Music Teachers

Instruments: Piano, clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, flute

Students: Beginning to advanced

Preferred pronouns: he/him

Sean Barker was born and raised in Spokane, WA, where he began piano lessons at the age of 8 and clarinet at age 10, working with a number of fine teachers in the Spokane area, including Mary Wilson, Debra Greagor-O’dell, Mary Simpson and Margie May Ott on piano and Carol Kowzan on clarinet, and performing with the Spokane Youth Symphony as Principle Clarinet. Sean holds undergraduate degrees in Piano Performance and Clarinet Performance from the University of Montana, class of 2002, where he studied with Dr. Jody Graves on piano and Dr. Maxine Ramey on clarinet.

In 2002 Sean began work as a music teacher and free-lance musician in Seattle, WA, where he ran a successful teaching studio, seeing over 40 students each week. An active performer, he worked regularly with local orchestras and collaborated with other musicians on various projects, including an annual Mostly Mozart concert held in the courtyard of his apartment building. While in Seattle Sean studied piano with Dr. Peter Mack of Cornish College of the Arts.

In 2008 Sean returned to the University of Montana to pursue a Masters Degree in Music, where he also served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. For the 2008-2009 school year he was awarded the UofM Graduate Assistant Teaching Award for excellence in teaching, awarded to only one graduate student each year at the University.

From 2010 to 2018, Sean lived in Berlin, Germany, where he taught private students, co-chaired a musical theater department at Die Etage Performing Arts School, and his alto ego, “Shomo the Bearded”, was the karaoke pianist extraordinaire at Monster Ronson’s Ichiban Karaoke. He worked primarily with singers in Berlin, performing unique weekly programs at Sally Bowles Art Café. In 2016 Sean also premiered his first major composition, a song cycle setting of Wallace Stevens’ poems “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”, sung by soprano Danielle Simpson.

In the Summer of 2018 Sean returned to Seattle where he is rebuilding a teaching studio and is looking forward to working with local musicians as both a pianist and clarinetist.

Instruments: Violin and Viola

Students: Beginner through Advanced

Jonah Byrne has been playing violin for over 30 years, teaching, performing, recording, and composing in a wide variety of styles. He started playing the violin at age six when his mother inherited an old violin from her great uncle and wanted to keep a family tradition alive. Jonah grew up taking lessons and playing in school orchestras, youth orchestras and string quartets throughout his young life. He spent a year studying music composition at University of Colorado, and has been active in the Seattle music scene since moving here 15 years ago. In that time he has been a DJ at Seattle’s eclectic Hollow Earth Radio, played fiddle and violin in country bands, experimental bands, indie bands, post-rock bands, and more. He currently plays with country bands Country Lips and Gus Clark and the Least of His Problems, and with pop/r&b singer Sphie, and has performed live with acts including the Breeders and Jamie Wyatt. 

Instruments: Voice

Stefanie Goldstein has been captivating audiences with her angelic voice and impressive range for over
30 years. She has contributed to numerous esteemed ensembles including The San Francisco Lyric
Opera, San Francisco Renaissance Voices, and the Puget Sound Concert Opera, among others. Her early music experience also includes a former position as singer at the Bors Hede Restaurant at Camlan
Medieval Village in Carnation, as well as acceptance to an Italian Renaissance course with Seattle’s Byrd Ensemble in Rome in July 2022. Stefanie also sings in a rock band, Accolade, which can be heard at various venues in the greater Seattle area.

Stefanie is a classically trained soprano and has learned from a solid, healthy technique for many years.
She shares this technique with her students to help them to become better, healthier and happier
singers. This technique works for any singing style to assist in keeping the voice fresh and healthy for
many years. Her lessons address breath support, proper alignment, personal expression and more. She
has a sensitive, positive teaching style and works with her students very patiently and supportively. She
has found so much joy from free, healthy singing and it is her goal to help her students experience this
same joy in their musical journey.

Instruments: Saxophone (Baritone, Tenor, Alto), Clarinet, Flute, Drums, Guitar, Piano, Ukulele, and Beginning Bass - Online Only

Students: Beginner to Advanced

Instruments: Piano and Bass

Students: Beginning to intermediate

Styles: Jazz, Classical, Pop

Pronouns: he/him

Born in West Seattle, Riley Tobin was introduced to the piano at six years old and started taking lessons at Westside Music Academy. He picked up bass in his 6th grade year and gained early experience through rehearsals, recitals, and school performances. In high school he took on more competitive experiences, playing higher level orchestras such as the Marrowstone Music Festival Orchestra and participating in numerous competitions. He also fell in love with jazz in 8th grade when he started playing both piano and bass in big bands and smaller jazz combos and has won accolades at competitions like the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival for his playing. Riley is currently studying jazz at the University of Washington.