Ms. Mariah is back from maternity leave, but with limited availability! Lessons take place in her Trenton, Michigan home.

PLEASE NOTE: Mariah lives and teaches in Michigan. She sold her California studio to the Coronado Arts Academy in 2022.

A note from Ms. Mariah:

I am so, SO excited to be up and running in my home state of Michigan!

I was born and raised in Trenton, Michigan, and studied music at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. During my last semester of U of M, I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia...and ended up staying for 4 years! I completed my masters degree in Journalism & Communications and worked in social media marketing.

In 2015, I founded Ms Mariah's Music in Coronado, California. I grew it to a studio of 8 teachers and 120 students, with music instruction in piano, voice, violin, guitar, and percussion! I also served as the Coronado Arts Education Commissioner for 4 years and was Music Chair of the Coronado Rotary Club.

In 2022, I moved back to Michigan and married my 6th-grade-sweetheart and fellow THS Class of ‘05 grad/hockey superstar, Chris Sullivan. ☺️ I sold Ms Mariah's Music California in late 2022, and am now ready to focus on developing downriver musicians! 

I opened our home studio in January 2023. We are a small but mighty piano studio of 30 students, hailing from Huron Township all the way to Grosse Ile. THANK YOU for sharing your children and grandchildren with me, and I am so excited to embark upon this musical journey with your families! 

View pictures and videos of our monthly events (Piano Pizza Parties & Recitals) here!

PS: Chris and I welcomed our baby boy into the world in September 2023, and while I have resumed lessons, availability is limited!

Sincerely,
Mariah (Gillespie) Sullivan 
mariah@msmariahsmusic.com
734-643-0688

Ms. Mariah (Gillespie), founder of Ms. Mariah’s Music, is a certified Yamaha Music Education teacher, with 15 years of teaching experience in both Australia and the United States. Mariah teaches piano lessons to children and adults of all ages.

Mariah was born and raised in Trenton, Michigan, and studied piano with Grosse Ile’s Doris Richards, B.M., M.M. and harp with Ruth Myers-Brown, M.M. in Dearborn. She graduated from Trenton High School in 2005, having spent her junior year attending the Baltimore School for the Arts. She has a BA in Music from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a MA in Journalism & Communication from UNSW (Sydney). She has performed numerous solo recitals and has extensive an extensive performance portfolio.

In 2015, Mariah founded Ms. Mariah’s Music in Coronado, California. Her west coast studio has 120 students and 8 teachers. In addition to serving as the City of Coronado’s Arts Education and Musical Arts Commissioner, Mariah acted as Music Chair for the Coronado Rotary Club and volunteered with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.

In 2022, Mariah moved back to MICHIGAN and got MARRIED (to her sixth-grade-sweetheart and fellow THS Class of ‘05 grad/hockey superstar Chris Sullivan)!

In 2023, Mariah is thrilled to open a home studio in her home state!

Former City of Coronado Arts Education and Musical Arts Commissioner

BA, Music, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

MA, Journalism & Communications, UNSW (Sydney, Australia)

Member, Metropolitan Detroit Musicians League (MDML)

Member, Huron Township Rotary Club

Member, Michigan Music Teachers Association (MMTA)

Member, National Association for Music Educators (NAfME)

The Ms. Mariah's Music Method

Mission statement: to instill a love and appreciation of music in every student through comprehensive music education

Anyone can learn to play the piano; an app or a YouTube tutorial can teach you that. Making music, on the other hand, requires a dedication beyond reading notes from a page. How loud or soft are you playing (dynamics)? Are the notes short or smooth (articulation)? Fast or slow (tempo)? Ms. Mariah’s Music teaches comprehensive music lessons, meaning it’s not just about learning to play the piano. Lessons with Ms. Mariah incorporate 5 core subject areas (TERMS):

1. Technique (the relationship between our body and our instrument)

2. Ear Training (identifying pitches, intervals, melodies, rhythms, etc. solely by ear)

3. Repertoire (songs/pieces that we prepare to perform for others or ourselves)

4. Music Theory (written work)

5. Sight Reading (playing music we’ve never seen before)

 
 

Mariah teaching a music class in Missionvale, South Africa

Ready for your free trial lesson?

Availability is limited. Contact Mariah today.

 

“Ah, music. A magic far beyond all we do here!”

Albus dumbledore

 
 

SAT (Student Achievement Test)

Ms Mariah is looking forward to taking on students in Michigan and enrolling them in the SAT, or Student Achievement Test, program in the beautiful state of Michigan! Growing up, Mariah attended Interlochen Center for the Arts for 3 summers (one for piano, one for harp, one for both), Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for 3 summers (twice for harp and once for piano on full scholarship), was a National Member of the National Piano Playing Auditions (Guild) for 2 years and an International Member of the National Piano Playing Auditions (Guild) for 4 years (twice with a 20-piece program). Suffice to say, she is well-versed in Michigan Music Programs!

This evaluation requires students to excel in piano performance, technique, ear training, sight-reading, and music theory. The Ms. Mariah’s Music curriculum is based upon these five core areas of music study, and each subject area is incorporated into lessons that are at least 45 minutes in length. For 30 minute lessons, all subjects except ear training and sight reading are utilized.  Colleges and universities look favorably towards the well-rounded musical education that SAT fosters, and students may apply for honors, awards, and scholarships.

Studio History of State Competition Success:

2017:              6 students completed

2018:              11 students completed, 7 with honors

2019:              9 students completed, 6 with honors

2020:              10 students completed, 8 with honors

2021:              13 students completed, 12 with honors

2022: 9 students completed, 8 with honors

 

“If music be the food of love, play on.”

William shakespeare

 

Ms Mariah’s Music first piano recital in 2015!

History

Mariah Gillespie has been playing the piano since age 5 and the harp since age 10.

While Mariah was completing her undergraduate degree at U of M, she fell in love with teaching when she met her first piano student, Sarah Cattell, from Ann Arbor, Michigan. When she moved to Australia, she continued to teach with Yamaha Music for 2 years while completing her masters degree and working full time in marketing. She moved to California in early 2013 and worked for Qualcomm whilst continuing to teach music on the side. Finally, in 2015, her passions persuaded her to pursue a full time teaching career.

 
 
 

Ready for your child to embark on their musical journey?

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