We offer:
  • Piano Lessons for all ages and levels from Primer through Advanced.
  • Ukulele Lessons for beginner to intermediate players. Includes Baritone Ukulele Lessons!
  • Voice Lessons We have two voice instructors to cover traditional to more popular music.
  • Drumset Lessons for beginner to intermediate players in all genres. Focus is on full set playing. 
  • Guitar Lessons for Acoustic and Electric Guitar.  Focus in popular, rock, country, indie and folk music styles.
  • Bass Guitar Lessons for all genres and levels.  Electric bass only.
  • Regular Studio Recitals! A Winter and Spring Recital opportunity is open for all students!
  • Rock School Camp and Performances!  Check out our Snohomish Rock School Program!
  • Master Classes and Festivals! Students are encouraged to participate in Sonata Festival, Young Composer Projects, Music Artistry Programs!
  • Daytime Lesson Availability!  We work with Home School student programs!
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Amy and TC with their son Leander
Welcome to The ARK Music Studio- the private lesson studio of Amy Riffle-Kouyeas and TC Kouyeas, Jr.  

With over 20 years of teaching experience, Amy and TC have found a way to balance classical training with rock and roll and pop to create a unique and successful musical experience for students of all ages, abilities and goals.  

Check out some of the things that are going on at The ARK!  

Making Music

Making Connections

Connecting With School

The largest, overarching benefit is that music helps people engage in creative thinking- and thinking "outside the box" adds a greater depth of knowledge to many subjects.  

Science/Technology/Engineering/Math- Learning music helps students explore a variety of STEM classes- from learning patterns as young children (black keys are in patterns of 2s and 3s) to advanced science such as acoustics, studying sound waves, anatomy and physiology- how the ear hears, how the hands work, understanding the engineering behind how a piano works, fractions, division... There is so much STEM support in music!  

Reading- from basic letters forwards and backwards, to reading lyrics in the correct rhythm, to learning Italian terms, AND learning other languages for singers, music helps kids from their earliest reading experiences to advanced skills!

History- I already mentioned how music connects us to our past, we can study history in music thru composers lives, thru folk songs, thru different musical styles and techniques... and by extension, you can also study the geography!

Kids can see how their various subject studies benefit them in the studio, AND gain confidence in their knowledge!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: "Music is the universal language of mankind", and THAT is our guiding principle here at the ARK.  Music connects us as human beings, it also connects us to new concepts and philosophies, AND helps us connect with the world around us.  

Connecting With Family, Friends and Others

Music has the ability to tap into human emotions- things like joy, or grief, that we all experience in our lives.  It can unite us- everyone marches together, or claps together on a beat.  You can see this in work songs, or sea shanties- everyone feels the beat as a unified group and responds accordingly.  Music also connects us to our past- songs like "Sunday, Bloody Sunday", or "Casey Jones" memorialize events and people in our history.  

As part of our commitment to fostering connections with each other, we often emphasize camaraderie and cooperation thru duet and accompaniment work, students come together for recitals and camps, and play with friends is encouraged with a wide array of musical toys in the waiting room, and on outdoor play equipment on our blacktop, or in the backyard.  

Connecting With Nature

From singing birds to running water... Saint Saens' "Carnival of the Animals" to Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude- Nature has always inspired beautiful music!

Here at The ARK, our goal is to create a studio with a holistic approach to learning- one that includes engaging the body and senses in addition to the mind.  To help us achieve this end, we do regular outdoor lessons, camps and other small events on our 1 acre property.  In addition, we also encourage kids to come and play in our outdoor play area, which includes blacktop with seasonal toys (balls, bats, scooters, bikes, sidewalk chalk, etc.), and a play area with swings, a slide, a zip line, and a slack line.  There are also chickens to visit, and two ponds, and gardens for the parents to enjoy and relax in.  

Contact Us!

[email protected]
 206.390.9479 
 4508 109th Ave. SE,
​Snohomish, WA. 98290
We are located north of the Snohomish city limits, central to Lake Stevens, Monroe, Maltby, Mill Creek and Everett. We are situated less than 1 mile from the intersection of Hwys 9 + 2.