Music Studio

Piano, Guitar, Voice, Violin, Viola, Cello, Harp, Trumpet, & Flute Lessons

What We Do

Here at Coram Deo Academy Music Studio, we are committed to seeing your children develop their full music potential! We understand that not everyone will grow up to be a famous performer, but we still think it is so important for them to learn how to express and create beauty through the language of music. Some of the programs we offer include:

Piano Lessons

Acoustic Lessons

Voice Lessons

String Lessons

Violin, Viola, Cello

Harp Lessons

Trumpet Lessons

Flute Lessons

Performance Opportunities

Summer Piano Camp

Learn more!

“Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful.”

― Plato, The Republic

Our Parents Say…

Our Instructors

Emma Foss

Music Studio Director/Private Piano Instructor

Emma Foss thoroughly enjoys working with students and the other teachers at our growing Music Studio. For five years, she taught General Music to K-6th at Coram Deo Academy and led specialized music courses for high school, but she has recently stepped out of those roles to be a mom! Emma has loved playing the piano ever since she was 5 years old and the violin since she was 10. Growing up, her favorite ways to use her musical abilities were in church, the local nursing home, music jams with friends, and competitions, where she placed nationally three years in a row for Classical Piano. She graduated from Bob Jones University in 2019 with a B.S. degree in Music Education. While there, she participated in the BJU String and Symphony Orchestra, traveled nationally to various churches on a music team, and won the BJU Commencement Piano Contest her sophomore year. Her passion for music has grown exponentially now that she gets to share it with her students at Coram Deo Academy. Emma is wife to her husband, Andrew, and a mother of two: Remington and Zoey. Their family enjoys many outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, and going on adventures with their two dogs, Ollie and Oakley! Their family also attends and serves at Noblesville Baptist Church.

Nathan Perry

2-6 Music Teacher/Private Piano Instructor

Nathan started playing the piano for church services in middle school and has been on music ministry staff since 1996. He earned undergraduate (cum laude) and graduate music degrees from Butler University, where he studied piano with Martin Marks, Panayis Lyras and Gary Walters. He has been a music educator since 2002 encompassing levels kindergarten through college. In addition to private lessons, he has taught music musical classes of all types, including band, choir and AP music theory. He has music-directed, conducted or accompanied dozens of musicals in Indianapolis and Atlanta theatres. Choirs that he has assisted include Butler’s Jordan Jazz, Indianapolis Children’s Choir, and Circle the State with Song Festivals. Nathan has appeared as piano soloist with the Peachtree Pops Orchestra and was the inaugural winner of the Young Hoosier Pianist Competition. He and his wife, Tamera, have three grown boys. In addition to music, they love to travel the great outdoors. They have visited every state and are currently working towards hiking in every national park.

Leslie Camara

Upper School Choir Director/Private Piano Instructor

Leslie Camara began studying piano at the age of 7. Her love of choir developed as she sang in both high school and church choirs. She also played piano for all of her high school musicals. Mrs. Camara studied piano performance at SUNY Purchase as well as taking 4 years of private lessons with Daniel Epstein of the Raphael Trio in NYC. Mr. Epstein was a student of Dorothy Taubman and Mrs. Camara incorporates the Taubman technique in her studio. Mrs. Camara has taught private lessons for almost 30 years. She and her husband married while still in college and have 10 children. After homeschooling her children for 23 years, Mrs. Camara taught music at CDA as well as led the two upper school choirs for 2 years. In 2018 she became an Instructional Assistant and the preferred music teacher sub at the Oaks Academy Brookside for 5 years where she learned how to incorporate the “habits of the heart” in her teaching as well as made it her goal to make children feel known and loved in her own private studio.

Rebecca Schaffer

Private Guitar/Voice Instructor

Rebecca Schaffer graduated with an education degree from Taylor University in 1998. For the last 15 years, Rebecca has been teaching at In Grace Homeschool Co-Op, and has also served on the board there for many of those years. She enjoys her two dogs, time with friends, rollerblading, and watching musicals. She has been singing, strumming guitar, and playing piano to praise the Lord for the last 25 years.

Sylvia Kim

Private Flute Instructor

Dr. Sylvia Kim is a passionate and dedicated musician with over two decades of experience teaching and performing flute and piano. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Church Music from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she also earned her Master's degree. Originally from Korea, she graduated top of her class in Church Music with a major in flute performance and a full four-year scholarship. Dr. Kim has taught at the collegiate level and served as a music minister and accompanist at Lyndon Baptist Church in Louisville since 2012. She is also an experienced event coordinator for the New Praise Festival, promoting faith through music across cultures. A gifted performer, Dr. Kim has appeared as a flute soloist in numerous recitals and concerto performances, including with the Southern Seminary Orchestra. Her teaching blends technical excellence with deep musical expression, and she is known for nurturing both skill and confidence in her students. Dr. Kim brings warmth, professionalism, and a heart for service into every lesson and recital.

