How It Started

Airshine Music School started in 2010 with just a piano in Erica Calvert’s living room but always with a vision for the school that it’s becoming.

In 2018, Erica open a location in North Park where she worked with a small staff of teachers who enriched the lives of students in private lessons and classes. At the end of 2021, Erica downsized Airshine, letting the staff go and moving into the conference room of The Well, Community for Women in La Mesa. For nearly a year, Erica slowed down, grew, healed and gained a new vision for the future. God, graciously, built a new community around Erica for support into the next chapter of the business, which she affectionately calls “Airshine 2.0”. In February 2023, Airshine moved to Communion Church and Erica is building a better business structure than she did the first go ’round, hiring new music teachers and staff to reach our community with excellent music educations and performance opportunities.

The Airshine mission statement remains unchanged and is the guiding light for everything: Ensuring every student feels welcome, discovers a love for music, builds confidence and character as they reach their goals and brings joy and positivity to life, in whatever they do.

Erica is in he final stages of product development on an educational resource, The Piano Key Puzzle, which is set to launch through a Kickstarter campaign in Fall 2023. The purpose of The Piano Key Puzzle is to teach children ages 3-10 years about the piano and give parents and teachers an innovative new tool to use.

Meet the Teachers

ERICA CALVERT

FOUNDER & CEO / PIANO

Erica is a gifted educator and performer with a goal of empowering students with the musical knowledge they need to express their point of view and encouraging them to use their skills to make a positive impact on the world.

Erica was born and raised in Folsom, CA. Erica started playing piano when she was 7 and studied with Alice McKinley through high school. She competed in numerous recital, festivals, competitions and completed Level 9 of the MTAC Certificate of Merit program. Erica started teaching at age 14, trading piano lessons for voice lessons with her high school choir director. In addition to teaching private lessons, Erica has served as a church musician and choral accompanist for many years in the Sacramento-area and in San Diego.

Erica attended Point Loma Nazarene University from 2002-2006, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Upon graduating, Erica spent 5 years in the non-profit sector, fundraising for San Diego’s public jazz radio station, KSDS-FM. In 2011, She returned to school to earn a California Teaching Credential and a Masters of Arts in Teaching (2016). After earning the Musikgarten Cycle of Seasons certification, Erica taught preschool music at La Jolla Village Montessori School from 2017-2020, which was where she first had the idea for the Piano Key Puzzle. She developed a love for teaching preschool-age children from her time at LJVMS. From 2022-2023, Erica served as the Music Teacher at Trinity Christian School, where she taught K-8th grade students. She produced 4 Christmas shows and 4 special chapels and directed the after-school drama club.

Erica is an active member of MTNA (Music Teacher’s National Association) and the South San Diego chapter of CAPMT (California Association for Professional Music Teachers), serving as Secretary in the 2022-2023 term, co-chairing the Fall Festival and the Pop/Contemporary Festival.

YOTAM BOIANI

PIANO

Yotam, a San Diego native, was introduced to the piano at the age of 5 by parents who deeply valued the cognitive benefits of music.

Over the next two decades, he honed his skills under the guidance of various private teachers, each offering unique strengths. He emphasizes the importance of tailoring lessons to students’ musical preferences, using their favorite genres as a motivational tool to master piano concepts. In his spare time, Yotam curates a YouTube channel featuring his favorite songs, offering a visual guide for students to follow along with the keys. His favorite genres are soundtrack and late classical music.

He currently is attending San Diego State University, in his last year of his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science while also pursuing a minor in Classical Music. While teaching privately and at a music studio, he has spent efforts concentrating on learning piano technique through Chopin Etudes and Rachmaninoff.

He is a firm believer that it is his personal responsibility to find the music that fosters a never-ending love for piano with every student. Regardless of whether or not his students pursue a career in music, he has great satisfaction and confidence in ensuring that they will look back fondly on their lessons as fun memories and a strong positive growth that will prove to be valuable in their lives.

DEIDRE MELANESE

PIANO & VOICE

Deidre found her passion in singing at a young age and performed in choral ensembles and competitions throughout grade school. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Applied Arts and Sciences with an emphasis in vocal performance from San Diego State University where she continued classical training and performed roles in operas such as Shakespeare Goes to the Opera, The Marriage of Figaro, Street Scene, and Hand of Bridge. Various studies in her time at SDSU included Music Literature for Children and Instrumental Methods on various instruments. Deidre’s vocal range extends beyond her classical training and has afforded her with years of performances in contemporary, musical theater, and pop music to her credit.

Deidre has been teaching voice lessons in independent studio settings for several decades. It brings her great joy to see her students express their creativity and gain confidence as they develop their own sense of individuality. It is this approach to music education and practical application that has given her the ability to enhance the students’ knowledge, boost their confidence, and give them a bridge to explore their own uniqueness.

Deidre develops individual lesson plans based on each student’s skill level and they continue to work on the selected repertoire until the desired goal is achieved. She encourages students to be self-motivated and praises their progress based on self-improvement. It is important to her that their learning environment is positive and fun. She is passionate about the education and experiences of the students and is confident that her experiences and attitude toward musical expression and the education of all students will produce positive and life-giving results.

PRISCILLA MELLADO

MARKETING, ADMIN & PRODUCTION

Priscila has had a deep love for the arts since she was little. She grew up with both parents as musicians and fell in love with the language that is art and the ability that it has to communicate far beyond words can.

Priscila is proudly a multicultural person having been born in Tijuana, raised mainly in San Diego, and lived in Spain. Since she was a young kid, Priscila and her sister have sung at weddings and funerals. After watching many Judy Garland and Fred Astaire musicals Priscila decided to go into theatre in middle school and starred in her school’s production as the titular role in Annie. She performed in different shows including The Legend of Pocahontas, Peter Pan, Les Miserables, and various showcases in University. She graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelors in Theatre with an emphasis in Performance.

After graduation she went on to work at The Disneyland Resort in their entertainment department for 5 years. Her training and history with Disney only fueled her passion for excellence in the arts even more. Recently, Priscila graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a Master’s in Marketing. She is excited to be brought on to the Airshine family and can’t wait to put her knowledge to use. She firmly believes in Airshines vision and is excited to build up the next generation of music lovers.