Meet Our Teachers
At Resound School of Music, we pride ourselves on our excellent teachers. We hire only the finest teachers available, accepting less than 5% of those who apply. All music teachers are vetted based on their experience, education, and most importantly, their ability to teach, not just play great music.
All Resound teachers possess a University-level education or equivalent, and are subject to a criminal record check as conducted and processed by the RCMP.
Arielle Ballance
Piano, Voice
Arielle Ballance is a classically trained Royal Conservatory pianist who also holds a diploma in Theatre Arts from MacEwan University. For over ten years she has passed along her love of performing to students and professional actors alike. Arielle aims to share her love of both piano and singing with her students through her fun yet structured teaching approach.
Rennan Azevedo
Drums
Rennan Azevedo (2n) is a music tutor, drummer, composer and percussionist from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has performed and taught music and its relationship with body/emotions throughout South and North America. Passionate, driven, focused and music oriented, Rennan loves to learn, share, connect and maximize people’s potentials.
Eric Bates
Guitar, Piano
I grew up in a household of music educators learning piano before I discovered my love for guitar. Since 2015 I have worked hard and learned from the very best, including Frank Vignola, Gene Bertoncini, James Chirillo, Chris Eldridge, and Ron Samworth and Bill Coon more locally. This first hand knowledge will allow me to foster your improvement as a guitarist so that you can constantly be excelling at guitar, and music as a whole.
Amber Bayani
Voice, Piano
Filipino-Canadian singer/songwriter, Amber Bayani, has over 20 years of singing experience and nearly 10 years of teaching experience. She is currently involved in the Vancouver music scene as an R&B/Soul solo artist while also arranging and singing backup vocals for other Vancouver based artists.
Sarah Chao
Piano
Sarah has over 12 years of experiences and teaches students of all ages. Her students include beginners with no previous experiences to musicians and career pianists in the making. From piano basics, to RCM examination prep & theory. Sarah’s professionalism & ability to teach students of all levels has allowed her students to learn and navigate the complex world of music.
Alex Cheng
Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano
Pause! And imagine playing your favorite song, Alex will make it happen. “To Create, Share and Express” is Alex’s teaching approach. His students can enjoy music and create something of their own. After getting a degree in Jazz – education, he believes that music is an explorational language. Alex can provide his students the greatest experience in learning new instruments and developing an ongoing interest in music by achieving meaningful goals.
Soo Choo
Piano
Soo first laid her hands on the piano when she was 5 years old and has been a musician since then. She was first exposed to Classical music, but later expanded her musical styles including other genres of, new age, jazz, gospel, and accompaniment. Ever since high school, she taught piano including her friends and has experience teaching and interacting with all ages from elementary students to adults.
Janelle Claudio
Voice
I work as a singer and a teacher, and I love it! Along with Resound School of Music, I teach the Pacific Spirit Children’s Choir, and I have continued singing with the West Vancouver United Church Choir. My goal as a teacher is to help everyone realize their potential as singers, and to help them become the confident and amazing singers I know they are capable of being!
Laura Crowe
Piano
From a young age Laura knew she wanted to pursue a career in music. Her passion and talent has led her down a variety musical paths, from the Royal Conservatory of Music, to musical theatre, to choral music education and collaborative piano, and most recently, to studies in world musics. She has a B.Mus. with Honours in Piano from the University of Toronto, and an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of British Columbia.
Adam Dean
Guitar, Bass, Piano, Drums
Adam has an honest, hardworking and outgoing personality with a terrific sense of humour, an essential quality for working with students both young and old alike. Adam believes that it is important to allow students to feel that they “hold the map” and serve as the guiding force through their own musical journey.
Karmen Galvins
Piano
I started playing piano when I was 4 and was originally taught by my grandmother until I was age 14, at which point she found a professional teacher for me. My musical education flourished with my teacher of 12 years. I currently have a Diploma which I received from Douglas College for Performing Arts – Music. My classes included ear training, performance, ensemble classes, composition, theory, and composition.
Sharlene Huynh
Piano
Playing the piano has been a passion for Sharlene Huynh for over 15 years. Sharlene has experience teaching children, youth, and adults through group and private settings. She hopes to instill the same enthusiasm she has towards music in her own students.
Greg Jackson
Drums
As exceptional as every musical instrument is, drums are the best. I found this out in 2001 when I bought my first drum kit, and I am still waiting for everyone else to figure it out. Musically-speaking, my knowledge of percussion has come from well over a decade of listening to, playing, recording and performing music both with other musicians and on my own.
Mandy Jong
Piano
I’m an optimistic piano teacher that loves sharing my passion for music with students of all ages! I’ve been classically trained for over 10 years and have received my ARCT piano diploma through The Royal Conservatory of Music.
