FM Music Center
Kittanning’s Favorite Music Studio
Our Lessons
Flat Rate: $25/half hour
We make every effort to make our lessons affordable and enjoyable. We offer lessons for:
Bass (Electric)
Bass (Upright)
Drums
Guitar (Acoustic)
Guitar (Electric)
Mandolin
Piano
Ukelele
Violin
Voice
Need lessons for another instrument? Contact us.
Our Instructors
Mike Smail
Instruments:
Drums, Guitar (beginners), Bass (beginners)
About Mike:
Mike Smail is the former owner of Smail’s Custom Drum Shop, where he offered lessons and sold instruments.
Although he’s since closed his business (and we’ve taken over the building), he’s now eager to continue sharing his love of music through FM Music Center.
Mike’s favorite genres include classic rock, hard rock, and metal.
Favorite Bands & Musicians:
Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Slayer, Metallica, Bobby Darin
Age Ranges:
Anyone who’s willing to learn.
Kim
Instruments:
Piano, Violin, Voice, Woodwinds
About Kim:
Kim has taught for more than 20 years, first as a Sunday School teacher at 16, then as a private instructor in college, and then as an official music teacher after graduating from IUP with a B.S. in Music Education.
Kim and her husband are also passionate about taking care of kids, and they run Royal Family Kids Camp—a camp for children who’ve been abused, abandoned, or neglected.
She loves every genre of music, though worship, latin, and orchestral soundtracks are frequent go-tos.
Favorite Bands & Musicians:
This is a hard one! Kim loves a wide variety of artists, including John Misty Edwards, Josh Garrels, Visions of Atlantic, Planetboom, Eddie Vedder Bing Crosby, Dvorak, Zimmer, Chopin, and Holst.
Age Ranges:
Loves working with 7–11, but will work with anyone 6 or older.
Hudson Baker
Instruments:
Guitar
About Hudson:
Hudson is our youngest instructor, but he’s a phenomenal musician who’s excited to give back to the music community.
Outside of the FM Music Center, Hudson performs with his church band at Kittanning’s Harvest Church, and he played in the Smail’s Custom All Star Band for three years.
His favorite genres include country, southern Texas rock, and gospel.
Favorite Bands & Musicians:
Brad Paisley, Whiskey Myers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Treaty Oak Revival
Age Ranges:
No preference as long as they are eager to learn!
Darin Hepler
Instruments:
Bass
About Darin:
Although Darin has taught bass for the last 20+ years, he’s been active in and out of bands for more than 40 years, with his latest stint as the original bassist for The Bail Jumpers.
As a foster parent himself, Darin is intimately invested in the Fostering Music mission, especially after seeing his own foster kids fall in love with music.
His favorite genres include classic rock, hard rock, metal, blues, jazz, and classical.
Favorite Bands & Musicians:
The Who, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Kansas, Iron Maiden
Age Ranges:
No preference as long as they’re willing to learn and practice.
Damon Dosch
Instruments:
Guitar, Mandolin, Ukulele, Upright Bass
About Damon:
Damon has performed with local bands for more than 30 years, including acts like Appalachian Honey, Cosmic Unity, and others.
With more than 17 years of high school teaching experience and a long history of supporting Fostering Music, Damon is excited to meet new students.
His favorite genres include rock, folk, Americana, bluegrass, and classic country.
Favorite Bands & Musicians:
Grateful Dead, Old Crow Medicine Show, Billy Strings, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Sierra Ferrell
Age Ranges:
Anyone willing to work and practice.
Michael Pascarella Cook
Instruments:
Bass, Drums, Guitar, Songwriting, Ukulele, Voice
About Michael:
Michael has been teaching fellow musicians for more than five years, and he stays busy by playing in three different acts:
The Forest Floor (a band), Moonlit Monolith (a band), and Pascarella (a solo project).
He has performed in a variety of stage productions and musicals and has sung professionally with the Mary Gibbon Big Band.
Michael especially enjoys indie folk, world music, jazz, psych-folk, film scores, and orchestral music.
Favorite Bands:
Fleet Foxes, Stelios Kazantzidis, Adrianne Lenker, Father John Misty, Ichiko Aoba, Grizzly Bear, The Shins, Joe Hisaishi, Yoshiko Sai, Piero Umiliani, Ennio Morricone
Age Ranges:
All ages
Schedule A Lesson
Our Rehearsal Space
Our main room transforms into a private, well-equipped rehearsal space for bands and performers to prepare for their next show!
The FM Music Center Story
We owe our existence to Mike Smail, an FM Music Center instructor and the former owner of Smail’s Custom Drum Shop. Mike has always supported our mission at Fostering Music, but when he told us he was closing his shop, we jumped at the opportunity to take over the lease.
FM Music Center is our first brick-and-mortar location for Fostering Music, giving us a dedicated space for instrument storage, lessons, and even events.