Welcome!
ABOUT
MEET OUR TEAM
WHY IOVANNE MUSIC ACADEMY?
Making music fun. Keeping standards high. Iovanne Music Academy features highly qualified, enthusiastic educators dedicated to teaching private piano, voice, guitar, ukulele and flute lessons to students of all ages and backgrounds. Based in Kirkland, with in-home, studio and virtual lessons available throughout the Eastside.
Interested in classical, jazz, pop, country, theory, improvisation, composition, or just learning the basics? Rather than follow a 'one size fits all' approach, our educators work to understand your goals, learning styles and interests. We believe in building well-rounded musicians, with lessons tailored to the individual. Our students read music, compose, arrange, perform for others and enjoy lessons. We believe music is a lifelong journey that should be fun, challenging, and shared with others. Iovanne Music Academy is a wonderful place to explore your music goals and learn from teachers truly dedicated to their craft.
Call 206.384.7952 to find out more! Lessons offered weekdays and weekends to fit your schedule.
Jennifer Iovanne Mackend
FOUNDER
TEACHER, PIANO AND VOICE
Jennifer began teaching private piano and voice lessons in early 2007, and founded Iovanne Music Academy in 2013 to provide quality music education to students of all ages and backgrounds.
Drawn to music at an early age, Jennifer began music lessons at age 5 and was accompanying choirs and working under a voice teacher in her middle and high school years. An active music educator, director, arranger and performer since graduating from the University of Washington, Jennifer has taught privately and collaborated with some of the area's most vibrant performing arts organizations, including Studio East, Broadway Bound, Gallery School of Music and Dance, and Evergreen City Ballet. She has also served as Music Director for Northwest Christian Church in Seattle since 2008.
Jennifer is a highly respected wedding and event performer, and has been awarded #1 Music in KING5's Best of Western Washington numerous times. She has performed in some of the area's top venues, including the Washington State Governor's Mansion, Columbia Tower Club, Four Seasons Hotel, and Salish Lodge.
Jennifer lives in Kirkland with her husband and two young boys.
Whittaker
TEACHER, PIANO AND VOICE
Whittaker has been teaching piano and voice with IMA since 2014 and is adored by his many students. He has a rich background of musical pedagogy, performance, and theory. He studied piano under June Smith with a focus on technique and the romantic era of Beethoven, Chopin, and Mendelssohn. Over the years, he has worked as an accompanist, section leader, soloist, cantor and director for numerous individual performers, groups and choirs, including St. Thomas More, St. Louise and Pacific Lutheran University.
His piano and voices lessons are filled with a lot of humor, musical anecdotes to connect abstract music with people. He places a strong emphasis on theory and technique, along with musical history, in order to integrate the broad styles found within contemporary and classical music to create a real and rich understanding of music, and through that, a deeper love of music. Younger/beginning students will connect with his humor, congeniality, and patience, while advanced students will appreciate his depth of knowledge, experience, and sincere love of music.
Whittaker lives in the south end with his wife and adorable twin toddlers.
Kim
TEACHER, PIANO AND VOICE
Kim is an incredibly accomplished piano and voice teacher and music director who joined IMA in 2022. We are ecstatic to have her join our studio!
Kim grew up in Olympia and began studying music as a young child. Since graduating from UC Davis, Kim has been very active as a piano and voice teacher, music director, conductor, arranger, and curriculum developer. She has worked with incredible and diverse organizations over the years, including ArtsWest, Seattle Musical Theater, Bellevue Christian School, Northwest University, Balagan Theatre, and Second Story Rep. One of Kim's favorite aspects of music is the opportunity to "tell stories and shape performances in a way that drives the story forward." When working with private piano and voice students, Kim adores "the opportunity I have to grow a student's confidence and sense of self."
Kim lives on the eastside with her family and is a proud mom to "the kindest 16 year old I've ever met."
Alison
TEACHER, PIANO AND VOICE
Alison joined IMA in 2022 with several years of experience teaching private piano and voice. She is a proud PNW native, and holds a BA in Music from Central Washington University. She is trained in both classical piano and voice as well as jazz piano and voice, making her an awesomely skilled musician and versatile teacher. Alison is also a gifted singer-songwriter, and has collaborated with many musicians and bands over the years. She is an active performer across the region, and is working on her debut album. Alison values music education and enjoys playing a pivotal role in the musical growth of others; she believes learning music stems from a place of joy, and strives to evoke that same joy in each of her students.
Elaina
TEACHER, PIANO, VOICE, GUITAR, UKULELE AND FLUTE
Elaina joined IMA in 2022 with more than 25 years of music teaching experience throughout the Seattle-Tacoma region. Elaina earned her BA in Music Education from Seattle Pacific University and M.Ed. from Lesley University and is a Washington State certified music educator. Over the years she has offered private music lessons, directed children's choirs, and taught public school students across all K-12 grades in General Music, Choir, Band, Piano and Drama. Elaina feels "privileged to teach amazing students and grow as a human being because of the wisdom they've shared with me as we create music together." In her free time, Elaina loves to sing at her church, geek out on music theory and explore the beautiful PNW beaches.