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!”
Taylor Johnson, Instructor
Bass, Guitar
Taylor Johnson is an outstanding guitarist who has played for over 20 years. He studied Jazz Performance at KU and has performed extensively with the KU jazz ensembles and combos, the bands Rotoscope and B.O.G., and as a Worship Team guitarist at Faith Walkers Outreach Church. He has been involved in numerous performances in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas and has been a professional educator at Keys of Joy for over a year.
He particularly enjoys playing and listening to jazz, blues, R&B, funk, gospel music, and classic rock, and is always looking to expand his repertoire. He delights in helping students discover the same joy from the guitar that he has found!
Lily Malone, Instructor
Voice, Piano, Ukulele
Lily Malone is equally proficient with jazz, pop, opera, and many other styles, and she plays piano and ukulele. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance and a Certificate of Music Entrepreneurship from the University of Wyoming, as well as an Associate’s Degree in Music Education from Casper College. Before moving to Kansas, she taught voice, piano, and ukulele at VIBES Fine and Performing Arts in Casper, Wyoming.
At Keys of Joy, she teaches voice, piano, and ukulele. She derives great joy from singing and playing music, and wishes to help students discover that same delight for themselves.
Angela Crumer, Instructor
Violin, Piano
Angela teaches violin and piano. She specializes in curriculum development and is developing a breakthrough approach to learning the violin, which her students absolutely love.
Angela has played the violin for many years, playing classical music, jazz (yes, jazz violin!), and popular styles. She has performed at private events, for Salvation Army bellringing, with the Kansas State and Southeast Missouri State Orchestras, and with various other ensembles. She also enjoys composing her own music and creating rearrangements of existing tunes.
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!
