres and is currently playing drums in two bands. Having grown up listening to and loving the percussive rhythms from South America, the complex chords from western jazz, and the tight drum and bass connection from the funk genre, Blas knew he not only wanted to play music but also wanted to study it as thoroughly as possible. He is currently a music major at Montgomery College and is looking to transfer and study Ethnomusicology.

Ayanna McDonald

Piano, Cello, Oboe, and Clarinet

Originally from Prince George’s County, MD, Ayanna McDonald began her musical journey in elementary school with a focus on saxophone. She later transitioned to her middle and high school years where she engaged herself in the advanced bands, honor city bands, and marching band. This is where she found her love for music and wanted to become a music teacher. Ayanna has been playing the saxophone for over 13 years, but also has experience in playing the piano, cello, oboe, and clarinet. Her musical studies continued throughout college as she attended Frostburg State University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education with a minor in Coaching. After graduating, she continued her education focusing on her Master of the Arts studies in Music Education to attain her
certification in teaching and private lessons. Ayanna McDonald now resides in Germantown, MD where she is a substitute teacher. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and enjoying the fruitful adventures that life continues to offer.

Zach Beardsley

Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Voice, Ukulele

Multi-instrumentalist, Zach Beardsley’s musical journey started at the age of 17 when he was gifted a guitar for Christmas. It did not take long for him to fall in love with guitar and music. Playing, practicing, and jamming quickly became Zach’s main focus. At the age of 20, Zach switched his degree and began studying music at Montgomery College. There he began learning about the history of jazz and music theory. The highlight of his college career was
joining the MC Jazz Band where he would become a lead soloist and a newfound lover of jazz. After college, Zach’s focuses turned towards teaching, gigging, and songwriting. Zach is currently in three bands that gig consistently around the DMV and has become a multi-faceted teacher and player of over 6 instruments.