Kennedy Piano Studio

Lana

Piano

Born into a family of educators, Lana Tchernaia became a third-generation teacher, following her grandfather Yuri I. Tchernyi (1900–1985) and aunts Tatiana Y. Tchernaia (1941– ) and Lana Y. Tchernaia (1931– ).

Originally from the Tomsk region of Siberia, Russia, she earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Tomsk Music College. There she studied ensemble and chamber music with Svetlana Anatolievna Chudakova, harmony with Vera Dmitrievna Sherina, and music history with Larissa Borisovna Gorn. She later pursued post-bachelor studies in music and philology at Tomsk State University.

Lana completed a sight-reading course with renowned performer and educator Andrew Markow, head designer of The Royal Conservatory of Music curriculum and co-author of the Four Star Sightreading Books, and also studied with Canadian coach Vera Leinverbers.

She has maintained independent piano studios in Tomsk (Russia), Montreal (Quebec), and Toronto (Ontario) for over 25 years. Her teaching blends the Russian piano school tradition with her own pedagogical approach and practice techniques, and her students consistently achieve a high level of performance.

Five of Lana's students have become piano instructors in the GTA.

Lana regularly attends workshops and professional programs and has developed her own method for piano beginners.

Jotham

Piano

Jotham is a pianist and producer with a Bachelor of Music (Honours Degree) from Humber Polytechnic. There, he studied with leading Canadian pianists such as Robi Botos, Amanda Tosoff, Adrean Farrugia, and Todd Pentney, as well as audio engineering professionals including Justin Gray, Andrew Mullin, and Patric McGroarty. Prior to Humber, he studied in the University of Toronto’s Bachelor of Music (Classical) program with Larysa Kuzmenko, Gary Kulesha, Boyanna Toyich, and other distinguished musicians.

Drawing on this diverse background, Jotham integrates improvisation from jazz, technical production skills from digital audio workstations, and music theory from classical studies into his musical approach. His versatility across genres supports his work in studio projects, performances, and teaching. As an educator, Jotham prioritizes adapting to each student’s goals, whether RCM examinations, songwriting, music production, or improvisation by creating customized lesson plans through clear communication. He believes in maintaining an open-minded, positive, and relaxed learning environment where students feel supported in their musical development.

Sep

Piano|Guitar

Sep is a piano and guitar player based in Toronto, Canada, with 13 years of experience in various music fields, such as live and recording sessions, teaching, composing and creating audio effects for movies. Sep is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, captivated about connecting with musicians, exchanging feelings, sensations and emotions through music and acquiring new experiences.

As a teacher, he has inspired kids, teenagers and adults to play piano, electric, acoustic and nylon guitars, ukulele, bass and to develop musicianship. When teaching, Sep focuses on the students’ needs and perspectives about the instrument and about music, making music lessons not just another task but something engaging and the learning process more fun and lighter, targeted to the students’ interests.

Influenced by worldwide music, he jumps into various genres from pop, hard rock, country, R&B to funk, reggae, South America music, and whatever appears to enrich the setlist.

afshin

Violin

Afshin has over a decade of experience teaching cello, violin, viola, and piano in both group and private lessons. His students regularly participate in performances, recitals, and community events.

He published the lesson book Cello Riffing, an advanced method that uses jazz, rock, and blues riffs to strengthen left-hand technique, reflecting his focus on creative, engaging teaching methods.

As a certified Advanced Orff Instructor, Afshin aims to introduce young students to musicianship through fun, creative music-making.

His interest in children’s music led to the album Childhood Desires, where he rearranged some of his favorite rock and metal songs for Orff instruments. He also compiled the repertoire book Childish Minimals, arranging selections from the album so young students can easily play and enjoy them.

Suzanne

piano

Suzanne is a piano teacher with training and certification of Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Vietnam. With almost 30 years of teaching experience in Canada she prepared hundreds of students for conservatories exams and GTA competitions. These rewards are a direct result of understanding children’s educational needs.

