Our Teachers
A strong connection with the teacher is crucial in any education setting.
RK Music Studio specializes in matching you or your child with a teacher that will make music lessons a fun, productive experience tailored to the unique person each student is.
Owner
Rebecca Kasang
Rebecca's degrees are in Music Education (BA and MFA) and she has served as a a music minister and music teacher in varying capacities for 30 years. In addition to managing RK Music Studio, she is the Music Director at LCC Day School and has private students in piano and flute.
Owner
Zlatina Asenova
Zlatina has a BA in Music Education and an MA in Choral Conducting. She has worked as a choir director, accompanist and music educator in both Bulgaria and the US for 25 years.
Piano & Voice
Jessica Beltran
Jessica has formal training in Musical Theater, Voice and Piano from USF and from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles. She has over 10 years' experience educating students in the Tampa Bay area in both music and gymnastics.
Piano & Voice
Jamie Hughes
Jamie is a professor of Songwriting at St. Petersburg College, holding an MA in music from Western Carolina University and a BA in Elementary Education. She is a piano accompanist and vocalist for various ensembles in addition to her own solo act.
Guitar & Voice
Andy Morales
Andy holds degrees in classical guitar performance and vocal performance from Mt. Union University and Kent State University. He is an active performer with St. Pete Opera but also a self-professed "reformed metal head", qualifying him to work with you on voice or guitar in almost any genre.
Piano & Violin
Gloria Savalli
Gloria began her music career in Santiago, Chile at the age of 5, under the tutelage of her mother, a professional piano teacher. She studied piano and theory using the Trinity College of Music system and has worked as a professional piano and violin teacher since 2014.
Voice & Piano
John Whittlesey
John is an active local performer with St. Pete Opera and Choral Artists of America, among other organizations. John also teaches for Arts Conservatory for Teens, a nonprofit arts education program supporting underserved communities in St. Pete. His degrees are in Psychology/Music and Hospital and Health Administration.
Violin & Piano
Marilyn Hall
Marilyn holds degrees in piano performance and pedagogy, marketing and psychology. Over the years she has studied with several local piano legends, taught with local studio Mattioli School of Music and currently teaches for her husband's piano studio, BachScholar(TM).
Guitar
Mark Vincent
Mark is an accomplished studio guitarist with 30 years of experience and a music degree from UNLV. He has worked with top artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Wayne Newton and Dionne Warwick, to name just a few. Mark also works with RYTMO.org, reaching at-risk youth through music.
Piano, Voice, Violin
Samantha Kling
Samantha has a BA in Elementary Education and Music Studies from USF. Her most recent positions include teaching for Pinellas County Schools and serving as music director at a local Methodist church. She is active in the homeschooling community.
Piano & Organ
Kevin Strickland
Kevin studied piano with local teacher Joyce White. He has been accompanying Catholic masses since college and is currently an active member of the St. Pete chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Kevin holds a masters degree in accounting from UF and is a certified CPA.
Piano
Chemena Handel
Chemena has a "Superior Level" piano performance degree from the National Conservatory of Music in Turkmenistan. She has been a piano teacher and accompanist in both Bolivia and the US for many years and is fluent in English, Russian, Spanish and Turkmen.
Piano, Guitar
Clarke Jacobson
Clarke specializes in guitar, bass, drums and piano. He studied classical and jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music and you can see him perform locally with the band All Day Breakfast as well as in professional productions at numerous venues including American Stage Theatre.
Guitar, Piano & Drums
Danny Oliva
Danny began his musical journey at age 12 and never looked back. He attended the School of Rock Palm Beach where he learned how to play in rock bands. At FSU, Danny played for FSU's rock ensemble. He also had the opportunity to open for Aly and AJ from the Disney Channel in 2019 with the band Good Times Floral Shop. Danny specializes in rock, pop, hip-hop and jazz and has years of mixing and mastering experience to boot.
Voice, Theater and Piano
Mykaila Judge
Hi! I’m Mykaila Judge, and I’ve been involved in theatre for over 16 years. With a BFA in Musical Theater, I’ve had the joy of teaching and sharing my love for the arts with young, creative minds for the last five years at MAD St. Pete. I’m incredibly passionate about helping students grow in confidence and self-expression through theatre, and I’m so excited to be joining the team of instructors!
Piano
Janelle West
Janelle has been teaching piano for over 30 years in Alaska and Arizona and recently located to St. Pete. She has a degree from Pasadena College and specializes in the Yamaha method and early childhood education. Janelle teaches on location at Northside Baptist church (6000 38th Ave. N).
Guitar & Strings
Olivia Houpt
Olivia is a senior at Howard Blake High school with more than 5 years orchestral experience who also performs as a guitarist with her church worship team. Olivia's orchestral performance experience includes All-State and All-County, the Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, the University of Tampa Symphony Orchestra, the Repertory Orchestra at Patel Conservatory and even abroad in Prague, Switzerland and London. Her leadership roles in All-State, All-County and Blake High School ensembles make her uniquely qualified to mentor young musicians.
Piano & Voice
Rachel Covault
Rachel Covault is an American singer-songwriter and self-published author, who has released 3 copyrighted works of art. Ms. Rachel grew up playing music and singing for the church choir and has performed for charities, special events and weddings as a solo act and with bands in live venues across Tampa Bay.. She has taught music and voice lessons for over 10 years to students of all ages, focusing on a balanced musical education~ including improvising, chording, playing by ear, reading & writing sheet music, original composition, vocal range, breath support, and more. Please visit Rachel at www.yaywild.com.