“Amelia has grown so much as a piano student in the almost three years she has been with CHMA” – Theresa D.
The staff at Chestnut Hill Music Academy have either university music degrees or professional performance experience. Each teacher is carefully chosen and screened for their ability to teach, inspire and connect with children and adult students. They have all undergone both a PA Criminal Background Check and a Child Abuse Clearance. Since each student is totally unique, at CHMA teachers are empowered to use their intuition and experience to create a unique learning environment to suit each child’s interests, temperament and learning style. Our goal is to choose just the right match for each student from our diverse staff. Each teacher is encouraged and supervised to be flexible and creative in their approach. In collaboration with parents we design a unique personal teaching plan to keep each child growing, inspired and engaged.
Mickey L
eone – Director and Guitar Teacher – CHMA Director Mickey Leone has been working with children and music for over 3 decades. He founded and co- directed Soundstage School of Music for 9 years before moving on to CHMA. A professional musician since the age of 14 when he began playing drums in rock bands. Over the years he has studied guitar, piano, voice and fiddle with various private teachers. His musical influences run from blues to country to jazz standards to southern rock. A native of the area, Mickey first started teaching music privately in the mid 1980’s. In 1995 he founded The Chestnut Hill Guitar School where he taught hundreds of students over the years. In addition, he was the Montgomery County director of Makin’ Music the interactive parent-tot program from 1998 to 2010. Mickey also holds a Master’s Degree from Chestnut Hill College in Counseling Psychology with special training in play and music therapy for children. Mickey personally chooses and supervises all teachers.
Mark Kuczynski – Drums, Guitar
Mark has been playing drums in rock bands at popular music venues up and down the East Coast the past several years. He grew up nearby in Delaware County being professionally trained in complex rock, jazz and Latin patterns as well as the rudiments of drumming. Mark’s drumming influences are some of the most renowned and skilled drummers in rock and roll history including John Bonham, Neil Peart and Matt Cameron. He has a passion for music education, and applies all his lessons to real world examples from popular music as a means for keeping the lessons fun and educational for his students. Mark is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University where he also played hockey, and is a fan of all Philadelphia sports teams. He looks forward to meeting anyone with a desire to learn music and encourages everyone to explore their musical interests to the fullest.
Jack Carroll – Guitar, Bass, Rock School 
Jonathon Alba – Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, Piano
Jonathon is a Penn State graduate and has been deeply involved in music since he was 6 years old, growing up in Bucks County. He believes that everyone is blessed with musical ability and enjoys helping kids discover which instrument they can best express themselves on. He has done a wide variety of things ranging from composing for the Delaware Valley Philharmonic Orchestra as a teenager, audio engineering at recording studios in his 20’s and 30’s, being the lead singer and guitarist of several touring bands, and playing a handful of instruments as well. Jon’s main instrument is the guitar which he has been playing for 25 years. He has taught guitar, bass, and vocals for the last 16 years, both privately and as a teacher in middle and high schools. He studied at the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society and Berklee College of Music. His solo project includes 4 albums recorded at his own studio in Conshohocken and he currently plays in the Philadelphia-based band “Lucid by Midnight”. Jonathon is currently a music teacher at Masterly Charter Thomas Elementary School working with with grades K through 6.
Emma Method – Violin, Viola
As a violist, Emma has performed as the principal violist with the Temple University Concert Orchestra and the Grammy-nominated Temple University Symphony Orchestra as a section violist, including concerts at the Kimmel Center. Previously, she was the principal violist in the Stretto Chamber Orchestra, touring through Eastern Europe in 2014. Additionally, Emma performed at the Blue Mountain Chamber Music Festival, while she worked with children at the associated day camp. Recently she attended the Domaine Forget Academy of Music in Quebec, and, as a viola fellow, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Tennessee.
Emma is finishing her BM in Viola Performance at Temple University, under the tutelage of Kerri Ryan, assistant principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has been teaching both violin and viola for six years, working with beginning and intermediate musicians ages 4 to 74. Inspired by the famous pedagogue Karen Tuttle, Emma teaches with a focus of relaxed playing and total body integration as well as other aspects from Tuttle’s “Coordination Technique.” The choice of materials, while always including a mix of technique and repertoire, is developed alongside the student, as teaching should always be a highly individualized process.