She is very disciplined, reliable and committed when working with children. This is complimented by her knowledge of playing violin and singing. Suzanne firmly believes that the most important quality that a teacher should have is patience and at the same time a great teacher should have set high expectations and work to raise the bar for their students. 

Sebastian

Piano

Sebastian Multi-instrumentalist musician, teacher and orchestra director, born in Colombia. In his native country he has won important traditional music festivals, standing out for his versatility when playing an instrument.

He has had an important career with Colombian artists such as Vargas Vil,
Dario Gomez, Guillermo Puerta, among others, in addition to participating in the production of different musical albums with various artists of the country.

Sebastian  loves learning about new musical cultures, expanding his interpretive repertoire.

Aharon

Guitar

Aharon is a highly sought-after music teacher by students and parents of students who excel in their guitar playing performance and want to advance their music career. Aharon has over 35 years of experience. His biggest joy is seeing her students’ progress into fine musicians. Aharon prides himself in teaching each student a well-rounded musical education through knowledge of note reading, tab reading, chord reading, ear training, rhythm studies, scales, theory, musical construction and improvisation. Some of his students have received scholarships and have gone on to peruse careers in music but most of the students that want to learn guitar just want to have fun and a positive experience. 

Daniel

piano|vocal|guitar

Daniel holds several music and academic credentials, including a DCS/DEC in Music Industry Arts and Performance from Centennial College (Toronto, 2023), a Bachelor’s in French from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá, 2016), a Technical College Diploma in Music Composition from Escuela de Música y Audio Fernando Sor (Bogotá, 2013), and a Program of Musical Studies in Music from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (2013).

He has been teaching piano, voice, and guitar for over 12 years both privately and at various music schools, and is qualified to teach students from age 4 through all RCM levels. Daniel believes the most important goal of lessons is fostering a lifelong enjoyment of music by helping students become well-rounded musicians. His teaching focuses on musical sensitivity, including balance between melody and accompaniment, accurate reading of notes and rhythms, proper fingering for musical sound and ease of execution, strong sight-reading skills so students can learn independently, and solid technique to prevent future technical limitations.

Claudette

piano|voice

Claudette has been playing piano for nearly 20 years and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA with Honours) in Music at York University, where she studied classical piano with Christina Quilico, Shoshana Telner, and Katherine Dowling. She also completed the course Piano Pedagogy and Literature, focused on one-on-one piano instruction, earning an A+, and received an A+ in Vocal Music Education, which covered vocal pedagogy for young students.

Claudette is currently a classroom music teacher at a local Montessori school, where she teaches preschool to grade 6 students, runs concerts, accompanies choirs, teaches music according to the Ontario curriculum, and provides private piano, voice, and early childhood music lessons. She has been teaching music for nearly seven years and works with students of various ages and levels, teaching classical, contemporary, and pop music through sheet music, by ear, and by rote. She also led a 12-week workshop at her local church for beginner singers focused on Christian Contemporary music, and serves as the church’s main pianist and a backup singer in the worship band, which performs Christian Contemporary, gospel pop, and gospel rap.

James

piano

British-Chinese born, James grew up in China and Vietnam before moving to Canada in 2019 to study music under Hilario Duran, Brian Dickinson, and Amanda Tosoff at Humber College. James started his musical journey at the age of 4, steadily going through classical exams and playing for his school’s orchestras, jazz bands and school production pit bands while also performing solo piano at numerous showcases. 

James has over 5 years of piano and theory teaching experience with children and adults providing guidance in classical, jazz and pop music. His teaching style revolves around the needs of his students and prioritizes adaptation to tackle whatever needs the student has. James hopes to inspire a sense of wonder in the students’ relationship to music and to foster their creativity and comfort in music. 

During his spare time, James also likes to delve into his latest fascination in the music for TV realm, reading some new book picked on a whim, or doodling some drawings.