Kizzy's Story
A Life Shaped by Music
For Kizzy Hearn-Riske, music has never belonged to just one chapter of life. It has traveled with her across countries, classrooms, stages, and seasons—becoming a source of belonging, shared expression, and connection.
Born Kezia Hearn in the United Kingdom, Kizzy emigrated to the United States at age 12. Growing up between cultures gave her an early understanding of the ways music can cross boundaries and help people find common ground.
FORMAL STUDY
Kizzy earned her degree in music from Colorado State University Pueblo, where she developed the technical foundation and discipline that continue to guide her work. Her education was shaped not only by formal study, but also by years of performing, collaborating, and experiencing how music brings people together.
MUSIC, LOVE & COMMUNITY
Alongside her late husband, Dylan Riske, Kizzy co-founded a reggae band rooted in community and connection. Together, they performed throughout Colorado for many years, sharing not only a stage but a life shaped by music.
Those years taught Kizzy that music is more than performance. It can hold memory, strengthen relationships, and create a place where people feel that they belong. That understanding remains woven into the way she listens, leads, and teaches today.
Her introduction to the music business began at the grassroots level through street-team work for Ky-Mani Marley.
An internship with Susan Underwood of Island Stage Magazine followed, eventually leading to an administrative role that expanded Kizzy’s experience in music media, artist relations, and the work that happens behind the scenes.
FROM THE STAGE TO THE CLASSROOM
Today, Kizzy teaches music full-time at a charter high school. Through Music With Kizzy, she also offers private voice, piano, and guitar lessons for children and adults from her Cañon City home studio and online.
Her approach is patient, personal, and encouraging. Rather than expecting every student to learn in the same way, Kizzy shapes each lesson around the individual—their experience, interests, goals, and pace.
Whether someone is discovering music for the first time, returning after years away, or ready to strengthen existing skills, Kizzy creates room to learn without comparison and grow with confidence.
MUSIC BEYOND THE LESSON ROOM
Since November 2025, Kizzy has served as Chair of Backstage Blueprint, a nonprofit supporting independent reggae artists and underserved creatives through education, practical resources, and community.
Her leadership reflects the same qualities she brings to her students: knowledge, compassion, structure, creativity, patience, and purpose.
For Kizzy, teaching is not separate from her life in music. It is the next movement in the same continuing story—an opportunity to help others discover what music can become in their own lives.