Welcome to Soundscapes School of Music, where we believe that everyone has the potential to become a musician. Our school in Stone Mountain, GA, offers private music lessons for students of all ages and skill levels. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced musician, our professional instructors are dedicated to helping you achieve your musical goals. We offer personalized, one-on-one lessons in various instruments, including piano, voice/singing, violin, guitar, brass, and woodwinds. At SSM, we are committed to providing a supportive, creative, and fun environment where you can explore your passion for music and reach your full potential. Contact us today at 404-919-4514 to schedule your first lesson.
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About
The ability to play an instrument or sing beautifully offers a lifetime of benefits. Music lessons also foster a student’s personal, social, and academic development. At Soundscapes, our mission is to help our students explore and develop their talents wherever their curiosity and interests lead them. We are committed to ensuring our students receive high-quality music instruction from caring and competent faculty in an uplifting environment designed to foster creativity, confidence, and joy.
Meet Our Directors
At Soundscapes School of Music, our teachers provide high-quality music instruction in a warm, caring, and professional environment.
Darius O. Johnson, Ph.D.
Founder, Director & Piano Instructor
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A Dekalb County native, Dr. Johnson’s aptitude for music was first discovered as a 7th grader at Wadsworth Elementary School, where he would often stay hours after school to teach himself piano by ear. When the school music teacher realized he was playing Beethoven sonatas, she recommended that he apply to the DeKalb Center for Performing Arts (now the DeKalb School of Arts). Within two years, he was the first-place prize winner in the Greater Atlanta Music Alliance Bach Competition. Soon after, he relocated to Atlanta, where he studied at the North Atlanta School for Performing Arts. As a student, he represented North Atlanta in many GMEA (Georgia Music Educators Association) auditions and performances, consistently receiving high rankings. He spent several summers studying with pianists Drs. Barbara Lister-Sink and Lita Guerra, as well as performing at the prestigious Brevard Music Center Summer Institute & Festival.
After four years of formal piano study, he was awarded a full Presidential music scholarship to attend Morehouse College. At Morehouse, he studied piano with Dr. Jefferson Ethridge. He performed with the Morehouse College Glee Club, Morehouse Jazz Band, and the Morehouse-Spelman String Quartet. He also participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Awadagin Pratt and Andre Watts. He was a multi-prize winner in the James A. Heffner Piano Competition. A continuous learner and serious piano student, Dr. Johnson currently studies with internationally acclaimed concert pianist Julie Coucheron.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, Dr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Piano Performance), a Master of Arts in Musicology (Washington University, St. Louis), a Master of Arts Teaching in Elementary Education (National Louis University-Chicago), and a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education (Michigan State University). He also holds a School Management and Leadership Certificate from Harvard University and an Urban Education Graduate Certificate from Michigan State University. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Music Teachers National Association, Georgia Music Teachers Association, Decatur Music Teacher Association, and the National Federation of Music Clubs.
In his spare time, Dr. Johnson enjoys supporting the arts, spending time with his wife and kids, and engaging in community service with his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Keyetta Johnson, Ed.D.
Director of School & Community Partnerships
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Keyetta Johnson is an 18-year veteran K-12 educator, administrator, district leader, and university teacher educator passionate about the performing arts. A graduate of the highly acclaimed Davidson Fine Arts School (Augusta, GA), she studied ballet and modern dance, chorus, and theater. She has also collaborated with Disney Musicals in Schools and the Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing, MI, where she directed productions of Aladdin and 101 Dalmatians. Disney Musicals in Schools ignites a passion for storytelling by building sustainable theater programs in under-resourced public elementary schools.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Johnson's dedication extends to various community roles, including being a leader and advisor for organizations such as the Girl Scouts of the USA and Girls on the Run. She is an active parent volunteer for her children's school in DeKalb County. She is a member of the Junior League of DeKalb County.
Johnson holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Michigan State University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Augusta State University.
