Joseph Hoffman began playing the piano at age 6. In high school, he studied with Alfred Mouledous, pianist for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. At Brigham Young University, Mr. Hoffman continued his musical training, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Music in 2000 (emphasis in Voice and Piano), and a Master of Music degree in 2005.
In 2002, Mr. Hoffman began teaching private piano and voice lessons. He quickly realized that being an excellent teacher demanded more than simply knowing how to play the piano well himself. Over the next several years, as his studio grew, he made it his personal quest to study all he could about childhood learning theory and actively sought out the very best methods of teaching piano. This led him to a serious study of many teaching methods and philosophies, including Suzuki, Kodaly, and Musikgarten. In his teaching, Mr. Hoffman draws upon his diverse musical training and experience to create a rich and engaging learning experience for each of his students.

Joseph Hoffman also has many credits to his name as a composer, teacher, conductor, and performer. He is a commissioned arranger of choral music, and his compositions and arrangements have been heard in many performance halls. When he can't seem to find the right piece for a piano student, he has been known to simply write or arrange it himself.

After receiving his Master's Degree in Music in 2005, Mr. Hoffman was appointed to the music faculty of Brigham Young University where he taught Music Theory and conducted the University Chorale.

In May 2007, Mr. Hoffman left his studio of over 40 students in Provo, Utah to make a new home for his family (consisting of wife Kelly and sons Isaac and Eli) in Portland.

Teachers:
(click on name to see bio)


Intern:




After graduating, Mahroo decided to continue her musical education in the United States. She moved to Eugene, Oregon and studied Music Composition and Piano Performance at the University of Oregon under Dr. Wachter and Dr. Riley.

Currently, Mahroo is in her final months of her Master's Degree in Piano Performance & Pedagogy at Portland State University where she was awarded the "Olsen Piano Scholarship" for 2 consecutive years.

She has been teaching piano for the past 10 years in different locations, including Tehran, Eugene, Corvallis and Portland.

"My goal is to give back to the community and share the joy of music with people."
Ms. Denis continued her education at the Ohio State University, where she earned a Master of Music degree in 2004. Following graduation, Ms. Denis was employed as an Instructor of Music at Villa Maria College in Buffalo NY, where she taught on both the college and pre-college division faculties. Ms. Denis also received the honor of accompanying guest artist recitals punctuated by a performance with Jacek Muzyk, principal French Horn with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Determined to further her education, Ms. Denis entered the University of Memphis' graduate music program on a full Class Piano teaching assistantship. Presently, Ms. Denis has obtained ABD Status in the doctoral music program, and is in the preliminary stages of writing her dissertation on the piano music of Anatol Liadov.

Ms. Denis has previously studied with several noted pianists and pedagogues including Robert Jordan, Barbara Lister Sink, Caroline Hong, Sean Duggan, and Samuel Viviano. She has had training in the Taubman Method of piano technique and attributes this training to a more natural approach to playing the piano. She has completed further piano studies at the Brevard Music Center and the Heifetz International Music Institute and has recently completed training in the Suzuki Method.

Anne Denis has won numerous awards including the Bromeley Piano Scholarship at SUNY Fredonia, First Place in the 2004 Erie Music Teachers Association Scholarship Competition, and is a two time prize winner in the Memphis Beethoven Club's Young Artist Competition.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Warner Pacific College; in addition to developing his piano performance skills as a soloist and accompanist, he regularly sang in the choral program and spent a year as a timpanist in the Wind Ensemble.  He also served as a theory tutor and academic mentor, and at commencement was award the Marshall K. Christensen Award for Excellence in Scholarship.  He went on to earn a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Portland State University, where he served a Graduate Teaching Assistant for class piano.

Throughout college and graduate school, David has maintained a small private studio and served as a freelance accompanist; recent roles include being the accompanist for Christian Youth Theatre’s Les Miserables and Beaverton Civic Theatre’s The Fantasticks! He has also been active in smaller venues, accompanying students in various studio recitals and at local competitions.

In addition to teaching at Hoffman Academy, David currently serves as the Music Director at Grace and Truth Bible Church, and as a Staff Accompanist at Pacific University in Forest Grove.  He is pursuing national certification as an Andover Educator, educating musicians about the anatomical structure of the body and how to use it well, a field he began exploring while a graduate student.

