Contact us

Fill out the form below and we will contact you ASAP

Discover our journey

The Johnston Journey: Fostering Musical Excellence at Lone Star Music Academy

Discover the Passionate Founders and Their Vision for Your Musical Ascent. Learn about our founders' prestigious backgrounds, our academy's milestones, and how we inspire every student to hit their perfect note.

Message from the owners

We are Noel and Jiyoung Johnston

Hi, we're a musician couple whose mission is to share our love and passion for music with the families in our community.

Music is the heartbeat of our family life, with our sons embracing piano, guitar, saxophone, and drums, thriving in competitions and bands. We cherish these melodic moments together and look forward to nurturing your family's musical voyage. Welcome to the Lone Star Family!

The Johnston Duo's Musical Mastery at Lone Star Music Academy

As founders with a deep-rooted legacy in both musical excellence and education, we—Jiyoung, a graduate of Seoul National University and the University of North Texas, and Noel, a seasoned artist from the University of Southern California and UNT—have dedicated ourselves to creating a supportive atmosphere for musicians at every stage of their journey.

Prior to founding Lone Star Music Academy, Jiyoung taught at Brookhaven College in Dallas and Liberty Christian School in Argyle. Noel has been teaching at UNT Jazz Program since 1998 and also a lead guitarist at Daystar (Christian TV network in Bedford) while performing actively as a band leader, sideman and a recording session man.

Our dedication is echoed in the accomplishments of our students and in our ongoing involvement with the broader music community.

Read Jiyoung's Full Bio

M.M. "Jazz Piano Performance"

(University of North Texas)

B.M. "Piano Performance" (Seoul National University).

Jiyoung Johnston, director and co-founder of Lone Star Music Academy, exhibits equally strong performance and education abilities in classical and jazz music.

Native of Korea, she started piano at the age of 5 and was trained in classical music. While in Korea, she won 1st prize in numerous competitions including the National Student Piano Competition (1992) and Honam Art Competition (1993). In 1992, she was one of the winners at the concerto competition at the Tong-Il Han Piano Institute summer festival and performed her winning piece Saint Saens piano concerto in g minor with Daejeon Symphony Orchestra.

After receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Piano Performance from the prestigious Seoul National University, Jiyoung decided to come to the states in pursuit of the study in jazz at the University of North Texas. While at UNT, she received a Jamey Aebersold performance scholarship and was recognized as an honor student for academic excellence. She graduated from UNT with a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies (piano performance) in 2003. Since she came to the states in 1999, Jiyoung has performed with several legendary musicians including Grammy-award winning clarinetist, Eddie Daniels and Jazz composer and performer, Russ Ferrante of the Yellowjackets. She has toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and has been a featured pianist for the Dallas Wind Symphony.

Jiyoung is respected as an educator as well as a performer. As a private piano instructor, she has taught students of various ages and levels since 1994. She is praised by her students and their parents for being a teacher who is excellent in motivating, challenging, and bringing out the best in her students. Some of them have won awards in competitions. Aside from private teaching, she has served as an assistant choir director at Liberty Christian School (2003-4) and she was on the faculty as a visiting scholar at Brookhaven College teaching Humanities, Eastern Asian Cultural Studies, Jazz Improvisation class, and private lessons in jazz piano (2004-2006). Currently, she is the director of Lone Star Music Academy and a happy wife and a proud mom of two sons.

Read Noel's Full Bio

M.M. “Jazz Guitar” (University of North Texas)

B.M. “Studio/Jazz Guitar” (University of Southern California)

After receiving a Bachelor of Music in Studio/Jazz Guitar from the University of Southern California, Noel moved back to Sydney, Australia where he grew up, and released his first album “Possible Worlds” (1996) and taught at Wesley Institute for Ministry and the Arts. In 1997, he came back to the states to further his study in jazz at the University of North Texas from which he received a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies (Jazz Guitar Performance). While at UNT, he served as a teaching fellow, was a guitarist for the One O'Clock Lab band, and had many great opportunities to play with well-known artists such as Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Adam Nussbaum and Kenny Wheeler. A student band that Noel co-led recorded the album “NJPT” (1999) and was awarded "Best Jazz Instrumental Group" in the 2000 Downbeat student music awards.

