About

Bio

Stephen Sivley (He/They) started accompanying choirs at the age of 14 when he became organist and children’s choir accompanist at his church. He knew then that he wanted to be a collaborative musician and went on to study church music/piano at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. There he studied piano with Dr. Melody Ng. He currently works as a piano teacher, collaborative pianist for the Huntsville Community Chorus Association, and as Director of Music Ministries at Faith Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). He regularly collaborates with singers, choirs, and other arts organizations in the area. From 2017-2019 he served as collaborative pianist for Huntsville Summer Choir, In 2020 as collaborative pianist for Opera Huntsville’s production of Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte and in 2023 for their production of Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. From 2019-2021 he served as organist and middle school choir director at Asbury UMC.

Stephen has taught piano for over 12 years now, and has completed the music portion of his BA in Piano from the University of Alabama in Huntsville where he studied piano and piano pedagogy with Dr. Melody Ng, organ with Dr. David Miller and Dr. Rebecca Whited, and choral conducting with Dr. Matthew Carey. In his studies he sought out as much coursework as he could in music education, choral teaching, and educational psychology, as well as regularly attending and presenting at conferences to further his education in these areas.

Teaching Philosophy

I am a different kind of piano teacher, definitely not your traditional, neighborhood piano teacher. I don’t believe in allowing students to coast through their lessons and practice time mindlessly. I firmly believe that if I build a rapport with my students, affirm them as the unique and multifaceted individuals they are, and set high expectations for their progress, they will meet those expectations and their own goals with my help. For school-age students, this also means they require their parents to be involved, to aid them in building healthy practice habits, and in cheering them on even when they’re struggling to grasp a concept or perfect an assignment. While I always push for excellence with students of all ages, I understand that life happens, and every one of us is human. I often find that students need time to adjust to the fact that I encourage them to allow themselves to fail and make mistakes, with no judgment from me, despite how much practice time they did or did not accomplish. I know that often a lack of practice is due more to frustration with a concept, technical issue, or poor practice habits – so I will often spend a significant amount of lesson time helping students to utilize the tools that they accumulate during lessons and strategize how best to accomplish their goals in their practice time. 

My studio is an affirming and welcoming place where all are celebrated for what makes them unique. I gladly welcome and celebrate people of all walks of life, religions, ages, ethnicities, abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. My goal as a teacher is to take each of my student’s gifts and differences into account – working to challenge them and help them reach their potential in a safe, fun, challenging, and affirming learning environment.

Teaching Times and Locations

  • Home Studio in Madison
    • Thursdays and Fridays from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
  • Faith Presbyterian Church in Huntsville
    • Tuesdays from 1:30 – 7:00 PM
    • Wednesdays from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM