Our teachers are talented, educated, credentialed and/or certified, background-checked, active in music education, and participate in ongoing professional development and certifications.
Our Instructors
Dr. Dennis Frayne
My name is Dennis Frayne, and I am a pianist, singer, teacher, composer, conductor, music director, author, publisher, and manufacturer of music teaching aids, toys, & games! I teach private piano, voice, guitar, and other music students of all ages and levels in South Orange County, California.
I am a native of Southern California, born in Westchester and raised in North Tustin, Orange County, California. I went to St. Cecilia Catholic School in Tustin, and then Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. I have attended Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, and Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, where I received Associate of Arts degrees in Music and Theater Arts. Early in my career I studied piano with Mrs. Farr in North Tustin, and then Dr. Ruth Stevenson Alling, the founder of the LoKnoPla Music Institute and creator of the LoKnoPla Piano Method for Beginning Piano Students, when she opened a music studio in Santa Ana. I have been teaching piano ever since! Later I received my Bachelor of Music (BM) degree in Music Education, with a Choral, Vocal, and Piano emphasis, from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), as well as a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Theater Arts, and California teaching credentials in Music, Theater Arts, Arts and Entertainment, Business, and Information Technology. Then I received my Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) from California State University, Fresno (CSUF).
Other piano and voice teachers I have studied with include Dr. Rebecca Rollins, Pamela Worcester, Dr. Norm Weston, Dr. Scott Farthing, Chizuko Asada, Timothy MacDougall, Craig Richey, Dr. Kirill Gliadkovsky, and Michael Bartel.
I have taught many music students privately, as well as many music students in both private and public schools and classrooms. I taught music, choir, and musical theater at Blessed Sacrament Church School in Westminster, and at St. Edward the Confessor Parish School in Dana Point. I taught music, choir, band, and class piano at Whitmore Charter School of Art and Technology in Ceres. I taught music, choir, band, guitar, and percussion (drums and keyboards) in the Menifee Union School District, and class piano at Our Lady of the Valley in Hemet. I have directed church choirs and/or played piano (and sometimes organ) for St. Cecilia Church in Tustin, Blessed Sacrament Church in Westminster, Our Lady of the Valley Church in Hemet, and The Wooden Floor in Santa Ana. I have directed after-school musical theater, choir, and other music programs (and still do!), including KidSingers in Santa Ana.
Throughout my career as a piano teacher and voice teacher, I have taught and coached a great number of children from different backgrounds, including some that are highly gifted. I also have taught and coached many youth and adult students, including beginners, advanced performers, and other music teachers. I have helped students with successful auditions, including getting accepted into OCSA (Orange County School of the Arts) and California State University, Long Beach (Bob Cole Conservatory of Music) music programs. I have helped students earn music scholarships and win admittance into summer music programs, opera programs, summer camps, and workshops. And I have helped youth students improve academically and stay in school, and I have helped teenagers and adults regain self-confidence.
My students participate in a variety of events throughout the year, including recitals, concerts, music festivals, auditions, exams, master classes, and competitions. I believe music is for everyone, and everyone can make music part of their lives, whether it is for their career, for school, for church, or for pure enjoyment and personal satisfaction. Music provides us opportunities for self-expression, music offers us unique challenges that can strengthen us in other areas of our lives and studies, and music results in positive experiences and rewards that can last a lifetime. Music is a miraculous gift for ourselves, for our children, our friends, and our audiences. Music heals, music connects people, music entertains, and music contributes to spiritual fulfillment and joy.
In addition to teaching, I am also an active performer. I enjoy playing solo recitals, private parties and events, church services, and I accompany vocal and instrumental performers, choirs, and musical theater. And, I am a working composer, arranger, and publisher of sheet music, music books, and music curriculum and vocal and instrumental method books, including the Presto! It’s Piano Magic series, and Presto’s Music Teaching Aids, which piano students use in my music studio, music schools, and music classrooms. And, I teach other teachers, too!