Previous teachers include Jan Mittelstaedt, Ruth Yerden, Susan Chan, and Lisa Marsh.  He has performed in master classes for Greg Partain, Paul Roberts, Ori Shaham, and George Lopez.
Joseph Berman models his teaching on the philosophy that music is a joy to be experienced by all, and that rigorous and passionate study can be applied to any style of music. Well-versed in rock, pop, blues, jazz, and classical guitar, as well as composition and songwriting, Joseph has most certainly taken his philosophy to heart. His education began at age 6, when he first studied the piano. In high school, his focus shifted to rock and jazz, and he soon picked up the guitar, bass, and drums. As his dedication to jazz grew, he was awarded the guitar chair in the Level I band of the prestigious Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra. This passion followed him throughout college, where he pursued a Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance at American University, and a Master’s in Studio/Jazz Writing at the University of Miami.

Anne Denis developed an interest in teaching while completing a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance at the State University of New York College at Fredonia. Her music class had decided to collectively volunteer at a local elementary school to teach beginning piano lessons to disadvantaged students.

David Rivas is a locally raised and trained classical pianist.  Starting lessons at the age of 10, he quickly developed a passion for music and the piano, and began pursuing the goal of making it his career.  During high school, he worked his way through the OMTA’s Syllabus program, completing both the standard Level X and an advanced Level XI developed by his teacher.  He performed regularly in the OMTA’s Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Ensemble Festivals, as well as the NFMC’s Solo and Concerto Junior Festival events. A program he particularly enjoyed was that of a student composer in the fEARnoMUSIC Young Composer’s Project.
Mahroo Hamedani began studying piano at the age of seven. From a young age, she performed in concerts and competitions. She finished her B.A. in music from Tehran, Iran University (principal teachers were Seda Karapetian, Nasser Nazar, and Farman Behboud) where she achieved third place in the First Collegiate Piano Competition. 


Becca Schultz has been making music on the piano since she was 5 years old.  Becca recently received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Piano Performance from Portland State University and studied under Darrell Grant, Lisa Marsh, and Brian Ward.  During her time studying with Lisa Marsh, Becca became interested in Body Mapping, Coordinate Movement, and the Taubman Method, all of which foster knowledge of the body and graceful, effective movement at the piano.  Becca received the Leadership in  Undergraduate Research Award in 2011 and, after research on these methods, developed her own technique that relates these principles to young beginning piano students.    
Besides playing jazz and improvised music, she also enjoys playing classical, experimental, and rock music, and plays with a few local bands around town.  She currently writes classically-inspired progressive rock music for the upcoming Portland band Minds Align (www.MindsAlign.com).  In 2008, Becca became certified in Kodály Level I music instruction.  Also an avid singer, she sang in the IMEA Illinois All-State Honors Chorus in 2006.  Her teaching approach is holistic and tuned to each student’s individual strengths and needs.  Fluent in composing, performing, and teaching, Becca motivates her students to reach their own creative musical potential while deepening their awareness of movement.

Today, Joseph divides his time between Portland’s small-but-thriving contemporary jazz scene, and it’s not-so-small and beyond thriving indie rock scene. His music can be heard at numerous venues throughout the Portland area, where he performs regularly both under his own name and as a sideman.
Professionally, Michelle has taught music in the Illinois and Connecticut public school systems. She was involved with the Illinois Music Educators Association, and served for 2 years as professional development chair to District III. Michelle also worked as the Chancel and Bell Choir Director at the First United Methodist Church of Urbana where she often accompanied soloists or provided special music herself. Michelle particularly enjoys working one on one with students and, while in Illinois, maintained a small private studio, teaching piano and voice lessons to students of all ages.

One of Michelle’s passions is the stage, and she loves being involved in both Opera and Broadway productions. She has been onstage with the University of Illinois Opera Theater, Champaign-Urbana Theater Company (CUTC), and Danville Light Opera. Her favorite show to date is “Hello Dolly,” where Michelle sang the role of Irene Molloy. Through CUTC, Michelle had the opportunity to work with many aspects of production, including stage and vocal directing, orchestra conducting, accompanying rehearsals, playing piano in the pit, and arranging. Michelle also produced five different Broadway Jr. Musicals with her students while working in the Bement and Champaign public school districts.

Michelle Bahr recently relocated to the area with her husband, two beagles, and three cats. She is excited to bring her experiences, enthusiasm, and love of music to students at the Hoffman Academy!

Michelle Bahr has been making music on the piano, in choir, and on stage for as long as she can remember. She holds both a Bachelors in Music Education and Masters in Music degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though classically trained in piano and voice, Michelle enjoys working with all types of music from standard repertoire to more contemporary styles. Michelle has additional training in Kindermusik, Alexander Technique, and is certified in Nurtured Heart Training.


