Jesse Atkinson

Guitar, Drums, Ukulele, Bass Guitar

Originally from Florida, Jesse has played guitar since age 7, and counts as mentors Mitchell Stevens, Alan Brandell, Mario DaSilva, and James DaSilva.  His skills have been shaped by influences ranging from Led Zeppelin to his home church worship pastor, David Grimm.  He has played at illustrious venues such as the Grand Ole' Opry and the Bluebird Cafe.  He has attended various music camps including performing in and working at the Annie Moses Summer Music Festival, often performing original music. 

​

​

​

Olivia Atkinson

Voice

Olivia Atkinson is blessed to have been teaching at Peachtree for 8  years.  She has studied piano, theater, and voice over the last 10 years with the Annie Moses Conservatory, and has furthered her classical vocal career with Melissa Shippen Burrows.   Olivia has participated in a number of shows through the Annie Moses Summer Music Festival and Conservatory, taking her to Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole’ Opry, and leading roles in the premieres of  “Merry Christmas, Uncle Scrooge!” and "Tom Sawyer", as well as a drama masterclass with acting legend John Rhys-Davies.  Olivia was a member of Peachtree’s bell and vocal choirs from their beginning through her graduation. She loves working with her vocal students to develop their skill and creativity, giving confidence in every performance situation.  

​​

​

Grace Blackburn

Cello

​​Grace Blackburn is a 2018 high school graduate, who has been playing cello for over 10 years. She began her studies at age 14 with Rachel Salter and Dan Alcott from Tennessee Tech. She went on to study in Nashville for many years, under Benjamin Wolaver of the Annie Moses Band. She’s played on many stages in Nashville, including the Grande Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as stages in Franklin TN. She also loves to play for weddings. She is classically trained, but has played a lot of bluegrass, jazz, worship, and singer/songwriter style music. Playing cello is one of many ways that Grace feels close to her Savior, and she is always thrilled to help her students experience God’s presence and love through music. She also helps her students with time management, discipline, and ministering to the Lord through excellence!

​

​

​

​

Ashton Brown

 Piano 

Ashton Brown graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology (Health Science concentration) and a minor in Music Performance. During high school, Ashton began teaching private beginner piano and guitar lessons, which sparked a lasting passion for music education. Ashton has been playing piano since the age of six and guitar since the age of ten. Over the past seven to eight years, Ashton has been actively involved in church music ministry, serving as a guitarist, pianist, and music director. This hands-on experience has shaped a well-rounded musical approach and a strong sense of leadership in collaborative settings. Ashton firmly believes that a great teacher can significantly influence a student’s learning, growth, and overall development. With this in mind, Ashton is committed to creating a supportive, inspiring, and skill-building environment for every student. Ashton’s teaching approach focuses on developing both technical skills and a genuine love for music. Whether working with beginners or more advanced students, Ashton emphasizes patience, creativity, and encouragement to help each student grow at their own pace.

​

Jessica Campanelli

Art, Sewing, Photoshop Skills

Jessica Hagar grew up in McMinnville TN where she attended F.C. Boyd Christian School and after graduating decided to major in Art Education at Tennessee Technological University. Her experience as a student at TTU and the Appalachian Center For Craft encouraged her to not just be a teacher but also a professional artist. Jessica is a Textile Designer and owns her own design business. She has a degree from TTU in Art Education as well as Fiber Arts and a minor in Psychology. Her love for teaching art and also being a maker lead her to Peachtree. Jessica has been teaching art and sewing at Peachtree for 4 years. She loves to see her students excel and believes that art is an integral part of a student’s complete education. 

 

“ I have come to believe through personal experience that the arts teach a student to make decisions and to problem-solve. The arts harbor a sense of value and accomplishment and help foster an individual sense of identity which in turn helps a student develop as an individual. Through their experiences in my class I hope they will come to know the importance of the visual arts and understand how it contributes to every aspect of the world they see.”

​

Tori Cannon

Voice​

  Tori Cannon has spent the last 15 years learning, teaching, and helping others experience the joy of music and is so excited to return to Peachtree, her first artistic home. Tori grew up in Cookeville, heavily involved in the arts community and spent hundreds of hours at Peachtree as a student. She graduated from Carson-Newman University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Music in Voice and has spent the last ten years serving as a junior Minister of Music in Knoxville, teaching handbells and choir, and teaching voice lessons, as well as performing in local productions and concerts. Her teaching methods are rooted in the physiological health of the voice, alongside developing a healthy relationship to the voice, so that all students can feel confident in their sound and how to sing well no matter how the voice evolves with age and experience. She aims to give every student the tools they need to keep their voice safe and healthy whether they are simply belting out tunes to the radio or on stage on opening night. When she is not teaching, Tori enjoys cooking, readings good book, and drinking coffee on her patio in the early mornings with her dog Willow. 

