From rock ’n’ roll stages to healing spaces, Kelly Richey blends her decades of live performance, deep teaching experience, and music-based wellness practices to inspire, connect, and transform.
From rock ’n’ roll stages to healing spaces, Kelly Richey blends her decades of live performance, deep teaching experience, and music-based wellness practices to inspire, connect, and transform.
Kelly Richey is an acclaimed guitarist, handpan musician, writer, and healing arts facilitator. For over three decades, she has balanced a celebrated career as a blues-rock guitarist, songwriter, and recording artist with teaching thousands of students of all ages and skill levels.
Today, she continues to perform—blending guitar and handpan in rich, acoustic sets—and offers music-based wellness programs that include sound baths, guided writing circles, retreats, and one-on-one coaching or spiritual direction.
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Kelly combines the healing power of music with mindful, creative practices—offering handpan sound baths, writing circles, retreats, and music-and-mindfulness programs to reduce stress, spark creativity, and foster self-connection. She also collaborates with other facilitators for workshops and events.
Learn guitar online or in person with a touring artist and teacher of 30+ years. Lessons for all ages and skill levels—crafted to inspire confidence, creativity, and lasting skill.
Discover the magic of the handpan through personalized instruction. Lessons for beginners to advanced players, plus workshops for retreats and creative gatherings.
High-energy shows that fuse soulful guitar, raw blues, and deep connection. From intimate spaces to large festivals, every performance is crafted to move and inspire.
Experience sound baths, guided writing, and mindful music sessions that calm the mind and open the heart. Ideal for groups, retreats, and collaborative wellness events.
My journey has always been about connection—on stage, in the classroom, and within the quiet spaces of healing. As a lifelong guitarist and educator, I’ve spent years exploring how music moves energy, opens hearts, and brings people home to themselves. Now, through the handpan, sound baths, and reflective writing, I weave sound and story into spaces of renewal—where music meets mindfulness and creativity becomes medicine.
My vision is simple: to awaken connection through sound, story, and soul. I believe music heals, words transform, and shared experiences remind us that we are never alone. Every offering—whether a handpan meditation, a concert, or a writing circle—flows from this intention to bring light where it’s needed most.
The handpan called me into a deeper rhythm of life. Its gentle tones create sacred space for rest, balance, and renewal. Each sound bath is a journey inward, an opportunity to breathe, release, and remember the harmony that already lives within you.
Writing invites the soul to speak. In my circles, words flow like music—revealing truth, easing pain, and sparking transformation. Through guided prompts and reflection, we write to remember who we are and to reclaim the light we carry.
A life as a rock ’n’ roll guitarist, songwriter, and recording artist.
Embracing personal growth and beginning a healing journey.
Discovering the handpan and the power of music as a healing tool.
Teaching, performing, and facilitating programs that unite music, creativity, and mindfulness.
Posted on mlee PennTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Kelly is a great teacher and person. She is caring about her students and always willing to listen even if not evolving music studies. Thank you, Kelly!Posted on Carolyn GrantTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Kelly took me on as a new guitar student - total beginner! I appreciate her method of using older blues songs to learn the basics. She has also helped me learn some of my old favorites as my goal is to learn something new in retirement and to be able to jam with friends and family (including my grandsons!)Posted on Drew DavisTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I’ve learned more from Kelly in a few lessons than I did in years of trying on my own. She makes guitar feel fun and easy to remember with clear practice routines. Her teaching has enriched both my playing and my personal life. Highly recommend.Posted on Jason StewartTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I have been taking lessons from Kelly for over a year now...and it has helped me make great strides in my playing. Not only is she a great teacher and player...she is a great mentor and person! I highly recommend Kelly.Posted on Wayne SteinTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Kelly is a great teacher, very focused on the basic building blocks to lay the foundation for success. She is very patient which is great for me. I recommend her highly!Posted on Mike BallTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Kelly is an incredible instructor and true mentor. Kelly was able to pinpoint the issues I was facing in my playing and created a practice routine that greatly improved my play. Kelly also navigated me through the world of blues, teaching the basics and breaking down advanced techniques that I have able to incorporate into my play. Try out a lesson with her, there's no pressure and her schedule is very flexible.Posted on Hunter SaturnTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Kelly is a fantastic guitar teacher and has been instrumental in my progression as a guitarist! She is a blues master and focuses on chunking concepts and songs down I can master all the small pieces to eventually play the full picture with ease. She's a teacher who I feel truly get's me and has as much excitement about the blues and guitar as I have. We have shifted practice and teaching styles throughout my lessons that better fit how I learn best, which has been a highlight and a hallmark of her great teaching and mentor skills.Posted on Stephen EttorreTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Been taking lessons from Kelly for about 6 months. It is very cool getting instruction from a world-class guitarist. However, what really sets Kelly apart is that she has a heart for teaching and really cares about her students and their progress in learning guitar.Posted on Ryan BaturaTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. At 50 years old, after playing guitar for most of my life without ever having any professional instruction, I was bumping into some roadblocks with my playing, songwriting & recording. I had met several incredible musicians over the years that were also experienced guitar instructors, but none of them seemed to understand what I was frustrated about. In December of 2021, I stumbled across a video of Kelly playing with Sherri McGee in their 2 piece band The Spear Shakers. In reading a bit about the band, I noticed that Kelly was also a guitar instructor, so I wrote to Kelly and shared a bit about my history and what I was currently working on. Kelly immediately messaged back and seemed to understand the issues I was bumping into as a result of being a self-taught guitar player, deeply set in my ways. After Kelly listened to some of my band’s releases, along with watching some video footage, she had some ideas on how to help. After only a few lessons together Kelly provided me tools to begin to unlock my own roadblocks, but in a way that was not disruptive to my existing playing style. I love that Kelly does not want to change who I am as a player. She is interested in me being able to better express myself in my own style. Moreover, I have found Kelly to be an incredible resource for so many other prereferral things related to guitar playing such as studio recording, live shows, fronting a band, etc-etc. There have been lessons in that we have not even discussed guitar playing because I have so many other questions. We spoke for an hour yesterday about setting up a new gig amp setup and pedalboard, after which she emailed me detailed information and web links about each component we discussed. I wish I had known Kelly 10 years ago, because all these things that I had discovered thru my own trial and error she already knows! Beyond all this, Kelly is simply a delightful person to talk with. A real person with real life experiences, that clearly has a gift for connecting with and helping other people. I am both humbled and thankful to have her instruction and insight.Posted on Ozkan BekirogluTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. When i was searching for a guitar teacher who could understand my needs and who could guide me through the learning and improvement process accordingly, i met Kelly through internet, worked with her nearly two years through Skype and then three weeks one to one at her studio in Cincinnati during a visit of mine to US. I feel very fortunate to have the chance to work with her. Her focused teaching attitude, great communication and feedback skills, very well structured and documented teaching infrastructure makes the lessons not only informative and very effective but also makes you concentrated and get prepared for each forthcoming meeting. She made me understand the musical theory better, thought me that the devil is really in details and how to develop my motor skills accordingly. Although I live in Turkey, literally on the other side of the world, we took the advantage of the time zone difference to schedule our meetings and it had always been a big joy for me to get prepared for each lesson after a working day and attend her afternoon cofee, learning and improving in every minute.