Brendan Lane
Piano, Guitar, Drums
I’m a music lover, and I want all my students to grow in a deep love of music, too! As a teacher at Resound, I aim to build students up not only in musical excellence but in a true love for their instrument and for music, and to inspire them to find joy in all parts of their lives as they improve in their musical skill and achieve new musical heights.
Kimberly Leandro
Piano
Kimberly has been playing piano for over 20 years, teaching for 11 years and accompanying choirs for three years. She is a classically trained musician with her ARCT Performer’s Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She also has a Bachelor of Music from University of BC. Though classically trained, Kimberly is also well-versed in contemporary music with experience in genres ranging from pop to jazz.
Angela Lee
Piano
Angela was born in Taiwan and has been playing the piano for over 18 years. Angela enjoys seeing students develop and improve through her teachings. She also finds it rewarding to see students gain confidence as they progress.
Alex Mishchenko
Piano
I love teaching! I believe every student has musical potential and it is up to me to show them how to use it. One of my favourite parts of being a Piano Instructor is getting to know my students. It makes the lessons more engaging and allows me to personalize each education plan. My students receive a solid musical foundation, great work habits and an intuitive sense of musicality. I often say that I don’t just teach my students how to play the piano, more importantly, I teach them how to make music.
Stephen Marshall
Guitar, Drums, Voice
Stephen Marshall (Steve) has been a multi instrumentalist most of his life. Steve was a Founding Member of the Canadian Pop/Rock band Marianas Trench, and has toured Canada and the US extensively. Steve’s true love is songwriting and Music Production, having been an earning SOCAN/ CMRRA member since 2009, having co-written many songs with numerous artists. Steve has over 10 years experience teaching children and beginners. Steve teaches Guitar, Drums, Ukulele, Voice, and Composition.
Caitlyn Norman-Kovalic
Guitar
Caitlyn Norman-Kovalick has been studying music performance, composition and theory through any tools possible. She loves connecting with people through playing and strives to find what makes them most engaged and excited so that they can learn and become the most connected with their instrument.
Natasha Prasad
Voice, Piano
Natasha Prasad was born and raised in Edmonton, AB and developed a passion for music and performing at a very young age. Her top priority as a voice and piano instructor is to create a safe space for students to express themselves authentically, and to equip students with the musical tools that will empower them to create and to sing/play music that they are passionate about.
Alan Ruiz
Guitar, Bass
Alan Ruiz is a Colombian musician whose style has been influenced by different genres such as Jazz, Funk, Latin and Rock, Alan started his music career at age 10 when he found an abandoned guitar at his grandparents house. As a music tutor, Alan understands that every student is different and deserves a personal approach. He has helped many students to set the bar higher and accelerate their learning curve.
Cheryl Sales
Piano
Through my experience with several years learning piano, vocals, theory, music history, conducting and performing, I have developed a strong love for music and am grateful for the special experiences it has brought me. Sharing this passion with others is extremely fulfilling and brings me so much joy!
Charlie Sar
Guitar
Charlie is a Spanish musician whose career started as a young child attending music school to receive classical training in music theory and piano. Upon graduating, he decided to take on learning guitar on his own with a brand new approach, experimenting with jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll for the last 10 years…
Andrew Skepasts
Guitar, Bass, Piano
Andrew Skepasts is a guitarist and composer based in Vancouver, Canada. He is a recent graduate of The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music located in New York City. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors, studying on scholarship from The New School and the BC Arts Council. As a teacher, Andrew strives to help his students create or realize their unique musical goals and aspirations, then crafts a manageable and practical path forward.
Adam Swartz
Guitar, Bass
Adam Swartz is a passionate guitar player who strives to develop that passion in his students. Adam was raised playing blues, rock and pop music but specializes in a large variety of genres. He understands from his own experience that learning the guitar is a challenge that will also be enjoyable and rewarding.
Dinel Ulpindo
Piano
Dinel is a dedicated and pro-active teacher who is passionate about helping individuals in their musical journey. Dinel started his Piano career in Italy at the young age of 9 where he began having recitals and was invited to the inter-regional music school competition where he placed in the Top 3 for 2 consecutive years.
Siobhan Walsh
Voice
Siobhan began vocal coaching in 2019 when she discovered her desire to help others find their voice. Her unique vocal coaching style is based in connecting to the truth of our emotions and expressing from that place. With that as the foundation, she will help with connecting emotionally to the story, proper breathing and vocal techniques, and turning the felt experience into our authentic vocal expression.
Morgan Young
Guitar, Piano
Morgan was raised around a household and family full of music, and started playing piano ate age 8 and guitar at 14. She has gone through the RCM curriculum and was raised learning classical music. Through her classical music training, she eventually moved to electric guitar and took a liking to rock, blues, jazz, pop, metal, and really all genres.
