SuhNie Scott
Voice & Piano Teacher, Administrative Assistant, Curriculum Assistant
Spreading the Music’s Curriculum and Administrative Assistant, SuhNie Scott, is also a private piano and voice teacher, as well as a general music educator in charter schools. Ms. SuhNie has been an educator for 10 years, with experience teaching early childhood, lower and upper elementary, and high school. She currently teaches Voice to 1st grade through 8th grade at Athlos Academy of Jefferson Parish.
Ms. SuhNie studied under Zuly Inirio and Brandon Hendrickson at LSU while pursuing a bachelor’s in Music Education with a concentration in Voice. She is currently going back to school for Child Development and will later go for Music Therapy. Music and Social Emotional Learning is her passion.
Voice and Piano
Confidence is key so we always start with affirmations about ourselves and our practice. We utilize piano books, virtual games, art, and singing. Students have clear expectations for each lesson and a break in between tasks. There is usually room for exploring different instruments and elements of music during our lesson.
-Students who love to sing or make up songs.
-All ages, especially younger students
-First timers and beginners
- Monday: Unavailable
- Tuesday: Unavailable
- Wednesday: Unavailable
- Thursday: Unavailable
- Friday: Unavailable
- Saturday: 9am-6pm
- Sunday: 11am-2pm
Candace Crawford
Owner & Lead Educator Piano, Violin, Oboe & English Horn Specialist
Candace Crawford is the owner and founder of Spreading the Music Schools and a private music teacher. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in Music Education and Oboe Performance at the outstanding Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y. She specializes in piano, violin, and is highly sought after in New Orleans with over 50 private students. Ms. Crawford has a wide range of experience.
Her accomplishments include founding the 2017 New Orleans Jazz Camp in Big Island, Hawaii, Awarded Top Teacher in 2018 by Steinway & Suns, founded STM Outreach program providing after school music lessons to surrounding school districts, catered to an explosion in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic quickly transitioning to virtual, serving over 500 families and students plus for 5 years and counting! And this is just her 1st school!
Piano, Violin, Oboe, English Horn, Beginner Flute, & Beginner Voice
Balanced teaching style. Has a wide range of tools in her tool belt from piano books, to virtual games, drawing, instrument emersion and more. Lessons are fun but structured!
All ages (Currently ages 5-86), all levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced.
- Monday: Waitlist
- Tuesday: Waitlist
- Wednesday: Waitlist
- Thursday: Waitlist
- Friday: Unavailable
- Saturday: Waitlist
- Sunday: Waitlist
Rick Sebastian
Lead Drumset Instructor & Rhythm Expert
Ricky Sebastian has performed and recorded with many name artists such as Harry Belafonte, Herbie Mann, John Scofield, Jaco Pastorius, Dianne Reeves, Tania Maria, and Dr. John, to name a few. Ricky has also been a music educator for the past 35 years in both New York City and New Orleans. A Louisiana native, Ricky has performed at every major Jazz festival in the world and has been recorded on 300 plus records throughout his career. Some of the artists that he has recorded with are Herbie Mann, Blood Sweat & Tears, Harry Belafonte, Nneena Freelon, Charles Fambrough, Larry Seiberth, Steve Masakowski, Los Hombres Calientes, and Tony DeGradi.
Ricky has one CD as a leader entitled “The Spirit Within”. He is the author of “Independence on the Drum Set” published by Hal Leonard. He is an adjunct professor at the University of New Orleans, an instructor at the Heritage School of Music, directs a Jazz band at the International School of Louisiana, an instructor for the summer program at the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, and is a private lesson instructor at Spreading the Music. While living in New York, Ricky was on the faculty at the world-renowned Drummers Collective for 13 years.
Ricky endorses Zildjian cymbals, Pearl Drums, and Pro-Mark drumsticks. He has given clinics around the country and was invited as a clinician for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2004 and the Jazz Education Network Conference in 2020.
He has appeared on PBS with Harry Belafonte and on TV broadcasts in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. with Tania Maria, Dianne Reeves, and Herbie Mann. He can be found on YouTube performing with John Scofield at the North Sea Jazz Festival, and with his own group on Louisiana Jukebox.
Drum Set
Formal teaching style. Students work out of recommended drum books and progress gradually with required consistent practice.
Adults or students 8 years and older with prior musical experience.
- Wednesday: Available
- Friday: Available
- Saturday: Available
Social Media
Time Slots Available
Killian Afzalind
Piano, Voice & Composition Teacher
Piano and Voice
- Tuesdays
- Wednesdays
Social Media
Time Slots Available
Layla Sutton
Drum Teacher
Layla Sutton is a Music Teacher and Musician in New Orleans, LA. Sutton attended East Carolina University and received a B.F.A in Music Education and completed a study abroad program in Recife, Brazil where she explored world percussion. Afer her return, she was a drum-line instructor in Eastern NC for various schools. In 2015, Sutton moved to New Orleans and is currently the Middle School Band Director and Librarian at St. George’s Episcopal School. She also is a performing musician in the city playing in the band “Tiny Dinosaur”, and private drum lessons instructor to a variety of age levels.
Drum Set
She teaches lessons with a strong foundation in fundamentals and incorporates training the musical ear. She has over a decade of experience with students with learning disabilities and believes that drum lessons break barriers with learning and builds confidence and self-esteem for students of all age levels.
All ages, all levels, and students with special needs.
- Monday: Afterschool 3pm-6pm
- Tuesday: Unavailable
- Wednesday: Afterschool 3pm-6pm, Evening 6pm-8pm
- Thursday: Afterschool 3pm-6pm
- Friday: Unavailable
- Saturday: Unavailable
- Sunday: Unavailable
Social Media
Time Slots Available
Desiree Robinson
Piano, Clarinet & Composition Teacher
Christian, composer, songwriter, piano teacher, and clarinet, Desiree Robinson draws from her experience in church and classical music to write crossovers between contemporary Christian worship, Gospel, and orchestral music. The life that only Jesus can give is brought out in her pieces by incorporating scripture, thanksgiving, and testimonies. Based in New Orleans, her heart is to share the joy and practical steps of writing and learning music. “Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Composer?,” Ms. Robinson’s guide, transforms music enthusiasts into music creators by breaking barriers of limitation (i.e. not feeling talented enough) and providing encouragement. She believes that anyone can create music if they focus on acquiring the right tools and knowledge. From a young age, she’s enjoyed mentoring in the context of music and beyond. She loves playing piano and singing for God at her church and has a bachelor’s degree in composition with a concentration in clarinet.
Her music has been premiered by Shastra Music (Indian Hindustani classical), Arch Contemporary Ballet, Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship New Orleans worship team, Genesis Gospel Choir, and more. One of her pieces, “Three Moods For Cello,” was performed in Canada by Desiree Abbey. In Cura Personalis: Embracing Our New Selves, a commission, and collaboration with Loyola Opera Workshop, she wrote unique micro-drama, solo, Acappella pieces for undergraduate and graduate students based on interviews that tapped into how each vocalist has changed since the pandemic. With every experience, her desire to help musicians on their journey grows.
Piano, Clarinet & Composition
Formal teaching style! Student progress through a method book. Does best with student with an interest in composition or songwriting. Ms. Desiree prefers teaching from a method book for piano and more free form for clarinet.
Beginner piano (students age 5-13 years), Clarinet (12 years old-adults), Composition to all ages and levels.
- Monday: Unavailable
- Tuesday: Afterschool 3pm-6pm
- Wednesday: Unavailable
- Thursday: Afterschool 3pm-6pm
- Friday: Early Afternoon 12pm-3pm, Afterschool 3pm-6pm
- Saturday: Unavailable
- Sunday: Unavailable
Social Media
Time Slots Available
Matt Venora
Trumpet, Guitar & Piano Teacher
Matthew Venora is a multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, teacher and producer based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Specializing in jazz, funk, soul and commercial music, Venora is an adaptive and versatile performer. He has studied with Larry Gareau of the Hartt School and Frank Campos at Ithaca College, where he earned bachelors degrees in Music Education and Trumpet Performance. Upon graduation, Venora maintained a busy freelance performance and teaching schedule on both trumpet and piano in the Northeast/NYC area before moving to New Orleans, where he is currently pursuing a Masters in Jazz Trumpet at Loyola University. He has shared the stage and recorded with artists such as Tony Kadleck, Rodney Whitaker, Terell Stafford, Peter McGuinness, Curtis Fuller, Joel Frahm, Noah Preminger, Jimmy Macbride, Jimmy Greene and the New York Voices, among others.
Trumpet, Guitar & Piano
- Monday: Unavailable
- Tuesday: Unavailable
- Wednesday: Available
- Thursday: Unavailable
- Friday: Unavailable
- Saturday: Unavailable
- Sunday: Unavailable
Aaron Walker
Drum Teacher
Aaron Walker has been with Spreading the Music since it started 5 years ago. He graduated from Dalhousie University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. He has over 20 years of experience playing drums and 12 years of experience teaching students from ages 5-80.
Aaron is well versed in many styles of music, including but not limited to: pop, soul, funk, rock, r&b, hip-hop, blues, jazz/bam, and country. As well as various Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Caribbean styles.
Drum Set
Students can expect a fun and engaging environment based on good fundamentals, developing our ears, as well as our hands and feet in an effort to be a musician first, then a drummer.
Teenagers and adults but open to all levels and ages over 7.
- Monday: Unavailable
- Tuesday: Unavailable
- Wednesday: Available
- Thursday: Unavailable
- Friday: Unavailable
- Saturday: Unavailable
- Sunday: Unavailable
Evan Paydon
Bass and Electric Bass Teacher
- Monday: Unavailable
- Tuesday: Unavailable
- Wednesday: Available
- Thursday: Unavailable
- Friday: Unavailable
- Saturday: Unavailable
- Sunday: Unavailable
Siobhan O'Quinn
Violin, Piano, & Music Appreciation Teacher
Violin and Piano
- Monday: Unavailable
- Tuesday: Unavailable
- Wednesday: Unavailable
- Thursday: Unavailable
- Friday: Unavailable
- Saturday: Available
- Sunday: Unavailable