Meet Our Team
Calisa Dampier
Piano and Voice Instructor
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Calisa Dampier is a dynamic music educator with 10+ years of experience and enjoys setting musical foundations for students. She was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi where she began taking piano lessons at the age of six. After graduating high school, Calisa attended Mississippi College and graduated in 2011 with her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and her Master's Degree in Piano Pedagogy in 2013. While at Mississippi College, Calisa was a part of the Mississippi College Singers, as well as pianist for the MC Jazz Band and served as an occasional accompanist for vocal majors and musical productions. She has taught in Mississippi, Italy, and Arizona ranging from piano/music theory, voice and elementary general music! She enjoys reading, playing the piano, singing, making artwork, and spending quality time with her husband Michael and her 2 daughters, Melody and Camilla! Calisa is excited to join the Soundscapes family and share her love for music and help students explore their own musical possibilities!
Stephen Lamar
Brass Instructor
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A DeKalb County native, Stephen has served as drum major for the Southwest DeKalb High School Marching Panther Band, the Atlanta Hawks Band, and the Florida A&M University's "Marching 100". He has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall. He has performed with many ensembles, including the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Metro-Atlanta Youth Wind Ensemble. Stephen has also performed on Tyler Perry's Madea's Homecoming, Amazon Prime's "Them," and Marvel's "Captain America." Stephen holds degrees from Florida A&M University and Georgia State University. A versatile performer and teacher, Stephen is experienced in preparing students for marching and concert bands. He offers trumpet, trombone, tuba, euphonium, and French horn instruction.
Heidi Northover
Violin & Piano Instructor
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Heidi Northover is a dedicated music educator with 10+ years of experience as a public school teacher and a rich background in community-based programs. Heidi holds a Master’s of Arts in Teaching, a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music/Violin Performance, and certifications in Elementary Education, Music K-12, English to Speakers of Other Languages, and Suzuki Violin. She currently serves as an Elementary Music Specialist for the Gwinnett County Public Schools District, providing engaging music lessons to nearly 1,000 PreK-5 students, including group piano classes using the school’s piano lab.
Born and raised in a remote town in northern Canada, Heidi moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, at 17 to compete as a NCAA athlete and study violin performance. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she held a private Suzuki violin studio, taught fiddle music with a local organization called Young Native Fiddlers and performed with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Heidi was selected as a member of the Juneau String Quartet-In-Residence, receiving a full scholarship to complete a Master's of Arts in Teaching with certification in Music K-12. In Juneau, Alaska, she served as a teaching artist for the El-Sistema nonprofit Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM), while also interning in K-12 public school music classrooms and performing throughout Alaska as the String Quartet-In-Residence with the Juneau Symphony Orchestra. After graduate school, Heidi taught K-5 Elementary Music for 7 years with the Anchorage School District, during which time she founded an in-school violin program that enabled K-5 students to learn to play the violin during the school day. In 2022, Heidi, her husband, and their small children moved to Georgia. In Georgia, Heidi has taught English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Elementary Music for Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Career highlights include funding and building a STEAM Piano and Coding Lab in collaboration with the K-Piano Music Learning Foundation, founding an El Sistema-inspired string program for K-5 students, and receiving the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018. When not teaching music, Heidi enjoys being outside in nature and spending time with her family. She is excited about joining the Soundscapes School of Music team!
Taylor Ryan
Drum Instructor
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Taylor began taking drum lessons at ten and later graduated from the Atlanta Institute of Music. Contributing to original projects such as Old Hopes, Spirit Healer, and Self Absorbed (solo project) and doing fill-in work in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Taylor has developed a unique sound and a process for quickly and efficiently learning material and strategies for practice to ensure students see consistent growth in their playing. Taylor loves seeing a passionate student grow and realize that all goals are achievable with training and a little direction.
Alicia Taylor
Piano Instructor
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Alicia Taylor has been playing piano since just prior to her fourth birthday. She grew up in a very musical family, and her parents were music professors at the University of Arkansas, Missouri Southern State University, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Louisiana at Monroe, William Carey University, and Auburn University, among others. Alicia has served as a church musician since the age of 12. Her first compensated position was playing piano and accompanying the choir in a small Baptist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. Alicia also learned to play violin and flute quite proficiently (principal second violin with the Auburn University Symphony Orchestra while in high school and as a flute soloist with the Seattle Symphony while in high school), but piano has always been her primary instrument.
She has twice sung in Carnegie Hall, performing the Robert Ray GOSPEL MASS under the baton of Dr. Eric Nelson, Director of Choral Studies at Emory University; and performing The Sounds of War and Peace: A Great and Glorious Victory under the baton of Jonathan Willcocks, the son of Sir David Willcocks. Alicia has served churches all over the country (Washington, New York, North Carolina, and Georgia).
