Skylark Music School (formerly Kathleen's Piano and Voice) was founded by Kathleen Jasinskas in 2014. We are family owned and operated, and serve students throughout the Triangle!
Our mission is to create a loving, supportive environment for musical study, where our students are free to express themselves, while gaining musical literacy skills that will serve them for years to come.
We are proud of our excellent teaching staff, all of whom have advanced degrees in their chosen musical field, and unique teaching styles and musical perspectives. We truly believe there is a great teacher for every type of student here, and hope you will enjoy being a part of this community.
Kathleen Jasinskas, Owner
Anthony Roncolato
Piano & Voice
Anthony is a classically trained pianist and vocalist from Emmaus, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Penn State University in 2019 and taught elementary school music and private piano and voice lessons in Colorado over the past two years. He is new to the Triangle, and draws from his skills as a multi-instrumentalist (accordion, electronics, and trombone to name a few) to help students pave their own musical path. Above all, he loves to see his students thrive when they are given the support and encouragement they need to succeed.
Colleen Walsh
First Steps in Music
Colleen is a Wisconsin native, who moved to North Carolina in 1990 where she worked in museums and historic sites for many years. Around 1999, her lifelong desire to learn how to be a better singer caught up with her, so she took the plunge and auditioned for the School of Music at UNCG. Success! In 2002, she graduated with her music education degree and joined the Alamance-Burlington School System, where she taught general K-5 music for 17 years. In addition to teaching, Colleen has participated in the music ministry at her church throughout the years and has also been involved in local musical theater productions. Now that she is retired, she focuses on volunteer work to alleviate hunger in her community, and arranges, and records songs from the First Steps in Music curriculum for music teachers and families. Check out her YouTube channel: “Music with Colleen T. Walsh.”
Gillian Fields
Piano & Voice
Gillian Fields earned her BM in Vocal Performance from Meredith College, and went on to complete a MM from the Hartt School of Music at UCONN. In addition to a robust singing career, she also has extensive experience as a classical pianist and accompanist. Gillian guides her students to have a solid technical foundation, but more importantly, she develops her students ability to find meaning behind their music.
Kathleen Jasinskas
Piano & Voice
Kathleen is an active classical and musical theatre performer, graduate of The Juilliard School, and the owner of Skylark Music School. Her teaching philosophy revolves around creating individual lesson plans to suit each student's needs and interests. She is especially gifted with young children, and has been honored to teach several students who have gone on to become prodigious high-school and college musicians.
Leah Kocian
Piano
Leah Kocian is a consummate teacher, having instructed students from age 6-56 in Piano, Music, Dance, Math, Reading, Writing (including essays for college entrance), and Stress Management. She studied Music Theory and Performance at Hunter College and Stony Brook University in New York City.
Molly Barnes
Piano & Violin
Molly is a violinist and musicologist from Davidson, North Carolina. She moved to the Triangle in 2010 where earned her master's and Ph.D. in musicology from UNC-Chapel Hill. After working at UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC-Greensboro for several years, Molly moved to the UK where she taught music history at Durham University from 2019-2022. In addition to teaching university classes, Molly enjoys choral singing and playing the viola da gamba and baroque violin. She has taught private music lessons for over 15 years, and loves to watch students achieve musical goals they first thought unattainable.
Peter Constantinou
Piano
Peter Constantinou is a classically trained pianist who began studying music when he was 8 years old. He grew up on the coast of North Carolina, and earned a BA in Photography and Media Arts and a minor in music at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. Peter enjoys arranging music for the piano as well as creating improvisational pieces in the classical style. He believes that music lessons should be about fostering self confidence, and learning to use the piano as a creative tool for self expression.
Sarah Poythress
Piano & Voice
Sarah Poythress is a classically trained vocalist and pianist from Dallas, Texas. She grew up playing piano since age 5 and has been singing ever since she can remember. For many years Sarah participated in youth choirs and theatre programs, which fostered an early love for classical and musical theater singing. This led her to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance as well a minor in Piano Pedagogy from Elon University. Along with solo piano and voice, Sarah has experience as a piano accompanist, choral director, and handbell performer. As a teacher she believes that every student has the ability to learn and create beautiful music. Sarah strives to provide a nurturing and safe environment for all of her students to succeed.
Sarah Town
Piano & Voice
Sarah is a musician, dancer, educator, and scholar with a passion for fostering self-expression and community building through music. She is a classically trained pianist and vocalist whose repertoire and interests range from Bach and art song through jazz, Latin, folk, and popular music. She holds a PhD in Musicology from Princeton University and the title of Instrutora within the Grupo Senzala de Capoeira. As an educator, she works with students to develop discipline and attention to detail alongside playfulness and creativity
Savanna Strange
Piano & Voice
Savanna Strange is a classical soprano who attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she earned a BM in Vocal Performance. She also attended Mitchell Community College in Statesville, NC where she earned an AMus and Music Education. Music has always been dear to her heart. Growing up, she was a member of the Winston-Salem Youth Chorus where her love for singing and music grew even more. She started playing guitar and ukulele when she was 15 years old, and piano shortly after. She is also a certified yoga teacher and believes that great singing comes from great breath support and being comfortable in your body.
Stacy Paper
Piano & Voice
Stacy Paper has been playing piano since Kindergarten when she was given the choice of private lessons or gym class. She had no interest in sweating, so opted for music lessons. She fell in love hard and realized that music was an amazing way to express herself. In high school she began exploring vocal training, going on to eventually leave for college as a Musical Theatre major, which eventually became a Theatre Education degree. While in college she had the opportunity to perform in multiple honor choirs, in professional theatres within the Midwest and was awarded a National American College of Theatre award as an Outstanding Musical Theatre performer. She has been teaching piano and voice for over a decade and loves seeing her students grow as musicians and humans.
Stephen Armstrong
Piano
Stephen Armstrong is a pianist, organist, and choir director from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He holds a master's degree in piano performance from Michigan State University and a doctorate in music history from the Eastman School of Music. Stephen recently moved to the Triangle in search of sunshine, and he now serves as the interim Minister of Music at Trinity United Methodist Church in Durham, NC. He has taught and performed professionally since his late teens. Stephen is passionate about helping students connect music's structure with its emotional sweep, and he emphasizes improvisational skills alongside traditional literacy and technical development.