FACULTY
MIRIAM MORALES
Executive Director, Piano & Voice
Miriam Morales has been teaching for 10 years and truly loves working with all students and encouraging them to develop... Read More
JUAN CHANG
Violin, Viola, Cello & Piano
Juan began studying piano and viola at the age of 4. He continued his piano studies at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory. Read More
SKYLA SOLES
Piano
Skyla Soles was born and raised in Texas, and taught music by her mother and two piano teachers from her church...Read More
ALEXIS HOPPER
Piano
Alexis earned her BFA in Music from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga...Read More
ALICE YOON
Viola, Violin, Cello & Piano
RAFAEL VALDEZ
Piano & Violin
Rafael Valdez began his studies in violin and piano at the young age of 7 years old...Read More
SPENCER COOK
Trumpet, Trombone, Drums, Piano, Voice
Spencer Cook is a Dallas based freelance musician from the University of North Texas...Read More
Interested in joining the team? Apply here.
Miriam Morales
executive director
Piano, Voice & Guitar
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Miriam Morales has been playing the piano for over 25 years and enjoys playing other instruments as well. Miriam started studying piano with Rebekah Branham at an early age who saw a deep love of music in Miriam and recommended she study further.
She attended W. E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy in middle school and continued on to become a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. During this time she studied classical piano under the direction of Eva Flowers, Gabriel Sanchez and jazz piano from Kent Ellingson & Roger Boykin.
She holds a Bachelor of Music Media with an emphasis in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Arlington. Miriam also holds a Masters Degree from Dallas Theological Seminary in Biblical and Theological Studies where she also enjoyed classes in the Media Arts & Worship department.
Miriam has been teaching music for 10 years in both group and one-on-one settings. She has taught for multiple music studios and non-profit organizations in the DFW area including the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas, Big Thought, Junior Players and Arts Net. ​
She has served as the pianist for several churches in the DFW area and continues to perform for weddings, corporate events and private parties. She enjoys writing worship songs and playing solo jazz piano and singing. She has been inducted into Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in 2023.
Currently she is the Executive Director for New Song Music Academy which has equipped over 300 students to play music they truly enjoy. She believes that anyone can become a lifelong musician regardless of their profession.
Alice Yoon
viola & Violin
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Alice Yoon began studying violin at the age of five and quickly developed a love for music. At thirteen, she discovered the viola and was drawn to its rich, expressive sound—a turning point that led her to pursue a life in music.
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She earned her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, studying under Professor George Taylor. While at Eastman, she also worked closely with Masumi Per Rostad, Phillip Ying, and the Ying Quartet, deepening her chamber music experience and collaborative skills. As a performer, Alice has served as section leader in the Eastman Symphony Orchestra and the Miami Music Festival Opera Orchestra, and has appeared in chamber music performances in Burlington and other venues. Her performance experience includes appearances at major venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C., Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indiana.
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Alice is an active performer and dedicated educator with over three years of private teaching experience. Now based in the DFW area, she offers violin, viola, and piano instruction to students ranging from age four to adult. Her teaching style blends strong technical foundations with a focus on musical expression, aiming to help each student grow with confidence and curiosity.
Juan Duran CHaNG
PIANO, VIOLA & VIOLIN
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Juan Chang was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. His parents had a high standard of promoting knowledge in science, art and music from an early age.
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He began studying piano and viola under the direction of Blanca Pulido, at the age of 4. He continued his piano studies at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory of Music where he studied piano with Maestro Omar Gómez,Dr. Alejandra Sánchez and privately with Ingrid Algarra.
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In addition, he was learning viola under the guidance of Professor Mari Gil, Maestro Pedro Vargas and Maestro José Guillermo Fuentes. He entered El Sistema, a national music education program, where he performed Gustav Mahler's second symphony under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel. He has participated in multiple master classes to develop his orchestral skills.
He is a graduate of the U. E. N. San Francisco Javier and the U. E. Colegio Ilustre Americano in science. He studied at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory of Music.
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In 2015 he served as the conductor of the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra and an orchestral and viola coach. He currently studies viola under Ellen Rose (principal violist for the Dallas Symphony 25+ years) and serves as the Artist in Residence for New Song Music Academy where he teaches piano, viola, violin and cello including group ensembles. While in this role, Juan has supported faculty and students by playing accompaniment on the viola, violin, and piano, as well as performed masterpieces by Bach, Glazunov, and Hoffmeister.
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He is currently pursuing a degree of Music Education at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.
