Since 1992, she has studied ney composition and Tunisian music under professors Slah Manaa, Ali Sriti and Zakia Hannashi at l'Institut Superieur de la Musique, and studied Riq under Haytham Farghaly of the same institute.
Among the many instruments Velez favors in his work are the Irish bodhrán, the Brazilian pandeiro, the Arabic riq, the North African bendir, and the Azerbaijani ghaval.