Since moving to Georgia in 1995, she served as a part-time staff singer at various churches in Metro Atlanta and full time as Director of Music at Norcross Presbyterian Church, Director of Worship and Arts at Johns Creek Presbyterian Church, and most recently as Director of Music and Worship Arts at Covington First Presbyterian Church. She is now serving as the pianist/accompanist at Wesley Methodist Church in Covington, Georgia. Alicia maintains a small piano studio at Johns Creek Presbyterian Academy of Fine Arts, a ministry she founded in 2009.
She has been teaching piano for nearly 30 years and loves to share the joy of making music with students of all ages. Alicia is the mother of four grown children and grandmother to two grandsons and one granddaughter. She resides in Covington with her dog, Molly.
Courtland Walters
Strings, Guitar, & Woodwinds Instructor
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Courtland Walters is a versatile musician and artist, best known for his proficiency as a multi-instrumentalist, mastering woodwinds, strings, piano, and more. His ability to create musical compositions and seamlessly adapt to almost any style has made him a highly experienced musician early in his career. Walters has performed across various genres, including classical, rock, ska, pop-punk, jazz, and funk. As a composer, he thrives on improvisation, effortlessly crafting tuneful melodies and grooves in any genre he explores. With over 200 original compositions and eight complete albums, Walters has collaborated with artists and bands such as The Ain't Sisters, Voodoo Visionary, Shebloom, and many others.
Courtland holds a Bachelor's degree in Clarinet Performance from Young Harris College and a Master's degree in Clarinet Performance from Eastern Illinois University. He has served as the principal clarinetist for the Eastern Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the Eastern Illinois Wind Ensemble. Walters has also been featured as a soloist with the Young Harris Jazz Band, Orchestra Noir, and the Eastern Illinois Jazz Lab Band, among others. In addition to his accomplishments on the clarinet, he has held positions in orchestras and ensembles internationally, performing on flute, saxophone, violin, piano, and cello.
With over 12 years of teaching experience, Walters offers both online and in-person lessons in jazz, classical, and contemporary music. He teaches cello, violin, piano, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, and other instruments at beginner, intermediate, and college levels. Regardless of skill level, Walters is passionate about nurturing his students' love for music and helping them grow as musicians.
Why Choose Soundscapes School of Music?
03 - A Comfortable Parent's Lounge for Our Clients.
Instead of waiting in a music retail store showroom, our clients enjoy a professional parent's lounge with comfortable chairs and Wi-Fi. Or if you prefer, you can sit in on their lesson anytime you like.
04 - Trophies, Certificates, and Wristbands to Celebrate Achievement
We are the only music school in the state of Georgia that offers the Musical Ladder System. This system gives students the opportunity to earn special color wristband bracelets (kids and teens love them!), trophies AND certificates for passing musical tests. More importantly when our students have a test coming up, they practice more, their parents are proud, their teachers are proud, and everybody wins. You can only get the Musical Ladder here. We also specialize in music lessons for adults.
06 - Early Morning and Lunchtime Lessons for Homeschoolers and Retirees.
If you are a homeschool parent or retiree with a flexible schedule, take advantage of our early morning and lunchtime lesson spots. We offer lessons as early as 10 a.m. and are available for students between 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
07 - Recitals in State-of-the-Art Facilities
Every parent wants to know how their child is doing and if they are progressing. The best way for a parent to understand if their lesson investment is worth it is to have their child participate in a recital.
Many of our students choose to perform in our biannual recitals in May and December. We hold our recitals on grand pianos in state-of-the-art facilities, followed by a reception.
08 - Musical Meet-Ups
To strengthen our music school community and broaden our students' exposure to diverse music styles, students, parents, and staff often meet to enjoy the symphony and other musical performances.
09 - Month-to-Month Lessons
SSM does not require semester minimums for lessons. Every student here is on a month-to-month basis.
10 - Additional Performance Opportunities
As a Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) member, the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC), and other professional music organizations, prepared SSM students can participate in various festivals and competitions throughout the year.
Upcoming Events
Independence Day
We will be closed for Independence Day on July, 4th 2025.
Labor Day
We will be closed for Labor Day on September 1, 2025.
Thanksgiving Break
We will be closed for Thanksgiving Break from November 24th to November 29th 2025.
