Our Team

Erica Fedor, PhD—Piano, Music Theory (online only)

Erica is an experienced educator who has been teaching piano, music theory, music history, and cello for over 12 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Musicology from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she also worked as a Lecturer. Eager to guide students on their creative journeys with support and enthusiasm, Erica takes a collaborative, student-centered approach to lessons. She happily works with students of all ages and excels in customizing lessons to students’ individual goals and interests. Erica loves celebrating her students’ accomplishments and sharing the joys of music and self-expression with others! 

Erica encourages the development of well-rounded musicians by promoting healthy technical foundations, fostering students’ artistic voices, and discussing music’s historical and cultural contexts. Her teaching style is influenced by her own teachers and mentors, particularly Kathy Hansen’s use of game-based learning and Dr. Louis Goldstein’s intellectual curiosity. 

In addition to her one-on-one work with students, Erica greatly enjoys classroom teaching. Prior to joining the Harmony Music Studios team, Erica taught English in the Czech Republic through the Fulbright Program. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

Milton Fernández Peña, PhD—Piano, Music Theory (English and Spanish)

Originally from the Dominican Republic, pianist Milton Fernández Peña began his musical studies at an early age at the Dina Music Academy in his home country. He holds a BM in Piano Performance summa cum laude from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, an M.M. and Performance Artist Certificate from Stephen F. Austin State University, an M.M. in Arts administration, and a D.M.A. in Piano Performance from The University of Oregon.

Fernández Peña keeps an active career performing on national and international stages and has served as a soloist with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Santo Domingo, the Camerata Washington Heights, and the Camerata Mozart Caribe. In 2015, he was accepted as a member of the American Association of Musicians of Honor. His teachers include Andrew Parr, Claire Wachter, and Dean Kramer, the last student of Vladimir Horowitz.

https://www.miltonfernandezp.com/

Michael Cohn—Piano, Voice, Music Theory

Originally from San Diego, California, Michael Cohn received his Master of Fine Arts in Piano Performance at the University of California, Irvine in 2021. He also received his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of California, San Diego in 2017. Classical piano is his main instrument, but he also has a love for jazz which led him to play the saxophone, clarinet, and flute growing up. Some of his favorite composers include Brahms, Beethoven, Clara Schumann, and Antonin Dvorak, although his musical interests are not solely focused on classical music. He also enjoys alternative and classic rock, especially the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who and Weezer. Michael has been teaching music since 2012 during his freshman year of college. His teaching is solely student-centered, with a focus on making music fun and engaging, while diving deeply into skills and technique along the way. His dreams and aspirations for music are to continue teaching as well as to continue performing, and to one day, earn his doctorate and become a college professor. 

Growing up in San Diego, California, he spent most of his time delving into the world of music, or competitively swimming. He was also a dedicated swimmer and was privileged to further his swimming career at the collegiate level while at UCSD. In June of 2022, he moved to Chapel Hill along with his wife, Rachel so she could begin med school at UNC Chapel Hill. Now in his free time, you can usually find him outdoors, hiking, cycling, running or swimming.

Alain Arvelo—Piano, Voice, Music Theory

Born in Harlem, New York and based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Alain Arvelo received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Mars Hill University, studying under Dr. Joel Reed. After graduating from Mars Hill University in 2016, Alain has focused on primarily recital and private performances. He now studies under the tutelage of Raoul Simon Düsterhaus. Armed with a precocious talent, a bottomless curiosity and an inexhaustible tenacity, Alain has been performing operatic repertoire and recitals since the age of 14. Alain has performed in productions of: Cosi fan tutte, L’elisir d’amore, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Werther, Manon, Rigoletto, Roméo et Juliette, La Traviata & Lucia di lammermoor.

Lillian Park—Piano, Voice, Music Theory

Lillian is a singer, pianist, educator, and composer/arranger. She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University's music program, receiving a B.A. in Music with concentrations in Music Education and Jazz Studies. During her undergraduate years, she performed in the classical and jazz categories in both voice and piano. She also spent a semester student teaching high school chorus.

Kyle Finley—Piano, Music Theory

Kyle is a pianist, performer, and music teacher who currently is pursuing a double major in music and chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has had a strong passion for music and is excited to share this passion through teaching. Kyle is an experienced pianist who performs in concerts hosted by the UNC Department of Music. He regularly challenges himself through piano competitions, and he currently is preparing for the MTNA–Stecher and Horowitz competition. In addition to his piano pursuits, Kyle enjoys playing the clarinet, and has participated in numerous orchestras and chamber music groups including the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute and the Triangle Youth Philharmonic.

Emma Lincoln—Piano, voice, guitar, woodwinds, music theory

Originally from Naples, New York, Emma Lincoln received her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Fredonia School of Music in 2022. With a concentration in voice, she also teaches piano, guitar, ukulele, music theory, flute, and saxophone. 

After finishing her degree, Emma moved to Chapel Hill, NC where she spent her first year of teaching at E. M. Yoder Elementary, and Pleasant Grove Elementary Schools teaching PreK-5th grade music, as well as after school 4th-5th grade music clubs for each school. She will be starting at her new position teaching K-5th grade music at McDougle Elementary School this upcoming year and is so excited for her new chapter. 

Emma is so excited to continue teaching music in the classroom, while also being able to be a part of the Harmony Music Studios! She has experience performing and teaching many genres of music such as musical theater, opera, choral, and loves to listen to contemporary pop music. In her free time she loves to play guitar, read, hike, catch up with her family (and dogs) back in New York, and wakesurf! 