At a very young age of seven, I dreamt of becoming an opera singer, but could not find a teacher. I was able to take piano lessons though! I grew up in a private all girls Catholic school run by nuns and among them was my very first piano teacher for nine years. I performed in numerous school activities and represented my school in national competitions.
My music passion flourished when I entered college and decided to pursue a diploma course in performing arts specializing in piano performance. For two years, I received rigorous training which helped me enhance my musical skills both in piano and voice.
At the age of 19, I started teaching piano, singing, and music theory in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia where I and my parents lived from 1994 to 2001. My students were from the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and I had the opportunity to teach the children of the third Royal Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Liezl Yumena
Suzanne Cleveland
I began my piano studies at the age of six, taking piano lessons through the age of 16. During my childhood in New York, I was a participant in the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), which granted me the opportunity to play two carefully chosen piano pieces and to be scored on my overall performance.
After moving to California in 1992, I nurtured my love for piano by learning to play in a leisurely manner along with weekly piano lessons. During my college years, while studying at the University of California Santa Cruz, I took music theory courses to gain a more in-depth understanding of music.
As an adult, I utilized my piano background to teach piano to children ranging from 4 years old to 10 years old, successfully taught students how to read music, and organized recitals for their friends and family. I also received my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with an emphasis in mild/moderate Special Education from San Diego State University.
I love working with children and making those personalized connections to help them achieve their goals. I believe that every individual learns in their own way and in their own time. I live in Mission Viejo with my husband, two teenaged children, my grandmother, my cat Harley, and my toy poodle Gemma.
Music teaching was my full-time job with no less than 50 students per week. Some of my students participated in the annual music exams administered by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). After residing in Saudi Arabia for seven years, I decided to go back to my home country in the Philippines to pursue a degree in Music Education at the oldest Pontifical Catholic University in Asia. Teaching has been my passion and I continue to learn more about classroom teaching approaches and methodologies. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a major in Piano and a minor in Voice, with recognition for having graduated with honors “Cum Laude.”
After graduation, while pursuing my graduate studies, I taught high school music and music theory at the conservatory of music for incoming freshmen students. I also formed a music ensemble, directed the glee club, taught private piano lessons, and volunteered in apostolic work in my community church by handling the music ministry, wherein I was a regular pianist and choir master during masses, as well as director of a children’s choir for under-privileged youth. I was also a member of a competing choir that represented the country in international choir competitions.
I moved to the United States in 2008 and began teaching piano and voice lessons in Orange County. I am an active member of the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC).
Daniel Diaz
Daniel Diaz is a pianist, percussionist, music director, and teacher with a deep passion for understanding, performing music, and teaching music. Mr. Daniel seeks to leave students with a great appreciation for their music and their instruments while keeping music exciting and instilling confidence.
Mr. Daniel is working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with a focus on percussion, jazz drum set, and piano accompaniment. He is the recipient of a Young Jazz Scholarship and the university Music Scholarship awards at California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo.
Mr. Daniel has performed with the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra, the Ventura College Jazz Band, the Cal Poly Symphony, and the Cal Poly Jazz Big Band. Some of his favorite performances include Paul Creston’s Concertino for Marimba, and Worlds Away, by Emelina Gorcheva and Miroslav Dimov. Mr. Daniel believes that music is the universal language and that there’s magic in music that is a lifelong gift for students at every stage of their musical journey.
Mr. Ziad has been playing music since he was six years old. He started taking lessons on piano and then learned violin and viola for his middle and high school orchestras. Later in college, while studying at UC Davis, Mr. Ziad started his own music ensemble called the Video Game Orchestra, a group who continues to arrange and perform music from video game soundtracks. Since graduating, Mr. Ziad regularly plays with the Southland Symphony Orchestra and has started learning to play the tenor saxophone. He really loves playing different kinds of music and instruments!