Elle Gyandoh – Voice, Flute, Piano
Elle has been deeply involved with music since the age of 8, when she began her study of the flute. Within the next few years she found her voice and started acting in her school theater, especially in the Musicals. In middle school she began writing songs and performing at local clubs and coffeehouses. By high school she had worked her way to First Chair Flute all the while continuing her singing and songwriting. At Temple University she played in the Marching and Concert Bands. Today she leads her own band, as singer and flutist, performing Soul, Jazz, Funk, Pop, & R&B. She also is vocalist for a successful wedding/corporate band performing at many large venues throughout the area. Elle has a passion for working with children and she brings that to her teaching, With an M.A. in School Counseling, she is on staff at an Elementary School, where she facilitates a music club. Elle is also a volunteer with WXPN’s Musicians On-Call Program, singing at the bedsides of sick patients, many of them children. As a teacher Elle works to help each student get the most from the experience whatever their goals might be. According to Elle “confidence is the key ingredient in successful performance. When working with a teacher first you need to build trust, Once trust is established, anything is possible”
Audrey Lee – Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano
Audrey began violin lessons at age 5 in the Village Violin School, a Suzuki program in Houston, TX. In high school Audrey received a full scholarship to the Kenneth Goldsmith’s studio in the pre-college division at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. She went on to receive a BM in violin performance and psychology from Vanderbilt University and then to complete her Masters of Music at University of Texas. During her degree programs, Audrey performed regularly with the Austin Symphony and the New World Symphony. She is currently a member of the Austin Opera and Allentown Symphony, and is on the adjunct music faculty at Chestnut Hill College.
As a teacher Audrey completed her Suzuki Book 1 training and taught for two years in the nationally renown, University of Texas String Project. She also developed curriculum for beginning violin classes at Blackshear Fine Arts Academy through the El Sistema system in Austin, and directed the orchestra program at Brentwood Christian School. Audrey has found that motivation precedes mastery, and her students learn the value of empathy and support systems within their musical lives.
Ethan Fisher – Piano
Ethan is a graduate of the Temple University Boyer School of Music with a degree in Music Performance. He hopes to pursue a masters degree in classical composition in the near future. Ethan specializes in teaching Piano, Theory, and Jazz Improvisation. Along with Chestnut Hill Music Academy he is also a piano instructor at Holy Child School at Rosemont and a teaching artist at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Ethan is an actively performing jazz pianist and has performed at numerous festivals and venues including; The Mann Center, The Cape May Exit Zero Jazz Festival, Longwood Gardens Jazz Festival, Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, Center City Jazz Festival, Philadelphia Ethical Society and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Ethan’s compositions have been featured on The Temple News, WRTI, WXPN, and a new work of his premiered by Prism Quartet. Whether working with young beginners or more advanced players Ethan’s teaching style focuses on exploration,discovery and self expression.
Ajibola Rivers – Cello – BassHe used his experience with cello he made the natural transition to double bass and bass guitar. He has played the both professionally since 2015 in ensembles from church bands and jazz combos to pit orchestras for musicals. He is often asked the question, “Which instrument do you enjoy playing the most?” to which he replies, “I love all of them. They each have their own nuances and applications, and playing one can offer insight about another. Making music with friends and colleagues is the best.”
Susie Gordon – Piano, Flute, Saxophone , Recorder
Susie comes from a musical family with roots in New Orleans. as a young child she was exposed in her home to classical music as well as jazz, klezmer, Latin and Traditional African forms. She began flute studies at the age of 8 with private lessons at Temple University Her first composing came when she was only 13. Susie received her Bachelors in Music from Rutgers University where her studies emphasized ear training, music theory and sight singing. She is currently a working towards her Master degree in classical music composition from Rowan university. She has received several commissions in her short career so far. Her most recent was for the San Palo Conservatory in Brazil which debuted her full orchastral composition Libercoca. As a teacher has experience with private student of various ages. For a time she held a position at the Philadelphia Clef Club Jazz Institute where she taught flute, saxophone. piano and music theory . She was also the coach for the sting quarter chamber group.
Henry Farcus – Piano, Electric Keyboard
Henry is a long time friend and musical collaborator of Mickey Leone, the school director. He has performed with Mickey since they were both teenagers playing in various bands and music ensembles. Henry began studying piano at age 7 with private classical lessons so he has a deep background and excellent skills. His interests transitioned to rock, blues, folk & pop music and he started playing with bands at age 13 ultimately going through the evolution of dance club bands, original music groups, touring cover bands, full-on R&B bands, solo piano performance, duos and trios. Throughout his experiences he took a special interest in electronic keyboards becoming familiar with their sound textures and programming capability.
Henry earned his BA and majored in Communications at Temple University ultimately working on staff for the college, supervising the Film Sound & Editing facilities. He’s spent many years as the director and chief instructor for American Music Institute of Pa. The workshops he presented taught students to play songs by ear, using a shorthand method and a few simple ideas and techniques. A skilled improvisor, arranger and ensemble player he is able to show his students how to use their playing in a variety of situations.
Henry believes that when in a group, listening to what others are playing is a crucial skill for all musicians. He is pleased to share his love of music with the youngest students as well as adults at all levels.