785-856-4400
Located at the Wakarusa Marketplace (1540 Wakarusa Drive, Suite SE, Keys of Joy! Studio was opened by Evan and his sister, Paige, in August 2011 with 12 students. Paige married in 2014 and now lives with her husband and her cats in Kansas City. The studio is now run by Evan Hunter and John Hunter, and hosts eleven instructors including the owners.
You may find a map and directions to our studio here.
A world – class facility
This is not just another music teaching studio. We built a new facility from the ground up for just one purpose: to enable you and yours to become musically expressed for a lifetime. To that end we operate four sound-isolated teaching spaces which include a working piano lounge! Our students can play for friends, family and others who just happen to be in the lounge. The lounge is equipped with a Steinway grand piano and digital instruments, has room for studio bands, and is equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and Bose sound reinforcement systems.
Our classrooms use new Kawai acoustic and digital pianos, HD video displays and Bose sound systems. There are no toy pianos in our studio! No other studio in the area, outside of a university music department, provides the facility, equipment and outstanding methods that are offered at Keys of Joy!
Below, you see our newly remodeled lobby. On the right is a world map showing the places where our students are from. Just beyond the map on the right is Classroom 1. The doors to our Piano lounge are at the center of this image, and to the left behind the window wall is Classroom 3. Short bios of our teachers are shown below this image.
The Teachers of Keys of Joy!
We offer lessons in Piano, Violin, Guitar, Drums, and Voice, and a few of our instructors are showcased below.
Evan Hunter, Owner and Director, Instructor
Piano, Composition
Evan is not your typical piano teacher. He studied music composition with the internationally renowned composer, James Barnes, and trumpet with Professor Stephen Leisring. Evan holds a bachelor’s degree in music composition from the University of Kansas and he has played piano and trumpet since he was 12. He writes symphonic works for wind band and orchestra as well as pieces for small ensembles and choir. Evan has won the Claude T. Smith Award and the Lawner Prize for composition. Evan tutors graduate students in music theory and writes music in a variety of styles, from commercials to the concert hall. He also writes original compositions and arrangements for his church choir, and plays the trumpet for worship services. One of his orchestral compositions, Fantastic Scenes, was performed by the KU Symphony Orchestra at the Lied Center in Lawrence. Evan loves to help students of all ages discover their natural musicality!
John Hunter, Studio Manager, Instructor
Simply Music Piano
John earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland where he studied film and early childhood educational psychology. Most recently, John was Director of the Composite Materials Laboratory for the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KU from 2008 to 2016.
John has loved classical and pop music for many years and often wished that he could play his favorite tunes. He even tried to learn piano twice before but failed both times. He had nearly given up when he heard of Simply Music. Simply Music was a life-changing program. John began lessons 12 years ago and he now plays more than 150 songs of widely varying styles, including pop, classical, jazz, and even his own compositions. Simply Music has unlocked a gift that he didn’t even realize he possessed, and now John gets to show people of all ages and levels of experience how to express their innate musicality. John’s students range from 7 to 75 years old, and he loves to say, “If I can do it, anyone can!”
Kori Staab, MME, MT-BC, Instructor
Simply Music Piano, Play a Story Piano, Drums
Kori earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Kansas State University, and she holds a Master of Music Education and Music Therapy from the University of Kansas. Kori is a Board Certified Music Therapist and she has been teaching piano for 19 years. Kori plays piano, percussion and guitar.
Kori has extensive experience with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other learning and behavioral disabilities. She is an effective teacher and therapist for a wide range of children and adults, and she loves to help them learn to communicate and succeed.
Kori plays drums in a local band called Crown Cassette, and she loves to chill with her family and friends.
Greg Peterson, Instructor
Bass, Guitar
Greg plays guitar, bass, and drums for the Keys of Joy! Studio Band, which is a jazz and blues style band which supports the piano students at the studio, and he loves to help students of all ages discover the joy of making music.
Greg is the bass player for Pit Hag, a heavy metal style band located in Lawrence. The band plays regular gigs in Lawrence and Topeka, Kansas. Greg has played bass and guitar for many other bands, including the Lab Rats, The Sternberg Combo, Joys Brother, Flipside Valve, The Scheme, and Soma. Greg won Battle of the Bands awards at the K-State School of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 and 2009.
Make Music a Companion for a Lifetime!
Let our highly skilled and patient teachers help you and yours make music. We are ready to help, and we can accommodate nearly any schedule. Space is limited, so if you think that you might want to start lessons in the next session, schedule a Free Music Discovery Session by visiting Calendly!
