administration

Ms. Karen

Director
​Flute, Preschool

A native of Washington, DC, Ms. Karen has performed and taught throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. She has played with orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony, Vancouver Symphony (Canada), and Orquesta Sinfonica de la UANL (Monterrey, Mexico).

​Teaching since 2000, her students have been known to place in honors groups, youth orchestras, competitions, and sit first chair in their bands. Many of her students have gone on to pursue professional careers in music at prestigious conservatories and universities.

She followed her passion to bring a community of high-quality music making and experiences to students of all ages and levels with the official start of Ztunes Music in 2016.

Outside of Ztunes, Karen directs the flute ensemble at Beacon Hill Middle School, sits on the Board of the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, and has presented for the Georgia Music Teachers Association on multiple occassions. She resides in Decatur with her husband, Nathan (trombone, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), and sons Jason (trumpet) and Tristan (french horn).

mr. taylor

Manager
Horn, Composition

Mr. Taylor began playing horn at age 12, and piano at age 14. He received a Bachelors Degree in Music Composition and a Masters Degree in Horn Performance from Georgia State University. Since completing his degrees, Taylor has freelanced and taught private lessons, masterclasses, and sectionals throughout the local Atlanta area. He is currently a member of the music faculty at Georgia State University Perimeter College, a horn player with Gate City Brass, and a co-founder of the Atlanta Horn Quartet.

Mr. Taylor is Manager at Ztunes, where he is in charge of scheduling, studio maintenance, networking and outreach, and social media. He also teaches private french horn lessons. His students have gone to win state-wide competitions, place in All-State and other honor bands, and perform with youth orchestras around Atlanta.

Mr. Taylor is passionate about private music instruction because he believes that a foundation in music enriches all other parts of your education and experiences, and instills an appreciation that you will take with you for the rest of your life. 

faculty

Mr. alben

Piano, Guitar, Composition, Production

​​Mr. Alben began studying classical piano at the age of 7 and guitar at the age of 15 at the Rhode Island Philharmonic School in Providence, RI. At the age of 14, he began studying under Dr. Irina Tchantceva, participating in various festivals and competitions around the New England area. In university, he studied under Dr. Sandra Hebert and Dr. Ralf Gawlick for performance and composition, respectively and graduated from Boston College with his B.A in Music with a concentration in Performance and Composition, as well as a degree in Political Science in May, 2019. 

Throughout his time in university he also found a passion in exposing people to the wonders of music, and began to give private music instruction in the Boston area. Moving to Atlanta after his undergraduate studies, he continues to follow his passion of teaching music, as well as striving to hone his skills as a performer/composer. His goal is to reach as many people as he can through music.

Mr. Andrew

Clarinet

Andrew has been serving the greater Atlanta area as principal clarinetist of the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra since 2018.  He is also clarinetist and bass clarinetist of Greenville, SC, and Augusta, GA symphonies, and performs regularly with the South Carolina Philharmonic, Georgia Symphony Orchestra, and the Savannah Philharmonic.  Andrew has had the fortune of playing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Ballet, Alabama, Charleston, and Charlotte Symphony Orchestras.

Prior to moving to Atlanta in 2018, Andrew served on the faculties of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University.  He performed regularly with with the North Carolina Symphony and Chamber Orchestra of the triangle. As a private instructor, many of Andrew’s students went on to All-State Band, Orchestra, and Jazz Band acclaim, including the number one student in the state of NC.  Andrew’s former students have gone on to continue their musical journeys at institutions such as Interlochen, UNC-G, and UNC-CH. 

Andrew studied clarinet and jazz guitar at UNC-CH and received his Masters in Music from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  Andrew is excited to help you achieve your musical goals!

Mr. cain

Flute, Piano, Voice, Glee

Mr. Cain is a multifaceted performer and educator in Atlanta. He currently plays with the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra and is a tenor section leader and flute soloist at All Saints’ Episcopal Church. Cain regularly plays and sings in venues across the city with some of Atlanta’s most acclaimed organists, pianists, and vocal ensembles.

Cain is a passionate teacher of many musical styles and understands the importance of being a vehicle for conveying the art of sound. He believes that inspiring technique and dedication to practicing an instrument or voice is inevitable if the student is immersed in exciting instruction and a teacher’s vibrant playing examples. Cain teaches that the language of music is a universal form of communication and enriches the lives of all.

