Meet the Peery Piano Academy Faculty

Christie teaches students enrolled in the 

Peery Mastery program.

Christie Skousen is the Founder and Director of the Peery Piano Academy in  Mountain View, CA and is the author of the Peery Method. Christie's teachers include Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Dr Irene Peery-Fox, and Dmitri Boshkirov at the Gnessin School of Music. She has performed as a soloist and with symphonies around the world and has won multiple national and international piano competitions.

Christie's students are frequent competition winners and symphony soloists. They have gone on to attend some of the best colleges and learning institutions including Harvard, Yale, Juilliard, Carnegie Mellon and UC Berkeley.

Christie's favorite thing about teaching is when students form their own connection to music. She is grateful for the supportive Peery community of students and teachers and loves helping them on their path to reaching their full potential in music and in life.

Henry is available to teach students enrolled in the 

Peery Players, Givers and Mastery programs.

Henry Smolen began studying piano with Christie Peery Skousen at 3 years old, and gave his first public performance in San Jose, CA, when he was five years old.  A veteran of the concert stage, he has performed all over the country, making his orchestral debut at 8 years old with the El Camino Youth Symphony in Palo Alto, California. Since receiving his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School, Henry has returned to the Bay Area to teach. Henry’s students love getting to explore every aspect of the piano, learning to be great musicians, and having fun while doing it!

Amy is available to teach students enrolled in the Peery Habits, Players, Givers and Mastery programs.

Amy Bloom began studying piano at the Peery Piano Academy when she was five years old. She has over a decade of piano teaching experience and knows the Peery curriculum inside and out! Amy is a competition award-winning Classical pianist, but also loves playing popular music and making up her own arrangements. Her students love her for her positivity, enthusiasm, and for motivating them to reach their highest potential. Her goal for every student is to find their own joy in piano.

Estee is available to teach students enrolled in the Peery Habits and Players programs.

Estee has been teaching at the Peery Piano Academy for over 10 years and is an expert in the Peery curriculum. Growing up  in Asia, Estee took piano lessons at a young age and passed exams under  the London ABRSM system. With her accumulated experience and love for  teaching, Estee is able to customize lessons to fit every student's  individual learning style. Her goal is for her students to achieve  consistent results and develop a life long love of music and learning.

Toby is available to teach students enrolled in the Peery Habits, Players and Givers programs.

Toby began studying piano at age 8 and has a BA in classical piano performance. She has been teaching piano for over 20 years and enjoys customizing learning for each unique student. Her students love her for her kindness, thoroughness, and positive demeanor. She is

dedicated to instilling a deep and lifelong love of music in her students and ensuring that they are motivated and excited about music for many years. Her greatest joy as a teacher is watching her students perform well in recitals or on performance exams and bringing out their skills as arrangers and composers. In addition to her teaching, Toby is also a composer of New Age, alt-rock, and multi-instrumental music. She is currently working on her first album of piano and instrumental pieces which will soon be streaming on Spotify and other streaming services.

Eric is available to teach students enrolled in the Peery Players and Givers programs.

Eric Wu began studying piano at the age of five and has been immersed in music for over two decades. He holds a Level 10 Certificate of Merit (CM) from the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) in piano, and has extensive experience teaching piano, guitar, drums, and harp. With a deep passion for music, Eric enjoys guiding students toward their goals, whether in classical training, popular music, or creative arrangements. His students appreciate his patience, enthusiasm, and dedication to their growth. Eric’s ultimate goal is to help each student discover their own love for music and reach their highest potential.

Giselle is available to teach students enrolled in the 

Peery Players and Givers programs.

San Francisco based pianist and educator Giselle Nguyen commands the stage with a personality that is at once engaging. “Virtuosity for her is accompanied by the desire for clarity”, observed The Gazette after two sensational concerto performances with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra. 

Giselle has performed across the world both as a solo and collaborative artist. She was chosen as the pianist to perform with the symphony orchestra in the United States premiere performance of The Flood Requiem composed by the world-renowned composer Douwe Eisenga. Her summers are filled with participation in musical festivals and competitions, including New York University’s Summer Piano Intensive and British Isles Music Festival in the United Kingdom with full scholarships, Curtis Institute of Music, Columbia University, Harvard University, New York Piano Festival and Competition, International Piano Festival in Poland, and Chopin 2nd Piano International Competition. Besides performing and collaborating, Giselle is open to other musical participation. She has performed as a choral, orchestral, instrumental, vocal, musical theatre accompanist, and with chamber music ensembles. 

With a Graduate Fellowship and Collaborative Piano Fellow scholarship, Giselle obtained her Master’s in Piano Performance degree at Longy School of Music in Boston under the tutelage of pianist Gila Goldstein. Prior to her Master’s degree, Giselle was one of the few to be awarded a full scholarship to pursue her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance degree at Cornell College with Fulbright Scholar Dr. James Martin. 

A compassionate and dedicated teacher, Giselle makes learning piano motivating and enjoyable. With 5 years of experience, Giselle creates a safe and inviting environment where her students see the piano as a friend, fostering a genuine love and curiosity for music. She designs lessons filled with fun and motivating activities like games and duets that help students develop sight reading, ear training, music theory, perfect pitch, and a strong sense of rhythm. This nurturing approach has led to confidence early in their musical journeys, such as performing in a talent show at the age of 6 after just two months of lessons. Many of her students have achieved their goals in music, including earning Merit and Distinction in ABRSM piano exams. 

Karis is available to teach students enrolled in the 

Peery Habits program.

Karis has been attending Peery Piano Academy since she was five years old.  She joined the PPA faculty in 2022. She has a great passion for music and working with kids, and she thinks being able to teach at Peery is an amazing place for her to do both of those things. Karis's goal is to be able to inspire her students to love music as much as she does. Outside of piano, she enjoys listening to music, baking, and playing tennis.

Andrea is available to teach students enrolled in the 

Peery Habits program.

Andrea has been studying piano for over a decade at Peery Piano Academy, teaching since 2022. She passed the Royal Conservatory of Music Exam Grade 10, receiving the mark First Class Honors with Distinction, the highest mark that can be received. She is a student in the PPA Mastery program, and loves piano competitions. Andrea has received top prizes in many state and national competitions and has performed at Carnegie Hall. Recently she was invited to the International Music Festival in Spain, where she played in a chamber orchestra with musicians from all around the world. Andrea enjoys performing, and hopes to instill a love of music in her students. Outside of piano, Andrea enjoys flying out on weekends to compete in national debate tournaments. 

Cleone is available to teach students enrolled in the

Peery Habits program.

Cleone began attending the Peery Piano Academy at 7 years old. Cleone joined the PPA faculty in 2024. Cleone is a part of Peery's Givers program and has received multiple awards including: 2nd place in American Virtuoso International Competition, and 3rd place in SEIPC Bay Piano Fest International Piano Competition. Cleone is really excited and passionate about teaching and hopes to motivate her students to enjoy their piano learning journey. In her free time, she enjoys reading and swimming.