Meet our teachers
"I am so proud of the teachers at Downtown Piano Works. All have degrees in Music. All are working musicians. Every teacher holds performances and gives students opportunity for feedback and growth. I see their students enthusiastic about learning and I love hearing their progress. Not only do our teachers provide traditional structure that occurs in conservatory style lessons, but they teach students to create music and appreciate all genres. High level classical music, improvisation and arranging, applied music theory. singing and songwriting as well as the unique ability to help students find their own voice makes our teachers some of the best in Maryland."
- Theresa Shykind / Owner
Jordan Clawson
Jordan is a pianist and composer living in Frederick, Maryland. In 2006 he received his Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan, where he studied piano, composition and arranging with Ellen Rowe, Geri Allen and Dennis Wilson.
Jordan has been a performer in choirs, concert bands, jazz bands and combos, a cappella groups, church bands, and pit orchestras. As a composer, Jordan creates new music for different ensembles, environments, and film.
In 2013 Jordan received his Master's degree in Composition and Music Theory: Scoring for Film and Multimedia from New York University, where he studied with Mark Suozzo.
Having taught countless piano lessons, Jordan truly enjoys watching his students achieve their musical goals. Experienced in classical, jazz, and popular music, Jordan teaches students of all ages, and likes to incorporate into his lessons, music students are personally interested in playing.
Jamie Choi
Jamie Choi is a pianist with wide-ranging musical skills that span multiple genres. From classical to jazz, Jamie plays it all. He has a bachelor’s degree in classical piano performance and master’s degrees in jazz studies and collaborative piano from NYU.
Looking back, lots of things have happened for Jamie to get from a young piano student to where he is today. Jamie’s musical journey began to get serious after studying classical music at Peniel High School of the Arts in South Korea. He went on to attend Chungang University, and studied in the studio of Hyekyung Lee, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in classical piano. While there he won a piano concerto competition which awarded him a merit-based scholarship.
After years of focusing primarily on classical music, Jamie turned his attention to a new genre that captured his imagination: musical theater. He served as an associate music director and pianist in the original Korean productions of Agatha and The Interview. With a burgeoning interest in other exciting genres, he decided to move to one of the world capitals of music: New York City. There, he began studying jazz at New York University, where he worked with preeminent jazz musicians like Grammy Award winner Alan Broadbent and three-time Grammy nominee Alan Ferber. Jamie also arranged and self-produced his first album: Flowing Tide… which will be released in 2023.
Jamie performs as a collaborative pianist with vocalists, actors, choruses, choirs, and instrumentalists. Most recently, he had two collaborative recitals. He also played in a musical theater production of Wonderland at Frederick Loewe Theater in New York, working alongside composer Frank Wildhorn. He served as the associate music director and main pianist in the performance of City of Angels at New York’s Skirball Center, and performed as a soloist at “Piano City” concerts held in New York at One World Trade Center and St. John’s in the Village.
He has taught keyboard skills, group piano lessons, and private piano lessons at New York University. Now, he passionately teaches students at Downtown Piano Works.
Matthew Carey
Matthew Carey is a composer, musician and educator from Frederick, Maryland, where he owns and operates his own recording studio. He has studied Piano with Mr. Gary Mullenax and Dr. Robert Scott Beard at Shepherd University, where he was awarded accolades for his pianistic accomplishments. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he studied electronic music and composition with Dr. Anna Rubin. In 2015 he was awarded research scholarship to pursue sound studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he studied with acclaimed composer Pauline Oliveros.
Matthew has publicly performed repertoire from the Classical and Baroque periods as well as Modern Popular Music. In 2009 he won the Mountain State Piano Competition for performing Aram Khachaturian’s Toccata, and was presented with Music Teacher’s National Association’s Student Achievement Recognition Award. He has performed professionally in the Hagerstown and Martisnburg, WV area with the jazz quartet The Rushin’ Blues and currently performs as part of an improvisational trio in Baltimore with Percussionist Shelly Purdy and Guitarist Matthew Burke.
Matthew loves teaching and has been teaching Piano for over a decade. He is experienced teaching students of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels. His approach is to find out what interests the student, and then develop a personalized curriculum to help the student reach their goals. Whether it be Classical, Jazz or Popular music, Matthew loves finding ways to keep lessons fresh and fun. He looks forward to working with you at Downtown Piano Works!