Faculty

The Central Fine Arts Academy is fortunate to have highly qualified staff and certified educators serving our students.

Gail Boyer

Violin Instructor

Pam Murphy

Visual Arts Instructor

Deryl Williams

Piano Instructor

Gregory Geiger

Voice instructor

Ian Reilly

Piano & Percussion

Billy Rone

Piano

Joni Turner

director

Karis Lee

UKULELE INSTRUCTION

Read more about our Faculty

I’ve been involved in many aspects and mediums of art, and for many years.  Drawing – (portraits and illustrations),  Painting – (portraits),  Pen and Ink drawing with nibs – (portraits, scenes and 20 + years making Victorian Christmas cards), Papermaking – (for sculptures, paper sheets, cards & other paper projects), Wood – (carving sculptures), Metal sculpture (bronze casting – sculpting work in wax, investing and casting in bronze – “lost wax process”) as well as Glass casting – (sculpture).  

As a ceramic artist, I normally sculpt in clay – various types, and after completing a piece, I often make a mold of the work, from which I can then produce a duplicate or duplicates. Some of my pieces have been created using burled wood and sculptures, fusing them together, molds made and new sculptures created.  

I’ve painted a number of private portraits in oil on canvas or watercolor, (some commissions), illustrations for advertisements and logos for businesses and organizations. 

As a sculptor, my work can be found in private collections in homes, several businesses – (on the desks of public officials) and in an art museum.  My love for nature is shown in the subjects I choose to sculpt – organic objects such as seashells, sea-life, plants and animals. My passion is my attempt to portray the human face in portrait busts, depicting various forms of human emotion.  My most recent portrait bust was my representation of Jesus Christ.   

Most of the visual art taught in schools is flat and my goal is to give children the basic principles of sculpture, with an appreciation for visual art in the third dimension.  I want them to have an awareness of the weight, substance, feel and form of the object they have created.  As an organic sculptor, my concentration will be on having the students make sculptures that look like objects and forms from nature.  Sculpting clay will be used, and the children will be encouraged to use sculpting tools.  After the “work” is completed and dried, it will be fired to 2232 degrees F – (bisque firing).   Later, if the child chooses to add glazes to their “work,” the piece will be fired again, to a lesser temperature, making the glaze layer a permanent part of the piece.  If they would like, they may simply paint the fired work with acrylic or other non-firing substances. 

My name is Yamuel Perez-Sanchez, and I am 38 years old. I am blessed to have a wife and a three-year-old daughter who give me support and joy. I never thought that one day, I was going to be a teacher. Everything started when my aunt, who is a teacher, needed me to drive her to take the Visual Impairment Certificate for the Department of Education in Puerto Rico. She invited me to take the certification if I needed it in the future. That certification opened the door to have my first job as a Special Education Teacher right after I graduated from my first bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2004.

In High School, I was in the choir and learned how to play the guitar. My music teacher taught me that persistence and discipline are the keys to success. Therefore, in 2005, I decided to study a second bachelor’s degree in Music, combined with an Associate in Business Music. So, in 2011, I started working as a Music Teacher, allowing me to win a second (2013) and first (2014) place in Concert Choir in Orlando Fest, Florida. Also, to produce three theatre productions and to be Teacher of the Year in two consecutive years (2013-2014) at Mennonite Academy in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 2013, I had the opportunity to finish my master’s degree in Special Education. Two years later, I worked as a Fine Arts Facilitator in the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. Then, in 2016-2018, I worked as a Special Education, Music, and Spanish teacher at Ave Maria Prep School in Florida. Today I am studying the doctorate in Transformational Leadership to contribute even more in the educational field. Therefore, working for fifteen years in Special Education, Music, Spanish, and Elementary Education was the achievement of people who taught me about persistence, encouragement, and responsibility at critical moments of my life. We need people who can guide us positively. Their support and help are essential because they define and transform our learning experiences.

  • Gail Boyer. Suzuki teacher certified in Levels 1 to 9. Music pedagogy degree University of Tennessee and MAT Masters in the Art of Teaching. Member of SAA MENC NCMTA charlotte piano forum and violin for Lake Norman Philharmonic. Over 20 years studio and public school experience.

Director Joni Turner has both a fine arts and administration background.  She is currently the Art teacher at Berewick Elementary in the Steele Creek community.    Previously, she taught visual arts in Druid Hills Elementary and in Lynchburg, VA.   Prior to teaching, she worked in industry in logistics and office management. 

Deryl Williams is versatile, classically trained professional musician years with a diverse experience in music education.  For 20 years, he has been an instructor for piano, keyboard and choral music as well as teaching music theory, harmony, score and sight-reading, composition and music appreciation.

He is the director of music ministries at Steele Creek A.M.E. Zion Church. 

William Rone has been playing piano since the age of 9 and has been teaching piano professionally since 2008. William graduated with his music degree from California State University Fullerton in 2011 and has taught in several of the leading music studios in Southern Cali

fornia and Charlotte, NC. William has also served as a middle school and high school choral music instructor. William has been a church pianist since 2005.

Gregory Geiger has recently joined the CFAA faculty to continue his love of working with new and experienced singers.  He has more than 30 years of experience teaching private students in singing, sight-singing, ear-training, and diction at the adult, high school and children level.   He recently moved to the Charlotte area from Los Angeles where he also was a professional singer

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