About Charles Spoelstra

Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a home where music was simply part of what we did, and my mother started me in piano lessons when I was six years old. It wasn’t until I learned Beethoven’s Für Elise, though, that I really discovered how exciting it could be to master a piece of music. I continued studying piano through my college years, developing a particular love for composers such as Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Debussy.

My musical education has never been limited to the piano. I played French horn in school band, where a wonderful teacher also introduced me to the drums. After college, I joined an alternative rock band called The Union, teaching myself bass and guitar and learning to write songs along the way. Over the next several years, we performed, toured, and recorded three albums—an experience that taught me a very different side of musicianship: playing with other people, listening, improvising, writing, arranging, and creating music together.

Throughout my adult life, I have continued developing as a pianist, strengthening my sight-reading, learning to play from chord charts, and playing in worship settings. After more than 50 years of making music, I’m excited to pass that love on to my students. I want students not only to learn notes and technique, but to discover how to practice effectively, solve musical problems, express themselves, play with confidence, and eventually create music of their own. Whether a student dreams of playing Mozart, joining a band, accompanying a worship song, or simply playing a favorite song for the joy of it, I want to help them develop the skills to get there—and enjoy the journey along the way.