Meet Our Teachers:

Tabitha McCall Pearson Piano Teacher & Admin

Ms. Tabitha (Ms. Tabby) is our admin and piano teacher.  She is a native of Western North Carolina but lived and graduated from high school in Southern California. She is happily married to her husband Matthew and they live in Franklin with their two dogs, Bagheera and Bucky. Ms. Tabby has several years of experience teaching and supporting individuals with special needs through the Autism Society. She has a passion for music and teaching and shares Ms. Maggie's vision for expanding musical education in our community.  She is also a boss on the computer and is so helpful to all our families as they sign up for classes & lessons!

Matt Pearson Guitar & Ukulele

Mr. Matt is excited to begin his second year with Maggie's Music Academy.  Having grown up in Franklin, Mr. Matt has always enjoyed music.  He started his guitar studies at the age of... (under construction)

Emmaline Albers Piano Teacher

Ms. Emmy is a Franklin native, currently completing her high school diploma. She boasts consistent Superior Plus scores at regional piano festivals and is a composer & song writer, and 10 years of piano experience. You might check out her own YouTube Channel: 76 Roses, or watch her in a performance at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.  She says, "I love working with my students and seeing them grow to know and love piano as I do."  Ms. Emmie is great with kids and adults, and teaches private piano to all ages and Music Makers at the Keyboard classes on Monday afternoons and Tuesdays mornings to Ages 6-9.  We are excited to have Ms. Emmie with us this year!

Taylor Foley Musical Theatre & Acting Teacher

Ms. Taylor is the newest addition to our staff!  She first took to the stage when she was 7 years old with Overlook Theatre Players.  Since then, she has performed in many different roles and realized her passion.  She has been trained by multiple industry professionals to continually grow her skills.  In addition to being onstage, she also has experience working backstage, teaching her own drama class, and spending an entire summer doing a Stage Management Internship.  Ms. Taylor has a passion for empathetic storytelling: "I've always strived to connect with the world around me so that the audience may identify aspects of themselves in each character I portray."  Ms. Taylor is also great with kids, and we are excited to have her on board!

Maggie Jennings Founder & Lead Instructor Piano, Voice, Musikgarten, Ensembles Summer Camps

Ms. Maggie’s passion is building the same support & opportunities for music students in Western NC as what she had growing up in her hometown suburb of Charleston, SC.  What started with simple Musikgarten classes for her own young children in 2017 has now expanded to providing a vocal and instrumental pathway for all musicians, young and old.  Ms. Maggie's goal is to help close the gap for quality music instruction in Macon County and to inspire contagious musical enrichment within her community.    

"Ms. Maggie" Jennings has a rich history in music education and children's music.  She began her teaching career in 2005 as an elementary music specialist in Summerville, SC, where she also worked with her church youth choir and taught piano and voice lessons.  She was quickly asked to help start a music program at a new elementary school, and over then next three years she wrote and received over $60,000 for her program in public and private grants. There she was also named Teacher of the Year by the Parent Teacher Association for the 2008-2009 school year.  In 2009, she married her amazing husband Kyle Jennings and moved close to his hometown of Franklin, NC.  After completing her graduate degree, she taught high school chorus and theatre for six years in Swain & Haywood counties.  She improved her choir's performance and sight reading grades by over 30 points and two difficulty levels in just three years, after which her choirs earned consistent Superiors in performance and sight reading at both state and national contests.  She has also led and directed several musicals including "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Annie," and "Once Upon a Mattress."  In 2017, she stepped down from teaching in public schools to raise her babies full time, and now teaches music at South Macon Elementary.  She also serves as the Children's Choir Director at Cowee Baptist Church in Franklin and the director of the Macon County Youth & Children's Choir.

Ms. Maggie has worked privately with singers and pianists of all ages since age 16.  She is known for her love for children and her ability to inspire achievement and a love for music.  Her students are award-winning, with a number of them having been accepted into the SC Elementary Honors Chorus, the NC High School Honors Chorus and more having received additional honors and scholarships over the years.  

She has an M.A.Ed. in Music (Western Carolina University), a B.A. in Music Education & minor in Spanish (Gardner-Webb University), & is a National Board Certified Teacher (2014).  She is a certified licensed Musikgarten instructor, a member of the American Choral Director's Association, the National Association for Music Education, the North Carolina Music Educator's Association, and the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association.  She has written and received multiple large and small grants from the SC Department of Education, ChorusAmerica, and other private sources.  She enjoys sleeping in, snuggling with her two children (ages 7 & 10), and exploring with her husband of 13 years, Kyle.