MEET OUR TEACHERS

Triumph Music Academy is a musical collective. Our teachers, each professional musicians in their own right, teach you how to make music a part of your life.

James Hughes

Studio Director & Owner

Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Piano, Songwriting, Recording, Artist Development, Live Sound, & Student Bands

Drawing from his own experience touring, recording, and songwriting, he started teaching his students not just how to play music, but how to do music—how to balance a group, how to engineer sound, how to prepare a performance. Before long, he had amassed a following.

Sierra Piersma

Studio Director

Voice & Piano

Sierra Piersma has been a private music teacher over 15 years teaching piano, voice, guitar, and ukulele. She attended Trinity Christian College for music with a focus in music history. She also has a minor in education.

Sierra taught as the music director of the Sandbox Daycare for two years and taught Kindergarten for 10 years. She also studied improv at Second City in Chicago and has performed an original composition at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Sierra loves to perform in casual settings but her passion is in teaching music and literacy. It is her joy to bring these experiences to you so that you can start or continue your musical journey through Triumph Music Academy.

Carsten Forester

Guitar, Songwriting, Ukulele, Theory

Carsten is a Grand Rapids based multi-instrumentalist who specializes in traditional Folk music, Country, and Bluegrass. He started teaching lessons 10 years ago while still finishing his degree at Hope College and hasn’t stopped teaching since. While acoustic music is his main focus now, Carsten honed his chops playing Jazz, Metal, Post-Hardcore, and Classical music during the early part of his musical journey. As a teacher, he focuses on giving students the skills they need to find their creative voice and participate in the broader music community, no matter how big or small their aspirations are.

Elise Endres

Voice & Piano

Elise Endres is a Michigan native and a versatile vocal and piano instructor, actor, and singer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance with a minor in Theatre from Grand Valley State University.

Classically trained, Elise works across a wide range of styles including musical theatre, opera, rock, and popular music. As a teacher, she emphasizes healthy technique, expressive performance, and strong musicianship, helping students build confidence and longevity in their voices. Most recently, she toured throughout Italy as a performing artist.

Matt Marquez

Drums and Recording

AV Team

Matt's accomplishments as a drummer range from radio play with multiple commercial rock artists to concert performances around the world in 30 countries. With over 30 albums recorded in studio as a session musician, the fundamentals of the instrument are where Matt shines as an instructor, helping to create healthy habits for beginners as soon as they pick up a pair of drumsticks while also applying what is being taught on the drums to real world applications. Artists Matt has collaborated with: Norma Jean, Sylar, New Years Day, Project 86, Fame On Fire

Joshua Usadel

Trombone & Trumpet

Josh Usadel plays trombone, tuba, acoustic bass, electric bass (right and left handed!) and knows a bit of piano. He has been in four Grand Rapids bands and played shows with many more. Josh’s teaching style draws on the strengths of written music and memorized music. Josh’s music career has taken him to many music types: hip hop, indie pop, afrobeat, Latin, rock and more. During the fall of 2025 Josh was an interim band director for four GRPS schools. He is grateful to be sharing his diverse musical experiences with students who are looking to broaden their musical horizons.

Keala venema

Violin & Fiddle

Keala is a multi-instrumentalist who plays fiddle, guitar, tin whistle and Bodhran, the Irish drum. She has grown up playing in Irish and Bluegrass sessions for years and grew up being in bands such as Circling Shannon or The Barley Saints. She is a graduate from the Michigan Academy of Folk Music and now aspires to build community around the fiddle. She is the lead fiddle instructor at Michigan Academy of Folk Music as well as at Triumph Music Academy. In addition to her private teaching work, she has assisted or led fiddle string clinics for Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Great Lakes Music Camp Youth Academy, or with local youth orchestras. Her playing experiences draw from the opportunity to jam and attend fiddle camps across the country with Grammy award winning or nominated artists such as Jeremy Kittel, Darol Anger, David Greely and John Reischman, and now is a fiddle force in the Grand Rapids music scene playing music with jazz fusion band Candid Antics or occasionally filling in for folk acts Roosevelt Diggs, Hawks and Owls String Band, or Ben Traverse. In addition to music, Keala enjoys painting, making a good cappuccino and hanging out with her two parrots.

KEVIN HYUN

Piano, Voice, Guitar & Bass

whistle Kevin studied Music Business at Berklee College of Music and has over two years of expierence teaching students of all ages. He teaches piano, guitar, bass and songwriting with a focus on pop, alternative, and jazz-pop styles. He also has worked with K-pop artists in South Korea. His lessons balance strong fundamentals with creativy, helping students grow both technically and artistically.

ALONTE BRANDON

Percussion

Tae is a percussion music teacher with a lifelong passion for playing and creating music. Tae is excited to inspire students and share the joy of music in a positive, encouraging environment. Outside the classroom, Tae enjoys making music, performing around town, and spending time with friends and family.

JOhn Gist

Saxophone & Electronic Wind Instrument & Clarinet & Flute

John Gist, born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI. Mr. Gist is an alto, tenor, and soprano, saxophonist who has mastered a wide variety of musical styles which include Jazz, Funk, Blues, R&B, Gospel.