Sarah Osborn

Private Piano Instructor

Sarah Osborn grew up loving to sing at church and in a community choir, and she had her first piano lessons with her grandmother while in elementary school. After graduating from Pensacola Christian College with a bachelor degree in Music Education, she has taught piano lessons for about four years and has gained experience nannying and teaching young children in private settings. Besides teaching and singing, Sarah loves to spend time with her husband, Zach, and their little girl (who is training to match pitch- a work in progress but she’s only 9 months old so we’ll be patient.) Sarah loves to use her music abilities in church worship, and enjoys starting private lessons with prayer to develop a deeper relationship with the student while also demonstrating the importance of inviting the Lord into everything we do. Sarah is excited to join the CDA community as a piano instructor for beginners!

Melanie Mashner

Private Piano/Cello/Harp Instructor

Melanie Mashner is thrilled to join the music studio at Coram Deo, and is passionate about bringing the joy of the Lord to the people around her through music. Melanie is the Principal Harpist of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, the resident orchestra at the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana, as well as the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. She also serves as Personnel Manager for the CSO and maintains a private harp, cello, and piano studio in Noblesville. Melanie has won numerous awards in music and performs frequently as a chamber artist, orchestral harpist, and soloist throughout the midwest and northeastern United States. A recipient of the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Lessonface Teacher of the Year Award, Melanie’s recent performances include Principal Harpist with the Virginia Symphony and Yo-Yo Ma, and as a featured soloist and Principal Harpist of the Endless Mountain Music Festival in Pennsylvania. Melanie holds her MM, BM, and Performer’s Certificate from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. As an educator, Melanie is the Director of Outreach for the Endless Mountain Music Festival and enjoys running Carmel Symphony education and outreach programs. She also served as the program coordinator of the 2019 11th USA International Harp Competition, during which time she brought music education to over 1800 children and adults across Indiana as the head of their educational outreach program, Harp Start.

Carol Frisby

Private Piano Instructor

Carol Frisby has enjoyed music for many years and has taught private piano lessons for over twenty-five of those years. She received her degree in Secondary Education Social Studies, and then continued her education experience teaching at an academy for several years. In her piano lessons, she loves to encourage students to play music that challenges them and songs that they enjoy. Her favorite thing about teaching is getting to know the students and helping them learn in an individualized manner. Carol and her husband faithfully serve the Lord at Antioch Indy Community Church as youth leaders and life group leaders.

Angela Pulliam

Private Violin/Viola Instructor

Beginning violin at the age of 5, Angela came from a very musical family where music was a part of everyday life. Angela developed a love of music and playing violin during high school while having the opportunity to play with different orchestras and small ensemble groups which developed her love of playing with others and collaborating to make great music. From there she got her bachelor’s degree in violin performance and a few years later decided to continue her education and received her master’s degree in violin performance from Butler University in Indianapolis. While in school at Butler, Angela continued to teach and perform throughout the Indy area including playing with the Carmel Symphony, Anderson Symphony, and playing as Concertmaster for the Hendricks Symphony Orchestra. She had the privilege of being concertmaster as well of the Butler symphony orchestra while completing her master’s degree. Angela discovered her love of teaching at the age of 14 when she began to teach her first students. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she began to build her studio and pursue music and teaching full-time, teaching students from beginner to advanced. Angela loves to help each student grow in their love of music and tries to make learning fun and adventurous as each student strives to achieve their goals, while also building a solid foundation for their playing and a broader understanding of music.

Our Methods

Technique

Optimal Control

Demonstrating the Correct Position and Posture

Taking Care of the
Body

Using Tasteful
Artistry

Repertoire

Musical Expansion

Learning a Wide Variety of Music

Memorizing Songs through Repetition & Creative

Performing an Instrument for an Audience

Theory

Applied Studies

Practicing Notation through Reading and Writing

Applying Knowledge to Skill

Improvising, Arranging, and Composing Music

Wondering if Music Lessons are Right for Your Child?

Practicing is hard. Lessons are expensive. Teachers are strict. Why add music lessons to the schedule when time is already so limited? Here at Coram Deo Academy Music Studio, we offer solutions to those problems!

Lessons happen RIGHT HERE at Coram Deo Academy! We offer lessons during regular school hours and immediately after school on weekdays. And conveniently, they happen at the school so that you don’t have to carve out the time to drive them to and from lessons.

Here at Coram Deo Academy Music Studio, we are committed to seeing your children succeed by doing their best. And giving their best is going to look different for every child. We use a variety of methods to tailor our lessons to each individual student’s learning needs. We understand that not every student is going to grow up to become a professional musician. Rather, we want to assist them in reaching their full potential where they are right now. Our compassion for students goes beyond teaching them musical skills; we want to cultivate a love of learning in their hearts and see them develop character in a fun, creative way. And our job is to support them in their journey of discovering the beauty and joy of music-making!

More often than not, students dread the practice requirements that come with music lessons. I mean, who wants to spend time practicing piano when they can be playing video games?! But we have created a system that helps motivate students and make practicing exciting for them. Students have multiple opportunities to earn points each week which accumulate overtime to earn a prize. Our method books also teach students fun songs from the very beginning and introduce them to a variety of styles overtime. Technique and theory are important to us, but those will be taught organically when the need arises and the student is progressing.

While we are proud to have affordable lesson costs, we also offer an unbeatable value! Our teachers are highly-trained professionals with knowledge, skill, and experience. And our school places a strong emphasis on the fine arts, making music an absolute priority. You’ll have plenty of opportunities for extra learning and performances with us, and on top of that, our payments are divided in a manageable way to make lessons more affordable.