Musical Instruction
At A+ Music, we offer private instruction in a wide variety of instruments from a team of over a dozen in-house instructors.  All lessons are given in our spacious Lesson Center — no traveling to private homes or being stuck in a storage room for lessons at A+ Music.

Lessons are tailored to meet the needs of each student.  All instructors are highly qualified, and have undergone complete background checks before teaching at A+ Music.

Instruction presently being offered for guitar, ukulele, piano, percussion, voice, cello, brass & woodwinds.

Our Instructors
BILLY CHAPMAN – GUITAR
Billy grew up playing music in his church, and has been a professional musician for over 20 years, playing primarily classic rock, reggae, and calypso.  Billy is a well-known figure in the local music scene as a member of “Million Tiny Fingers”, “Funky reggae Jam Band”, and “Carmic Tricycle”, and has opened for acts such as Peter Frampton, Buddy Guy, and Corey Bell.  Billy has taught hundreds of students during his career and receives a special joy from progress made by those students he teaches and mentors.

EVENS COLAS – GUITAR
Evens has been playing guitar for over 30 years, having toured 40 states and 20 countries working with innumerable R&B and Reggae acts – The Drifters, Luther Vandross, and Bob Marley’s Wailers to name only a few.  He presently works as a studio musician, and is adept at performing a multitude of musical styles.  Evens has extensive teaching experience, principally in New York, where he was working full time as a music teacher.

ERIC WEBB – GUITAR
Eric studied music at Oakland Community College.  He worked professionally in Nashville for 10 years, touring with such acts as the Oakridge Boys, Brad Paisley, and Alabama.  As a member of both the JC Bones Band and The Saddle Band, Eric plays bender-style country rock and blues at multiple venues in Florida and throughout the eastern U.S.  Eric has been teaching for over 15 years, and has taught hundreds.  Eric’s personality and teaching style inspire his students to progress and enjoy the process of becoming a better player.

CHERYL VAN RIPER – GUITAR
Cheryl studied music at the Davus Elkins College in West Virginia, and taught Beginning Guitar at Wayne Community College in Detroit, Michigan. Her passion lies in acoustic fingerstyle guitar, but is adept in other styles as well. Her styles include blues, rock, jazz, classical, bluegrass, folk, swing, old-time and gospel. Cheryl is also currently in the process of publishing a music theory book for children. Her motto is “Music is supposed to be fun, or you’re doing something wrong.”
JOHN HULLAND – GUITAR, BASS
John has been playing guitar and bass for over 15 years, and has a degree in the recording arts. He has played with many bands of various genres including rock, funk, blues, and reggae. John is currently a member of Naturalistics but played with Dub City Tribe, named Brevard’s Favorite Original Band 2007 by Brevard Live.  He enjoys and takes pride in teaching music, with a knack for keeping lessons fun. John stresses both theory and technique in his teaching.

JOY STANILKA – VOICE, UKULELE
Joy earned her music degree from University of Florida. She’s performed with both the Treasure Coast Opera Society and the Vero Beach Theatre Guild. In addition to private music instruction, Joy directs the children’s choir at her church. Adept at both classical and musical theater vocals, she believes that singing in all styles begins with a solid foundation in proper singing technique. Joy is also proficient in both Spanish and Portuguese.

TATYANA MCDONALD – PIANO
Tatyana studied piano and teaching at the College of Art in Russia and the prestigious Conservatory of Music in the Ukraine.  Since moving to Brevard, Tatyana has performed locally as a member of Melbourne Community Orchestra, at the Grace Bible Church of which she is a member, and at The Den.  Tatyana has taught hundreds of students here and in Europe during her 25 years of teaching piano.  Tatyana is universally appreciated by both students and parents, as students learn quickly with her style of teaching.

KRISTIN MOORE – PIANO
Kristin studied music at Lee University. She led her church choir in Tennessee before moving to Brevard County. Kristin has been teaching piano for five years, and is especially adept at building comfort in younger or reluctant students. Kristin can flexibly adapt to different learning styles of sutdents, and truly enjoys sharing her life-long love of music with her students.

ANDREW FATTA – PERCUSSION
Andrew earned his degree from Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles. He worked professionally as a percussionist in various bands in Jamaica and with a theater group that toured North America and the Caribbean. Andrew taught music for over 10 years at Edna Manley College of Performing Arts. He is the author of the instructional books, “Decorated for Bravery” and “Jazz Independence”. While teaching, Andrew steresses a strong foundation in the fundamentals, and encourages students to become fluent in various styles of music.

BJARNE JANNIK KJAER – PERCUSSION, JAZZ PIANO
Originally from Copenhagen/Denmark, arguably among the most desirable drummers in Florida has traveled the world playing all genres of music opening for major international artists including: The Police, Maxi Priest, The Beach Boys, UB40, Steel Pulse, Damian Marley, Rita Marley, Stephen Marley, Inner Circle. He has performed with US name acts including: Maureen McGovern, Nestor Torres, Clint Holmes, Tommy Tune and in Florida with artists such as: Jeff Berlin, Billy Van Riber Quartet, Billy Lee Soul Revue and David Pastorius/Local 518. He is classically trained and earned his music masterdegree at Denmarks Royal Academy of Music.

NANCY GOODIER – TRUMPET, FRENCH HORN
Nancy studied music education at the University of Southern Maine. She’s been a member of both the Ludwigsburg Orchestra and the Heidelburg Military Band in Germany. Nancy’s been teaching for 14 years and has taught scores of students. Nancy believes and teaches that it’s important to not only play technically correctly, but also to play from the heart. She takes special pride in her students’ accomplishments and can often be found attending their performances.

ALYSSA GRANT – FLUTE, PICCOLO
Alyssa studied music at Florida State University. While studying at FSU, she was an active member of both the FSU Marching Chiefs and the Campus Band. Alyssa also played under the direction of the noteworthy composer Charlie Carter. She has been teaching flute for over 5 years and has taught dozens of students. Alyssa strives to understand and work with the individual differences of each of her students.

FRANK TUCKWILLER – SAXAPHONE, CLARINET
As a member of the United States Army Band (Pershing’s Own), Frank had the honor of playing for presidents and various heads of state. He has also worked as a professional studio musician. With a degree in music education, Frank has taught music for over 35 years from grade school through the college level. He is a capable teacher in all styles of music, including classical, concert, and jazz. Frank’s teaching philosophy is to tailor his instructional approach to meet the needs of each student.

MICHAEL WISEMAN – CELLO
Michael earned his masters degree in music from New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed professionally in a vareity of orchestras worldwide, including the Boston Philharmonic and the Macao Orchestra in China. Michael also has extensive teaching experience both locally and abroad, havingbeen a guest instructor or faculity member of various instituions including the University of South Florida and the Macao Conservatory of Music.

ERIK BRYAN – VIOLIN/FIDDLE, VIOLA, MANDOLIN
Erik studied Music Education at Florida State University. He played professionaly with orchestras in north Florida and south Georgia. Erik has been teaching music privately for 7 years. Erik focuses on classical tecjnique because he believes it proves the best facility on the instrument and can easily be applied to any musical style.