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Andi Ridings (she/her)
Andi grew up just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, where she was inspired to pursue music by the hip hop and R&B bursting from the city around her, by the film scores of the movies she pored over at home, and by the creativity of her family. After years of playing with a toy violin, at age 10 she joined her elementary school orchestra, and was gifted a real violin by her school. With a single mother and four older sisters, resources were stretched thin, and Andi will always be grateful for the opportunity this gift gave her to pursue her passion. In high school, Andi competed and performed in the Festival of Gold and MSHSAA District and State Music Festival on the violin, earning a handful of awards nearing her graduation.
After graduating high school, Andi received her BM in Violin Performance from Southeast Missouri State University. During college and after, Andi freelanced by arranging and performing music for concerts, weddings, engagements, parties, and banquets, and acted as a ringer for the Paducah Symphony Orchestra. She has also picked up several instruments along the way, including piano, guitar, viola, mandolin, ukulele, and voice. Music has taken Andi to some amazing places, like the 2013 Italian chamber music festival Festival Suoni D’Abruzzo, and the SEMO Concerto and Aria Competition, where she won the chance to perform as a soloist to a full audience with a full symphony accompanying her!
Andi has been teaching music lessons for over ten years. As a teacher, Andi’s technical background allows her to set her students up for success with a solid foundation in music theory. Andi’s teaching approach differs by student, as she knows that each student has their own unique talents and light to share with the world, and that they need more than a cookie cutter teaching approach to be successful. She always prioritizes keeping the student’s spark for music alive and thriving. In her free time, Andi loves to karaoke, thrift shop, roller skate, backpack, and paint with her boyfriend while they listen to their record collection together.
Tip Your Teacher! Venmo @ridingswritings
Alyssa Martini (she/her)
Alyssa was interested in music from a young age. Her first piano lesson at age 10 sparked a unique and passionate interest in music that transformed into a deep appreciation for many more instruments including drums, guitar, sax, bass and harp. Alyssa earned a college music degree and a minor in audio recording from Finger Lakes Community College in upstate NY in 2009. While pursuing her music degree, Alyssa became Certified in Harp Music Therapy from Valley Hospital and the Robert Wood-Johnson University accredited program, Bedside Harp. Alyssa has performed with a number of bands, from 3-piece all-girl rock band ZEN, to Seattle punk band Bad Saint, to playing keyboards for a church rock band and bass for a 90’s rock cover band. She also performs harp at weddings, corporate and private events.
Alyssa has been teaching for over 20 years, from New York to Colorado to right here in Seattle. Her teaching style focuses on the fun and creative aspect of learning, including how to teach yourself so that learning just about anything, anytime, anywhere is possible. Alyssa herself plays best by ear and wants to give her students the opportunity to do the same, so she teaches her students to sing scales in their head so they can not just play music, but improvise and compose. Curriculum-wise, she uses a vast variety from Faber and Faber to Dozen a Day -- which are fun exercises in song form to practice the most popular piano techniques (chords, arpeggios, scales) -- and ranging in style from rock to pop to easy jazz and blues to classical. Funky is always a favorite as well for drummers! She believes in emphasizing fun, creativity, and confidence in her lessons, and is always excited to help a new student fall in love with their instrument!