Meet the Team

  • Devin Weckstein

    FOUNDER

    PIANO INSTRUCTOR

  • Emily Gilbertson

    PIANO INSTRUCTOR

Devin Weckstein is the founder and primary piano instructor at the Tallahassee Piano Academy. At the Tallahassee Piano Academy, students have the option of in person or virtual piano lessons. Devin's students learn a wide range of skills that help progress students' ability in their classical, jazz and popular music studies.  As a teacher, Devin is dedicated to staying up to date with sound pedagogy through research and active membership in professional music organizations. But his favorite part of teaching is instilling passion for music in the wide range of students he teaches- from beginning to advanced, young to adult. 

Devin holds a degree in piano from the University of Oklahoma where he focused his education on piano pedagogy and performance and was mentored by Dr. J.P. Murphy, Dr. Barbara Fast, and Dr. Jeongwon Ham. Prior to his study at OU, Devin was the student of Dr. Silvia Roederer, Dr. Michael Coonrod, and Jeff Haas. 

With a love for performance, Devin has continually sought out performance opportunities and has participated in a master class with Dr. Luis Sanchez as well as performing multiple hour length recitals in recent years. Inspired by his own love for performance, Devin’s students are encouraged to learn how beautiful the communicative process of performance can be. They regularly perform in recitals and are encouraged to participate in competitions as well. His students have been awarded high accolades from regional, state, and international piano competitions.

Interest in adapting pedagogy to individual students of varying abilities led Devin to research and present at the MTNA Collegiate Symposium on the Universal Design for Learning and its application in the piano studio. He presented at the national MTNA conference in March 2024 on teaching jazz to beginning pianists and how this can promote inclusivity. In October 2024 and January 2025 Devin was invited to present at the Seattle MTA chapter. Along with these speaking events, he also has an article on the topic of piano technology for piano teachers that is going to be published in the American Music Teachers Journal later this year.

Devin has completed continuing education coursework at the Francis Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy on adaptive piano teaching and he continues to research adaptive teaching strategies for students with special needs. In recent years, Devin has focused his research on creating a well-rounded musician so that beginning pianists are well prepared to play in any style as their playing matures. In the last decade of teaching, Devin has enjoyed working with students of all ages and abilities from elementary to advanced levels. Reach out today and sign up for a free trial lesson!

Emily Gilbertson is a pianist, singer, and teacher who has dedicated her life to the craft of music making and piano education. She began violin lessons at the age of 4 and classical piano lessons at the age of 5. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in Piano Pedagogy at Florida State University where she studies piano with Dr. Kalhous and Piano Pedagogy with Dr. Dumlavwalla. 

Along with Emily's active teaching and performing schedule she is engaged with her piano pedagogy colleagues through State and National level music organizations. Emily has presented at national conferences such as: the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Conference and the MTNA Collegiate Symposium,  as well as state conferences such as: the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA), Professional Learning Conference, and the Florida Music Teachers Association (FSMTA) State Conference. In March of 2025, Emily returned to the MTNA national conference to share two of her current interests. These topics include: Pedagogic Literature of Asian Composers as well as Teaching First Year Piano Lessons Without a Method Book.

Over the last decade of teaching, Emily's students have flourished in their development.  In addition to privately teaching piano, Emily has served as the primary instructor for group piano class at Interlochen Arts Camp in 2022 and 2024 and is excited to be returning for the Summer session in 2025. Currently, Emily serves as a graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University where she instructs undergraduate class piano and serves as the Vice President of Programs for the MTNA@FSU Collegiate Chapter.