​

​

Elizabeth Edwards

Violin

Elizabeth's Registration Form

Elizabeth began her musical journey at the age of five, and has been playing the violin for ten years. She is classically trained, but enjoys many different genres such as bluegrass, jazz, worship, and pop. Elizabeth has attended various music camps including the Annie Moses Summer Music Festival and the TTU Summer Music Institute. She enjoys competing in fiddlers competitions and performing publicly in Peachtree Learning Center ensembles. Currently, Elizabeth is continuing her musical education under Sarah Merrit’s violin instruction, and Katie Farmer’s piano instruction. She is also pursuing her certification in the Annie Moses Method. She realizes the importance of sharing the gift of music to the glory of God.

​​

​

Lilli Edwards

Beginning Violin

My name is Lilli Edwards, and I started playing violin at the age of four and have been playing for over eleven years.  I started reading music before i was reading words, and my love for music has only grown since then.  I am classically trained but i enjoy playing many different genres including: bluegrass, jazz, worship, and pop.  I've explored many different instruments including: violin, mandolin, piano, guitar, electric guitar, and ukulele.  I settled on violin and mandolin as the instruments I focus on the most and have taken them to an advanced level.  With these two instruments I've attended various music camps including the TTU Summer Music Institute and the APSU Music Institute, along with fiddle competitions and public gigs.  I am continuing my music education and am currently enrolled in the Tennessee Tech University Orchestra.  I look for ways to serve the community with the talent that God has given me.  I love meeting new students and sharing the flory of God with them through music, and I enjoy watching them grow to love their instrument as much as I do.  I encourage all my students to have fun and try their best. 

​

​

Katie Farmer

Piano

My name is Katie Farmer, and I have been playing piano for fifteen years. I graduated from Daniel 1 Academy in 2014, and continued my musical education under the instruction of Camille Wolaver DaSilva of the Annie Moses Band. I am classically trained, but also have experience playing in my church’s worship band. I am also a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, having students who scored superior and superior plus.

“Education is designed to form character, and not merely to communicate instruction.” (John Angell James from Female Piety) It is my desire and intention to not only communicate instruction in how to play piano, but also to help form good character in each student. As they learn to enjoy the gift of music, play a piece well, overcome challenges, and share their abilities to benefit others character is built. A character to reflect God’s creative and redemptive design to a dark and broken world.

I enjoy meeting each new student, and desire to build not only a healthy teacher/student relationship, but a personal friendship with each one. It gives me great joy to share the love and knowledge I have for music, and to see my students thrive and put into practice what they learn. I encourage all of my students to do their best, have fun, and above all use their talents for the glory of God.

Katie's Registration Form

​​

​

​

​

Moriah Galicinski

With over 10 years of experience playing violin, Moriah Galicinski is proficient in a variety of genres, including classical, Irish and Celtic fiddle, bluegrass, and worship. She studied at the Annie Moses Conservatory for 7 years with national award-winning, Juilliard-trained Annie Dupre and is currently pursuing violin studies and a career in teaching with Sarah Howell. She has performed at a variety of venues, from country barns to professional studios. She was recently selected as one of the top young high-school students in Middle Tennessee to participate in the MTSBOA orchestra. You can find her on YouTube at youtube.com/@GalicinskiFamilyBand or at www.galicinskifamily.com. When she’s not practicing or performing violin, Moriah enjoys playing mandolin, sewing, gardening, and cooking delicious sourdough bread, all to the glory of God.

