Pamela Hughes

Pamela is thrilled to be part of the piano faculty of The Academy!  She has a Bachelor of Music degree in music education with a piano major and vocal/general music concentration from Radford University in Radford, Virginia.  While a student there, she taught her first piano students through the Radford Community School of the Arts. Teaching private piano lessons for over 40 years, Pamela is still in love with encouraging each individual to do their best and enjoy music for a lifetime.  One of her favorite things is learning from her students and being introduced to new musicians, music and ideas through them.  While music is a wonderful personal experience, she believes music is utilized  best when we share it with others and is excited about all the educational, performance, and community opportunities that the Academy presents.

A professional member of the Charlotte Piano Teachers Forum, she has served that organization as vice president and recording secretary, and is a member and past president of the Charlotte Music Club.  Pamela is a frequent adjudicator for the National Federation of Music Clubs Festivals and chaired the Federation Hymn Festival for the Charlotte area for 17 years.  She has been a pianist for 3 area churches and directed preschool, children’s and youth choirs.  Holding both a NC Professional Educator’s  License and an Educator’s Certificate through the Association of Christian Schools International, Pamela taught for over 20 years at Carmel Christian School and she has also taught music in a TK program and elementary music in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System.

Pamela is married to Greg, and they have 3 adult children (and their spouses) and 5 grandchildren with whom they eagerly spend much of their time.  Pamela and Greg love to travel and always seek out the music of each culture, recently exploring much of Europe, visiting composers’ homes (they weren’t there!), statues, and even cemeteries (they were there!).  In addition, she runs 5k through half marathon distances (hoping to someday run a marathon), volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, knits, repurposes old piano parts into creative art pieces, and as a life-long learner aspires to play the cello, sitting in the corner, that a former student gave her.