Our instructors

Kenny Asewe

Piano

Kenny is the founder and first music teacher of At Home Music Lessons. He received his Bachelor’s in Music with a minor in business from Rochester College in 2006. In 2003 Kenny received certificates in Business Management and Accounting from the Kenya Institute of Management in Nairobi, Kenya.

Since 2005 Kenny has been giving private piano lessons to students ages 5–75. In his studio, Kenny couples patience and rapport-building skills with a solid music foundation. Through At Home Music Lessons Kenny means to lend his unique teaching talents and experience to the successful education of more students in music.

Andrew Smith

Guitar, bass, piano

Andrew Smith is a guitarist, composer, private instructor and session musician. He has been playing guitar since 1999 and piano since 2005, and has been a guitar instructor for over 10 years. He teaches students of all skill levels and ages on electric and acoustic guitar (6 or 7 string), bass guitar, and piano/keyboard, and is well studied in music theory.

His specialty is rock, jazz, Latin, gypsy, progressive metal and instrumental music. He studied under renowned German guitarist Christian Muenzner for two years, holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and has toured with local and international bands.

Mark Sayers

Drums & percussion

Mark is an accomplished drummer who has performed with various small groups in the Detroit area, Washington DC area, and Austin, Texas. He has played drum set, conga, bongos and other percussion instruments for over 35 years. His favorite types of music include light rock, country rock, jazz, Latin, Caribbean and the blues.

Mark has studied drum set and other percussion instruments (specializing in hand drums) with several professional performers over the years, and has taught young children, family members and friends the fundamentals of drumming. He is also an accomplished euphonium player and plays trombone from time to time.

Mike Kelly

Guitar, bass, drums, piano

Mike Kelly is an experienced music teacher and instructor with over 20 years of teaching under his belt. He is skilled in teaching a variety of instruments, including guitar, bass, drums and piano.

His teaching style encompasses note reading, songs, music theory, technique, classic rock as well as modern rock. Mike’s passion for music and his extensive experience have helped him develop unique and effective teaching methods that cater to the individual needs of his students — whether you are a beginner or an advanced musician.

Salvador G. Anajao

Saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, guitar, piano

You can call him Buddy for short. He plays various musical instruments and has been playing for over 40 years. He can play saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, guitar and piano.

He is the son of a well-known Musical Director in the Philippines. At 11 he was able to play the clarinet and joined various bands at Davao City National High School; six years later he mastered the alto saxophone and played for the college band at International Harvardian University. After graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering he still pursued his musical career, joining professional bands, orchestras and church choirs.

He is good at conducting and reading notes thoroughly, very friendly and approachable, and currently resides in Southfield, Michigan. He knows jazz, swing, boogie and modern styles.

Valentina Boyko

Piano

Valentina Boyko completed her music degree and started teaching piano in Ukraine. She joined At Home Music in 2014 and works with piano students at all levels.

Valentina has developed long-term relationships with students, averaging 3–5 years of teaching with most of her students.

Johnathon Larson

Guitar

Johnathon Larson is a guitarist from Oakland County with 10 years of studying the guitar, music theory and various guitar techniques. He started learning guitar at age 13 and hasn’t put it down since.

Johnathon has experience with live performances ranging from small venues to festivals, charity events and live radio. He plays rock, jazz, funk, pop, metal, progressive jazz fusion, blues, R&B, country and finger-style, and has studied under Ken Andreoni, who graduated from Wayne State University and has taught privately for over 20 years.

He is patient, easy going and understanding that everyone learns at a different pace, making sure each student fully grasps a concept before moving on.

Michael Thompson

Drums

Michael James Thompson has over 20 years of experience as a working musician, combining private drum instruction, live performance, studio work, and collaboration on original material with fellow musicians. He studied under two excellent drummers from the Detroit Metro area: Darryl Pierce and Donny Gruendler.

