Instructors

 
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Brian Curella

Brian Curella, founder and owner of Flying Hands School of the Arts, began playing the guitar at 9 years old at Cot Haynes School of Music. He played his first gig at the age of 11. Brian studied for 3 years in Bellarmine’s jazz program and Music Business at Belmont University in Nashville. In 1982, Brian took a teaching position at the Doo Wop Shop and left in 1997 to start his own school. He also taught 2 years at Louisville Academy of Music. Brian actively composes music for national film and commercials.

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Don Leffler

Don Leffler has over 50 years experience teaching  Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin and Bass guitar. He has been a professional  musician for over 60 years! D. is also one of the original Monarchs. He has recorded music and has traveled around to play  music.

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Sean Sullivan

Sean is a graduate of Bellarmine University’s Jazz Performance and Music Technology programs and attended the University of Louisville School of Music for graduate work in Music Theory as well as Jazz Performance.  He has been teaching privately for 5 years in bass guitar, upright bass, guitar, music theory and recording engineering.  He loves helping his students broaden their musical vocabulary, and guiding students to better understand music as a whole.  He loves watching his students grow in their development as musicians and helping them have a deeper understanding and connection to their music.

Jeremy McMonigle

Jeremy McMonigle holds a BA in music with an emphasis in percussion from Northern Kentucky University. He has been teaching private drum lessons for 12 years in the Cincinnati and Louisville areas. He currently performs and records with a Louisville based band, Young Widows, that tours nationally and internationally several times throughout the year. On June 2, 2011 they were featured nationally on NPR's song of the day. Jeremy also performs as a percussionist with Chamber Winds Louisville, conducted by Dr. Fred Speck, Director of Bands at the University of Louisville.

Seth Nunes

Seth began drumming and receiving  lessons in 5th grade. Since then, he has played with different bands. He enjoys playing very technical contemporary music but enjoy all genres. In

 2019 Seth received a  Certificate of Drums from Berklee College of Music.

Anna Laverty

Anna Laverty (b. 2001) is a Dean’s List student at the University of Louisville, School of Music, majoring in Violin Performance. She has studied violin since she was eight years old, and is currently a student of Professor Brittany MacWilliams. Her previous instructors include Neal Green and Alvin MacWilliams. In 2018, Laverty accepted her nomination to travel and perform with the Kentucky Ambassadors of Music Orchestra in England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Germany. She also held an internship under Emily Gallagher in the Scribner Middle School Orchestra, and has experience as a former Music Education Student. Laverty has been hired to play for weddings, graduations, Christmas and Easter Church services, and the Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law Graduation.

Taylor Wallace

Taylor is from Ohio where she was concertmaster at the Hamilton-Fairfield Youth Orchestra. She has a Bachelors in Music; Violin Performance from Miami University, Oxford. She was president of the symphony there. She also performed in Italy with a string chamber. She is working on a Masters in String Pedagogy at UL. She is Suzuki certified and teaches piano, viola and cello, along with violin.

Lana Finley

Lana Finley is a University of Louisville Music therapy student, with an emphasis in voice. Vocal primary Experience is in All-State Choir. She has also sung the national anthem for UofL basketball and is involved in the music program at her local church. Lana is enthusiastic and has an easy demeanor to work with.

Kiki Pastor-Richard

Kiki Pastor-Richard (b. 2001) is a Dean's List student at the University of Louisville, School of Music. She is currently majoring in Music Therapy with a Vocal emphasis. She has studied voice since she was ten years old, and is currently a student of Professor Emily Albrink. Kiki was a member of the KMEA All State Choirs from 2017-2020. She is trained in both Classical music and Musical Theatre and has performed in shows such as "Footloose" and "Guys and Dolls". Kiki really enjoys watching her students grow, and making meaningful connections with her students.


Landon Vandergriff

Landon is a student at University of Louisville where he is studying classical guitar with Dr. Stephen Mattingly. He has been playing guitar since the age of 8 and has since picked up bass, piano, mandolin, and ukulele. Landon is trained in classical guitar, but loves to teach and play anything from rock, blues, and metal to jazz, funk, and even bluegrass. You can find him playing in musicals around Louisville, performing with his band, or playing a classical guitar recital. Landon loves working with students of all ages and loves to help them further their musical goals.

Terrence McCarty

Terrence teaches brass and piano performance in jazz and classical styles. He is skilled in jazz, classical, and contemporary music. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Kentucky State university. He began learning trombone at age 10 in his hometown of Detroit. Since then he has played in America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Circle City Classic, and many parades across the country. He has performed jazz in cities in France, Germany, and Denmark.

Matthew Meredith

Matthew Meredith is a graduate of Western Kentucky University with a Bachelors degree in Classical Piano. Currently, he is seeking his second degree in Music Composition under Dr. Ogden and continuing piano lessons under Dr. Petrova at the University of Louisville where his music was chosen to be performed in the Student Gala of the 2023 Spring semester. He has been playing piano sense the 2nd grade and has sense taught himself how to improvise in many different styles while also developing a unique harmonic pallet and compositional voice. His current studies consist of teaching himself Latin jazz improv and further developing his compositional voice and skill.


Caitlyn Kirchner

Caitlyn Kirchner is a Dean’s Scholar student at the University of Louisville, School of Music. She is currently studying Music Therapy with a Vocal Emphasis. She has studied voice since she was 12, has performed in many musical theater productions, and currently sings with U of L’s Collegiate Chorale and Cardinal Singers choir. Caitlyn is very passionate about helping her students learn and grow. She teaches intermediate piano at Flying Hands.

Isabel H

Isabel H is a classically trained soprano from Louisville, Kentucky with experience in opera, art song, and musical theatre styles. She is a current BFA Musical Theatre student at NKU with a minor in classical voice. She is passionate about French art song, the works of Bob Fosse, and Sondheim musicals.  

Andrew Baldeon

Andrew Baldeon is a student at the University of Louisville currently studying Music Education with a Strings emphasis. He first started playing viola at age ten in his schools orchestras, even participating in KMEA during middle school as well as the Louisville Youth Orchestra, and currently is a student of Kevin Nordstrom. As a music education major, Andrew has had internships to observe and teach students throughout the JCPS area and also in schools in Indiana, such as Scribner middle school and Highland Hills middle school. Andrew currently teaches Viola, Violin and Piano for students of any age who want to learn not only how to make music, but learn the love there is to play and listen to music on their respective instrument.


Tuesday Arnold

At Flying Hands, Tuesday teaches voice, guitar, and piano. They enjoy allowing students of all ages to achieve a growth mindset and excel in their musical abilities through a collaborative approach and supportive guidance, aiding to ensure one's musical experience(s) as successful to their own sense of being.

Tuesday holds various music experience and expertise; they have been trained in both classical voice and musical theater, performing as leads in the following productions: ‘Heathers’, ‘Newsies,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ ‘High School Musical,’ ‘Sweeney Todd,’ ‘Bring It On,’ and ‘The Girl Project 2018’.

Currently, Tuesday is finishing their degree in Music Therapy with a Vocal Emphasis at the University of Louisville’s School of Music. Prior to attending UofL, Tuesday studied Music Education at Western Kentucky University.