Teaching & Admin Staff
Dakota Crist
Office Manager & Music Together Teacher
Dakota Crist had her early training in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Modern Dance at Diane’s Dance Works in Helena, Montana, then went on to study at Creative Arts Center in Helena, Ballet Montana Academy and Sacramento Ballet.
She holds a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts. Dakota is currently a company member of The Three Yells dance company and she has been teaching since 2009.
She joined American Dance Institute in January of 2018 and the staff of Shoreline Music School in April of 2018. She was promoted to Shoreline Office Manager in June of 2019.
Raisa Asriyants
Violin Lessons, Piano Lessons
Raisa Asriyants earned her Master’s degree in Violin Performance from Western Washington University and graduated with honors. She has performed in Europe and the USA, winning a variety of solo and chamber competitions across both continents.
Raisa has been 1st violin concertmaster in WWU Symphony Orchestra and Northwest Symphony Orchestra. She is active as a soloist and chamber musician, having had recitals across the Pacific Northwest. She teaches private lessons and group classes, freelances with local orchestras in the Seattle area, and plays and records music with a group of folk singers in Seattle and Canada. She also has scored music for full feature films.
Raisa's music interests range from archaic medieval and baroque, to classical, and to contemporary string compositions. As her musical accomplishments are a product of several different music education systems, Raisa possesses a diverse skill set as a strings educator, which gives her students access to the full array of teaching techniques to realize their music potential.
Gabriel Brooks-Lopez (Gabe)
Guitar Lessons
Gabriel began his path into music at the age of seven and picked up his first guitar two years later. Early in life he became comfortable on a multitude of instruments from strings to brass to percussion. Growing up here in Washington state Gabe found his way into every school music program he could access while also pursuing his music education on his own terms. Gabe attended Cornish College of the Arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Composition.
Gabriel has been a part of the Seattle music scene for several years. In his primary act, the Mukilteo based progressive metal group Esoson, he plays guitar and is the chief composer and arranger for the group. He also filled the role of drummer and co-composer beside Max Walker of the Seattle local jazz/hip-hop group Cavalerie. His work is also showcased through his guitar centric, metal-jazz fusion compositions under his own name. Gabe has played in many Seattle venues such as PONCHO Concert Hall, El Corazon, Studio 7, and Tony V’s Garage. In 2011 Gabe participated in a competitive drum and bugle corps, The Oregon Crusaders, where he toured the United States and finished second place among the best groups internationally. On top of his playing, Gabe is a working audio engineer who has worked with many west coast musicians primarily as a recording and mixing engineer.
Carson Grubb
As a music teacher, I want to help my students achieve their goals as musicians.
Whether you want to perform professionally or play for friends around a campfire, music is always a form of communication. In teaching music, my job is to help you develop your vocabulary, voice, and intention as a musical communicator.
I am happy to offer guidance to music lovers of all ages and skill levels. Successful students will see themselves become braver, broader-minded, and more versatile players.
I am a lifelong musician - from beginning classical violin at age 5 to completing a degree in Music from New York University. In addition to performing regularly as a guitarist, singer, and electronic musician, I produce beats for myself and other artists. I have a particular appetite for Hip-Hop, electronic music, and bold flavors of every stripe.
I teach acoustic and electric guitar in all styles and skill levels, ukulele, beginning violin, beginning piano, and Logic Pro.
Together, let’s speak Music!
Alexianne Maloy (Alex)
Piano Lessons, Guitar lessons, Bass Guitar, Ukulele Lessons, Drum Lessons
Alexianne Maloy is a bassist/multi-instrumentalist with over 10 years' experience in the music industry.
After finishing his studies at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, he has moved to Seattle to perform, compose and record a wide variety of music with many of Seattle's local musicians and artists.
He also shares a passion for teaching and passing on the knowledge he has acquired over the years to hopefully inspire a new generation of musicians.
Angela Dane
Drum Lessons: Rock, Funk, & Beginning Jazz
Dr. Angela Dane is a professional drummer in two internationally touring rock bands from Seattle: Atrocity Girl and Kitty Junk.
She is a Women's Studies professor and also teaches audio engineering at North Seattle College. S
he has been teaching drums for five years and endorses Evans drumheads and ProMark drumsticks by D'Addario.
She is currently working on her Counseling Degree at Antioch University to become a drama therapist for disadvantaged teens.
Steven & Elizabeth Chayer
Shoreline Music School Founders
Longtime Seattle business owners Steve and Elizabeth Chayer wanted to expand their American Dance Institute dance school to Shoreline, Washington. They searched for eight months and looked at nine different locations but none of them had the all the essential elements of the ideal dance studio they wanted. Then they discovered Alex and Theresa Molnar’s building in North City.
The Molnars weren’t interested in breaking up the 5000 square foot space for lease. So, Steve and Elizabeth took a deep breath and leased the entire space. 3000 square feet was divided out for a state of the art dance studio and the rest for a 2000 square foot music school.
Why a music school? Shoreline residents told them one was needed and Elizabeth is and comes from a long line of musicians. Her grandfather, father, and brothers all played instruments. Her grandfather was also a state clogging champion and her great uncle Phillip was a state champion fiddle player both from the coal mine region of Pennsylvania. Elizabeth, attended Empire State College in New York as a music major before she discovered her love for ballet. She is an active musician and loves to play her guitar, piano and manolin. She loved the idea of opening a music school to teach others the joy of music.
The Chayer's house is a musician’s house with Elizabeth and her son, Andy’s instruments in every room and musician friends stopping by to say hi and play music. Andy built a state of the art recording studio in the garage and he and his band mates Jordan Cope, and Tyler Peasley all of the band, Reverend Bear, rehearse and record there along with, Case Smith, of the band, The Absent Light.
With Elizabeth’s 30 years experience growing American Dance Institute and Steve’s 40 years growing his million dollar painting & decorating business, they felt that they had enough business experience between them to try something new and different.
First and foremost was a commitment to find and attract the finest music teachers. And then to create an environment and community for serious students that was structured, nurturing, and fun.
With all that, they decided to start the Shoreline Music School and so they did.
Teachers Emeritus
Jeong Chi
Piano Lessons, Cello Lessons
Jeong Chi taught piano lessons and Cello lessons for Shoreline Music School for 5 years. She is classically trained in cello and piano for thirty years.
Jeong graduated San Jose State University with a Masters degree in Education and she has been an educator for the past eleven years. She teaches at Parkwood Elementary School. She moved to Seattle in 2017.
"I love to teach, says Jeong, and I can teach everyone to play the piano and the cello. Teaching is my passion."
Jeong is a member of the Evergreen Community Orchestra. She has played for local string quartets also.
Ila Faubion
Singing Lessons, Voice Lessons
Ila Faubion grew up in the Seattle area and was active in community theater, jazz choir, and classical ensembles while growing up.
She attended the University of Washington, where she received degrees in both Music (Vocal Performance), Speech and Hearing Sciences. She performed throughout her time in college at both the University and local theaters around Seattle. After graduating, she moved to Florida where she worked as a performer at Walt Disney World in their parades and shows, and then to Los Angeles where she worked with a group that workshopped new musicals. Currently she is a member of Actor's Equity Association and is active in the Seattle theater scene.
She is also an acting teacher at Seattle Children's Theater. She's excited to have the opportunity to teach singing, her most practiced skill, to new students as well and pass along the knowledge she's obtained after nearly 17 years of classical and musical theater singing experience.