Our Teachers

Passionate educators dedicated to helping students of every age grow in confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of music.

Meet the team that makes Music Made Academy a place to learn, grow, and thrive. 

Ian Heacock

Founder of Music Made Academy | 

He has been playing music for 20 years, and teaching music for over 10 years. He is passionate about helping students of all ages discover the joy of making music. 

He teaches piano, guitar, bass, drums, voice, and music production, working with everyone from complete beginners to advanced musicians. His lessons focus on building strong fundamentals while making learning fun, practical, and personalized to each student’s goals. Whether you want to play your favorite songs, learn to improvise, play by ear, read music, or lead worship, Ian will help you develop the skills and confidence to get there. 

In addition to teaching, Ian has served as a worship pastor and music director, leading worship, directing bands, producing music, and training musicians in live performance and church ministry. Ian founded Music Made Academy with the vision of creating a place where students can not only become great musicians but also grow in confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love for music. 

He believes the best lessons are encouraging, engaging, and tailored to each student. His goal is to help every student leave each lesson excited to practice and eager to keep growing. 

Deborah is a passionate music instructor who teaches piano, guitar, and bass, bringing over 16 years of experience as a worship leader and worship director. Throughout her ministry, she has led worship for churches, conferences, and large events, and continues to serve on staff at a ministry school where she mentors and disciples emerging worship leaders, helping them grow both spiritually and musically.

Although self-taught on each of her instruments, Deborah has developed a deep understanding of music through years of study, performance, and teaching. She believes that a strong foundation in music theory gives students the confidence and freedom to play any style of music, and she is passionate about making those concepts simple and approachable for learners of all ages.

Deborah teaches students from beginner to advanced levels, but especially enjoys helping new musicians build the skills and confidence that will serve them for years to come. Her patient, encouraging teaching style allows her to meet each student where they are, creating lessons that are both engaging and personalized to their goals.

Coming from a Romanian background, Deborah is fluent in both English and Romanian, making her a wonderful resource for bilingual families. Whether a student is learning for fun, preparing to lead worship, or pursuing long-term musical growth, Deborah loves helping each person discover their unique gifts and reach their full potential through music.

Marina has over 8 years of experience singing and leading worship and currently serves as a worship leader at her church. She teaches vocal students of all skill levels, from complete beginners discovering their voice for the first time to more experienced singers looking to strengthen their technique, confidence, and performance abilities. She also teaches ukulele and loves helping students build a strong musical foundation.


One of Marina’s favorite parts of teaching is getting to know and interact with each of her students. She strives to make every lesson personal to the individual, creating an environment that is challenging while still being lighthearted, encouraging, and fun. Her goal is for students to grow in their abilities while genuinely looking forward to their lessons each week.


With her background in worship music, Marina especially enjoys helping students develop their musical gifts and grow in confidence as singers and musicians. She loves seeing students step outside of their comfort zones, reach new goals, and discover what they are capable of. Marina is fluent in both English and Russian and is able to teach and communicate with students in either language.

Margarita brings over 15 years of professional teaching experience and a lifetime devoted to music. Originally from Belarus and later teaching throughout Germany, she has instructed students of all ages in violin, piano, music theory, and ensemble performance, helping beginners build strong foundations while guiding advanced students toward confident performances.

She holds a degree of advanced studies in Violin and Piano Performance & Education from the Sulzbach-Rosenberg College of Music in Germany and has completed extensive training in music pedagogy, conducting, music theory, orchestral performance, and child education. Throughout her career she has taught at several respected music schools across Germany, developing individualized lesson plans that inspire confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of music.

As an active performer herself, Margarita has appeared regularly at concerts and community events throughout Germany. Known for her patient, encouraging teaching style, Margarita enjoys working with children, teens, and adults at every skill level. Whether you’re picking up an instrument for the very first time or preparing for auditions and performances, she is passionate about helping every student reach their full musical potential.

Margarita is fluent in English, German, and Russian, allowing her to connect with students and families from a variety of backgrounds. She currently teaches Classical Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Voice

Gabe is a passionate and versatile professional drummer with extensive experience performing live gigs and teaching students of different ages and skill levels. Gabe’s goal as an instructor is not simply to teach students how to play an instrument, but to help them develop a genuine passion for music. 

As a drummer, Gabe is highly versatile and comfortable performing across a wide range of musical styles, including jazz, worship, Latin, rock, pop, and many others. His diverse performance experience has helped him develop strong musical instincts, adaptability, and the ability to support a wide variety of musical settings and ensembles.
Gabe also has a strong foundation in music theory, which allows him to approach teaching from both a practical and educational perspective. In addition to drums, he is well versed in piano instruction, giving him the ability to help students develop a broader understanding of music, rhythm, harmony, and musicianship.

Gabe is fluent in Spanish, allowing him to communicate comfortably with Spanish-speaking students and families. He especially loves working with kids and creating an encouraging, positive, and engaging learning environment where they can build confidence, develop their skills, and discover their own love for music.
Whether a student is just beginning or looking to grow as a more experienced musician, Gabe is excited to help them learn, have fun, and reach their musical potential.