Vashon Island Location

Adrienne Selvy Mildon has taught piano, voice, guitar, ukulele, and French from her Vashon home studio since 2006. Prior to that, after completing Washington State teacher certification with endorsements in K-12 education and French, along with a BA degree in linguistics, she took recurring and long-term substitute teacher placements in elementary music and middle school French classrooms. While raising four daughters, Ms. Adrienne worked as an accompanist and wedding singer/pianist before developing her private teaching practice. She grew up playing three upright grands while her mother helped pioneer the Robert Pace piano method in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1970s, building a community of students from their home studio. This environment—and lots of private, partner, and group piano lessons from Mom—inspired a lifetime of accomplishment in the performing arts: in ensemble music, choirs, musical theater, and dance. Ms. Adrienne has written, arranged, and directed music for national video projects and local stage productions, for both children and adults. She sang soprano in the prestigious Seattle Symphony Chorale and in Seattle’s local treasure, Cantaré Vocal Ensemble. She is currently the resident pianist for Vashon Island’s historic Portage Philharmonic big band.

An experienced teacher of 18 years, I welcome all ages and levels. I draw on a solid classical foundation and decades of eclectic practical experience to stimulate and inspire your musical journey, whether you want to explore from a beginning level or whether you have a specific outcome in mind. Are you interested in the big picture, building a repertoire while mastering sight reading, theory, technique, ear training, and composition? Or perhaps you have a short-term need for coaching on a certain song or piece? For experienced students, do you want to improve your technique, or focus on a particular performance? Or maybe you want to explore 12-bar blues? Let’s look at your goals and tailor a curriculum.

“Teaching is my meaningful work. The humble joy of influencing a student’s journey is surpassed only by my gratitude for the privilege.”

-Adrienne Selvy Mildon

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

Erin is the owner of Mode Music Studios and founder of Mode Music and Performing Arts. She teaches piano and voice. Erin started on piano at the age of four. At twelve, she was on stage with the local working musicians at various Seattle venues and festivals. She has written music for and performed with many Seattle bands including: Wesafari, The Exploding High-Fives, The Quiet Ones, People Eating People, Nouela, and Danny Newcomb. Erin has worked and currently works as a hired studio musician since the age of 17 in Bellingham, Seattle and Los Angeles areas. Erin found her calling as a teacher in her early twenties and believes a healthy balance of technique, theory, and arranging in the context of songs the student loves, is the fast track to any student’s success in music lessons.