Piano Instruction
Jamie Atkins
James B. “Jamie” Atkins has a B.A. in Music Education from Glenville State College, Glenville, West Virginia and a J.D. from the West Virginia School of Law, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Jamie is an experienced instrumentalist, vocalist, conductor, arranger and stage performer. Comfortable on numerous instruments and vocal styles, his opportunities to perform have been wide-ranging in both venue and instrument selection. Jamie finished undergrad with a major emphasis in trombone, and minor emphasis in piano and voice. He was a regular lead in the musical theatre department and also an original member of the first bluegrass band as GSC pioneered the nation’s first certificate in bluegrass music.
Jamie has numerous on-air credits for both television and radio and has appeared with many musicians and bands in countless performances around West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. He regularly accompanies theatre performances on-call on piano, trombone or bass guitar, and performs The Star Spangled Banner at a variety of public events. He was the front vocalist and instrumentalist for a successful ballroom dance band from 1999 to 2014. Jamie served on faculty at West Virginia State University from 2006 to 2011 as assistant band director, drum line instructor, indoor percussion instructor and department recruiter. He has also served in various assistant director roles for high school music programs in West Virginia since 2000. Jamie currently works with both the show choir and marching band at his alma mater, Winfield High School.
Jamie has conducted the choirs at Trinity Fellowship Church in St. Albans, WV since 2001, most notably coordinating the annual Christmas Cantata, and been a vocal and instrumental member of the praise team for over 30 years. He has trained dozens of high school and collegiate marching band drum majors over the last 20 years and now keeps a private studio, teaching piano, drum set, guitars, brass, voice and drum major lessons.
Jamie works with Atkins & Ogle Law Offices, in Buffalo, West Virginia, and lives with his wife and three children in Teays Valley, West Virginia.
Marla Hopkins
Marla Hopkins i san instrumentalist and performer on piano, flute, guitar, and voice. She will begin her junior year at Winfield High School in the fall of 2021 and is very involved in show choir, marching band, concert band, and her youth group at Trinity Fellowship Church. She has studied piano and voice with Jamie Atkins for 5 years and has studied flute with Betty King for 2 years. She auditioned and was selected to participate in the West Virginia All-State Band in both her freshman and sophomore year.
In addition to her credentials as an all-state musician, Marla has also earned the position of first chair flute for the Putnam County all-county band, West Virginia's all-area symphonic band, and the Marshall University honor band. She has been teaching beginning piano lessons with Jamie Atkins for the last year and looks forward to continuing to encourage and inspire young musicians.
John Moccio
John Moccio is a Student at Marshall University, majoring in Chemistry (ACS Certified). John has been playing piano for over a decade and accordion for the past several years. While in high school john was a member of and soloist for both the high school band and show bands, versatile in multiple styles of play. John enjoys improvisation and exploring chord progressions with students. He also enjoys arranging his own electronic music. John is anxious to start your young musician.