Leslie Vela has been teaching piano for over five years. Originally from Laredo, Texas, Leslie comes highly recommended from several music schools and the academies that she’s taught at. Her love piano started at the age of 8 years old when her grandpa taught her how to play Christmas music. When she attended Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts, her piano teacher, Dr. Carroll, inspired her to pursue the instrument professionally.

Maria Crystalia holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from West Virginia University. With more than 16 years of teaching experience, she previously served as Senior Piano Instructor for the WVU Community Music Program and has been recognized for her excellence in piano pedagogy. Known for her patient and adaptable teaching style, Maria enjoys helping students of all skill levels grow as pianists.

Hannah Petersen is a piano instructor and multi-instrumentalist with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of the Incarnate Word. Teaching private lessons since 2018, she brings experience as both an educator and active performer in the San Antonio music scene. Hannah is passionate about inspiring and guiding the next generation of musicians while helping students develop musicality, technique, and a deeper understanding of music.

Olivia Spencer is a piano instructor and vocalist with around eight years of teaching experience. Trained in classical voice under Dr. Barbara Clark and Dr. Robin Rice at Rice University, their musical background also includes gospel, jazz, and neo-soul. Having taught piano, voice, and flute in both private and music school settings, Olivia enjoys helping students develop their skills while fostering a lifelong appreciation for music.

Eric Young holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from UT Austin with a concentration in piano and music theory. With more than 12 years of teaching experience, he specializes in online piano lessons that make quality music education accessible from anywhere. Eric combines his passion for teaching and performance to help students build strong musical foundations and become confident pianists.

Matias Garcia is a multi-instrumentalist and music major at UTSA, where he studies music composition and jazz. Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, he has experience performing on piano, guitar, and bass in a variety of musical settings. Matias enjoys helping students explore different styles of music, including classical, rock, jazz, blues, and pop.

Andres Losada is a classically trained opera singer and music educator with more than 10 years of teaching experience. He holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from The University of Texas at Austin and has performed with Opera San Antonio and Fort Worth Opera. Andres teaches a variety of styles and enjoys helping students develop their skills as confident and versatile musicians.

Sarah Sirois Miga started singing at the age of 12. She began singing with the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio, which gave her the opportunity to perform with the San Antonio Symphony under the direction of Maestro Ken-David Masur, the San Antonio Master Singers under the direction of Dr. John Silantien, and the San Antonio Opera. Sarah graduated with her Master of Music in vocal performance and pedagogy from UTSA in May of 2019.

Khadijah attended the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance under the direction of Dr. Susan Olson. During her studies, she taught private voice lessons under the supervision of vocal pedagogy instructor John Nix.  She has also taught independently during summer seasons. Khadijah spent time as a camp counselor at the UTSA All-State Choir Camp for the past four years and was a camp counselor and assistant for UTSA’s Lyric Theatre Camp for two years.

Matthew Perez, born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, began his musical journey at a very young age, marked by his innate curiosity and love for music. Matt’s dedication to his craft led him to take voice lessons and participate in the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State process during his high school years, laying the foundation for his future in music.

Taylor Mendoza is a vocalist and voice instructor with three years of teaching experience. Currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts at UTSA, she has been recognized in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition for her classical vocal performance. A former SAMA student and longtime member of the SAMA community, Taylor brings warmth, enthusiasm, and a deep belief in music’s transformative power to every lesson.

Alyssa Moreno is a classically trained vocalist and music educator with a Bachelor of Music Education from UTSA. She has performed at Carnegie Hall and teaches voice in styles ranging from classical to pop, musical theater, jazz, and opera. Alyssa focuses on helping students build confidence and develop their unique artistic voice.

 In 2013, Jake founded Guitar San Antonio, a non-profit arts organization bringing world class award-winning guitarists to perform and teach in various educational institutions and concert venues in the San Antonio area. Furthermore, Guitar San Antonio was founded to provide the diverse population of San Antonio with high quality guitar concerts featuring the world’s best concert artists, as well as to develop and advocate for the inclusion of high quality guitar programs and group guitar classes in the hundreds of elementary, middle and high schools in San Antonio and the surrounding area.