Katie MacLeod—Voice, piano, music theory

Katie is a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina, holding a Bachelor of Music with a focus in Education, and a Certificate in Vocal Performance.

Following graduation, Katie stayed local to Columbia, SC where she gained valuable teaching experience as the full-time music teacher at Rice Creek Elementary School. Here she taught students aged PreK through fifth grade, as well as an after-school chorus for fourth and fifth graders. Her teaching style is influenced by Gordon’s Music Learning Theory (MLT) which is based on the idea that music development is strongly rooted in audiation, or “thinking” the music. She takes a music-play approach to her lessons and loves to incorporate improvisation and creativity based activities whenever possible to help instill a love for music in each of her students. Outside of school hours, she also spent time working at First Presbyterian Church, teaching Sight-Singing and Music Theory to the church’s children's choirs.

As a member of the Chamber Choir and Chancel Choir, she was a featured mezzo-soprano soloist in several choral works, such as: J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Cantata 150, and Cantata 34; G.F. Handel’s Messiah; and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

After 10 years in South Carolina, Katie is thrilled to begin a new adventure in Durham, North Carolina to take what she’s learned during these past six years in the classroom and apply it to a more one-on-one style of music development. When she’s not teaching music, you may be able to find Katie enjoying the outdoors, practicing yoga, or playing with her dog, DJ. She cannot wait to begin building new relationships and making music with the students of Harmony Music Studios!

Sandra Stott Benavides—Piano, Music Theory (English and Spanish)

Sandra Stott Benavides has worked as an educator and tutor for over 25 years. Sandra taught overseas in Bogota, Colombia for 14 years, first as a grade-school teacher and then as a music teacher and high-school chorus director. After returning to the US, she taught public elementary school music, utilizing her Spanish skills as a translator and interpreter. She has also tutored high-school students in Intermediate level Spanish. She currently holds a state teaching license in NC in music education (K–12) and ESL.

Sandra has a Bachelor's degree in Applied Music—Piano & Voice from UNC Greensboro. She has taught private piano for 30 years, and currently is the music minister, choral director, and accompanist at a church in Chapel Hill

Eden Jones—Violin, Piano, Music Theory

Eden Jones is a musician, composer, and music educator originally from Wisconsin. She recently moved to the Chapel Hill area to begin her studies in musicology as a PhD student at UNC. Eden received her MA in Music from Houghton University where she also held the position of Concertmaster of the Houghton Symphony Orchestra between 2021-2023. Prior to that she spent five years teaching English as well as performing music across South Korea. She received her B.A. in English with a minor in Violin Performance from Liberty University in 2014. Eden has been teaching violin (beginner to advanced levels) and piano (beginner) for over fifteen years. She utilizes a mixture of Suzuki and traditional methods in her teaching and is passionate about instilling a love for music in her students. Eden focuses on developing the balanced musician, emphasizing early development of ear training and proper technique, and building to other key skills such as theory, note reading, improvisation, and expression.

In her approach, Eden strives to understand students’ individual learning styles as well as what motivates them and will keep them engaged in learning music, hopefully for years to come. A classically trained violinist from the age of four, Eden has a deep appreciation for the richness of classical music but also enjoys performing and teaching many other genres of music from folk to pop as well as sacred and contemporary Christian music. For her, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing her students succeed in their musical endeavors.

Thomas Davis—Piano, Music Theory (online only)

Thomas is a pianist, singer/songwriter, composer/improviser, and educator who specializes in Jazz, Classical, and Contemporary styles of music.

Lessons with Thomas depend on each student’s musical interests, but will include injury-preventative technique, the intersection of ear training and theory, sight singing/reading, and artistry (vision & phrasing). Whether focusing on written music or improvised music, lessons will explore what it means to be a creative musician with a unique voice. Thomas has experience working with both beginners and advanced students, with ages ranging from 6 to 60.

In 2013 Thomas received UNC Chapel Hill’s highest compositional honor (the Thelma Thompson Composition Award) for his setting of Walt Whitman’s Whispers of Heavenly Death, and in 2014 he was published via NoteNova Choral Music Publishing in Manhattan, NYC.

Notable performances include representing the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) at Leonard Bernstein’s 2019 Centennial Celebration (showcasing an improvisation on themes from Bernstein’s Spring Will Come Again), and being chosen to represent NEC’s Contemporary Improvisation Department at the 2019 Spring Commencement Ceremony with his original composition Zen and the Art of Buttering Bread.

Since receiving his Graduate Diploma in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2019 Thomas has spent the majority of his time performing original works and hymns, working with his students, and developing his artistic voice.

Ari Lindenbaum—Piano, Music Theory, Synthesizer & Electronic Music

Ari is a composer, pianist and educator. He believes that music is a great way to creatively express oneself and create meaningful experiences with others. Ari studied music composition at the university of South Carolina and in his own practice plays piano and uses compositional techniques to play and program synthesizers to create electronic music.

Ari is interested in all types of music and teaches: classical, jazz, and popular music and he works with students to create lessons based on their interests to help them achieve their goals. Ari’s lessons include performance pieces, music theory, technique, ear training as well as composition and improvisation. Ari believes that learning music should feel joyful, even with the challenge it can present, which is why he strives to create a friendly environment for students to learn and grow. Ari loves seeing the spark of inspiration people get when they learn or compose music, and he is driven to foster and encourage that spark.

Ari also teaches keyboard classes for Kidznotes in partnership with Durham Children's Initiative.