Martha Blakely, NCTM

From the French Embassy to a Studio of 70: How a Steinway Artist Became Annapolis's Go-To Piano Teacher

Martha Blakely, NCTM, has performed at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., broadcast over WGMS Radio, and toured U.S. Embassies across Europe and Africa. She studied on scholarship at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under Bela Siki and John Quincy Bass, and the late Dr. Scott Huston — Professor of Composition at that same conservatory — once described her playing as that of 'one of the finest pianists in the U.S. today.' That performing career now runs parallel to a teaching studio of more than 70 piano students at Jordan Kitts Music School in Beltsville, Maryland, where she has served as Artist-in-Residence since 1990.

Before settling in the Maryland area, Blakely taught in Northern Virginia, Bonn, Germany, Accra, Ghana, and Kinshasa, Zaire — a résumé that spans continents and student populations most teachers never encounter. That breadth shows up directly in the range of students she works with today: children as young as seven, teenagers preparing for competitions, adults picking up the piano for the first time in their sixties, and senior citizens. She holds both MTNA national certification and MSMTA state certification as a teacher of piano, serves as a faculty member and adjudicator for the National Guild of Piano Teachers, and carries the designation of Named Steinway Artist.

Her adjudication work draws notice from colleagues as well as students. Fellow teachers who have observed her work at Guild audition centers point specifically to her ear and her ability to turn critique into something constructive. One Guild center director wrote to thank her for comments that were, in her words, 'both kind and to the point,' while another noted that word had spread among her own students about Blakely's 'right-on comments and excellent ear.' Those qualities translate directly into the studio: a parent of two daughters, ages seven and ten, reported 'a tremendous amount of progress in their ability to read and perform music,' crediting Blakely's 'attention to detail and ability to get the best out of her students.'

Adult beginners appear throughout the reviews, and their accounts share a consistent thread. Carol B. of Ellicott City started lessons in her sixties with no prior music background and wrote that Blakely's experience 'is reflected in her patience, understanding, and encouragement.' Deanne Halbert of College Park, another adult learner who had long wanted to play piano, noted that Blakely 'will explain concepts as many times as you need to grasp them.' Neither reviewer sounds like someone who expected to still be at the piano — and both credit the teaching relationship for keeping them there.

Long-term students tell a different kind of story. Manisha S. of Potomac studied with Blakely for thirteen years, and her farewell note acknowledges the full arc of that relationship — the procrastination, the breakthroughs, the recitals — with a specificity that only comes from a decade-plus of lessons. K.W. of College Park put it plainly: 'Without her instruction, I never would have reached my dreams of playing the piano.' Blakely currently offers lessons in Annapolis, Maryland and is also available for online instruction, serving students across classical repertoire, popular styles, music theory, ear training, and vocal technique.

Students who work with Blakely participate in recitals, competitions, and the National Guild of Piano Teachers' annual evaluations — structured milestones that give measurable shape to their progress. Her own training included vocal studies alongside piano performance, and her listed subjects reflect that: she teaches singing and music theory in addition to piano. For anyone searching for a teacher whose credentials extend well past the studio wall, Blakely's record — performing, adjudicating, and teaching across four decades and multiple countries — offers an unusually concrete answer to the question of what experience actually looks like.

View Full Profile & Contact Martha →