Upon graduation, Noel was actively performing locally and nationally as a band leader and a session musician, releasing more of his own albums (“Marshmallow” in 2004, “Salted Coffee” in 2014 and in 2023, a solo electric guitar recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Partita No. 1 in B minor) and teaching at UNT as an adjunct faculty member.

Also, Noel has been active as a recording artist and has performed on over 50 albums. His keen musical talent to perform various genres of music enabled him to play on different projects including jazz, rock, gospel, pop, country, and more. Over the years, he has performed and/or recorded with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and nationally known Jazz, Blues and gospel artists such as Alex Acuna, Vinnie Colaiuta, Andre Crouch, Sheila E., Fred Hammond, Israel Houghton, Monica Mancini, Lucky Peterson, Kenny Wheeler, Gary Willis, and many more.

Noel is a solo artist on his own (5 albums as a leader), but also can be seen and heard as the electric guitarist in the house band of the “Daystar” TV network's "Ministry Now" (daily live show), at Bethesda Community Church (Fort Worth, TX), and in various other sideman projects throughout the DFW area. Noel teaches at UNT and Lone Star Music Academy. He is a loving husband and a proud dad of two sons.

Numbers

By the Numbers: Our Story of Harmony and Growth

Uncover the symphony of success through our key statistics: Thousands taught, high satisfaction, years of tradition, and lessons for all ages.

9,700+

Students Served

5

Star Average Rating

2006

Foundation Year

3-82

Ages of Our Students

Programs

Diverse Programs for Every Aspiring Musician

Adult Music Lessons

Learn a new instrument or master your current instrument with our Adult Music Lessons in Flower Mound and Dallas, Texas.

Early Childhood Music

Includes exciting and incredible instruction for students of ages 3-5 from our talented teachers.

Kids Private Music Lessons

Embark on a musical adventure with tailored lessons for kids, fostering skill, creativity, and joy in every note.

Awards

Celebrating Excellence: Student Triumphs at Our Academy

Celebrating our students' triumphs: from their first scales to award-winning performances, they embody the academy's commitment to musical excellence.

Their journey reflects the exceptional training and supportive community we’ve built, as they turn practice into accolades and performances into lasting legacies.

Annual Prize Winning. TMTA, CMATA competitions, festivals and texas music theory test

2023

Piano Texas Concerto Competition
Prize winner performed with the Ft. Worth Symphony

2021

1st Place, Piano League International Competition

2020

Seattle International Piano Competition Semi-Finalist

2019

1st prize Steinway Junior Piano Competition,
Piano, Texas

2018

1st Prize winner CMTA Piano Solo Competition

2019

Music-Major College Placement And Scholarship From:

  • Berklee

  • New England Conservatory

  • NYU

  • USC (University of Southern California)

  • University of Miami

  • The New School

  • Belmont University

  • UNT

  • And more...

Instructors

Discover the Top-Notch Educators Guiding Your Musical Journey

Our instructors have each carved their own path to excellence, mentoring hundreds of students to elevate their musical prowess. Their seasoned guidance assures that you or your child's musical journey is in the most capable of hands.

Explore Our Flower Mound & Dallas/Plano, Texas Studios

Our Musical Homes: Flower Mound & Dallas Locations

17734 Preston Road Dallas, TX 75252

Music Lessons in Dallas/Plano, Texas

In the vibrant city of Dallas, our music school offers a dynamic and engaging environment for students to hone their craft.

2021 Morris RD Suite 100, Flower Mound, Texas 75028

Music Lessons in Flower Mound, Texas

Nestled in the heart of Flower Mound, our music school stands as a beacon of creativity and learning.

Your Turn

Don't just dream about music—make it! Reserve your trial lesson now!

Shake hands with the industry leading musicians who will guide your journey with passion and patience, have your curiosities addressed and your concerns cleared up, and immerse yourself in where the musical magic happens.

Discounted Trial Lesson Available
Does not obligate to anything