About The Piano Sensei

Piano Lessons for Kids and Adults

The Piano Sensei is a unique custom teaching method for children’s piano lessons, based on motivational curriculum and merit based lesson plans. Children are inspired to play the piano through various incentives offered in the program. The Piano Sensei offers quality instruction while motivating children to achieve their potential in music. Serving the greater Pittsburgh area, North Huntingdon, Irwin, Penn Trafford, Greensburg, Monroeville, Latrobe, and surrounding areas. We offer excellence in piano lessons for kids and private piano instruction. Created by Sensei Connor Burns.

Connor Burns

Founder of The Piano Sensei

Connor Burns studied classical piano for 12 years under the tutelage of Tatyana Gelman. During this time, he performed in countless recitals, church services, graduations, and other special events. Connor also studied jazz piano serving as the pianist for his high school jazz ensemble. He continued to participate in musical groups during his years at Grove City College playing in Christian groups and for the French and Chinese organizations on campus. Connor started The Piano Sensei Music Studio in 2015 as an outlet to share his love of music. Since then, the studio has grown and now offers instruction in guitar, ukulele, bass, saxophone, jazz arrangement & composition in addition to piano. He continues to teach piano and works full-time for The Piano Sensei.

Morgan Stouffer

Piano Instructor, BM, MA, MT-BC

Morgan Stouffer is a 2012 graduate of Seton Hill University where he obtained a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Therapy. While at Seton Hill, he sang the role of Monostatos in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” and performed extensively with the Seton Hill University Choir, the Seton Hill University Chamber Singers, and the Westmoreland Choral Society. As an accomplished pianist and organist, Morgan serves as director of music at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church and Madison United Methodist Church, both near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and as assistant organist at Christ’s Church Greensburg in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Throughout his career as a church musician, he has worked extensively with various church choirs. In addition to his work in sacred music, Morgan maintains a private studio where he teaches piano to children and adults in the community. He has conducted several choral groups and has also served as adjunct choir member of the Westmoreland County All-Star Choir. Recently, Morgan was the choral scholar at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick, Ireland where he was the tenor section leader. During his time at St. Mary’s, Morgan sang in Faure’s “Requiem,” and Stainer’s “Crucifixion.” Morgan recently finished working toward and obtained his Master of Arts degree in Ritual Chant and Song at the University of Limerick, Ireland. Here, he was a principal singer in Lucernarium (the official ensemble of the MA in Ritual Chant & Song), and Sonas: the University of Limerick Global Choir.

Hannah Burns

Piano Instructor

Hannah Burns studied classical piano privately for 13 years which included a 10-year tenure under Tatyana Gelman (Piano Instructor at Carnegie Mellon University). After high school graduation, Hannah continued to study piano at Geneva College while obtaining her bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Throughout her piano education, Hannah performed at a myriad of events including recitals, church services, and school productions. She enjoys teaching children and encouraging them to reach their full potential in and out of lesson times. Hannah currently works full-time for PPG Industries and dedicates her evenings to The Piano Sensei.

Aaron Gray

Piano Instructor

Aaron Gray is a pianist who has graduated from Saint Vincent College with a bachelors degree in piano performance. He grew up in Latrobe, where he was the oldest of five children. He started taking piano lessons when he was 8 years old, under the tutelage of his grandmother, Frances. At St. Vincent, he held the position of Rehearsal Pianist for the music department and accompanied and served as the assistant music director for various performances including the opera Beautiful Bridegroom by Dan Shore and for the departmental musicals. He has served as music director for Ligonier Valley High School’s musicals, and is currently the music director at Jeanette High School. He has also music directed for The Valley Players of Ligonier, Latrobe Cabaret Theater, and Apple hill Playhouse. He has served as the organist/music director at various churches and is currently the Music Director and Principal Organist at Holy Family Church in Latrobe, Pa. He continues to accompany the Saint Vincent College Singers, and serve as accompanist at various choral festivals, as well as teaching private piano lessons.

Mike Tomaro

Saxophone, Jazz Composition & Arrangement Instructor

Mike Tomaro has been the Director of the Jazz Studies Program at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA since 1997. This saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator earned his B.S. degree in Music Education from Duquesne University and his M.A. degree in Saxophone Performance from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Prior to his appointment at Duquesne, he lived in the Washington, D.C. area for seventeen years as a member of the Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, a unit of the prestigious “Pershing’s Own” U.S. Army Band. While a member of this group, he served as its Enlisted Musical Director and performed for Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton as well as heads of state from around the world. He also composed and/or arranged much of the Army Blues repertoire and was featured as a soloist on several of the group’s albums and CDs. Mike is a Yamaha Performing Artist and endorses Vandoren reeds, mouthpieces and ligatures exclusively.

As a performer, Mike has worked with such diverse artists and groups as Rosemary Clooney, Ray Charles, Michael Feinstein, Linda Ronstadt, Debby Boone, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Bergeron, Terence Blanchard, Louis Bellson, Terry Gibbs, Dizzy Gillespie Tribute Big Band, Woody Herman Orchestra and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, where he is featured on their DVD, “Live at MCG.” In his hometown, he has performed with guitarist Joe Negri, Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy Band, Pittsburgh Symphony, River City Brass Band, Pittsburgh Ballet and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble in addition to leading his own small groups.

Mike is the co-artistic director and lead alto player of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, the city’s premier big band, where he composes and arranges most of the material that group performs. In 2015, the band released its first CD, “Joyful Jazz,” on the MCG Jazz label; the album contains 11 arrangements by Tomaro. It has garnered rave reviews including a four-star rating in Downbeat magazine and was selected as one of the top seven holiday albums of 2015 by the Wall Street Journal.