Spencer cook
TRUMPET, TROMBONE, DRUMS, PIANO & VOICE
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Spencer Cook is a Dallas based freelance musician from the University of North Texas. His passions are music performance, teaching, production, and jazz history. From Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Roy Hargrove and Maria Schneider, Spencer has extensive knowledge of the evolution of jazz and its recorded history.
He has learned from some of the best trumpet teachers in the country like Jay Saunders, Mike Steinel, Rodney Booth, Tonya Darby, John Holt, Kevin Richardson, and Allen Vizzutti. At the age of 9, Spencer began taking trumpet lesson. But his passion for music went past just trumpet. Around the same time, he started to teach himself to play the piano. This helped him understand music theory and develope a better ear. In middle school, Spencer discovered his love for jazz and improvisation.
In 2012 Spencer was a music ambassador for the state of California and toured Europe. In 2017, Spencer worked with the Toshi Clinch Big Band and recorded Vesuvius, a 10-track jazz album. Along with teaching and recording, Spencer has performed throughout Texas, California, New York and parts of Europe.
Rafael Valdez
Piano & Violin
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Rafael Valdez has been playing the violin and piano for over 15+ years. He is originally from Mexico and was raised in Tyler, Texas and he is both fluent in English and Spanish. While attending John Tyler High School, Rafael was the first chair violinist in the orchestra and earned top marks at solo and ensemble competitions for both his junior and senior years.
He is a graduate of Tyler Junior College, where he earned a double degree in Business and Music under the direction of Charles Praytor and Shane Almendarez. While there, he performed Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major, Beethoven Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Mendelssohn Scherzo Op. 16, No. 2, and Alberto Ginastera’s & Danzas Argentinas. He was also involved in string quartets, orchestras, jazz bands, and piano duets. Rafael was awarded a scholarship at the University of Texas in Arlington, where he is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance under the direction Dr. John Solomons and Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s pianist, Gabriel Sanchez.
Rafael has served in several churches as a pianist and worship leader. He enjoys teaching and helping churches establish a strong worship team and sharing his passion for church music. He is constantly learning and growing in all areas of his musicianship including voice and bass guitar. Rafael is confident that anyone who has the desire can learn how to play an instrument if they are willing to put in the time and dedication to practice. Rafael enjoys teaching students of all ages and hopes through each lesson and interaction to transmit joy, love, and positivity.
Skyla Soles
Piano
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Skyla Soles was born and raised in Texas, and was taught by very special teachers including her mother. Althought she began piano as a young teenager, she has been playing for over 20 years and initially began so strong that her parents sometimes had to tell her to stop practicing and do her schoolwork.
Skyla's goal was to learn as many music styles on the piano as possible and to be able to improvise as she played. As she developed her skills to play CCM (Christian Contemporary Music), Classic Hymns and large arrangements for choir, she was able to grow into the lead pianist at her church. Through playing new music in varying styles and complexity every week for 13 years, she has gained a deeper knowledge and understanding of music. She has served as an accompanist for soloists, choirs and orchestras, and arranged her own solos for piano. She has experience reading sheet music, lead sheets and playing by ear.
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Skyla loves music and she loves to teach. She currently serves preschool age children with special needs. Skyla has worked with children consistently for many years and enjoys their unbridled honesty and eagerness. She is described as incredibly patient with the students under her care and demonstrates daily her heart for people with special needs and disabilities. She doesn't care how old or young you are, she believes anyone can learn music, and she loves to share its joy with others.
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ALEXIS HOPPER
PIANO
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Alexis earned her BFA in Music from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Her passion for music, instructional practice, and children’s advocacy brought her to work with children’s museums, music conservatories and non-profit enrichment programs across the country including Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Cornerstone Conservatory in Los Angeles, and the Children’s Defense Fund summer literacy program, East Tennessee Freedom Schools. Prior to joining New Song Music Academy, Alexis served for six years as Program Coordinator for Academy at Institute for Educational Advancement in Pasadena, CA.
Alexis began her piano studies at age 7. Thanks to her first teacher, Margaret Scott, she quickly advanced to serve as the school accompanist for her junior high and high school choirs, musical theater productions, and church services. During her last three years of high school, she studied with pianist Stephanie Northington of the University of Tennessee Knoxville, then with Dr. Thomas Labé as an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.
Some 15 years into her own teaching practice, Alexis branched into a new direction of musical enjoyment by teaching herself to play accordion. Her favorite musical pastime has become learning to play by ear and growing her repertoire of world music, from ancient to contemporary.
Alexis is excited to join New Song Music Academy to help students and teachers find joy and fulfillment in learning, wherever their love of music takes them.