Music Lessons
Burke's is proud of its talented and dedicated after-school music instructors! Lessons are open for piano, drums, guitar, bass guitar, violin, and ukelele to new students by application and when there is availability.
Piano Instructors
Opera singer Katelyn Wilson hails from Chicago with a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She completed her Undergraduate degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and teaches piano, voice, and flute. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and Opera, made her German debut with the Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar, and performs all over the Bay Area. Katelyn has been teaching piano and voice since she was in high school, and has maintained her private studio for the last several years. A daughter of two musicians, she understands the importance and necessity of exposure to music, even at a very young age. The joy of music lasts a lifetime and bolsters academia, as well as creates another nurturing community.
Shaying Unger started her piano studies in her home country of Taiwan when she was 5 years old. As a teenager she came to the United States to study piano at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. She then pursued piano performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) where she obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Shaying began her teaching career in 2003 at the San Domenico School in San Anselmo where she was promoted to Chair of the Music Department. As she developed her love for teaching piano, she continued teaching at private schools in San Francisco, including The Holy Name School, The Hamlin School, and Convent & Stuart Hall. Shaying was the winner of the California Teachers Association Piano Concerto Competition with Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 2. She also won the Concerto Competition at SFCM and performed the piece with the SFCM orchestra. Shaying is fluent in Mandarin.
Bay Area native Stephanie Ng began her piano studies at age 5, and has since won prizes in international piano competitions including the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, Pacific Musical Society Piano Competition, Dorothy Van Waynen Piano Competition and the Edith Knox Concerto Showcase Competitions. Performances have brought her throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. She has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Cho-liang Lin, and Guillaume Sutre, and collaborated with Maestro James Conlon at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica as part of the “Recovered Voices” project. Ms. Ng has appeared as soloist with the Colburn Orchestra, the Waring Festival Orchestra, the Brentwood-Westood Symphony, the Peninsula Symphony, the UCLA Philharmonia, and the Saratoga Symphony. In the summers, she has been invited to attend the Banff Centre, the Orford Arts Centre, Pianofest in the Hamptons, and the Holland Music Sessions. 
Violin Instructor
Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar Drums & Ukelele
Stephanie received her Artist Diploma from The Colburn School Conservatory of Music, where she studied with John Perry, completed a Master’s Degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, studying with Robert Roux, and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree at UCLA, studying with Walter Ponce.
A graduate of San Francisco State University, Helen Palma received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music with an emphasis on Vocal and Jazz Studies. Her vocal styles range from Brazilian to Latin Jazz, Salsa, Swing, Blues, R&B and Pop. During her time at SF State, Helen studied with John Calloway in the Afro Cuban Ensemble and later performed professionally with his Latin jazz septet at the annual Redwood City Salsa Festival. Under Calloway's direction, she was featured in the 2020 Hispanic Heritage Concert. Her group, The Helen Palma Trio, performs in venues throughout the Bay Area with an emphasis on Latin and Brazilian jazz, R&B and pop..
Violin Instructor
Violinist and educator, Adrienne Sengpiehl, holds a M.M. degree in violin performance from The Juilliard School, B.M. degree from the St. Louis Conservatory, and is a Suzuki Violin Method Specialist. Adrienne is currently a Teaching Artist for the San Francisco Symphony’s Music and Mentors Program, an Urban High School music faculty member, an Artist in Residence at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, and maintains her private home studio. She enjoys an active performing career freelancing with Bay Area orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Marin Symphony, and California Symphony.
Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar Drums & Ukelele
Van Labrakis supervises the after-school music lesson team at Burke's. He holds degrees from S.A.E. London and Nakas Music Conservatory in Athens where he is originally from. Van has performed, recorded, and taught music in London, Berlin, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. Since 2003, Van has been teaching guitar, bass, piano, drums, music theory and music production to students of all ages. As a music producer, Van has worked on close to 100 albums in the last 25 years, in genres as diverse as rock, pop and electronic music. As a recording artist, Van is currently the singer/guitar player of the heavy metal band Nite, signed with the French record label Season of Mist, and tours occasionally across the country.
Burke's mission is to educate, encourage and empower girls. Our school combines academic excellence with an appreciation for childhood so that students thrive as learners, develop a strong sense of self, contribute to community, and fulfill their potential, now and throughout life.
Burke's admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.