Mike has four nationally released recordings under his own name that showcase his talents as both performer and composer/arranger – “Dancing Eyes” (Seabreeze Jazz), “Home Again” (Positive Music), “Forgotten Dreams” (Seabreeze Jazz) and “Nightowl Suite” (Seabreeze Jazz). Additionally, Mike has also been featured on many other CDs as performer and/or arranger, most notably on Nancy Wilson’s last two Grammy Award winning releases, “Turned To Blue” and “RSVP,” the Bob Mintzer Big Band’s Grammy nominated release, “For The Moment,” Ann Hampton Callaway’s “The Hope Of Christmas,” New York Voices’, “A Day Like This,” Sheryl Bailey’s “A New Promise” and the 21 st Century Swing Band’s “Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy,” all on the MCG Jazz label. On the last two releases, Mike is prominently featured as the main arranger as well as a soloist.

Mike’s music has been performed by the likes of jazz greats David Liebman, Wayne Bergeron, Ivan Lins, Claudio Roditi, Mike Stern, Ernie Watts, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, New York Voices, Al Vizzutti and many more, as well as high schools, colleges and universities around the world. His orchestral arrangements have been performed by the Pittsburgh and National Symphony Orchestras. Over two hundred of his compositions and arrangements have been published by Doug Beach Music, Hal Leonard Publications, and Walrus Music. In 2009, Mike scored all the music for MCG/Opera Theater of Pittsburgh’s production of Duke Ellington’s musical “Beggar’s Holiday.” Recently, he also compiled, transcribed, reorchestrated and arranged music for large jazz ensemble for the entirety of a 90 minute show for actor Keith David for his one man show, “Joe Williams: Here’s To Life.”

Additionally, Mike has co-authored the textbook “Instrumental Jazz Arranging: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide” (Hal Leonard Publications), with his long-time mentor, Dr. John Wilson, who was Director of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University from 1972-1996. Mike is affiliated with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers where he has received several ASCAP Plus awards, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), Jazz Education Network (JEN) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Mike is in great demand both nationally and internationally as a guest soloist, adjudicator, and clinician. For more information on his activities, visit his website at www.miketomaro.com. Since his wife’s passing from pancreatic cancer in 2010, Mike has been dedicating much of his time to organizing, arranging and performing yearly concerts designed to benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PANCAN).

Mike currently offers saxophone instruction for intermediate and advanced learners and music arrangement lessons as well.

Brian Weaver

Guitar & Ukulele Instructor

Brian Weaver is an Independent Musician, focused in the disciplines of Instruction, Composition, and Performance. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy from Seton Hill University, received in 2017. Brian’s proficient in a multitude of music genres and on a variety of instruments, including Guitar, Mandolin, Bouzouki, Ukulele, Djembe, Cajon, and Piano. As a result of his extensive training throughout the course of his education and continued learning and experience gained outside the classroom, Brian has become a well-rounded Musician capable of teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Josh Gillott

Guitar Instructor

Joshua is a 2017 graduate of Duquesne University, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He has years of teaching experience, including having spent three years teaching music to students with special needs at the ACLD Tillotson School in the Pittsburgh area. While attending Duquesne, Josh studied jazz guitar from teachers such as Ken Karsh, Mark Koch, and RJ Zimmerman. During his musical journey, he has also learned from musicians such as Jeremy McCall and Bill Tobin. Josh has performed musicals at The University of Pittsburgh, St. Vincent College, Geyer Performing Arts Center, and two high schools in southwestern Pennsylvania. Also, he has had the opportunity to perform with musicians like Rachel Whitcomb, Antonio Croes, Kenny Blake, Dane Schultz, and Jimmy Hilton. Josh was the lead guitarist and a vocalist in The Brass Knuckles Band for five and a half years and currently he plays guitar with the Calvary Baptist Praise Team. Josh enjoys teaching music to people of all ages, and his goal is to help his students grow in their enthusiasm for music.

Philip Graziani

Guitar & Bass Instructor

Philip Graziani is an electric and acoustic guitar player. Starting from a young age, Philip primarily taught himself after having some formal music education. He has been playing guitar for ten years and started teaching three years ago independently. Philip focuses on equipping students with the skills they need to learn their favorite genres. He prioritizes students’ goals over rigid pedagogy which provides flexibility for guitar learners. Philip has experience teaching students of a variety of ages. He emphasizes preparing students for performance environments and explaining the technical aspects of the students’ favorite musical styles. With his diverse background in music (studio recordings, live shows, composing & performing original pieces, etc.), Philip provides a well-rounded guitar teaching experience. Currently, Philip plays on the worship team at Greensburg Alliance and continues to share his love of music through guitar lessons and by playing for enjoyment.

Caden Grbach

Piano & Guitar Instructor

Caden Grbach is a musician pursuing a career in composition and jazz piano performance. Interested in music as a child, he attended private classical piano lessons starting in elementary school. He began studying drums and guitar on his own soon after. By high school graduation, he had contributed to various bands, ensembles, orchestras, worship teams, and live performances. His journey has led him to incredible experiences such as leading a Christian worship performance in Niagara Falls and performing on drums in Boston. Caden continues his education as a college student hoping to attend Berklee College of Music in the future. His eclectic taste in music has inspired him to dive into a wide range of genres including rock, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, and pop. Caden is always looking for new opportunities to improve his skill and express himself through music. He loves to share this excitement for musical knowledge and art with his students.