Chick Piano

Chick Music Academy offers music lessons for most instruments, including piano, guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, violin, cello, clarinet, flute, trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba, drums and voice. Lessons are $20.00 each for a 30 minute lesson once a week. There is a $20 non-refundable registration fee due at signup. Chick Music Academy is under the direction of Christy Shepherd Rochon. She may be contacted via e-mail at christy@chickmusic.net.

Piano Teachers

KENNY HEAD
Kenny's love of music began very early. He learned his first song at age three. By the age of six he had a repertoire of about eight songs. His formal training started at age six and studied with Michael Fox in Columbus GA for six years. In 1967 and 1969 he earned awards regional recitals in the Columbus area. At age thirteen, he began playing in local bands. Approximately a year later, he had a duo gig at a popular restaurant four nights a week. In 1977 he worked in radio jingles at Studio 4 in Dothan, Alabama. In 1978 he received a scholarship to Chattahoochee Valley Community College and earned an Associate of Arts degree. This was his first experience teaching music by tutoring students in music theory.
Kenny has performed with many bands and record labels including; The Headband, Pritchett Band, 441 Express, John Berry, Capitol Records; Ichiban Records, several Nashville performers, and countless other groups. His performing has taken him all over the South East on music tours including the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the S.S. Emerald Seas out of Miami, Knoxville Tennessee (at the 1982 world fair), the J&J Country Showcase, and 2 extensive tours of Europe. In 2007, he married his wonderful bride, and moved back to Athens. Together, they play in churches around the area. Currently, he plays and tours with the Georgia Satellites and John Berry. His teaching places a strong emphasis on piano improvisation and ear training.

CODY KUJAWA
Cody has been playing piano for almost 15 years. Much of this time has been devoted to playing various styles of music in his local church and throughout the community. He has been privately teaching for almost 4 years and enjoys pouring his gift of music back into people of all ages. Cody has had the privilege of studying classical piano and piano pedagogy under Dr. Emma Pettyjohn and he owes a great deal of his success musically to her and the rest of the staff at Emmanuel College. He will receive his Bachelor of Arts in Church Music and Piano Performance from EC this year and plans to continue on to a Masters Program. Cody has a wonderful wife and daughter at his home in Commerce.

DREW KOHL
Drew has been playing guitar and piano for many years. He also sings and plays the harmonica, mandolin, and banjo. He attended the Atlanta Institute of Music for guitar, where he received a scholarship and graduated with honors. He taught lessons at Music and Arts, V.C. Giles studio, and Georgia Tech. He specializes in folk, rock, blues, and bluegrass styles on guitar and classical piano. He is a singer/songwriter and performs live shows with his folk/bluegrass band, The Four Thieves. He is currently gigging in Athens and Atlanta and attending the University of Georgia for piano and music composition. Drew is very passionate about music and enjoys teaching young, aspiring musicians.

MELINDA SMITH
Melinda, originally from Lenoir, N.C. has lived in Bogart, Georgia for the past 13 years. She is married to her dynamite husband, Tim Smith, and they have three beautiful daughters.
She graduated from Gardner-Webb University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance. Since college she has been on staff at 4 churches as Music Minister and taught private voice and piano lessons for 25 years. She had been assistant director of the Singing Christmas Tree of Prince Avenue Baptist Church for several years. Currently she is assists in the Music Ministry at Prince Avenue Baptist Church. Melinda enjoys performing opera, Christian music, and performing in musicals and dramas and teaching others the joy of music.
Teaching and ministering to others is a pure joy and brings lots of pleasure!!

SARAH HAMPTON

Guitar Teachers

WADE HESTER
Wade has been a professional musician for over 30 years. He has performed with numerous bands of various styles, both cover and original, ranging from rock, pop, blues, R&B and fusion to country. He has performed onstage in concert with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members REM and Percy Sledge; as a supporting act for Grammy winners The Beach Boys, Indigo Girls and Bela Fleck as well as other recording artists. Locally he has played with The Debonairs, The Electrik Eelz, The Genteels, Dirk Howell Band, Strawberry Flats, The LandSharks, Dos Guys, The Athens Santana Tribute Band and others. Wade also has several record, radio, TV and film credits. He continues to perform professionally. Wade's teaching approach is geared toward the beginning to intermediate player, learning the fundamentals of guitar, ear training, advancing overall technique and enjoying the process.

RICK LAWRENCE
Rick studied guitar with Mary Akerman at Kennesaw State College and John Sutherland at the University of Georgia. He won the Award of Excellence in 1999 from the Georgia Music Teacher's Association guitar competition. Rick has taught at several Schools of Music in the Atlanta area. He has also attended masterclasses taught by Oscar Ghiglia and Christopher Parkening.

