Where Music Meets Belonging: A Conversation with Haven of Havenly Arts Studio

By Donny Stancato

There are some people in Downtown Kenosha who don’t just run a business — they quietly change lives. Haven B. Fair is one of those people.

Sitting down with Haven inside her warm, welcoming space at Havenly Arts Studio, you immediately feel it: this isn’t just a music studio. It’s a refuge. A creative home. A place where students of all ages are encouraged to be fully themselves — sometimes for the first time.

As someone who has spent over two decades advocating for Downtown Kenosha, and as a parent who understands how vital inclusive, compassionate spaces are for our kids and our community, this conversation felt deeply personal to me. Haven’s work matters — not just to the students she teaches, but to the heartbeat of downtown itself.

Haven’s journey as an educator spans public schools, private instruction, and now her own independent studio. Teaching within Kenosha Unified School District gave her a deep understanding of curriculum, behavioral strategies, and the social pressures students face every day. But it was also there she discovered something powerful — that her classroom became a safe space for students who needed it most.

“There was something about my classroom — the energy, the music — that made it a safe place for students who needed it. That’s when I knew this was what I was meant to do.”

Haven taught in multiple KUSD settings, as well as at Harmony Music School, working with hundreds of students across grade levels. Those experiences shaped her empathy — not just for students, but for parents and educators navigating a system that isn’t always built for every learner.

In public schools, she balanced curriculum standards, data tracking, and the socio-emotional needs of more than 300 students at a time. In private instruction, she saw the contrast — the power of flexibility, personalization, and truly seeingthe whole student.

That contrast planted the seed for Havenly Arts Studio.

“As a private studio owner, I’m able to reach the whole student — not just a grade or a standard.”

Located in Downtown Kenosha within the Olafson & Porter Vintage Goods building, Havenly Arts Studio offers something intentionally different.

Here, lessons are personalized, flexible, and human-centered.

Haven teaches:

• Piano

• Voice

• Guitar, bass, and ukulele

• Drums

• Strings (violin, viola, cello)

• Brass (including French horn, trumpet, saxophone)

But the instrument is only part of the story.

Every new student begins with conversation — about goals, dreams, learning styles, frustrations, and lived experience. Many of Haven’s students are neurodivergent, and Haven herself is late-diagnosed ADHD, giving her a deep, lived understanding of what it means to learn differently.

“I want to know who you are before I decide how to teach you.”

A first lesson often includes guided exploration, learning the hook of a familiar song, and leaving with something tangible to practice — something that builds confidence immediately.

Lessons aren’t about perfection. They’re about connection.

Haven saw clear gaps in traditional music education: rigid performance expectations, limited inclusivity, and environments that unintentionally push some students out.

Havenly Arts Studio was built to counter that.

Haven’s long-term vision is simple and powerful: to forever be an outlet for the outcasts.

She wants every student to leave knowing that failure is part of the process — and that finding your own sound is far more important than sounding like anyone else.

Success, to Haven, isn’t measured by trophies or recitals. It’s measured by impact — by whether students remember how she made them feel, and how music helped them navigate their lives.

“You don’t have to sound like anyone else. You just have to learn to embrace your sound.”

Every eight weeks, Haven hosts a Student Spotlight, giving students a chance to perform in a relaxed, supportive environment. These aren’t high-pressure recitals — they’re celebrations.

Parents gather. Students cheer for each other. Confidence grows.

Haven sees it clearly: when students have a goal to work toward, their dedication increases. Practice becomes meaningful. Music becomes shared.

“What do we play all this music for if not to share it?”

Choosing Downtown Kenosha wasn’t accidental. Haven has always lived near Lake Michigan and sees downtown as a natural meeting point — geographically and culturally. Between lessons, she walks the streets, connects with neighboring businesses, and builds relationships that turn into collaboration.

“Downtown is a network of people living their dreams — together.”

She credits the community — including Michael and Tamara at Olafson & Porter Vintage Goods and Riki Tagliapietra of Cut Stone — for helping her studio find its home and grow.

To Haven, the arts are essential to downtown vitality because they bring diversity — of age, genre, background, and experience.

Beyond teaching, Haven performs as Miss B Haven, blending alternative jazz, funk, and soul, and drums with the nationally touring band Would You Kindly?

Her years of classical training, open mic experiences, and songwriting journey all inform how she teaches today.

Students benefit from her real-world experience — from Summerfest stages to touring stories — and from seeing what’s possible when passion becomes a lifestyle.

Years ago, Haven was a guest on the K-town Connects Podcast — long before Havenly Arts Studio existed in its current form or location.

She remembers it clearly: recording at Luigi’s Pizza Kitchen, microphones set up, laughing with the hosts Donny and Jason, and realizing how powerful relaxed, honest conversations could be.

“It felt more like a conversation than an interview — and that stuck with me.”

Now, sitting across from her again for this story, it’s clear how far she’s come — and how deeply rooted her work is in this community.

Haven hopes to expand into songwriting workshops, looper pedal sessions, and new creative offerings. But she embraces the unknown.

As she puts it, she never knows who will walk through her door next — or how music will continue to shape her life.

And she’s happy to be here.

As someone who has championed Downtown Kenosha for most of my career — and as a parent raising a child who thrives when given the right support — this conversation with Haven stayed with me.

Havenly Arts Studio isn’t just teaching music. It’s shaping confidence, creating community, and reminding us why downtown spaces like this matter.

If you believe in Downtown Kenosha.
If you believe in the arts.
If you believe learning should feel human.

Go meet Haven!

Havenly Arts Studio • 705 50th Street – Downtown Kenosha • havenlyarts@gmail.com • 262-705-8367 • Facebook & Instagram: @havenlyartsstudio

Listen to Haven’s 9/23/20222 appearance on the K-town Connects Podcast
Spotify • Apple • YouTube