Helen Dietz joined Kerry Henry Piano Studios with 35 years of experience as a private piano instructor. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Helen earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree, majoring in piano, from Virginia Commonwealth University. As Director of the St. Gertrude High School Music Department in Richmond, Virginia for 2 years, Helen taught piano, choral music and classroom music. Helen coordinated the teaching program at The Center of Music stores in Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, teaching private and group piano lessons for 2 years. She then spent the next 19 years teaching K-5 music in the Chesterfield Public Schools in Richmond and teaching private piano at home as a secondary career. Prior to joining Kerry Henry Piano Studios, Helen taught beginning to early advanced-level students for 9 years at the Raleigh Conversatory of Music.

     Helen is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, earned from the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). She is a member of the North Carolina Music Teachers Association (NCMTA) and an active member of the Raleigh Piano Teachers Association (RPTA) and Durham Music Teachers Association (DMTA).

    Helen served as the Co-Chair of the RPTA Young Artists Piano Auditions (a competition for approximately 900 Raleigh area piano students) 2000-2003 and NCMTA Piano Contest Director 2005-2007. She currently co-chairs the NCMTA State-East Piano Contest-Festival 2009 and 2010.

     Helen comes from a large, musical family of 8 children. Her father was a well-known violinist who was one of the founders of the Richmond Symphony. His inspiration and love of music permeates every moment of teaching and motivates Helen to keep piano playing exciting at all levels of instruction.

    Helen's students actively participate in local and state festivals and competitions, often winning or scoring superior ratings. Her students are also involved in recitals and community service performances. Many of Helen's students choose to continue their musical studies as music majors or minors in college.

      Karoline Strickland is a 2007 graduate of Campbell University where she was a recipient of the Mary Williams and Marion L. Eakes Scholarship, as well as a recipient of the IBM Thomas J. Watson Scholarship and the 2003 NCHE College Scholarship. She graduated from Campbell with a B.A. in Comprehensive Music, emphasizing performance, and also completed a second major in English. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta and Phi Kappa Phi.

    Throughout her high school and college years Karoline has won many musical awards, including the NCFMC Elizabeth Terrell and Estelle Brady Senior Piano Concerto awards at both state and district levels. She has achieved Superior ratings at state and district levels in the annual NCMTA Festival, and has been awarded many first place honors in advanced solo and concerto categories at the annual RPTA Young Artists Auditions, a local competition drawing more than 900 students every year. Karoline has received the Elizabeth Fletcher Memorial award from the Raleigh Music Club, and has been both a bronze and silver medalist in the Campbell University High School Piano Competition, competing against more than 20 piano students from across the state. In 2007 she was chosen to represent Campbell University in the Alma Dark Howard Competition, where she competed against representatives from four other colleges across the southeast, and was awarded second place. She has played in masterclasses for Adam Wibrowski, Mayron Tsong, Tinka Knopf, and John Salmon.