In the fall of 2009, Jacob graduated from Palo Alto College with his Associates in Music. Around this time Jacob began sharing his love for the guitar at Kazen Middle school where he served as a guitar instructor. Shortly, thereafter in January 2010, he started teaching at San Antonio Music Academy (SAMA). Alongside teaching, he continued his formal education at University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where he eventually earned his Bachelors in Music Education.

A native of Corpus Christi, Texas Randy started playing guitar at age 14. He attended Del Mar College where he studied with Classical Guitarist Philip Hii, Jazz Guitarists Chester Rupe and Keith Justus. Randy continued his music education at Texas State University under the instruction of Mark Cruz, Morris Nelms and Dr. James Polk. While at Texas State University, Randy had the opportunity to share the stage with great jazz musicians such as Pete Christlieb, Dr. Stephen Hawk and Wes Anderson.

Mark, a San Antonio native, was introduced to the guitar by his cousin at the age of 15 and began his formal musical studies at 16. During this time, he received instruction from local flamenco guitarist Randy Cordero. When Mark turned 20, he made the life-changing decision to pursue music as a profession. He had diligently saved enough money to embark on a journey to Spain for an entire summer.

Paul Dattner was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He discovered his passion for music during his senior year of high school, being heavily influenced by the whammy whales and widdly diddlys of Dimebag Darrell, lead guitarist heavy metal band Pantera. Paul embarked on his musical journey at Palo Alto Community College in San Antonio, where he pursued a degree in Music Theory with Instrument Emphasis.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Isai was handed a violin by his father at the age of 9 and never looked back. Learning by listening and imitating his brother’s sound, Isai voraciously embodied classical, fiddle, pop, film, hip hop, Mexican, and middle eastern genres and was usually in the first chair position throughout grade school.

Josette is no stranger to the SAMA community as she has served as a regular substitute instructor for the past few years. She developed her love for music through her father, who was a professional jazz musician in Chicago during the 1970s and 1980s. She began playing violin in the 5th grade and has parlayed that passion into performances and competitions, including the UTSA 2024-25 Concerto and Aria Competition.

Alfredo Velasquez was born in Colorado Springs. At age 4 he moved to Mexico City where he started music lessons with Cesar Tort, a renown teacher in Mexico. He studied music at the National School of Music where he took piano lessons from 7 to 15 years old, at which point he started learning drums. He quickly fell in love with drums and decided to pursue it professionally.

Roland Guerrero began learning music at the young age of nine years old. Roland attended a Catholic school where guitar instruction was offered to give its students an opportunity to participate in the church choir. Throughout middle and high school, he performed in the school bands while taking private guitar lessons.

Gerard has been a lover of music his entire life. As a self-taught musician, he plays both piano and organ. He graduated as valedictorian from Virginia Union University with a Bachelor’s degree in Math. He’s also an award winning radio host whose talents moved him into the world of pro wrestling, as a 5x Commentator of the Year in the state of Georgia.

Lillian was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. Growing up in a household passionate about music, she was determined from a young age to pursue a path in the field. During her high school years, Lillian spent most of her free time in the fine arts building as a choir student, socializing with students in band, orchestra, and theater.

Having come from a very musical family, with a cousin in a famous country band on one side and an uncle who toured throughout the country in a rock band on the other, Marissa grew a love for music when she was a kid. Marissa played violin from the 5th grade until she was a freshman in high school, where she then made the switch to choir, making Varsity by the time she was a sophomore.

Maggie, with over 9 years of experience in the corporate world, has been honing her skills in customer service and administrative support. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Education and became a licensed Criminologist in 2015.

Ashley boasts a Bachelor of Arts from the Art Institute of San Antonio and has over seven years of experience in customer service. Musical theater holds a special place in Ashley’s heart, mirroring the profound love she has for the arts and powerful narratives that can be woven through music.