When Mr. Ziad teaches, he says he aims to ensure that his students become more comfortable with their instruments. He helps his students learn music that helps them master each instrument’s fundamentals, and also to play tunes they love listening to. He strives to allow for creative freedom. Mr. Ziad’s number one goal for teaching is to have his students enjoy the experience and rejoice in the little improvements they make every day.
Mr. Brendan began his musical journey in 1998 by picking up the guitar and studying guitar theory for several years with local jazz guitarist and composer Blake Aaron. Mr. Brendan has performed at outdoor festivals, large clubs and theaters, in studio recording sessions, and in houses of worship over the past two decades. He currently resides in Orange County, California with his wife of 12 years and his German Shepherd mix. His interests include music of all kinds, graphic design, computers, the aerospace industry, the outdoors, and reading.
Mr. Brendan says, “I enjoy teaching guitar because I have the opportunity to pass on the knowledge and best practices gained over the years, and I get to rediscover my own love for the instrument by bringing that joy and enthusiasm to the next generation of players. If I can teach a student something new while having fun and inspiring them to further their own journey, then I’ve achieved my goal."
When I’m not busy making music I enjoy reading, swimming, going to the gym, dancing in my kitchen, spending time in nature, and hanging with my 2 awesome daughters, ages 13 and 17, who make me laugh every day.
Denny Frayne
I grew up learning to play piano and read music as a child. I took some private lessons, but mostly learned from my Dad! As a teenager, my interests shifted to guitar, particularly rock ‘n roll and blues music. A lifelong friend inspired dreams of being a band together, and we played the video games Guitar Hero and Rock Band for hours on end.
In high school, I participated in band and choir, including playing guitar in the SMCHS Marching Band. These were unique and interesting experiences that introduced me to playing and singing professionally in an ensemble or group of musicians. Then I played guitar in the LHHS Jazz Band This was a highly memorable experience of learning and exposure to what felt like a new world of musical expression. I became a section leader for choir in my senior year.
The year after I graduated high school, I attended Northern Arizona University, where I met several of my closest musical colleagues to this day. My first experiences creating original music were both unexpected and plentiful upon joining my first band, which we called Brannen Ave, which was the name of the street in Flagstaff, Arizona where we rehearsed music every day. Since then, I have completed two years of Applied Music focusing on Jazz Guitar at Saddleback College. I also seek any opportunity to make music recreationally or professionally, including piano, guitar, and singing, and I have been recorded for independent projects such as the original tune, Mantis, on which I am featured playing bass guitar. I also sang in the choir at Saddleback College. The opportunity to sing unashamed among other singers is one not to be traded.
I enjoy teaching guitar, bass guitar, and piano. I am working toward my certification in the Presto! Piano Magic curriculum, and I am assisting my Dad in opening and growing the Dennis Frayne Music Studio in Laguna Niguel.
Ziad Asadi
Brendan Dora
I was introduced to music at a young age, first learning to play piano and alto saxophone. Seeing the musical “Annie” on Broadway inspired me to sing, and I performed my very first solo at my elementary school talent show in 4th grade. I later earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. Following college, I sang in a Chicago-based indie rock band, at open mics, weddings, and with the 4th Presbyterian Vespers choir located on the Magnificent Mile. The highlight of my performing career, however, was singing the National Anthem at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park. What a thrill!
After moving to California in 2002, I began working with Older Adults, teaching music arts classes to senior citizens throughout Orange County. I continue to perform, singing solos in church, and practicing with a cover band in the area. We haven’t settled on a band name yet, but we’re excited to work up a couple of sets and start playing out soon! I love to dabble in songwriting and recently completed coursework at Saddleback College earning an Occupational Skills Award for Music Production, so that I could learn how to produce my own music. I love to sing anything from Bach to the Beatles, to Beyonce, and believe in the healing power of music, whether through singing, playing an instrument, songwriting, or simply listening to a favorite song.
