Beginner, intermediate, and advanced piano lessons are taught by our piano instructors Jill Cagle, Dave Covington, Luda Hoskin, Barbara Joseph, Rhonda Kaletski, Elena Osadchaya, Alice Butler and Tessa Brown (beginner piano). These lessons are for ages 5 and up, and are held on the 3rd floor of Building C.
Dave Covington has maintained a full time studio in the Clay/Trussville area for 30 years. During that time he has taught hundreds of students ages 6 to adult. He graduated from Birmingham Southern College with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance.
Mr. Covington has served as church pianist at Clearview Baptist Church for 25 years working in traditional and contemporary settings and is a member of the Birmingham Music Teachers Association.
Mr. Covington enjoys teaching beginning, intermediate and advanced lessons in piano. His primary goal is to help his students develop a love of music, especially classical piano. He has experience with popular music as well, having played many years professionally with a piano trio.
He is especially encouraging to adults who have the desire to learn to play the piano. He feels the process of learning a musical instrument is very rewarding on many levels.
Mr. Covington currently teaches Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced lessons in Piano on Mondays and Thursdays. His lessons are held in Room 309, Building C. (Mr. Covington also teaches beginner and intermediate acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and bass guitar lessons in the Conservatory.) He can be contacted at dcovington6261@charter.net
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Luda Hoskin began teaching with the Conservatory in the spring of 2009. She is originally from Eastern Europe, Russia and the Ukraine. She graduated from the Uman Professional Music Academy in Uman, Ukraine, with a specialty degree in Piano, and was qualified for the highest qualification category for the position of piano teacher and accompanist.
She has more than 30 years of experience in teaching and accompanying. Many of her students have achieved great success in music. Many of them currently work in the Symphony Orchestra of Bolshoy Theater in Moscow, Russia, the Symphony Orchestra of Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Kiezsky Opera Theater (Ukraine), and others. Many students have entered conservatories, become music teachers, accompanists, and vocalists.
Mrs. Hoskin was a professional accompanist for international music competitions every year in Odessa (Ukraine), Ekaterinburg (Russia), Simferopol (Ukraine), Herson (Ukraine), Rimini (Italy), and many others. She is also the author of 2 manuals for students at Tchaikovsky Music College.She has held key positions as piano teacher, choir leader, and accompanist at both the Uman Professional Music Academy (Uman, Ukraine) and the Tchaikovsky Music College (Ekaterinburg, Russia). Mrs. Luda Hoskin is also a member of BMTA ( Birmingham Music Teacher Association ) and AMTA (Alabama Music Teacher’s Association). She also serves as the pianist at Rocky Ridge Cumberland Presbyterian Church since 2009.
Mrs. Hoskin currently teaches Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced lessons in Piano, Mondays through Fridays. Her lessons are held in Room 307, Building C. She can be contacted at liudmilahoskin18@gmail.com
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Barbara Joseph began teaching at the Conservatory since 2012 and brings over 20 years of experience as a music educator, private piano/voice instructor, choral music specialist and worship leader. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with a concentration in Piano and Voice from Nyack College (New York) and a Master of Arts in Education (Voice) from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Mrs. Joseph has previously taught piano and voice at Samford University Preparatory Department and in private studio. She has taught choral music in both public and private elementary, middle and high schools in New York, New Jersey and Alabama (Shelby & Jefferson County). She has led children’s choir and worship for several large churches and taught in numerous music camps, including Samford AIM and Red Mountain Theatre Camp. She is a past member of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra Concert Choir and has served as pianist or substitute pianist for various groups and churches. Barbara is currently the Conservatory Director here at First Baptist Church Trussville.
Mrs. Joseph has a passion to instill in her students a love and appreciation of their God-given talent and a desire to pursue excellence on their instrument, through hard work and determination. Her students will benefit by reaping the rewards of personal accomplishment and bringing joy to their listeners!
Mrs. Joseph currently teaches Beginner & Intermediate lessons in both Piano and Voice. She teaches Mondays through Fridays, and her lessons are held in Room 301, Building C. She can be contacted at barbaraj@fbctrussville.org
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Jill Cagle is a piano performance graduate with a Bachelors of Arts degree from Birmingham-Southern College. While attending ‘Southern, she participated in many recitals, competitions, and productions. Jill has over 25 years experience of playing the piano, and 15 years experience in teaching. She is also the pianist for Liberty Baptist Church in Pell City.
