Meet Krysta

Hi! I’m Krysta Hawkley. So glad to see you here! Here’s a bit of info about me:

I’ve been playing the piano since the age of 5, and started teaching piano during my junior year of college. My mom was my first teacher, and her mother played a bit of organ, so music runs deep for me!

While I was in college (at Goshen College) I realized how much I genuinely enjoyed teaching, and decided I wanted to move toward making it a career. So, I completed a Master’s degree in Piano Pedagogy (teaching) and Performance from Westminster Choir College (in NJ) in 2006, and began my teaching career in earnest.

Since I began teaching in 2001, I’ve taught in a variety of community music school settings, including 10 years at Levine Music in Washington, DC. I opened Hawkley Piano Studio out of my home in August 2022, after moving to South Bend with my family.

When I’m not teaching, most of my free time is spent with my husband and 4-year-old daughter. I also enjoy reading, finding outdoor spots for walking/hiking and spending time with family and friends.

Professional Biography

Krysta Hawkley is a piano instructor & pianist in northern Indiana. She brings over two decades of experience teaching private and group piano lessons to students of all ages, at community music schools and at the college level. She currently teaches at her home studio in South Bend, IN. Krysta is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and acts as secretary for its local chapter, South Bend Area Music Teachers Association (SBAMTA).

Krysta completed her Bachelor of Music degree from Goshen College in 2003, with concentrations in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. She went on to complete a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy & Performance from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ in 2006. Throughout her education, Krysta had the opportunity to learn from a variety of well-respected pedagogues, many of whom were colleagues or students of Frances Clark - widely considered the mother of modern American piano pedagogy.

From 2006-2016, Krysta taught group and private piano lessons, as well as specialized piano camps, at Levine Music in the Washington, DC area. She assisted in the creation of a new music and arts day camp at the school's Southeast DC campus, and served as Associate Chair for the Piano Department and Group Piano Coordinator for the entire school. Since returning to northern Indiana, Krysta has taught at Goshen College and the Community School of the Arts (at Goshen College), in addition to doing some freelance accompanying.

Krysta's full resume can be viewed here.