KEVIN FLEMING
Kevin earned a Bachelors in Music from Kennesaw State University and a Masters from Florida State University, both in Classical Guitar. Kevin also went on to complete one year of his Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Kevin has been teaching music for 13 years and playing and performing for 23 years. Kevin has earned many accolades such as 1st prize in the Georgia Music Teachers Association Competition in 1999, 1st prize in the 2007 Mississippi Guitar Festival, 4th prize in the 2007 East Carolina Guitar Festival, and several semi-final awards at the 2003-04 Appalachian State Guitar Festival and the 2004 Columbus State Guitar Symposium. Kevin teaches all styles including rock, metal, country, blues, folk, fingerstyle, classical, and alternative. He also teaches Banjo, Bass Guitar, and beginner Mandolin and Ukulele. Kevin currently performs with Athens music favorite 'Love Tractor'

DREW KOHL
Drew has been playing guitar and piano for many years. He also sings and plays the harmonica, mandolin, and banjo. He attended the Atlanta Institute of Music for guitar, where he received a scholarship and graduated with honors. He taught lessons at Music and Arts, V.C. Giles studio, and Georgia Tech. He specializes in folk, rock, blues, and bluegrass styles on guitar and classical piano. He is a singer/songwriter and performs live shows with his folk/bluegrass band, The Four Thieves. He is currently gigging in Athens and Atlanta and is pursuing a degree in music from the University of Georgia. Drew is very passionate about music and enjoys teaching young, aspiring musicians.

ADAM POULIN

Banjo & Mandolin Teachers

RICK LAWRENCE
Rick has taught and performed on Banjo and Mandolin for several years. Please view his Bio listed under Guitar Teachers.

KEVIN FLEMMING
Kevin teaches Banjo & beginning Mandolin. Please view his Bio listed under Guitar Teachers.

ADAM POULIN
Adam has taught and performed on Mandolin for several years. Please view his Bio listed under Guitar Teachers.

String Teachers (Violin, Viola, Cello)
Bluegrass Fiddle

MARY HORST (Cello & Violin)
Mary has been playing cello for eleven years and studying music in some way since the age of three. She has studied cello performance at Indiana University in Bloomington, and is currently a third year Honors student at the University of Georgia, seeking a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She is a member of the UGA Symphony Orchestra as well as several chamber groups in Athens. She performed as Assistant Principal Cellist in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra under Maestro Jere Flint and in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra of Atlanta. She studies with David Starkweather and has studied with Martha Gershefski, Daniel Laufer and Emilio Colon. A very dedicated and hard worker, she has developed a tutoring and teaching style that is successful, inspiring, and fun!

BLUEGRASS FIDDLE

ASH RAYMOND

ADAM POULIN

Woodwind and Brasswind Teachers

Clarinet
BRAXTON THOMPSON
Braxton is currently in his third year of pursuing a B.A. in clarinet performance at UGA. He is currently studying under Dr. D Ray McClellan and has studies with Mrs. Laura Moates-Stanley. He also studies piano under Mr. Jason Bennett and has studies with Mrs. Jane Lester.

Flute
DANIEL SELF
Daniel has had several years of performance experience on flute, clarinet, piano and voice playing in a variety of settings and styles ranging from big band to classical. Daniel is a strong advocate of community music and is currently an active member of UGA's collegium musicum, the Athens Symphony Chorus and various small instrumental groups in the greater Athens area. Daniel has received numerous awards and special recognitions for solo, small ensemble, and voice competitions at the regional and state level. He strives to provide a customized and balanced curriculum to help each player achieve their personal performance goals.

Sax
STAN FLANDERS

Trumpet
PETE LAWLESS
Pete received his BA degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, with studies in trumpet performance, music composition and theory. He received a Masters in Music Performance on trumpet, under the direction of W. Fred Mills, founding member of the Canadian Brass, and Dr.Edward Sandor. Pete is currently completing his Ph.D. in musicology under the direction of Dr. Stephen Valdez.

JEFF CROUCH

TROMBONE

DREW KOHL
Drew played trombone in Jazz, Symphonic, District and Marching Bands. He also plays guitar, piano, harmonica, mandolin and banjo. He attended the Atlanta Institute of Music for guitar, where he received a scholarship and graduated with honors. He taught lessons at Music and Arts, V.C. Giles studio, and Georgia Tech. He is a singer/songwriter and performs live shows with his folk/bluegrass band, The Four Thieves. He is currently gigging in Athens and Atlanta and attending the University of Georgia for piano and music composition. Drew is very passionate about music and enjoys teaching young, aspiring musicians

Voice Teachers

MELINDA SMITH
Melinda, originally from Lenoir, N.C. has lived in Bogart, Georgia for the past 13 years. She is married to her dynamite husband, Tim Smith, and they have three beautiful daughters.
She graduated from Gardner-Webb University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance. Since college she has been on staff at 4 churches as Music Minister and taught private voice and piano lessons for 25 years. She had been assistant director of the Singing Christmas Tree of Prince Avenue Baptist Church for several years. Currently she is assists in the Music Ministry at Prince Avenue Baptist Church. Melinda enjoys performing opera, Christian music, and performing in musicals and dramas and teaching others the joy of music.
Teaching and ministering to others is a pure joy and brings lots of pleasure!!

Drums/Percussion Teachers

FRED COLGLAZIER
Fred has been teaching the art of drumming in Athens and surrounding areas for over 20 years. His specialty is in snare drum and drumset studies including double bass work. His teaching offers studies in Jazz, Latin, Rock, Blues, Metal and Improvisation. His instructors have included Leslie Rucker and Dr. Thomas McCutchen. He has participated in drumset workshops under Ed Sopph and Steve Houghton. Fred believes in the value of true musicianship and performance techniques; therefore he endeavors to share these values with each student and professional colleague.

Welcome to Chick Music Academy