Teachers / Staff
Their teaching experience, passion for the piano and education in Piano Pedagogy and Performance creates a wonderful learning experinence for any age or level inspiring pianist.
2023 National Conference for Keyboard Pedagogy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Margie Nelson
Teacher and Business Owner
Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, Westminster Choir College
“One of my favorite aspects of teaching is when students make their own realizations about music. I love when they share them with me. I love to laugh with my students because we are doing something so special and sacred with each other. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than collaborate about music with the students.”
Margie established The Piano Studio in September of 2006. She started The Piano Studio simply to offer an opportunity for anyone who had an interest or great desire to learn how to play the piano. For the past 15 years, The Piano Studio has moved four times because it continues to grow. “We offer a fun learning environment that keeps students excited about their music and at the same time learning to be very musical pianists”.
Margie earned her Master’s Degree from Westminster Choir College in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy. She also studied and worked with Frances Clark and Louise Goss who were the founders of an Internationally known ‘The Music Tree’ Piano Studies. She is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association as well as the Royal Academy of Music and the ABRSM’s exams.
Allison Fog
Teacher and Educational Director
Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, Southern Methodist University
Allison Fog has been teaching piano privately and in group settings since 2000, and she is very excited to start her second year at The Piano Studio. She believes that music study benefits our lives cognitively, emotionally, and physically, and is committed to the idea that there is music in every person.
Ms. Fog earned her Master’s Degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. While there, she studied piano pedagogy with Sam Holland and performance with Al Mouledous. Previously, Ms. Fog served on the faculty with Margie Nelson at The New School for Music Study in Kingston, NJ. While there, she wrote the curriculum for the school’s yearly performance and theory evaluations, called Piano Progressions. Since 2017, Ms. Fog has also served as choral accompanist for the Flemington-Raritan school district.
Julia Jasnosz
Teacher
Bachelor of Music in Music Education, Ithaca College
Julia Jasnosz is a music teacher from the Princeton, New Jersey area. She graduated from Ithaca College as a piano major with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. She has been studying the piano for 17 years and her extensive classical training serves as a solid foundation for her abilities to play in a variety of styles including pop, rock, and musical theater. Her areas of expertise are in teaching the piano, voice, songwriting, ear training, and any level of music theory (including jazz theory). She prioritizes teaching you the music that you are interested in and will have you playing from the very first lesson! She is very excited to help you achieve your goals and guide you along your musical journey.
Charlie Banta
Teacher
Bachelor of Music in Composition – Piano
Charlie is a rising composer and pianist, receiving his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in 2022. With his interest in composition, Charlie brings a creative and analytical approach to teaching the piano. He hopes that this approach will serve his students not only at the keyboard, but in life as well. Whether tutoring music theory or collaborating with singers and instrumentalists, he has always enjoyed helping others discover their talent. Charlie is pleased to join The Piano Studio to share his musicianship and inspire his students through teaching. You can expect from Charlie a friendly personality and a desire to enhance your knowledge and proficiency of the music you love.
Olivia Pascarella
Teacher
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, Westminster Choir College
“There’s nothing I would rather be doing than teaching piano.” Olivia started teaching at age 13 and has been enamored ever since. She later went on to earn a Bachelors in Music degree with a focus in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. She then continued on to post-grad performance studies with Juilliard professor Noreen Cassidy Polera. For the past 30 years, Ms. Olivia has been teaching students of all ages and abilities, regularly preparing students for recitals, concerts, college auditions and juries. She hopes to facilitate a magical musical experience in each lesson by creating a safe space filled with creativity, humor and deep learning. “Teaching and connecting is my heart, and what I do as easily as breathing.”
Ms. Liv is a ballroom and Latin dancer and an avid lover of Afro-Caribbean music. She lives in Hamilton Square NJ with her two free-flying, rescue birds, Emilio and Maya