Meet our teachers
"I am so proud of the teachers at Downtown Piano Works. All have degrees in Music. All are working musicians. Every teacher holds performances and gives students opportunity for feedback and growth. I see their students enthusiastic about learning and I love hearing their progress. Not only do our teachers provide traditional structure that occurs in conservatory style lessons, but they teach students to create music and appreciate all genres. High level classical music, improvisation and arranging, applied music theory. singing and songwriting as well as the unique ability to help students find their own voice makes our teachers some of the best in Maryland."
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- Theresa Shykind / Owner
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Jordan Clawson
Jordan is a pianist and composer living in Frederick, Maryland. In 2006 he received his Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan, where he studied piano, composition and arranging with Ellen Rowe, Geri Allen and Dennis Wilson.
Jordan has been a performer in choirs, concert bands, jazz bands and combos, a cappella groups, church bands, and pit orchestras. As a composer, Jordan creates new music for different ensembles, environments, and film.
In 2013 Jordan received his Master's degree in Composition and Music Theory: Scoring for Film and Multimedia from New York University, where he studied with Mark Suozzo.
Having taught lessons for over six years Jordan truly enjoys watching his students achieve their musical goals. Experienced in classical, jazz, and popular music, Jordan teaches students of all ages, and likes to incorporate into his lessons, music students are personally interested in playing.
Miyako Zeng
Raised in a musical family, it was natural for Miyako to show an interest in music at a young age. Piano was Miyako’s first instrument, but throughout her childhood she played and performed on many others, including recorder, euphonium, double bass, koto, harpsichord, organ and drums. Miyako earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Musashino Music Conservatory in Tokyo, majoring in piano. She received her Master of Arts from the State University of New York, Purchase with Dr. Edith Oppens, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi with Dr. Mary Ann Stringer. Since 2005 Miyako has attended seminars in Vienna, Austria under the tutelage of Prof. Elzbieta Wiedner-Zajac. She also takes part in Taubman Technique symposia lead by Edna Golandsky of The Golandsky Institute. She has been teaching piano privately for more than 20 years and is a member of the FCMTA, MSMTA and NMTA. Miyako resides in Frederick with her husband, surrounded by the woods, with many birds and deer.
Miyako specializes in teaching all levels of classical piano from school age to adult.
Jamie Choi
Jamie Choi is a pianist with wide-ranging musical skills that span multiple genres. From classical to jazz, Jamie plays it all. He has a bachelor’s degree in classical piano performance and master’s degrees in jazz studies and collaborative piano from NYU.
Looking back, lots of things have happened for Jamie to get from a young piano student to where he is today. Jamie’s musical journey began to get serious after studying classical music at Peniel High School of the Arts in South Korea. He went on to attend Chungang University, and studied in the studio of Hyekyung Lee, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in classical piano. While there he won a piano concerto competition which awarded him a merit-based scholarship.
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After years of focusing primarily on classical music, Jamie turned his attention to a new genre that captured his imagination: musical theater. He served as an associate music director and pianist in the original Korean productions of Agatha and The Interview. With a burgeoning interest in other exciting genres, he decided to move to one of the world capitals of music: New York City. There, he began studying jazz at New York University, where he worked with preeminent jazz musicians like Grammy Award winner Alan Broadbent and three-time Grammy nominee Alan Ferber. Jamie also arranged and self-produced his first album: Flowing Tide… which will be released in 2023.
Jamie performs as a collaborative pianist with vocalists, actors, choruses, choirs, and instrumentalists. Most recently, he had two collaborative recitals. He also played in a musical theater production of Wonderland at Frederick Loewe Theater in New York, working alongside composer Frank Wildhorn. He served as the associate music director and main pianist in the performance of City of Angels at New York’s Skirball Center, and performed as a soloist at “Piano City” concerts held in New York at One World Trade Center and St. John’s in the Village.
He has taught keyboard skills, group piano lessons, and private piano lessons at New York University. Now, he passionately teaches students at Downtown Piano Works.
Matthew Carey
Matthew Carey is a composer, musician and educator from Frederick, Maryland, where he owns and operates his own small recording studio. He has studied Piano with Mr. Gary Mullenax and Dr. Robert Scott Beard at Shepherd University, where he was awarded accolades for his pianistic accomplishments. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he studied electronic music and composition with Dr. Anna Rubin. In 2015 he was awarded research scholarship to pursue sound studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he studied with acclaimed composer Pauline Oliveros.
Matthew has publicly performed repertoire from the Classical and Baroque periods as well as Modern Popular Music. In 2009 he won the Mountain State Piano Competition for performing Aram Khachaturian’s Toccata, and was presented with Music Teacher’s National Association’s Student Achievement Recognition Award. He has performed professionally in the Hagerstown and Martisnburg, WV area with the jazz quartet The Rushin’ Blues and currently performs as part of an improvisational trio in Baltimore with Percussionist Shelly Purdy and Guitarist Matthew Burke.
Matthew loves teaching and has been teaching Piano for over a decade. He is experienced teaching students of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels. His approach is to find out what interests the student, and then develop a personalized curriculum to help the student reach their goals. Whether it be Classical, Jazz or Popular music, Matthew loves finding ways to keep lessons fresh and fun. He looks forward to working with you at Downtown Piano Works!
Michael Lundien
Michael Lundien holds a Masters of Music in Piano Performance from The University of Maryland and a Bachelor's in Piano Performance from Frostburg State University. Michael has been teaching Piano for 7+ years. Michael has performed classical works and piano compositions at several venues including 49 West, Penn Alps, and St Margaret's Episcopal church. In his free time he enjoys writing pieces for solo piano, and developing computer games.
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“If a student has an upcoming recital or audition, I will be able to prepare them so that they have an interesting and diverse repertoire, and perform their pieces at a high level with thoughtfulness, attention to detail, and a strong sense of musicianship. I like to introduce some improvisation techniques to students so that they are more comfortable
playing in all keys. I carefully guide students through the analysis of the form, harmony, and theory in their pieces so they develop a deeper understanding of their repertoire and build strong habits when learning and memorizing pieces. When a student has an upcoming performance, I make sure that all technical aspects of their playing, (such as memory, theory, and any physical challenges) are automatic, so they can focus solely on executing more expressive concepts, both small and large. I teach both classical and contemporary works for piano, as well as anything else a student might be interested in learning. I will be able to dedicate several hours preparing lessons throughout the week to make each lesson as rewarding and productive as possible!”
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