Mr. Cameron

Piano

​Mr. Cameron is a professional pianist who has given performances in Europe, North and South America. He obtained his B.A. in Music from The University of North Georgia studying under Lois Finlay, and M.M degree with a concentration in piano performance at Georgia State University studying under Dr. Geoffrey Haydon.

Mr. Cameron has received high honors and awards in his past festivals and competitions including being a two time recital winner in the Georgia Music Educators Association competition, as well as receiving first place in the Atlanta Music Teachers Association Romantic Festival competition.

Apart from teaching, he also holds the position of parish musician at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church. His upcoming 2022/23 activities include participating in piano/composition competitions, along with releasing his album of original music for piano and cello.

mr. daniel

Guitar, Ukulele

Mr. Daniel is a professional guitarist, composer, and educator known for adapting to various genres of music; notably Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, R&B, Gospel, and Metal. Daniel graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. During his time at Georgia State he studied music overseas in China and played alongside the GSU Jazz Band with jazz greats Donny McCaslin, Joey Defrancesco, Paquito D’rivera, Bobby Shew, and Mike Abene. He currently performs all around the Atlanta area with the Ray Howard Band, CHOPS, Onstage Atlanta, Mr. Bighead, and plays Gospel on Sundays.

Daniel is very passionate about teaching and strives to find ways to excite creativity and curiosity in his students. He believes retaining the mind of a beginner and always striving to learn and hear new things is the key to being a successful musician. 

Mr. Dilon

French Horn

​Mr. Dilon is a British-born horn player from Birmingham, United Kingdom currently living in Atlanta, GA. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree studying at the University of Colorado Boulder. Mr. Dilon has also appeared in concert with the Billings Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, Colorado Symphony, Breckenridge Music Festival, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Central City Opera, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He has significant competition success nationally and internationally that has taken him all the way from Aspen, CO to Salzburg, Austria. He continues to sharpen his skills and ideas about the horn to a fine edge and takes joy in imparting that wisdom to his students.
He has significant experience working closely in the brass band tradition with young students from the Salvation Army where he has been an instructor and counselor. With this experience, Mr. Dilon values nurturing the whole musician and inspiring curiosity in his students. He takes particular interest in showing his students that their love for music doesn’t have to be disconnected from their other hobbies.

Mr. Greg

Drumset

​Greg Washington was born in Mobile, Alabama and began playing the drums at age fifteen. In his teenage years, he created his own drum set, using a variety of materials from his parent’s garage. He participated in the high school band, and was able to earn a full scholarship to community college. While there, his appreciation for drumming heightened, and he eventually left Mobile to study at the Atlanta Institute of Music. Greg has also studied at the world famous Collective School of Music, known by some as the "Drummers Collective", in New York City. 

He has worked with the award-winning rap group, Outkast, and was featured on their album Stankonia, which sold over five million records worldwide. In addition to Outkast, he’s worked with legendary rapper Chuck D from the group Public Enemy.

Greg now teaches providing drum lessons to studens of all ages. In addition to teaching, Greg continues to perform and perfect his craft by expressing his versatility in various genres of music including, Gospel, R&B, Rock, Hip Hop, Funk, and Reggae. He has also branched out into music production and recording, using his creative skills to collaborate with musicians and vocalists.

Ms. Jessica

Violin, Viola
​
Jessica Sierra has been performing and teaching throughout Atlanta and the Southeast for over ten years. In that time she has been a member of the Savannah Philharmonic and has played with many of the regional orchestras in Georgia, including the Augusta Symphony and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra. She has also shared the stage with notable acts such as Rod Stewart, Michael Bublé, and Kygo. In Atlanta, she is Principle Second Violinist of the First Presbyterian Church Orchestra, and plays for weddings and other events around the city. 

Jessica regularly teaches sectionals in middle and high schools around Atlanta and was the Orchestra Director of Decatur Strings, an extracurricular orchestra program, for four years. She has a passion for teaching people of all ages and believes in music’s ability to foster self growth and human connection.

Prior to Jessica’s freelance career in Atlanta, she studied Violin Performance under Dr. Michael Heald at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia.

Mr. Jordan

Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba
​
A native of Acworth, GA, Jordan Milek Johnson began his musical studies with Atlanta Freelance musician, Hollie Pritchard. In 2018, he began studying with Dr. Bradley Palmer at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, where he participated in ensembles of various genres and performance opportunities throughout the country and internationally.

​After graduating in 2022, He won a position as an Inaugural Atlanta Symphony Fellow, where over the course of two seasons, he will perform with the ASO and receive guidance and lessons from musicians within the orchestra. Jordan has made appearances with orchestras throughout the Southeast including the Atlanta, Alabama, and Albany (GA) symphonies. Outside of music, Jordan lives in Atlanta with his fiancee, Jakasja and daughter, Jacklyn. ​

mr. jordi

Cello, Double Bass, Electric Bass​, Guitar
​
​Mr. Jordi is an educator, performer, and session musician based out of Atlanta. He received his Bachelors Degree in Cello Performance from the University of Georgia as well as a minor in Jazz Studies (electric/upright bass). During his time at UGA, Jordi furthered his classical studies on the cello under the instruction of Dr. David Starkweather while developing his technique and jazz idiom on bass under the guidance of Professor Dave D’Angelo of the UGA Jazz Program. Outside of academia, Jordi has explored a wide range of non-classical and contemporary styles on cello and bass. His work on both instruments includes live and studio performances and compositions, primarily with his Athens-based band Canary Affair. He is a strong advocate of the advancement of the cello outside of its classical role and enjoys exploring extended techniques and playing styles.

As a teacher, Jordi believes in implementing a strong technical foundation as well as productive practice habits and routines. He encourages his students (of all ages and experience levels) to be students of music as a whole and to not be limited by the traditional roles of their respective instruments. He believes in reaffirming that at the heart of this exchange of information and techniques is individual growth and expression.

ms. kristin

Voice
​
Ms. Kristin Markiton is a classically trained, extremely versatile singer with a wide vocal range and the uncanny ability to perform virtually any musical genre or vocal style. As a musical theatre singer/actor, she has worked with many of the professional theaters in the Atlanta area, including Aurora Theatre, Horizon Theater, Actor’s Express, Jomandi Productions, Theatre in the Square, and Atlanta Lyric Theater. Kristin has performed with The Atlanta Opera Chorus and Studio, and has served as the soprano soloist at Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur, GA.

As a recording artist and songwriter, Kristin has released two full-length studio albums; her debut solo album, Wandering Moon, produced by Kristian Bush of Sugarland, and Howlin’, recorded and released during her collaboration with the blues-rock band, Delta Moon. 

Ms. Markiton holds a current GA teaching certificate with over 10 years of experience as a Special Education and Elementary Music teacher in public schools. Though she can sing and coach virtually any genre or vocal style, her voice instruction is firmly grounded in the Italian classical style with the goal of helping students explore and enjoy their own unique, natural voice in the healthiest way possible.

ms. maggie

Piano

Originally from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Ms. Maggie started her piano studies at the age of four. She attended Secondary Music School “Dobrin Petkov” from 1st – 12th grade. After graduating with honors, she continued her studies at Florida State University, pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance. Maggie graduated with her Masters of Music in Collaborative Piano at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2012. Ms. Maggie has accompanied world-renowned musicians at the Summer Brass Institute for four years, and at the International Euphonium Institute for twelve years, including international brass soloists and brass members from the San Francisco Symphony, Opera, and Ballet Orchestras, as well as the Chicago Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Ms. Mary Catherine

Piano, Composition

​​Mary Catherine Burns is a composer and pianist based in Atlanta, GA. She specializes in music for film, as well as classical and jazz genres. She received her B.F.A. in Sound Design with minors in Music Composition and Music Production at the Savannah College of Art and Design and is now obtaining her Master’s of Music in Film Scoring at the Berklee College of Music.

Mary Catherine began playing piano as a child and studied it throughout high school, later becoming a piano instructor in Savannah, GA. While focusing on piano performance and technique, she also taught music theory to her students. She taught in a variety of genres including classical, jazz, musical theatre, r&b, and rock.

Along with piano and music theory instruction, Mary Catherine also enjoys arranging and orchestrating and works on composing music for short films at Atlanta-based production company Smith Film House LLC.

dr. paula

Saxophone, Clarinet, Piano

Dr. Paula is "a virtuoso saxophonist that possesses excellent technical attributes and a deep understanding of the music [she] performs" (Ovación). Based in Atlanta, Georgia she enjoys a career as a chamber musician, soloist and educator. In her previous appointment as Interim Professor of Saxophone at Universidade de Brasília, Dr. Paula was the first American to teach saxophone within the federal university system in Brazil.
 