Mrs. Cagle currently teaches beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons in Piano on Monday afternoons. Her lessons are held in Room 302, Building C. She can be contacted at jill.cagle@yahoo.com
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Rhonda Kaletski has a Bachelor of Arts in piano and English from Judson College in Marion, Alabama, and a Bachelor of Music in organ performance from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. She has more than 20 years of experience teaching piano to beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. Her teaching experience includes 8 years with the Preparatory Music Department at Samford University where she taught private piano, musicianship classes, preschool piano, and summer music camp to students from preschool to high school.
Mrs. Kaletski currently teaches Beginner & Intermediate & Advanced lessons in Piano on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her lessons are held in Room 308 in Building C. She can be contacted at kaletski007@aol.com
Elena Osadchaya-Endo has lived in Alabama since 2009. She is originally from Russia.
She began her music studies at the age of 7, graduating from the Astrakhan Music College
with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music in 1975 and from the Astrakhan State Conservatory
as a piano teacher and an accompanist for music colleges with a Master’s Degree in Music in
1980. Her career experience includes working as a piano teacher, accompanist for various
musical instruments, and pianist for an ensemble of accordionists, all at the music college at
Cherepovets (Russia).
She has worked as a piano teacher in Music School #4 and in the Center of Children Creative
Activity, and as accompanist in the Astrakhan State Conservatory (Russia). She has taught
privately and worked in the Cary School of Music in North Carolina.
Mrs. Endo has more than 45 years of teaching experience. Many of her students graduated
from music colleges, state conservatories and now work as pianists, piano teachers, and
accompanists all around Russia.
Mrs Endo is a member of BMTA (Birmingham Music Teacher Association) and a member of
AMTA (Alabama Music Teachers Association).
”Music is my love, music is my passion, music is my style of life; and I will generously share all
my knowledge of playing piano with all my students of any age.”
Mrs. Osadchaya currently teaches Beginner & Intermediate & Advanced lessons in Piano on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Her lessons are held in Room 310 in Building C. She can be contacted at mrse@mindspring.com
Alice Butler holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, a Bachelor of Music
in Piano Pedagogy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Voice from the University of Montevallo. She
served as collegiate faculty at the University of Montevallo where she taught college courses in
music literature, piano pedagogy, and class piano. She also worked as the Director of
Preparatory Music and staff accompanist.
Ms. Butler has over 30 years of experience teaching private and group piano and voice lessons
to students of all ages, preschool through adult. Her students regularly participate in various
piano events and competitions. Many of her students have been named winners in state and
local competitions. Others have studied music in college and attained careers in music or serve
as church musicians. She is a member of multiple local, state, and national music associations
in order to participate in continuing education and to be able to provide a variety of performance
opportunities for her students.
Ms. Butler has served as a church pianist, organist, and Director of Music. She has conducted
choral, instrumental, and handbell groups of all ages. She is currently the Director of Music and
Worship Leader at Rocky Ridge Church. She also has experience as a school classroom music
and drama teacher.
Ms. Butler currently teaches Beginner & Intermediate & Advanced lessons in Piano on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Her lessons are held in Room 309 in Building C. She can be contacted at pianopathways@icloud.com
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Tessa Brown (Soprano) is a young performer and teacher from Trussville, Alabama. Tessa recently
graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Samford. She studied voice with
Dr. Sharon Lawhon. Her roles in Samford’s productions included Suzanna in The Marriage of
Figaro, Sor Juana in With Blood with Ink, Carolina in Il Sacramento Matrimonio, and Pamina in
the Magic Flute under the directorship of Dr. Kristin Kenning and Keith Wolfe. Tessa has also
played roles in Opera Birmingham’s productions of Massanet’s Cendrillon as a chorus member
and The Pirates of Penzance as Edith. She was a member of the Samford Acapella choir with
Dr. Philip Copeland.
Tessa’s experience in piano includes 11 years of private study prior to college and one year
under Dr. Jason Terry at Samford. She had experience with teaching music to kids of all ages in
a Samford abroad trip to Nairobi, Kenya where she taught music theory, choral pieces, private
lessons to students at the Mully Children’s Foundation. Tessa taught movement and music this
past summer with Vestavia United Methodist’s music camp where she collaborated with other
instructors to put on a show with music, acting, and dance. She now works at the Conservatory
as a piano and voice teacher, the Eternal Word Television Network as a chorus member, and
Highlands United Methodist as a worship intern and soprano section leader
Ms. Brown currently teaches Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced lessons in Voice and Beginner Piano on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her lessons are held in Room 302, Building C. Her email is tessarosebrown99@gmail.com
The Conservatory at First Baptist Trussville 