​

​

​

​

​

Sarah Howell

Violin, Mandolin, Viola
Sarah is a violinist and mandolinist. As a graduate of the Conservatory of Annie Moses, her studies included focuses on classical technique and repertoire as well as composition and pedagogue, where she studied intensely with Annie Dupre. She joyfully served on the faculty team at the Conservatory for over 5 years. Alongside her classical skills on both instruments she has studied fiddle and folk music extensively. She regularly writes her own music, often collaborating with her singer-songwriter sister, Olivia. You can follow their band, Aster, at astermusic.net and @aster.music.official.
Sarah has performed in orchestras on the stages of the Grand Ole Opry and the Kennedy Center, and has played multiple times at Carnegie Hall, one seated as Concert Master behind CCM artists Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes. She has recorded in many various project settings ranging from original singer-songwriter collaborations to orchestral works. Her graduating portfolio project was a performance music video of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, which can be found on YouTube @sarahmerrittmusic. You can follow her instagram @Sarah.stringplayer to keep updated with opportunities that keep her an active musician.
Sarah has taught at Peachtree Learning Center since 2012, and formally organized Peachtree’s strings program in 2017, of which she is the director. She is certified in the Annie Moses Method and in the Suzuki Method through level 2. She is an active member of the MTSBOA, and has had students participate in the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts and Interlochen Arts Academy, and has high school students play in the Tennessee Tech University Orchestra.
She believes that the pursuit of excellence in music is a powerful tool in the Kingdom of God. Her favorite part of teaching is to see the potential in a child and partner with their family to help train and bring out the most in them, garnering musical and life skills.

​

​

Lucy Knowles

Piano

Lucy is a 2018 homeschool graduate of Daniel 1 Academy. She first came to Peachtree as a student over 10 years ago and has been a part of the handbells program since its inception. Since then she has taught Handbells, Music 1 and 2, Ear Training, Music Theory, Songwriting, and private piano. 

Lucy is a classically and commercially trained pianist, having studied over 15 years. She is a national member of the Piano Guild Auditions, scoring Superior Plus for three consecutive years until she completed the program in 2018. She is currently studying for her certification in piano tuning and repair from Piano Technician Academy. 

Lucy is a prolific composer, songwriter, and arranger. She has composed scores for short films, underscores for live shows, and in 2021 she was selected as a finalist in the Christian Worldview Film Festival scoring competition. She has written several Broadway-style musicals and often arranges music for her classes and Peachtree shows. 

Lucy has a passion for musical excellence and the development of disciplined skill. Since music is a gift we carry into eternity, she believes it is crucial to cultivate it to the glory of God. She is excited to share this vision with Peachtree families.

​

​

Hannah Knowles

Piano

 As well as being an artist, actress, and amateur author, Hannah Knowles is a musician and accomplished pianist, having already studied piano for 11 years. In 2016, her studies shifted to be more classically oriented, and since that time she has also developed her skills as a vocalist, performer, musical arranger/composer, and songwriter (including original musical theatre). Hannah has been with Peachtree since 2011 and currently aides in Art classes and Intro to Drama.

​

​​

​

​

Lydia Love

Sewing

Lydia has been sewing in classes and lessons since she was a very young girl, making her own formals and special clothing for herself and others.  As she has grown, she has learned to love sharing this with younger students as a private sewing teacher. 

​

​

​

​

​

​​​​​​​

Shelby Mitchell

Piano

Shelby Mitchell has been playing the piano for over 22 years, 10 of which were spent teaching private lessons in Savannah, GA.  She was trained primarily classical methodology, but also enjoys exploring jazz and spiritual styles.  She loves helping her students gain a good understanding of piano technique and theory, as well as encouraging them to recognize their God-given creativity as they continue to advance in their knowledge and skill. 

​​

​

​Jacob Sprik

Beginning Guitar

​​

​

​

​

​​​​

Jim West

Piano, Voice, Drums, Guitar

Jim has been teaching music for over 25 years in New England, North Carolina and now in Tennessee. He teaches piano, voice, drums and beginning guitar lessons. Jim uses several reputable curriculums in each instrument and uses recitals to motivate the student as well as showcase their progress.

Jim has been performing and producing music for over 40 years. From as early as 10 years old, he was introduced to a broad variety of musical genres. He was influenced by the writing styles of his parents, who wrote and produced their own musicals. Jim spent many of his early years performing with his brothers in country, pop, jazz and rock genres. He and his brothers owned and operated a recording studio and music lesson studio for many years in Southern New Hampshire. He has continued producing music, and has created arrangements for artists in various styles of music and also performed the vocal tracks along with them. He produced a Grammy nominated children’s album in 2010. Jim received vocal training with Barbara Morash, a graduate of New England Conservatory and Pam Lefebvre, a graduate of Boston University. Jim has been a worship leader for 25 years and currently leads worship at his church in Crossville, Tennessee. Jim has been a music instructor at Village Music School in Cary, NC teaching piano, voice, drums and guitar since 2015 in their after school schedule. His goal is to motivate his students in learning their instrument to their full potential and helping them achieve their musical goals. He strives to create in them a well rounded knowledge of music while loving and enjoying it for the glory of God!