In recent performances, Paula has shared the stage with Branford Marsalis and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro Nacional Claudio Santoro in Brasília and presented at the 2018 World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia. As a Selmer-Paris Artist and Clinician she has toured and lectured throughout Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Scotland, Ukraine and the United States.

ms. shannon

Violin, Viola

Shannon has been studying and performing music for 32 years. She began studying when she was 5 and graduated with her bachelors of Music Performance from Cleveland State University in 1999. She immediately began teaching classical violin studies out of her home as well as at schools such as The Galloway School, The Lovett School, Sandy Springs Music, and out of her home. Though she believes classical studies is a necessary basis for the mastering of the instrument, she has a profound passion for weaving the voice of the violin into other genres. Shannon founded and fronted her own Atlanta based rock band, Dynagroove, for years. In addition to her teaching duties she currently performs with local rock bands, classical quartets, and as a soloist around Atlanta. 

"I believe music is a vessel for self confidence, exploration, and communication. I have an insurmountable passion to introduce music to students that may not have anyone else in their lives to encourage them to explore the unknown, the less traveled. To encourage them to embrace their idealistic dreams and passions, that in fact, it is a gift."

ms. sidney

Piano, Guitar, Music Therapy
​
​Ms. Sidney (MT-BC) has been a classically trained pianist since the age of 7. She studied piano with Dr. Owen Lovell at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. She graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Music Therapy as a piano primary. Sidney also plays guitar, percussion, and accordion. During her music therapy experiences, Sidney served clients with a wide variety of diagnoses in different settings and specialized in adaptive piano lessons. She also has a passion for pedagogical research and has presented at the National and Georgia Music Teachers Association (MTNA and GMTA) conferences as well as the National and Southeastern American Music Therapy Association (AMTA and SER-AMTA) conferences.

Sidney lives in Douglasville and has privately taught her own piano studio for two years. Sidney’s goal through piano lessons is to help cultivate the student’s musical potential in an engaging and encouraging atmosphere. “Instilling a love of music through piano instruction builds a musical foundation, which will translate far beyond the world of music and into the daily routines of life.”   

When she is not playing or teaching piano, Sidney loves hiking, traveling and adventuring (skydiving is the best!), reading mystery novels, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog Copper.

ms. stephanie

Trumpet, Piano, Jazz
​
​Ms. Stephanie began her musical studies at age 6 on piano and began studying trumpet at age 10. She attended the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where she received a Bachelor of Music Performance in Trumpet under the instruction of Prof. Joey Tartell. She continued her music studies at the University of Michigan under Prof. William Campbell, and received her Master of Music Performance in Trumpet in 2013. 

    Ms. Stephanie has performed professionally with a number of organizations, including the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, the Saginaw Choral Society, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She has performed as a solo artist with the Dekalb Youth Symphony, and was invited to perform at the 2012 National Trumpet Competition. One of her most cherished accomplishments is the three seasons she spent performing with the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps, an organization to which she credits much of her current musical knowledge and personal motivation. Stephanie enjoys and has experience playing in a variety of styles, including orchestral, concert band, jazz and commercial music and is constantly looking to expand her musical boundaries.
    
Stephanie makes her living as a freelance player and teacher, and regularly performs with groups such as The Atlanta 13, 120 East, The Son Jazzy Orchestra, and the Outfront Theater Company.

ms. teresa

Flute​, Piano
​​
Teresa started her music studies when she was 6 years old playing the piano and then the flute when she was nine. She received her B.M. from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and her M.M. from Georgia State
University—both in flute performance—and has played with numerous
ensembles in Puerto Rico, Georgia, New York, and Washington DC. She
enjoys performing multiple genres, but mostly loves to play for musical theater.

Her mission as a teacher is to nurture the enjoyment of music-making, and
to pass on the incredible fulfillment that learning an instrument brings.
Teresa believes that through the structure that comes from conscious
practice and dedication, any student can achieve their full potential and apply these concepts to all aspects of their life.

ms. zeya

Violin, Piano, Ukulele
​
​​Ms. Zeya grew up in Maryland and has been playing violin since she was 8 years old. She attended Georgia Tech and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. Ms. Zeya played in the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra every semester, serving as concertmaster and president. 
​
Since graduating, Ms. Zeya has continued her musical career through playing violin, singing in her band, and doing session work for other local bands.