Krystal (Grant) Folkestad's first teaching experience was giving half-hour piano lecture-recitals at EPIC and Hill Elementary Schools when she was a Homewood Middle School student. She earned a Ph.D. in music composition from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. Her piano students have ranged from kindergarteners to retirees, and she has helped people make music in multiple after-school programs, a homeless shelter in Manhattan, and a senior center in Brooklyn. She has taught a variety of music courses at Virginia Commonwealth University, Lancaster Bible College, and Suffolk County Community College. Krystal is excited to return to the Birmingham area to make and teach music.