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.

Sadie is available to teach students enrolled in the Peery Habits program.

Sadie is a high school student who has been teaching at Peery since 2021. She is bubbly, extroverted, and loves to share her joy about the arts with others. Her family is very centered on music and the performing arts, so Sadie has been playing piano since she was seven and singing since she could talk. A student in Peery's Mastery program, she has placed in several piano competitions, including Best Performance in Encore: Competition for Young Musicians, 1st Place in the US International Open Music Competition, and 2nd Place in the Rabinowitch Piano Competition: Middle Division. She also passed her Royal Conservatory of Music Exam Grade 8 with the mark High Honors with Distinction and has performed in over a dozen piano recitals, both in and out of California. It took her a while to really begin to appreciate classical music, but she now loves teaching because it lets her share her passion for music and all the magical details that make classical music so profound. She hopes to share everything she has learned with her students so that they too can get to know all the wonders of piano and be just as excited about it as she is.

Andrea is available to teach students enrolled in the

Peery Habits program.

Andrea is a high school student that has been learning 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. 

Karis is available to teach students enrolled in the 

Peery Habits program.

Karis is a high school student and 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.

Cleone is available to teach students enrolled in the

Peery Habits program.

Cleone is a high school student who 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. 

Holland is available to teach students enrolled in the 

Peery Habits program.

Holland is a passionate young musician and teacher who is currently in middle school. She has a deep love for music and enjoys sharing that passion with others, especially children. Holland has experience playing guitar and violin, as well as singing, and her diverse musical background inspires her to help others discover the joy of music. She is excited to expand her love of music by teaching piano and encouraging her students to grow their skills. Outside of music, Holland enjoys playing soccer, participating in musicals, cooking, and spending quality time with family and friends.