Joy Fawks
About
As a mutli-instrumentalist & performer, Joy has a deep love for music & passion to share with others! She currently offers online music lessons in piano, keyboard, guitar, folk harp, ukulele, mountain/lap dulcimer, and voice. Beginner to Intermediate Levels.
Music has been a part of Joy’s life since a very young age, starting piano lessons at the age of eight she continued her music education throughout childhood into adulthood, now playing over 10 instruments. She plays and teaches in many styles of music encompassing genres of contemporary, classical, pop songs, folk/rock, Movie & Anime music, Celtic, jazz & gospel. 🎶 Joy’s teaching experience includes one-on-one private lessons where she taught piano, guitar, folk harp, ukulele, and voice. Outside of private teaching, Joy has taught in classroom settings for music exploration and led youth choirs/ensembles for a home-school co-op with grades K-12. She also assisted her father, who is a professional music teacher at Lessonface, in teaching elementary after-school music programs. In addition to teaching, Joy holds a history of musical performance, both online in video format, and in-person, performing in music programs with her family at festivals, retirement and nursing homes, churches, and coffee shops; playing multiple instruments and singing live.
Joy is a music teacher who cares about her students and hopes to inspire her students towards the love and enjoyment of music. Lessons put an emphasis on music exploration, theory, playing by ear, expression, and establishing a core knowledge of music principles. Overall, Joy hopes to instill a level of confidence and enthusiasm into the student’s personal musical journey! 🎶
Teaching Style
My teaching approach has always been to meet the student where they are, whether they are a beginner or have music experience, and work with the student to help them discover their own personal passion for music. I specifically tailor music lessons to the students interests: e.g. letting the student pick a favorite song they would like to learn alongside a dedicated lessonbook for the selected instrument. Disney tunes or popular movie music are great fun to learn. My personal favorite songs to play right now are "In Dreams" from the Lord of the Rings and "Brothers" from the Anime 'Fullmetal Alchemist.' 😊 I find that with children especially, creating a fun & positive environment is important for learning and exploring music effectively! 🎶
Sharing my own love and excitement for music is very important in a teaching setting, and being encouraging to the student is something I very much prioritize. I seek to provide a safe & inclusive environment for exploring musical creativity & expression. I do want to help the student establish their personal goals for learning an instrument and music, and find that vision and purpose is integral to progress in learning. However, I also want the experience to be fun & engaging for the student!
I hope as a teacher, to be an encouragement to my students and help them explore music in a way that best reflects their musical interests and personal creativity! 🎶
“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.”
- Ludwig van Beethoven
Curriculum
Piano: I recommend the All in One Approach by Alfred for Adults and the All One Approach for Children by Helen Marlais
Guitar: Everybody’s Strum & Play Guitar Chords
Harp: Teach Yourself to Play Folk Harp by Sylvia Woods
Mountain Dulcimer: First Lessons Dulcimer by Joyce Ochs
Ukulele: Hal Leonard Ukulele Method
Voice: First Lessons Voice Melbay Method by Michaela Neller
Credentials & Affiliations
BA in Integrative Studies with special interests in Intercultural Studies & Psychology through God’s Bible School & College in Cincinnati, OH. (Graduated in 2025, summa cum laude & class salutatorian)
Berklee College of Music - Music Education for Teachers Online Specialization Certificate (MOOC, completed 2026)
Experience:
I have taught private one-on-one music lessons for over three years, much of which was taught online via Zoom. So I am very familiar with the online teaching format. :)
I have taught in classroom settings music programs (K-12) and orchestrated youth choirs/ensemble performances.
I also hold a personal background of music performance for over 10 years.
