Our teachers
Willie Garza - Instructor in Piano, Jazz Piano, Afro-latin Percussion, Drum Set, Trumpet, Trombone, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone
Willie Garza is a multi-instrumentalist, educator, clinician, and composer/arranger originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. He specializes in Afro-Latin percussion while exploring other sounds of Arabic, Flamenco, Brazilian and Vocal-Percussion. Willie has been an active free-lance professional musician and recording artist contributing his talents to many regional and international artists throughout his music career.
Willie holds both his BM, MM with emphasis in Jazz Studies from San Jose State University where he studied composition, arranging alongside instrumental music pedagogy. Willie is also a graduate of the School for Music Vocations founded by jazz pianist, composer, and arranger Phil Mattson. Willie has been an active composer & arranger who has had commissioned works and arrangements performed by elementary to college university programs.
Willie believes that music can uplift the human spirit, and music education can help one find their place in society and cultivate humanity in the world. His goal is to assist on the journey.
Dr. Glenn Guhr - Instructor in Voice and Musical Theater
Dr. Guhr is a singer, actor, and director who has worked in operas, operettas, musicals, and film. He is also an educator, with experience in private vocal instruction, lecturing on music history, and outreach performance programs. Glenn holds MM in Music History from Kansas State University and DMA in Vocal Performance from University of Washington.
Recently, Guhr acted as Tacoma Opera’s Production Manager during the Covid shutdown and subsequent reopening, arranging dozens of short, online recitals and directing several opera films for online viewing. Currently, Guhr is on the voice faculty of Pacific Lutheran University.
Haley Ivey - Summer Camps
Haley Ivey is a BMA graduate in Music Performance at the University of Memphis, with ten years of performance and teaching experience in flute, piano, voice, and guitar. She has taught various ages from children to adults. She regularly performs in both intimate and large concerts ranging from orchestras, rock bands, to solo performance arts at her home in Memphis. She uses a variety of teaching methods that include classical training and improvisational arts, individualizing her teaching methods with each student. With focus on the fun found in the student's art of choice, she aims to bring about the spirit and community connection found in music.
Lucas Larreau - Instructor in Piano, Music Theory, Ear Training, Accompanying
Lucas has enjoyed many years as a piano teacher and performer. He attended Pacific Lutheran University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance under the tutelage of Oksana Ejokina. He then moved to Denver to pursue a masters degree at University of Denver studying under Steven Mayer, where he was awarded numerous scholarships, and won first prize in the Lamont School of Music Chamber Music competition. Lucas has received specialized training in the Taubman Approach by Brenna Berman. He is now based in Tacoma, where he lives with his wife and dog.
Emma Petersen - Instructor in Voice and Beginning Piano; Music Together® teacher
Emma Petersen is a lyric coloratura soprano and music teacher. She primarily focuses on vocal training including aural skills, vocal technique, and artistic interpretations. She also teaches beginner piano. She considers herself a passionate guide on a student's journey through the exciting world of music. With over 10 years of teaching and performance experience, Emma has dedicated her life to music. She believes that each student has their own way of learning and receiving instruction. She aims to respect and guide a student's interest and goals, working as a team to create something fun and meaningful. As a performer, her recent roles include Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Contessa di Folleville in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims, Jean in Brigadoon, Yvettte in the Western Canadian premiere of Weinberg’s The Passenger, Orpheus in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, La Fée in Massenet’s Cendrillon.
Emma received her Bachelors of Music in Voice from the University of Arizona and her Masters of Music from the University of British Columbia.
Mary Sims - Instructor in Voice and Piano
Mary Sims began singing at the age of eight in Portland, Oregon, with Cantores in Ecclesia. By age 17, she was the featured soprano soloist on that choir’s album, “Fauré Requiem - Messe Basse.” She earned her B.A. in Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance from Gonzaga University, where she studied Gregorian chant and early music performance practice with Dr. Edward Schaefer. She studied choral conducting with Dr. Randel Wagner while obtaining her M.A. at Eastern Washington University. At the same time, she taught undergraduate music courses, including Class Voice, Music Appreciation, Music Theory, and History of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Mary went on to teach World Music, Pop Music, Music Fundamentals and Music Appreciation at North Idaho College, while also directing various community choirs in the eastern Washington/northern Idaho region.
For twelve years, Mary has taught and directed in western Washington, including the Our Lady Star of the Sea Schola (and Children’s Choir), the St. Brendan Schola Cantorum (and Youth Choir), and Ave Renaissance Women’s Choir. She provides workshops and seminars on chant and early music performance practice as well as intensive choral workshops. She has been invited as a guest director for groups such as Music Thanatology Association International, Early Music Hawai’i, and multiple choral groups across the country.
Mary continues to work as a freelance soprano and director, while teaching voice, piano, music theory, and conducting in group and private settings. She firmly believes in a holistic approach to teaching and learning that involves understanding student goals and tailoring lessons to meet individual needs. Every person deserves a chance to cultivate their artistic self, and Mary aims to help make that possible.
Storm Tucker - Guitar and Ukulele Instructor
Storm Tucker is a guitarist and a Tacoma native. Picking up the guitar at 16, he turned his love of the instrument into something more. In 2018, he graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a bachelor's degree in guitar performance.
A classically-trained guitarist, Storm has performed with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, the PLU Symphony Orchestra, the PLU Jazz Band, and the PLU production of Dido and Aenaes. In addition to the guitar, he also plays the ukulele and the lute.
Having been an instructor for 5 years, Storm has taught lessons for guitar, ukulele and piano for the YMCA, Music & Arts, and as an independent instructor. He teaches students of varying ages and levels of playing experience. Whether you're an intermediate who has hit a rut in your playing or have never picked up an instrument in your life, Storm is willing to teach you.
Brit Baab - Administrative Assistant
Brit Baab is a musician (guitar/ukulele/vocalist/songwriter), author, and scientist originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Brit holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from North Park University in Chicago, Illinois and a Master of Science in Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience from Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany. She is particularly interested in research that analyzes the interplay of music and memory in the brain and how this knowledge can be implemented to create therapies that alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.
Her current literary project is a children’s series geared towards 4th-6th grade students. In this series, Brit writes and illustrates books that introduce children to the German language in a playful, engaging manner.
Brit is thrilled to be a part of Tacoma Music Academy as it gives her the opportunity to facilitate people of all ages experiencing the life-altering power of music.
Svitlana Smaga - Piano Instructor, Founding/Managing Director
Originally from Ukraine, Svitlana Smaga received her Masters degrees in Piano Performance from the Donetsk State Conservatory and Mariupol Music College, taught at the School of Arts in her hometown of Mariupol and performed as a soloist and collaborative artist.
After relocating to California in 2005, she served as a piano instructor and staff accompanist at the College of the Siskiyous. Svitlana also enjoyed a professional career as a collaborative pianist for Tacoma Opera. Svitlana is a registered Music Together® teacher and a guest pianist for the internationally acclaimed Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet.