Athena has enjoyed tremendous success as a singer/songwriter, actress, musician and teacher. She is originally from Toronto, but is now based out of New York City.

Athena has released 5 CDs, toured North America (both as a singer/songwriter and as an actress), and taught voice, piano, guitar, songwriting and acting for the past 13 years. She has shared the stage Sarah McLachlan and Jim Carrey, and taught songwriting to 5th Grade girls with Lisa Loeb (the teaching project with Lisa Loeb was made into a documentary and premiered at Tribeca Cinemas). Currently, her music video LOVE IS LOVE is featured on MTV's LOGO TV.

As a teacher, Athena has worked at numerous schools, organizations, and colleges across North America, including Oregon State University, Montcalm College, Manhattan New Music Project, TADA!, and The Ontario Science Center. She teaches privately (voice, piano, guitar, acting & songwriting), and facilitates workshops to kids and adults on topics ranging from...

Dan, a multi faceted musician, composer and educator active in the tri-state area since 1994. Dan's eclectic education, upbringing and fields of interest render him one of the unique voices in the dynamic field of current music education.
In an era where old boundaries are breaking and a growing musician needs to have expanded horizons, Dan stands out in the crowd.

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Dan received his musical education from the Rubin music academy in Jerusalem and the Manhattan School of music in NYC where he completed a Masters degree in classical composition and Jazz performance. Dan's playing and compositions were performed nationally and internationally, reviewed by the New York Times, The St Louis Post Dispatch and other publications.

Currently Dan is teaching composition, film scoring, theory and ear training at the Manhattan school of music pre college division (where he has been a faculty member since 1994) and piano, theory and composition at the JCC on...

Producer, Performer, Songwriter, Composer, Arranger and Conductor

From the iconic piano intro to Patti Smith’s “Because The Night,” to the hook-laden keyboard work on John Waite’s “Missing You,” to U2’s classic album “Achtung Baby,” Bruce has shared his skills as player, performer, writer, producer and arranger with some of music’s most accomplished artists.
After receiving his Bachelor of Music in Composition from Temple University, Bruce went on to teach undergraduate music theory and work on his Master’s degree. During this period, he not only gained extensive experience in conducting, but also was honored to have his “Montage for Orchestra” performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony.
After completing his tenure at Temple, Bruce relocated to New York City where he landed his first marquee gig, as keyboard player for the trailblazing Patti Smith Group, who were about to record their landmark “Easter” album with producer Jimmy Iovine.
After...

Music education goes beyond your ability to play the music you hear in the world and within yourself. I believe that when you focus on the expressions you are making through the language of music, technique, intonation, and proficiency will follow. I encourage students to practice the music that speaks to them. I benefit students by enabling them to become accustomed to playing with intent and sensitivity. I have gathered experience over the years playing for groups and releasing my own music, both of which have given me the perspective to educate students and further their potential. I have played bass guitar for grunge rock and metal bands, both electric and upright bass for a number of jazz ensembles, drum kit and world percussion for the latter as well as experimental groups, and have built a repertoire of electronic music productions that include progressive house music and hip hop. I wish to help students understand what a stellar music performance is made of; sincerity,...

New York city based guitarist and composer Juan C. immigrated to Miami, Florida at age 21.
His work speaks a unique language that blends elements from his early musical experiences in Colombia, as a member of various folk, rock (metal ) ensembles, and his studies in East Asian music fuelled by travels and interaction with musicians and artists in China and Japan.

Juan’s music has been performed throughout South America, the United States and Asia. Although Juan cannot return to his native Colombia, his string duet, “Famous Librarians” (commissioned by Olivia de Prato and Victor Lowrie, was premiered at the Medellín Conservatory of Music.) His piece for electric bass and keyboard, “Glue Pain Ghost,” a collaboration with video artist, Jane Hsu, was invited to a world premiere at the GEISAI Art festival in Tokyo, and the Art Basel festival in Miami.

Juan holds a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of Susan...

Joe D. is a veteran of the new music & experimental concert scene, as well as New York’s downtown rock clubs. He has toured with musikFabrik and Cursive.
In 2004, Joe helped establish ARTSaha!. He has been at the helm of some of festival’s most memorable events, doing everything from curating a program of Samuel Beckett’s short plays, to arranging a Rameau ballet-opera, and conducting Ballet Mecanique. He projected the US premieres of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Cosmic Pulses and Friday Greeting at ARTSaha! 2008.
Joe moved to New York City after receiving his masters degree from the Yale School of Music. He frequently performs as a keyboardist in bands or on his recitals. He has given 9, 12 & 24-hour solo performances of John Cage’s ASLSP, and is currently working on a 48-hour version. His latest performance project is called dung.

Percussionist and composer Marc W. was born in Switzerland, where he studied classical percussion at the Geneva Conservatory. He has lived in the United States since the 1980s, where he studied composition and mallet technique on the vibraphone at the Berklee School in Boston, then moved to New York City to further his jazz performance and percussion skills. Since that time, Marc has toured the U.S., Europe, Japan and Brazil, and can be heard on over 20 recordings, including 4 solo albums.
Marc’s interest in electronics led him to push the boundaries of live performance with the “electronic vibraphone”, where he is recognized as a pioneer on this instrument.
Beside a performer and a composer, Marc teaches workshops here and in Europe, and is very involved in making computers accessible to visually impaired musicians. Marc is currently working on an iBook, titled “Drum Talk - An Introduction to Percussion Ensemble”, which demonstrates the techniques he developed during...

Daniel R. L. began his Musical career at the age of 10 teaching himself how to play the guitar.

Later began his formal musical training with guitarist Carlos Castilla. He Studied at the Classical Guitar Program at Andes University in Bogota, Colombia with under Carlos Rocca Lynn & Jaime Arias Obregon. Master classes with Leo Brouwer, Eduardo Fernandez, Ricardo Cobo, Jorge Caballero, Manuel Barrueco, Ahmet Kannecci and Ricardo Iznaola also taken private instruction with Francisco Navarro, Fernando Kabusacki, Tony Geballe, Curt Golden, Scott Tennant, Al Koonze, among others.

In 2001 He was selected among the ‘Youngest Performer Series” at Luis Angel Arango Music Hall in Bogotá. This performance was broadcast by the HJCK radio station. His composition for solo guitar “Energeia” is featured in the CD compilation of contemporary music, “Ecua”.

He has been an attendant of Guitar Craft seminaries, directed by Robert Fripp and studied composition with Grammy awarded...

Jason has been playing Guitar since childhood and a graduate from Five Towns College with degree's in Music performance and Audio Recording Technology.

Specializing in writing, performance and improvisation in both the commercial and jazz realms of music, Jason currently works in a professional recording studio Mid-town Manhattan as a music producer and sound engineer.

Jason has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry and will teach you exactly what you need in order to get that sound everyone is looking for.

I've been playing the saxophone since 4th grade, when the local high school jazz band came to my school to play for us. It was that experience that sparked an immediate and life-long passion for music in me. I had great teachers who made learning music fun & easy to understand. Music provided me many things- a sanctuary, a way to interpret the world and express myself, something to be accountable for and take pride in. When I got to high school, my school's administration piloted a work study program specifically for me to teach music at the 3 elementary schools in my school district with my high school band director for class credit. I started students out on all instruments, taught group lessons to the woodwind players, led band rehearsals, and started teaching private lessons. I also started playing and working professionally on the music scene in Pittsburgh when I was 16, playing with my own jazz group and sitting in with & learning from the best musicians on the scene,...

Greetings!

I received my Bachelor of Music degree from New York University, and I am working on my Master of Music degree at Manhattan School of Music.

I have performed at many well-known venues including The Blue Note, The Jazz Gallery, The Bitter End, Sullivan Hall, The Garage, Caffe Vivaldi, Miles Cafe, and The Local 269 in New York City; Twins Jazz Club in Washington DC; Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair NJ; and Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia.

I'm Mike, and I'm thrilled to be part of the TakeLessons team. I first picked up the guitar at the age of 5, and have never looked back! I began formal Jazz training in high school and continued studying guitar and composition at Oberlin College and Wesleyan University. After graduating, I played Organ Trio and small combo jazz in LA, studied Brazilian and African percussion, and went to Japan to study Shamisen and Taiko drumming. I've been playing in various groups since arriving in NYC in 2005, and have recently been working on engineering and composing for film.

My strength lies in my versatility - I love music of all kinds. Whether it's Soul, Samba, or Salsa, Rock, Pop or Hip Hop, I am very good at communicating the mechanics of music so that my students not only learn to play, but learn to listen and write. I have a studio space in Manhattan as well as a small mixing studio in my Brooklyn apartment, and I'm happy to show students the ins and outs of recording along with...