Sophie
Driven by her passion for sharing the joy of music, Sophie Pipia has taught at private and group lessons in piano and accordion, in addition to music classes in public and private elementary schools, since 2015. She spent two years teaching elementary school music through a partnership between AmeriCorps and Ethos Music Center in rural Oregon, and later throughout the San José Unified School District and San Mateo-Foster City School District through the non-profit organization, Music for Minors.
In addition to teaching, Sophie has worked with several non-profit organizations to bring music and arts eduction to under-resourced communities. She served on the board of The New Old Time Chautauqua for several years, helping to bring arts education to low-income youth throughout Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. In addition to her studies in music, psychology, and Spanish at Laney College, where she studied piano with Scott Pratt and Amy Zanrosso; Sophie holds a Grand Diplôme in pastry arts from the International Culinary Center, and will be studying music education at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA beginning in the fall, 2021.
Nick K
Nick Krauel is from Long Beach, California where he began learning piano at 6 years old. As his musical interests expanded, Nick's path led him to explore wind and percussion instruments alongside his piano studies, and he began performing professionally on piano at age 14 at restaurants, venues, and private events in Long Beach. Nick's passion and dedication to music led him to complete a degree in Jazz Studies from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music.
Beyond the classroom, Nick is an active member of the musical community, regularly performing at various venues and events in LA and Southern California and recording with different artists and bands. With a background in both performance and education, Nick is committed to providing a well-rounded and inspiring musical education to students of all ages and skill levels. His teaching approach emphasizes a solid technical foundation while encouraging creativity and individual expression.
With a patient and encouraging approach, Nick empowers students to overcome challenges and reach new heights in their musical journey. By tailoring lessons to the specific needs and goals of each student, Nick creates an environment where students are motivated to excel and develop a lifelong love for music
Amanda
Amanda Mello is a classically trained soprano that is currently earning her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance with a focus in Opera at CSU Northridge. She graduated with a BM in Vocal Performance from CSU Long Beach in May 2019. Her teacher is the world renowned Shigemi Matsumoto, who also has sung on several albums with Luciano Pavarotti.
Amanda is currently performing the role of Mrs. Fiorentino from Kurt Weill’s Street Scene with CSUN Opera and has also learned the roles Adina from The Elixir of Love and Nanetta from Falstaff. At CSU Long Beach, Amanda was a member of the Chamber Choir and the Vocal Jazz ensemble Jazz ‘n Tonic. Amanda is also the Soprano Section Leader and Soloist for First United Methodist Church Pasadena, where she was the Soprano Soloist for the Mozart Requiem. She was a Soprano and Soloist for the LA based professional choir Tonality before entering her graduate studies. She participated in both the Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute in Aspen, Colorado in 2019 and the Montecito International Music Festival in 2018, where she was in the chorus for the Mikado and had a master class with American Mezzo Soprano Dr. Latoya Lain.
Amanda believes it is very important for vocalists to have a strong piano background as well. She studied piano in various styles for twelve years and continued taking collegiate courses piano and acing her Piano Proficiency exams. Amanda has been teaching both voice and piano for over two years. Amanda has taught from ages 3 to 63 and loves catering each lesson to the personality and goals of her students. She emphasizes form, technique, accuracy and musicality in both instruments. Amanda is excited to be making new musical memories at Piano Teacher Girl!
Vision
Vision Wilkes-Davis is a triple-threat singer, pianist and teacher based in Los Angeles who has taught students of all ages and backgrounds. He received a double Bachelor of Music from the acclaimed Wanda L. Bass School of Music. Vision began teaching his senior year of college in Oklahoma City before heading to Los Angeles where he currently teaches voice and piano as his primary instruments along with beginner ukulele and guitar at Glendora Music and Arts School.
Vision is also a seasoned musical theatre performer having starred in regional theatres all over the U.S. Vision loves music because of the sheer power it has to bring joy to people. He finds it very important for students to find the right teacher with whom they can trust and connect with. He wants his students to express themselves without fear of failure.