Michael has been a member of solid Metropolitan Detroit bands including Friends of the Family, Night Train, Mojo Stu and The Mobius Loop, and has supported notable national acts including The Headhunters (Herbie Hancock), Melvin Seals, Mofro and Strange Folk.

He has recorded at Studio N Armada, Riff Lab Studios, Woodshed Studios and The Disc, and has played many of the top venues and events in the greater Metropolitan Detroit area.

Nicolle Ziesel

Instructor

Biography coming soon.

Mary Ann Kandah

Guitar

Mary Ann started taking guitar lessons when she was eleven. In her younger years she performed at open jam sessions and talent shows, and playing guitar has always been her favorite pastime.

Mary Ann is an Early Childhood Educator with a Bachelor Degree in Family and Child Development. She always had a passion to make a difference in the lives of others and is a firm believer that music can do just that. Her patience and caring attitude make her an outstanding guitar teacher.

Cheryl Ferrari

Violin, viola, piano, guitar

Cheryl began playing violin at 9 years old. She has played solo and in ensembles from a very early age, played in symphonies and quartets as a teenager, and continued this into college. As a music therapy major she began playing piano and guitar as well, and as a therapist has played and taught all three instruments for decades.

Cheryl continues to play violin in symphonies and viola in quartets, has played first violin in pit orchestras for several musicals, and is currently in the second violin section of Livonia Symphony and leads the second violin section of the Detroit Medical Orchestra. She has her own private violin studio as well as teaching violin, piano and guitar for At Home Music Lessons.

Joe Duprey

Instructor

Biography coming soon.

Dorris Williams

Voice, piano

Doris Williams has been singing since she was very young, starting at two with Mother Goose nursery rhymes. She started piano lessons at 5 and voice at 14, and continued piano until college. While still a teenager she fell in love with early music; at Oakland University her parents gave her a lute for a birthday present.

She graduated from Oakland University with a B.M. in Early Music, then went on to Stanford for an M.A. in Vocal Early Music. Doris has enjoyed the musical scene of the Bay Area since 1988, performing with professional chamber choirs, teaching private piano, choir and voice, and performing as a soloist in churches, recital halls and many other venues, including local and regional Celtic and Renaissance Faires.

Doris accompanies herself on an 8-course lute, and also plays tin whistle, bodhran and recorder. She is currently active singing Celtic, Renaissance, American, jazz and original music, and has now moved to Michigan to live with her fiancé, Jim.

Tanya Timco

Piano, voice

Tanya began playing piano at the age of 6 and took private lessons for 10 years. She excelled in piano festival competitions during her training and gained proficiency in multiple styles of piano music, including baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary.

She began her vocal training in various choirs at the age of 12 and studied under several PhD-level private vocal instructors, including two at the University of Michigan Music School. She has experience performing pop, folk, Motown, musical theater and opera arias in Italian and German.

Tanya has been teaching private piano and voice lessons to all ages, from beginner to early advanced, for At Home Music Lessons since the summer of 2013.

Kazza Kitchell

Voice, piano, theory, guitar

Kazza Kitchell is an interdisciplinary artist with a BFA from New York University, Tisch. Kazza has been a vocalist, pianist, performer and writer for over a decade, and has been working and apprenticing as an arts and music educator for the past seven years. Over the last five years Kazza has also worked as a musical director, composer, orchestrator and arranger.

Kazza prides themself on their dedication to the goals of each individual student, with a focus on responsive and culturally competent learning. Kazza offers singing, piano, music theory, early music, composition, improvisation and beginner guitar lessons.

Julia Mogylevski-Castillo

Guitar, piano

Julia Mogylevski-Castillo is an experienced guitar and piano teacher known for her excellent communication skills, outgoing and friendly personality, and ability to connect with students. She uses various musical methods and classical schools of playing across genres to enhance study progress, and customizes her approach for every student.

Julia has worked at Expressions Music Academy, teaches privately at Fortissimo Academy, and is a guitar instructor at Annie’s Music. She holds an Associate Degree in Arts with a concentration in music from Oakland Community College.