About the founder
Meet Natalie
Hi there, I'm Natalie!
I've been playing piano since I could first reach the keys. From the very beginning, music was connected to imagination, storytelling, and creativity. As a child, I loved creating stories, inventing worlds, and bringing them to life with costumes, props, and orchestral soundtracks. The piano quickly became another place where those stories could exist.
But learning piano was not always easy.
As a young child, I would listen to classical piano music before falling asleep and wonder, "How can ten fingers create sounds like that?" For a long time, I was frustrated that my own playing did not sound the way I imagined it should.
Throughout my childhood and college studies, I worked with eight different piano teachers, each with their own approaches, personalities, and expectations. Some approaches helped me thrive, while others challenged me in ways that made learning feel difficult.
I wanted to quit piano many times. I struggled with theory, sight-reading, rhythm, coordination, and the many technical challenges that come with learning an instrument. What came naturally to me was something different: expression.
I loved creating stories through music. I loved shaping dynamics, discovering characters, and bringing a piece to life through imagination. The piano became a place where creativity and storytelling could meet.
One of my favorite high school performances was a Chopin waltz that I imagined as the musical story of my sister sneaking downstairs at night to steal cookies from the top of the refrigerator—only to fall, break the refrigerator door, and wake up the entire house. (A true story!)
That ability to connect music with imagination became the foundation of my own musical identity. It carried me through the challenges of undergraduate and graduate piano study, where I learned that growth does not come from difficulty alone—it comes from having a meaningful reason to keep going.
Community Arts & Music Access
Natalie has an active history of promoting and nurturing artistic relationships, community events, and access to music education.
From 2017–2019, she presented four benefit concerts in partnership with Christian churches throughout the East Coast, using music as a way to support community connection and charitable efforts.
In 2021, Natalie initiated the music equity project Music in Every Home, a campaign created to sponsor music lessons and instruments for local students by 2025 in partnership with the Harrisonburg Music Teachers Association/Piano Teachers Forum.
In 2019, Natalie received an Arts for Education grant from the Arts Council of the Valley for her collaborative arts-integration project, Expressions of Home.
Through each of these projects, Natalie continues to explore ways music can foster creativity, connection, and meaningful community engagement.
Featured Work & Recognition
Guitar Heroes: The Music in Every Home Project (2022)
A collaboration between Oasis Art and Craft, Yamaha, and the Harrisonburg Music Teachers Association under the direction of Natalie Doughty, supporting music access and opportunities for local students.
Students' Art Highlights Habitat for Humanity (2019)
A collaborative arts project between Rockingham County Public Schools and inRenaissance Studio highlighting Habitat for Humanity housing projects and encouraging community awareness through student creativity.
JMU School of Music offers Program with Piano and Guitar Lessons for Adults (2017)
Featuring the JMU Music Academy and its mission to provide recreational music learning opportunities for adults in the Shenandoah Valley.
JMU Piano Student One Of 16 Selected To Attend Dublin International Piano Festival (DNR) (2015)
Highlighting Natalie's journey as a piano student selected to attend a world-class international piano festival in Dublin, Ireland.