I love to make music and I love to play the drums. I get a thrill seeing my students 'get it' for the first time. When something we've been working on 'clicks' and they say,"I did it !" I'm not sure which is more satisfying, the student's reaction to their own success, or the look on a parent's face when they see and hear their child really playing the instrument. Nothing like it and that's reason why I enjoy teaching so much. It gives me the greatest joy to pass it on.

Kathy believes that variety is the spice of not only life, but also music. Raised singing folk music with a musical family (think accordions, guitars and lots of vocal harmonies), she learned guitar and piano at an early age, but began singing even earlier.

Her quest to give the world the best her vocal cords could offer led her to obtain an undergraduate degree in vocal performance from the University of Nebraska (where she graduated honorable mention, named with the vocal department's Outstanding Senior in Music award, and also obtained a minor in theatre) and a master's degree in music from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Both of these degrees emphasized classical singing technique, and through this study Kathy gained a solid foundation for her musical craft.

Once out of school, Kathy then sought to begin creating HER music and HER sound, a challenge which continues to manifest itself even today in a variety of ways. Kathy is now a...

Recently hailed as “ravishing and engulfing” by the New York Times, Gity's music ranges from concert solo pieces to large symphonic works. Gity’s music has been commissioned and performed by the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, The Amsterdam Cello Biennale, The Albany Symphony Orchestra, Metropolis Ensemble, The Juilliard Orchestra, The Sirius String Quartet (sponsored by the American Composers Orchestra), and Arte Symphonie among others.

Gity received her Bachelor and Master of Music in composition with a concentration in piano from The Juilliard School. She has been teaching piano, music composition and theory to a wide range of students in beginner to advanced levels. In addition to her private teaching studio, Gity is a faculty member of the music department at the Ramapo College of New Jersey and The Piano School of NYC.

Gity's compositions have earned awards from the International Alliance for Women in Music Search for New Music Competition,...

I've been playing the drums for 16 years, and don't see myself stopping. I currently play in the New York-based pop band The Great American Novel, and over the years have played in a variety of different bands at venues like Webster Hall, Irving Plaza, Starland Ballroom and The Mercury Lounge. My playing style has a lot of forward momentum, but it's equally important as a drummer to lay back and be understated. There's just as much power in restraint as there is in flying around the kit.

As a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and New School University in New York City, I've performed in national tours and regional theatres in AZ, IN, OH, NY, NJ, TX, SC, and VA. Workshops and readings in NYC have given me different tools that are useful in today's quickly changing artistic world. My violin and I have also traveled the world with performances in France as well as touring the United States.

Summer L. is a pianist and guitarist, an active performer, educator, and audio engineer, splitting her time between Boston and New York. She graduated from Berklee College of Music, with degrees in Professional Music (Piano Performance) and Music Production and Engineering.

She started piano lessons at a young age, building a solid foundation in classical performance. At Berklee, she expanded her knowledge by studying jazz and other contemporary styles, as well as continuing her classical studies, with extraordinary teachers such as Jennifer Elowsky- Fox, Doug Johnson, Ray Santisi, and Suzanna Sifter.

Summer is passionate about sharing her musical knowledge with others and believes that the most important aspect of teaching music is creating an environment that is encouraging, fun, and individualized for each student.

Originally from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, I studied violin, piano, voice, and music theory at the Glazunov School of Music since the age of 5.
After relocating to the US, I continued my musical training at the Eastman Community Music School in Rochester, NY, along with studying privately. Due to my broad interest in music and general curiosity I picked up playing the trumpet, began to dabble in various genres of music and composition.
I am a graduate of the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Music dual-degree in Classical Violin and Jazz Voice Performance. My college experience was filled with lessons in jazz piano and violin, composition, classical and jazz voice, participation in string chamber groups, symphony orchestra, jazz big band, bebop, hard bop, modal, latin, standards, and fusion jazz combos, with which I sang, as well as played violin, piano, and trumpet.

My approach as a piano and flute teacher is to endow each student with the skills and tools needed to improve his/her playing ability, increase musical expression and cultivate continued musical growth both in lessons and in practice time. With nine years of teaching experience, I understand that each student’s learning style, goals and interests vary, and I work to engage and delight every student.

My training in Music Performance at New York University, from which I graduated summa cum laude, as well as my training to become a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, influence my teaching. The Alexander Technique is a method for integrating breathing, movement and postural support. It is invaluable for musicians as a tool to increase performance ability and a sense of ease in the body, as well as for injury prevention and pain management.

Prior to NYU, I studied at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), where I acted as principal flutist of the...

After completing a Bachelors of Music from the University of Louisville I first began playing jazz around the city. Meanwhile I was co-founding my own original, more progressive projects and went on to play with Inter-scope Records Platinum selling rock band "Days of the New", which had three number one hits in the late nineties on Billboards rock charts, along side now pop sensation formally of the "Pussy Cat Dolls" Nicole Scherzinger.

Eventually I moved to New York City where I pursue my career as a musician in as many facets as possible. As a teacher I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for music and the experiences that I have accumulated with the students in hopes of giving their lives something rewarding and life enhancing. As each individual student has different needs and expectations of what they want to get out of music lessons. I give each student independent instruction at an independent pace while also trying to push the student to accomplish as much as possible from...

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...

Yuichi H. was born in Tokyo, Japan. His musical career started at age 10 when he performed marimba in a music recital. He started playing drum set at age 14 and joined a wind ensemble, a few rock bands, and a jazz big band. With some of these groups, he performed at several live music venues in Tokyo. In 1991, he composed the music and performed drums and percussion in a production of Othello, at The Globe Tokyo Panasonic Theater.
In the fall of 1991, with a full scholarship, he attended Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA. He studied jazz drums mainly with Joe Hunt and Jon Hazilla, and orchestral percussion with Dean Anderson. Also, he took many classes in jazz composition and arranging with Gregg Hopkins and Jeff Friedman. He was the recipient of "The Cuccinello Percussion Award" and the "Berklee Percussion Department Achievement Award." Outside of the school curriculum, he joined several bands and performed at several venues such as the Willow Jazz Club, Middle East...

I would not be the person I am today if music wasn't the focal point in my life as it is. Not only do I absolutely love performing and studying music myself, but I adore teaching as well. Part of the musical experience is taking what you hear and what you learn from others and building on it to create your own musical contributions. I take the gifts other teachers and musicians have given me very seriously and subsequently feel the great importance of imparting my knowledge unto others.

Whether you want to be a professional, or just be competent enough to enjoy yourself, we all practice, study technique and gain knowledge about music with really only one goal in mind: To have all the tools necessary to express ourselves adeptly through music. All the technique in the world will not make you a great musician. At the same time, you can be extremely creative and knowledgeable, but if you don't have the technique and vocabulary needed to express your ideas, you will find yourself...