Triad Music Academy

TMA is thrilled to welcome four new instructors spanning guitar, piano, and violin!

🎸 Guitar Instructor Duncan MacMillan (first picture) comes to us with experience in guitar and the film industry, as well. He's a perfect complement to Lead Guitar Instructor Mark Fields, who pairs guitar with a dance background.

🎹 Piano Instructor Sarah Kennedy (second picture) is a current graduate student in the Organ Department at the UNC School of the Arts. In addition to her duties as a church musician, she has experience working in the corporate world.

🎻 Lead Violin Instructor Deanna Miller has performed with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and holds degrees in both violin performance and violin pedagogy. She just graduated with her Master of Music from the UNC School of the Arts and performs around North Carolina.

🎹 Piano Instructor David Green is a current graduate student in the Piano Department at the UNC School of the Arts under Dr. Dmitri Shteinberg, who also taught Founder & Lead Piano Instructor Alek Wasserman. Fun fact: David was the Valedictorian at RJ Reynolds High School in 2018.

The June TMA Newsletter is here! Highlights:

🎹 Student of the Month Sebastian W.
🏆 TMA Shines at Moxley Competition for Second Year
🎼 Welcome New Instructors

Over the weekend, we held three spring recitals featuring about 75 students! 🎶

We had several amazing performances, including our first-ever recital for violin students!

Our pianists, violinists, and vocalist all did amazing work and we are very proud of them. Bravi tutti!

TMA's June Student of the Month is Sebastian W., a piano student of Natalie Barela and also a guitar student of Mark Fields!

Q: What do you like most about piano and guitar lessons?
A: I get to learn songs I like listening to. Especially some of the more popular classical pieces!

Q: What other activities do you do besides piano and guitar?
A: Basketball! I like basketball and music equally.

Q: What has been your favorite experience with Triad Music Academy?
A: Learning the piece I’m playing now - Clair de Lune. I really love how it sounds and how challenging it is.

Q: Which musicians do you look up to or like to listen to?
A: When it comes to Classical, I like Beethoven or Debussy. Other than that, just anything really! I enjoy all styles.

Q: Why did you decide to take piano and guitar lessons?
A: I was teaching myself piano for about a year and then eventually my mom said I could take piano lessons. I took that opportunity and ran with it! Guitar came later, but I love both.

“In the nearly two years he’s been in my studio, I’ve grown more and more impressed by Sebastian’s perseverance, dedication, and musicality. Since day one, he’s been on fire for classical music. I’m truly lucky to have a student as talented as Sebastian.” - Natalie Barela, TMA Piano Instructor & Staff Accompanist

TMA's May Teacher of the Month is Piano Instructor Dr. CJ Everett!

Q: How did you decide to become a professional musician? What did the journey look like for you?

A: I studied both music and architecture in college, but I had planned to be an architect since I was young. When I started my last year of school, I realized that if I continued along the path of architecture, my opportunities to play and perform music would be limited. That realization influenced the goal of pursuing music as a career, since I had more to learn and share.

Q: What is your favorite type of music to listen to? What do you like to perform?

A: I feel a strong connection to twentieth-century classical music. To my ears, many composers of this era found a perfect balance of elements that follow and break tradition while exploring sonic ideas that still sound novel today. Some of my favorite composers include Francis Poulenc, Sergei Prokofiev, Leoš Janáček, and André Jolivet.

Q: Do you have any hobbies or special interests outside of music?

A: I have been sewing for almost a decade. My mother is a skilled garment creator, and she taught me about fabrics, tools, and sewing techniques. I make many of the clothes that I wear, including pants, shirts, sweaters, and jackets.

"CJ is a very unique asset among TMA’s teaching staff. He came in around the start of this year and has provided a great starting piano lesson experiences for many students. While CJ works with students of all levels and ages, he has done exceptional work especially with teenage beginner students.”
- Alek Wasserman, TMA Founder & Lead Piano Instructor

May's Newsletter Highlights:

👨‍🎓 Student of the Month Max M.
👨‍🏫 Teacher of the Month Dr. CJ Everett
4️⃣ 4 Years of TMA!

UPDATE: Our Spring Recitals have been moved to Sunday, May 31st!

We have a Back-to-Back Champ! 🏆

Over the weekend, TMA shined at the WSPTA Moxley Scholarship Piano Competition. Christal Lin won First Place in the Lower Intermediate Category (ages 10-12) and LiLie Perocho won Honorable Mention in the same bracket.

Both girls are in their first year of eligibility; last year Christal won First Place in the Elementary Category (ages 7-9) and LiLie won Second Place in Elementary. The year before, Christal was Honorable Mention.

Both of our contestants are students of Founder & Lead Piano Instructor Alek Wasserman. All Lower Intermediate pianists performed Buttstedt’s Minuet in D Minor and a choice piece. Our theme this year was Mozart; Christal won by playing the first movement of the Mozart Sonata in G Major, K 283, and LiLie performed the third movement of the Mozart Sonata in A Major, K 331 (“Rondo alla turca”).

We couldn’t be prouder of both girls! Brava to our young pianists 🎹🎉

TMA's May Student of the Month is Max M., a student of Piano Instructor Yushan Hou!

Q: What do you like most about piano lessons?
A: It’s fun to learn new songs because in the beginning it can be hard but then in a few days you got it!

Q: What other activities do you do besides piano?
A: Soccer, crazy running, and jiu jitsu.

Q: What has been your favorite experience with Triad Music Academy?
A: Finishing book 1 and the recital.

Q: Which musicians do you look up to or like to listen to?
A: Imagine Dragons, and Michael Jackson.

Q: Why did you decide to take piano lessons?
A: My mom signed me up, I didn’t even know!

“Max comes to every lesson with improvements. He enjoys learning new things and practices everyday. He just steps into Level 2, he can read the new piece at home by himself with correct notes and rhythms!” - Yushan Hou, TMA Piano Instructor

Today marks 4 years of TMA! Opening a piano studio and growing it into a fully-fledged music school has been one of the most challenging, rewarding, and unexpected journeys of my life.

I am incredibly grateful for the education I received in music school about how to play the piano and teach music, but nothing prepares you for the daily rigors of running a business. Organizing teaching schedules, recitals, and masterclasses, registering new students, onboarding new teachers - all of it is hard work, but endlessly rewarding.

In the four years since I filed the "Doing Business As" paperwork with the State of NC, we've accomplished the following as a teaching team:

-247 Active Students & 2 Trial Students at time of writing
-17 Total Instructors (9 Piano, 3 Piano/Voice, 2 Voice, 2 Guitar & 1 Violin)
-6 Guest Instructors' Masterclasses (UNCSA, UNC, UNCG, WSSU, Duke & MANC)
-5 Pianos in our growing fleet
-4 Lesson Rooms + In-Home Lessons
-3 Students Admitted to Music School (Berklee College of Music, UNC School of the Arts & Western Carolina University)
-2 BusinessRate Best of Winston-Salem: Music School Awards (2025 & 2026)
-Countless hours of musical memories, practice, and learning

The craziest part to me is that 4 years is the entire length of my previous career as an elementary school music teacher. Now we've been at it teaching private lessons for just as long.

Above all, the best part is seeing the impact we've had on students here in Winston-Salem. We've had students win competitions, dedicate their lives to the study of music, and even just learn to enjoy playing their instrument, a lifelong skill that can't be taken away.

Thank you to the parents, students, community members, and teachers that have made this all possible! Here's to many more years of making music together! - Alek