About the Founder
The founder, Michele Kennedy, is a pianist and piano teacher who opened her studio in 2019. She moved to Denver from St. Louis, Missouri in 2017. She studied Piano Performance, Music Theory and Pedagogy at Missouri State University. While raising her twin sons, she taught, accompanied theater productions, composed music and performed in a seven-piece band for ten years.
Michele is the author of "Name the Note Workbook", a tool to help students remember where notes are located on the grand staff. By writing in the names of over 7000 notes in random, but sequential order. The workbook has proven to speed up the process of learning to read music.
Michele is a member of the National Music Teachers' Association and the Colorado Music Teachers' Association. She creates much of her students' curriculum and arrangements of music for her students and she is also in the process of developing a program for teaching piano to 4-6 year old students.
The school mascot is her dog Luther, a 2 year old Golden Doodle who greets students and then naps all day. When she isn't teaching, managing the academy or creating lesson plans, Michele most enjoys spending time with her 6 year old granddaughter and her 4 year old and 14 month old grandsons.
Drum Instructor | Rich Carlson
Rich Carlson has been teaching drums since 1993. He is the author of a book for drum students called “Twisted Drums -A Dynamic Approach to Drumming Independence”. He has played in several successful bands over the years, performing 5 nights a week, and he has even opened for acts including Pat Benatar, Blue Oyster Cult, Great White and Bret Michaels of Poison.
Rich’s approach to teaching is non-intimidating and his objective is for each student to have fun while learning and improving their skills. Rich joined Denver Academy of Musical Arts in July 2024.
Guitar/Piano Instructor | Scott Askew
Scott began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. Inspired by his dad, who played the Scottish bagpipes, and his mother, who played oboe in high school. He took up saxophone in 5th grade, drums in 9th. Around that time, he fell in love with the guitar. Fast forward a few years, he began teaching guitar, bass guitar, and drums at Capital City Guitars in Olympia, WA after working as a DJ in radio and a nightclubs. In 1998, he released the CD “So It Happens” on his own label. In 2014, he graduated from St. Martin’s University in Lacey, WA, with a Masters in Teaching.
Piano/Vocal Instructor | Molly Drewry
Molly Drewry is currently an elementary school music teacher here in Denver. Molly has a BA in Music Theory and Composition, as well as a background in classical piano and voice performance. She has been teaching piano and voice lessons since 2021, and emphasizes creative expression in her teaching. Molly believes that music should be accessible to everyone, and loves finding new ways to tailor her lessons to her students' goals and interests. Her favorite thing to teach is songwriting, and she is in the process of creating her own album. When she is not playing or teaching music, Molly loves spending time outdoors with her dog Shadow.
Violin Instructor | Anna Schultz
Anna began taking violin lessons when she was six years old in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After moving to Colorado, she began studying at Denver School of the Arts as an orchestra major. She later earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she studied with Professor Charles Wetherbee. Anna currently performs with Stratus Chamber Orchestra, and she has also performed with Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and Boulder Symphony Orchestra. Anna is an experienced violin teacher and has completed teacher training for Suzuki Unit 1.
Piano Instructor | Jack Schabert
Jack Schabert is a Twin Cities, MN & Denver, CO based musician, composer, and educator. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from St. Olaf College and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Jazz Composition at the University of Denver. Jack's compositions for Jazz Orchestra have been performed by high school, college, and professional big bands in Minnesota. He is a member of the Twin Cities Jazz Composer’s Workshop, and serves on the board of directors of the MetroNOME Foundation. He arranges youth jazz performances for MetroNOME' Brewery’s Next Generation Jazz Series, and directs their Honors Youth Jazz Orchestra. Jack has performed with international jazz artists Melissa Aldana, Danilo Perez (Wayne Shorter), Kenni Holmen (Prince, Vulfpeck), Doreen Ketchens, and 9 time Grammy Award winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
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Steve Bartenhagen | Guitar Instructor
Steve began piano at 6, added saxophone at 11, and discovered his passion for guitar at 12, forming his first band, Velvet Elvis. At 25, his band Won Lump Some was named Westword’s “Best Band You’ve Never Heard Of,” opened for artists including George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars, Mike Watt, Cat Power, and All, and released Clean Hits on Sh-mow Records. After earning a degree from San Francisco State University, he taught under Manuel Barrueco, opened a studio in Alameda, and now mentors musicians of all ages in Colorado across rock, blues, jazz, Brazilian, and classical styles.
Content Admin | DaeDae Rocha
DaeDae is a First-Generation graduate from the University of Denver, where she earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Socio-Legal Studies, with minors in Nutrition, International Studies, and Writing Practices. She aspires to become a lawyer for the U.S. Army. On top of a background in woodwinds, DaeDae specializes in education that fosters social, emotional, and leadership development for students across Colorado.