Lone Star Music Academy

Lone Star Music Academy offers kids private music lessons, early childhood music, and adult music lessons. Students can take piano, guitar, voice, drums, violin, cello, and viola lessons, as well as a jazz improvisation class, Humanities, Eastern Asian Cultural Studies, and private lessons in jazz piano. Lessons take place in technologically advanced, state-of-the-art studios equipped with the latest instruments and sound engineering.

• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Lesson options Monday to Thursday afternoons and evenings, and Saturday daytime
• Price: Discounted trial lesson packages: 30 Minute Lesson $19.88 (regular $39.75); 45 Minute Lesson $29.82 (regular $59.63); 60 Minute Lesson $39.75 (regular $79.50). If you have 2 or more family members under the same account, there is a $10 family discount per month per each additional family member.

Lone Star Music Academy was founded in 2006. The academy offers up to 2 trial lessons per family with the instructor and schedule of choice, and lessons are on a month-to-month basis with no long-term contract. Once enrolled, lessons take place with the same instructor at the same time every week, and there are over 40 instructors to choose from. The program includes performance opportunities that showcase student progress. Families can access technologically advanced studios with state-of-the-art instruments and sound engineering.

The director and co-founder is Jiyoung Johnston, and the co-founder is Noel Johnston. Their stated mission is to share their love and passion for music with the families in their community. Jiyoung Johnston holds an M.M. in Jazz Piano Performance from the University of North Texas and a B.M. in Piano Performance from Seoul National University, started piano at age 5, trained in classical music, and has won several piano competitions, including the National Student Piano Competition (1992) and the Honam Art Competition (1993). She won a concerto competition at the Tong-Il Han Piano Institute summer festival and performed Saint-Saëns’ piano concerto in G minor with the Daejeon Symphony Orchestra, received a Jamey Aebersold performance scholarship at the University of North Texas, was recognized as an honor student for academic excellence, served as assistant choir director at Liberty Christian School in 2003–2004, and was a visiting scholar at Brookhaven College from 2004–2006 teaching Humanities, Eastern Asian Cultural Studies, Jazz Improvisation, and private jazz piano lessons. Noel Johnston holds an M.M. in Jazz Guitar from the University of North Texas and a B.M. in Studio/Jazz Guitar from the University of Southern California, released his first album “Possible Worlds” in 1996, taught at Wesley Institute for Ministry and the Arts, and served as a teaching fellow at the University of North Texas. He was a guitarist for the One O'Clock Lab Band, co-led a student band that recorded the album “NJPT” in 1999 which was awarded “Best Jazz Instrumental Group” in the 2000 Downbeat student music awards, released the albums “Marshmallow” (2004), “Salted Coffee” (2014), and a 2023 solo electric guitar recording of J.S. Bach's Violin Partita No. 1 in B minor, teaches at the University of North Texas and Lone Star Music Academy, has performed on over 50 albums, and has performed and/or recorded with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and nationally known jazz, blues, and gospel artists.

Lone Star Music Academy reports having served over 9,700 students and having a 5-star average rating. Its students have annual prize winnings in TMTA and CMATA competitions, festivals, and the Texas music theory test. Student achievements include a 2023 Piano Texas Concerto Competition prize winner who performed with the Fort Worth Symphony, 1st place in the 2021 Piano League International Competition, semi-finalist in the 2020 Seattle International Piano Competition, and a 2019 1st prize Stein award. A student band co-led by Noel recorded the album “NJPT,” which received the “Best Jazz Instrumental Group” award in the 2000 Downbeat student music awards.

Noel has been a lead guitarist at Daystar, a Christian TV network in Bedford. He appears as the electric guitarist in the house band of Daystar TV network's daily live show “Ministry Now,” at Bethesda Community Church in Fort Worth, and in various other sideman projects throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Last updated July 22, 2026.