Meet the Team

Alena

Music Director & Piano Instructor

Emma

Viola & Violin Instructor

Aaron

Viola & Violin Instructor

Tim

Piano & Guitar & Ukulele Instructor

Mark

Classical Guitar & Ukulele Instructor

Alena

Growing up in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Alena began studying piano at the age of six. As a child, her talent led her to participating in many regional competitions and music festivals. She took her talent to the next level by attending a specialized musical school during her teenage years. From 2008-2013, Alena earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance from the Kharkiv National University of Arts. Then, after receiving a full scholarship, she spent the next three years earning her dual master’s degree from the International Anton Rubinstein Academy in Dusseldorf, Germany and in La Spezia, Italy. Alena has also accumulated a lot of experience teaching piano to students of all ages and skill levels since 2008. She has studied and performed with numerous famous musicians in Ukraine, Germany, and Italy. After graduating from Anton Rubinstein, the academy offered her a job to stay as a piano teacher in their pre-college program. Alena’s main teaching philosophy focuses on studying classical music, but she also enjoys experimenting with piano interpretations of modern pop music.

Tim

Tim received a B.M. in Composition from the University of Rhode Island in 2001, and between 2001 and 2011 he did a variety of teaching, performing, and composing. He taught drums, piano, guitar, and music theory at More Than Music as well as other private lesson studios throughout Rhode Island, and for a year he was the Classical Percussion Instructor at the Community College of Rhode Island. He was the Drumline Instructor for the University of Rhode Island Marching Band and for two years he was the Percussion Instructor for the Franklin High School Marching Band and Percussion Ensemble. As a percussionist, he performed with the Thayer Symphony Orchestra, Atlantic Wind Symphony, Southeastern Massachusetts Wind Symphony, The American Band, Milford Concert Band, Symphony Pro Musica, Rhode Island Philharmonic Community Orchestra, Brown Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble, and Wheaton College Wind Ensemble, and he played drum set for musicals at the Prout School, Johnson and Wales University, and Franklin High School. Tim also played drum set, keyboard, and guitar in various rock bands. As a composer, he was commissioned by the Ocean State Chamber Orchestra, the Ocean State Youth Orchestra, the Ocean State Music Collaborative, the URI Concert Band, and the Woonsocket High School Concert Band.

 

In 2011 Tim moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, and was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Music Theory II, Aural Skills II, and Orchestration until he received his M.M. in Composition in 2013. Since graduating from DU, he has been teaching and composing. He tutors college students in music theory, aural skills, musicology, ethnomusicology, and music technology, and in studio lessons he teaches drums, piano, guitar, and ukulele, as well as music theory, and composition/songwriting. Tim has written his own method books for snare drum, drum set, guitar, and ukulele which he uses as a part of his teaching curriculum in his lessons. For two seasons, he was the Composer for Opera Colorado’s Page to Stage program, and for a year he was the Drumline Instructor for Castle View High School’s Marching Band and Indoor Drumline. He has had numerous orchestral works performed at the Lamont Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Concerts, and he has also composed music for podcasts, video games, and short films, including LEGO stop-motion animated films, the trailer for a Star Wars fan film, and most recently, a comic book superhero fan series. In September of 2022, Tim received an M.M. in Film Scoring from the Berklee College of Music.

Emma

Emma Reynolds is a violist based in the Colorado area. She is currently working on a Master's degree in music performance from the University of Colorado Boulder. Emma earned her Bachelor's in music performance from the University of Houston. She is very excited to offer violin and viola lessons and be a part of the Classical Tones community! Emma strives to create a positive and fun environment to help students grow and reach their goals.

Mark

Mark is a native Coloradan, born in Denver, CO and has been playing the guitar for the past 19 years. He was driven to pursue a Music Business degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO graduating in 2016.

Mark has been teaching private lessons to people off all ages and skill levels for the better part of a decade. He aims to improve his students understanding of the fundamentals of the guitar while providing an engaging learning environment. Marks passion for the guitar and music is evident in all his lessons and he will help you exceeded your goals and expectations. Whether you are plucking your first string or ready to play your first concert, Mark has the ability to further your education on your musical journey. When Mark is not teaching, you can find him performing all over the front range and beyond. "Music is a universal language, musicians just know how to speak it."

Aaron

Aaron Lockhart is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, having received his Master's in Viola Performance, while currently pursuing his Artist's diploma certificate, all under the tutelage of Erika Eckert. He also holds a bachelor's degree in Music Performance from the San Francisco conservatory of music. His main professor was Madeline Prager, and he also studied with Elizabeth Blomenstock, Dimitri Murrath, in addition to Jay Liu and Matt Young of the San Francisco Symphony. This summer, Aaron sat Principal viola at the esteemed National Repertory Orchestra, where he also performed Martinù's Rhapsody concerto for viola with the orchestra. Aaron is a full time member of the Boise Philharmonic orchestra, and plays with many local orchestras in the Colorado area including: Boulder Philharmonic, Boulder Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, Fort Collins Symphony and more.