The SOUNDS Academy Team

Kirk Johnson has been on a mission to provide the gift of music to lower income schools and children. As a musician, performer, and educator; Kirk believes that all children should have access to music education. Out of this belief, he founded SOUNDS Academy, a non-profit music education organization that teaches, mentors, and provides musical experiences and opportunities for...

Mat is a singer/songwriter native to the Phoenix area. His introduction to music came at an early age through piano lessons and playing the trombone in his grade school band. But it was later as a teenager, playing guitar and singing at church, that he discovered a passion for performing. In 2004, he began writing, recording, and performing music...

Cindy Baker began her instrumental music studies in the public schools here in Phoenix. She earned a Bachelor’s of Music Education and a Masters in Violin Performance from the Indiana University (Jacobs) School of Music, where she also studied the harp. She has been a member of the Phoenix and Tucson Symphony Orchestras and the Sinfonia da Camera in...

Talya’s musical career began at the age of ten, when she picked up the cello for a school project and never put it down. Growing up close to New York City, she attended the Mannes and Juilliard pre-college programs under cellists Barabara Mallow and Bonnie Hampton, and soloed with the Juilliard Preparatory Orchestra. She received her undergraduate degree from...

Katie started playing the cello at six years old and was lucky to grow up in a public school system in Michigan that prioritized its music program. She went on to study at the University of Notre Dame, where she double majored in philosophy and music and studied cello with Karen Buranskas. Katie’s love of the humanities led her to...

Frederick Chao, a member of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and Quartet Sabaku was previously the Associate Principal Cellist of the Honolulu Symphony. An avid chamber musician, he has been a member of the Delmar Trio, Stonybrook Trio, and the Philharmonic String Quartet. Mr. Chao received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Indiana University, where he was awarded the coveted...

Janie is a pianist, teacher and composer from Los Angeles California. She began piano lessons at age seven and after receiving a full-ride music scholarship, continued her studies at Grand Canyon University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance under the direction of Dr. Juan Hernandez. Janie has performed live in over 300 concerts, toured the U.S....

Chris Finet is part of the faculty of NAU’s School of Music. He teaches double bass along with directing the jazz ensembles and teaching jazz improvisation courses. Originally from the Phoenix area, Chris attended NAU as an undergraduate studying under late professor, Joel DiBartolo. While in Arizona he worked with many of the state’s great jazz artists including Chuck...

Tessa Gotman, a native of St. Louis, MO, began her studies at age 5. She received her Bachelor’s degree from New England Conservatory of Music in 2008 studying with Lucy Chapman. She then received a Master’s degree in violin performance from Arizona State University under the instruction of Dr. Jonathan Swartz. In addition to being Dr. Swartz’s teaching assistant,...

Mrs. Kendra Jack is a native of Arizona and has been teaching piano since 2013. Her teaching career began at Prestige Music Academy in Phoenix, AZ where she taught privately for 3 years before moving to Rhapsody School of Music in Anthem, AZ. While at Rhapsody, she continued teaching privately with occasional group lessons. Her teaching experience has equipped...

Loving to play music as a youngster, Jaime decided to dedicate her life to learning how to play the violin and viola as well as she could. After over 50 years of practice and playing, she is still learning and practicing. Jaime spent A LOT of time in college, earning three degrees in Music from Arizona State University. An…

Teaching people to play the cello has been Jamie Kellogg’s passion ever since she gave her first lesson at the age of nineteen.  She received her Master of Music degree in Performance/Pedagogy from Arizona State University and spent many summers in California studying with Irene Sharp, her principal teaching mentor.  Some of Jamie’s students have successfully auditioned into the nation’s...

Bruce Legge was born in Yuma AZ in 1953. He stared to play trumpet at age 10 in the fourth grade at O.C. Johnson Elementary school in Yuma. He finished high school at Coronado High School in Scottsdale AZ in 1971 after playing trumpet through Elementary, Middle and High School. After high school he enrolled at Scottsdale Community College…

Laura Meador (she/her) Laura is an Arts Professional trained in the Kennedy Center Arts Integration method. She holds a Masters in Music Education and a Masters in Guitar Performance Pedagogy from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University.