Our Teachers

Our teachers have been carefully selected and we are confident they will provide the quality level of education that you expect at Hoffman Academy of Music. In addition to being highly qualified, our teachers go through regular training to ensure each teacher is educated in the Hoffman Academy method of teaching music. We invite you to read our teacher bios below and see for yourself why we are so proud of our instructors.

Your child’s safety is very important to us. We perform background checks on each of our teachers in order to ensure they are appropriate to work with children and youth. We want you to feel comfortable that your child is in good hands when they are with any instructor at Hoffman Academy.



Patrick Csak is a composer, pianist, and drummer from Portland, Oregon. He began studying piano at the age of six, and continued until age eleven. Throughout middle-school he dabbled in the trumpet and percussion. In high-school he began teaching himself to play the drums. It was a casual pursuit at first, but he soon began making progress. 


Patrick started his college education at Portland State University in 2007, intending to study architecture. After one term of architecture and music classes, he decided to figure out how to get into the music program. The only option was to get into the jazz department, as he was only proficient enough on the drums. Having no prior knowledge or experience of jazz, he immersed himself right away. In the next two years he was playing in the university’s big band and jazz combos, as well as gigs around town.

In 2009 Patrick was accepted to the upper-division composition program at PSU. He began studying composition with Bonnie Miksch, and won PSU’s Composition Competition in 2010. During this time, he also rediscovered his proclivity for playing piano. He began studying piano with Lisa Marsh.

In the past year, Patrick has played in multiple concerts with PSU’s New Music Ensemble, on synthesizer and piano. He has also conducted the same New Music Ensemble, premiering four new student works in the spring of 2011. With four of his schoolmates he has founded Portland Piano Club, a non-profit organization that has several successful concerts to its name.


Nicholas Fontana, a native of Covington, Louisiana, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Piano Performance. While pursuing his undergraduate degree he studied under Michael Gurt, Paula G. Manship Distinguished Professor of Piano, Professor of Piano, Gregory Sioles, and with Jan Grimes, head of the collaborative piano program at LSU. He is a two-time recipient of the King Sollberger Piano Scholarship, the Jack Guerry Piano Scholarship, and the Louisiana Music Award. 


A recent transplant from the south, he relocated to the Portland area to pursue his master’s degree in music. Nicholas is currently studying under Portland State University’s Director of Coordinated Movement Lisa Marsh.

In 2010 Nicholas served on the faculty at the New York State Summer School for the Arts as a choral accompanist and coach. He was also a scholarship participant in the Hot Springs Music Festival as well as in the New Orleans Loyola Institute for Young Artist. He is a three-time state finalist in the LMTA Torgrimson-Swanzy Piano Rally Competition and three-time recipient of the Louisiana Music Teachers Association Music Scholarship.

Nicholas has been teaching privately, and through performing arts academies since the age of 17. While in Baton Rouge he was a piano instructor at the Louisiana State University Academy for the Performing Arts and at Baton Rouge’s Dance Center and School for the Performing Arts.

Most recently Nicholas toured the south eastern United States performing a series of recitals featuring the German lieder of Johannes Brahms and Hugo Wolf in collaboration with baritone Brian Bonin.

He is currently the pianist and rehearsal accompanist at Metropolitan Community Church in downtown Portland.



Alisa Williams began playing piano at the age of 4 and has been playing, working and teaching ever since.

In 2003, Alisa was hired at Smyrna UCC as a choral accompanist and has been there for 8 years now.

Upon moving to Vancouver, WA in 2008 with husband Chad Williams, Alisa was hired at Mill Plain UMC as a Music Director. She manages and directs a praise band and handles all music selections for the contemporary service. The praise band has been gaining more exposure over the last couple years, traveling to performances at other churches and venues, beach retreats and local benefit concerts.

Aside from her work as a director and performer, Alisa has been teaching piano for 8 years. She draws upon her experiences and music education to provide an engaging and motivating environment for students of all ages.

Alisa has a repertoire of her own compositions that she is currently working on recording. In her spare time, she is a diligent community supporter and performs at benefit concerts that support local charities. Most recently, Alisa developed and executed a benefit concert called the “Couv’ Groove” which supported our local homeless population.

Overall, Alisa possesses a tremendous love of music and most importantly, she enjoys sharing that love along with her talent and knowledge to her students and her community.


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