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A Valentine’s Mixtape From Us to You

Dear ,

One of the ways we show care is by sharing the things we love, especially music. As an ’80s kid, I grew up with mixtapes, and they were never just collections of songs. They were expressions of friendship, crushes, and love. We spent hours choosing the perfect tracks, knowing that every song revealed a little piece of who we were. Mixtapes made us vulnerable in the best way.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re keeping that tradition alive with a modern twist. Our team members and staff have created a YouTube playlist filled with songs that inspire love, connection, and good feelings. Think of it as a digital mixtape, made with care, and shared from us to you.

Music, like love, is an expression of our truest selves. We hope these songs bring a smile, spark a memory, or become the soundtrack to a moment you share with someone special this week.

Ready to Listen?

Click below to enjoy our Valentine’s Day playlist and celebrate love, music, and the people who make it all meaningful. 💕🎶

👉Listen to Our Valentine’s Day Playlist 

With gratitude and love,

Allison Jarrell 🎵

Founder & CEO

Keep learning, keep growing, and let the music lead the way.

Celebrating 10 Years of Mark Grundhoefer 🎸💛

While we’re celebrating love and connection, we’re also celebrating an incredible milestone. This month marks 10 years of Mark Grundhoefer being part of the Metro Music Makers family.

Over the past decade, Mark has brought passion, dedication, and heart to everything he does. His impact can be felt in our lessons, our community, and the countless students he’s inspired along the way. We’re so grateful for the care, creativity, and consistency he brings to our team and to Metro Music Makers as a whole.

Thank you, Mark, for ten amazing years and counting.

Welcoming two MORE new teachers to our team!

It's a joy to see our talented team grow, and we're starting off the year with a bang by adding several new teachers to our team! Today, meet Eric and Allison.

Eric Zheng is a privately educated pianist who has seen great success performing in multiple Federation events, including all Superior ratings and being selected for Gold Cup Recitals. He also performed in his high school marching band and in high school musicals.

Eric is passionate about seeing his students succeed. “I want to establish a strong music foundation with students by teaching them fundamentals and habits that will set them up for success in both music and education,” he shares. “I want to show students that they can have fun while pursuing their ambitions.”

Eric likes to engage with his students on multiple levels, like playing mini brain games like Simon Says with younger students to build hand independence early. For older students, he gives advice on STEM classes, a benefit of his degree from Georgia Tech in Chemical Engineering.

Eric’s hobbies are reading, gaming, cooking, and piano. “Piano is a core part of my life, as I usually play piano after a long day at work or studying,” he shares. Classical is Eric’s favorite style of music to play, as he loves the challenging techniques that classical requires. His favorite classical composers are Debussy, Beethoven, and Chopin.

Allison’s education in Vocal Performance and Education was followed by years of teaching experience, including both public school and private voice lessons. She teaches voice across all styles, but specializes in opera, jazz, and musical theater. She also teaches ukulele and beginner piano.

Allison strives to blend technique and pedagogy with excitement and play, hoping that her lessons will inspire a lifelong love of music. “Everyone has a musical talent for something,” she encourages her students. “Never doubt what you can achieve with a little belief and hard work!”

Allison’s most memorable teaching experience was seeing one of her past preschool music students begin to take ballet and piano lessons and move on to now doing local community theater productions. “I will always show up for your performances! “she wants her students to know. “I also love to go to your non-musical events to cheer you on!”

Jazz is Allison’s favorite style of music. “There is something so beautiful about free-form jazz music,” she explains.

Allison’s creativity extends beyond music, with her hobbies including painting and gardening. She also loves playing Animal Crossing. Allison has two cats who she says are her biggest supporters.