Lexington Music Teachers

The Music Institute of Lexington offers guitar lessons, voice lessons and music lessons for students of all ages and experience levels. Each of our teachers is an experienced musician as well as a music educator. Please call us if you would like to arrange a meeting with any of our faculty members. We are eager to welcome you into our musical family.

Bud McKinley bass guitar		Charles McKinley is a graduate of the Eastern Kentucky University music program where he studied saxophone from 1993 to 1997. He has been on faculty at the Music Institute for five years teaching electric bass, saxophone, and Garage Band. Charles frequently performs around the midwest region and across the country. A versatile musician, he can be found in local jazz groups, lounge performances, and in arena and club venues in support of well known acts ranging in style form country to hard rock. Charles has shared the stage with Quiet Riot, Jackyl, Tone Loc, P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell, country artist Billy Currington, The Beach Boys, and The Coral Reefers, to name a few. He is also an experienced studio musician appearing on albums such as Nine Days Wonder (Blue Honey), 2:Twelve (Much Is Given), and I've Got to Move (Tee Dee Young and Scandalous). Currently Charles performs with The Conch Republic Band (conchrepublicband.com), MaxeyFlat, and Ronnie Lawson and Country Law.
Matt Cook guitar & childbloom		Matthew began his pursuit of music shortly before beginning high school. After developing his skills and expanding his playing styles with several local and traveling bands, Matthew shifted his focus to classical guitar under the instruction of Andrew Leonard at the University of Kentucky. Since then, Matthew’s accomplishments span from performances throughout the eastern United States to performing in master classes with GFA finalist, Austin Moorhead. Most recently, Matthew has become one of the youngest guitarists selected for certification as a Childbloom Guitar instructor. Childbloom Guitar is a comprehensive musical education program, which adapts traditional guitar methods to the learning stages of childhood development. Matthew studied The Chidlbloom Guitar Method with Kevin Taylor, creator and founder of The Childbloom Guitar program.
Seith Miller guitar		Seith Miller studied guitar under Ben Lacy and currently spends his time teaching, producing, and performing both as a solo guitar player & with his touring band, The Spooky Qs. He builds a technical and theoretical foundation in his students that lasts a lifetime.
Mylinda K. Dockery organ		Mylinda K. Dockery is founder and Executive Director of The Music Institute of Lexington in Kentucky. Now in its 14th year, The Music Institute of Lexington serves 675 students with 450 students on subsidized tuition. In 1995, Ms. Dockery founded the Trinity Music Academy in Troy, North Carolina, which is a church-based community music school. It was featured in The Living Church as a model program for churches to copy when expanding their outreach through the arts. Ms. Dockery has been involved in the management of community music organizations for twenty years. Ms. Dockery received her B.M. from Salem College and her M.M. from the North Carolina School of the Arts where she was the recipient of the Kennan Organ Scholarship for Outstanding Talent. She has studied with Jane Carlson at the Juilliard School and holds a certificate from the Academy of Musik in Sion, Switzerland. Ms. Dockery has performed over 3,000 concerts, including a debut of Kurick's Nocturne No. 1 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She has over 25 years of piano teaching experience in both the Suzuki and traditional methods and is an early childhood music specialist certified in Musikgarten®, Kindermusik®, and Orff Schulwerk®.
Maria LeRose-Herndon organ		Maria completed her Masters of Music in Sacred Music with an emphasis in organ as well as a Certificate in Music Theory Pedagogy at the University of Kentucky in 2006. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from UK with a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance in 2004. In summer 2004, Maria studied organ in Salzburg, Austria with Bernhard Gfrerer. She has been the organist at several churches in WV and SC, and organist and handbell director at Trinity Hill United Methodist Church in Lexington for four years. She has taught piano and organ lessons at the Music Institute of Lexington since January 2004, and received her training in the Suzuki Method during June 2005.
Paul Deatherage percussion		Paul Deatherage is an active performer and educator in the central Kentucky area. A versatile percussionist, he is experienced in many areas of percussion, including jazz, concert, marching and world percussion. Paul completed his Bachelors Degree in Music Education in December, 2005. Paul moved to Lexington in 2007 to pursue his Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance at the University of Kentucky. He completed his M.M. in May, 2009. Paul leads a varied teaching career, working with students at middle school, high school and college levels. Paul currently teaches drumset at the University of Kentucky. He is also on percussion staff at Lafayette High School, a 16 time marching band state champion, and a Bands of America Grand National finalist.
Jenna McKinley voice		Jenna McKinley received her Bachelor's in vocal performance from Eastern Kentucky University in 1997. She completed her Master's degree in Vocal Pedagogy at Belmont University in 2000 and her Master's degree in Vocal Performance from EKU in 2002. While earning her MM in Vocal Performance, Jenna joined the voice faculty at EKU and taught there until 2003 when she joined the Music Institute. Mrs. McKinley has held leading roles in opera and musical theatre performances at Belmont and EKU, and she continues to perform at church and with her Beach party band "Conch Republic.” As a faculty member at the Music Institute, she teaches voice lessons, MusikGarten® classes, and is currently serving as lead teacher for P.A.S.S. camp.