about

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Pianist, musician, and entrepreneur Natalie Doughty currently resides in Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. 

She is the current CEO and founder of inRenaissance Music & Arts (launched May 2022), a values-based music learning program made up of inRen piano (piano lessons), inRenMusik (Musikgarten classes for babies, toddlers, and young ones), and inRenWorkshops.

Natalie is also currently the director and primary piano instructor/curriculum developer for the JMU Music Academy, a recreational group music learning program for adults in the Shenandoah Valley. Her JMU Music Academy piano class themes have included: "Pop Piano/Piano for Singer-songwriters," "Music of Color," "Music of Elvis," "Musicals," and more!

In January 2025, Natalie launched created 4 online courses on improvisation and piano composition from an expressive, storytelling aspect for K-12 students.

In 2024, she completed her Musikgarten training for teaching babies, toddlers, and young ones through the inRenMusik program.

In May 2023, Natalie launched The Keys to Side Hustle Success™ a business coaching program helping people with piano skills turn their passion into profit! In the TKSS training, participants learn how to build a successful side hustle that monetizes their skills and expertise by teaching piano creatively to beginners.

From 2020-2022, she built Piano Courses for Adults™, an online piano learning program specifically for beginning adults. PCA features 6 courses ranging from beginner to intermediate levels, complete with online video tutorials and e-materials.

Natalie is very active in the community to promote and nurture artistic relationships and events. In 2021, she initiated music equity project "Music in Every Home," a campaign to sponsor music lessons and music instruments for 25 local students by 2025. 

Earlier, in spring 2019, Natalie was awarded an "Arts for Education" grant from the Arts Council of the Valley for a collaborative arts-integration project that she envisioned: "Expressions of Home."  She was the Vice President and President of the Harrisonburg Music Teachers Association from 2019-2024.

With two of her collegiate peers Natalie helped to develop and host five musical workshops for local music students from 2017-2018: 

🎶 "Music: Art in Motion" 

🎶 "First Steps to Artistry"

🎶 "Recipe for Musical Drama" (featured at JMU's inaugural pre-college piano day).

In 2019, they were invited to lead a kids' workshop at Walkertown Library, NC.

Natalie has co-authored and co-delivered the following presentations at the MTNA National Collegiate Chapters Symposium:

📝 “Beyond The Hand Position: Teaching Injury Preventive Piano Technique to Young Students" (2017)

📝 "In and Out: Two Millennials, The Collegiate Experience, and The Real World" (2018)

📝 "Be Your Own Boss: From Career Dreams to Business" (2018)

📝 "Not Just Fun and Games: Strategic Design for Significant Learning" (2019)

In July 2019, Natalie co-presented at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) in Lombard, Illinois. In 2022, she was interviewed for a business article in the American Music Teacher magazine.

Performance Training/Education/Awards:

🎹  Injury Preventive Piano Technique Workshop (Salem College, NC), 2017 

🎹 Honorable Mention, 2017 West Virginia Intl. Piano Competition

🎹 Master of Music degree, James Madison University, 2017

🎹  Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (Florida), 2016

🎹 Dublin International Piano Festival (Ireland), 2015 - scholarship recipient 

🎹 Zodiac Music Festival (Valdeblore, France), 2015

🎹 Bachelors of Music degree summa cum laude in piano performance, James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA), 2015

Natalie has enjoyed additional masterclass coachings and private lessons with artists such as Jean Paul Sevilla, Francine Kay, Edmund Battersby, Evelyne Brancart, Christopher Harding, Rebecca Penneys, and Barbara Lister-Sink. 

In partnership with various Christian churches on the East Coast, Natalie has given four benefit concerts from 2017-2019 to raise funds for specific charities.