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Inga Y. Magid Inga Magid is currently on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA. She developed her first courses in 1994 as a result of a lifelong interest in music for children. Her goal was to produce a comprehensive, motivating beginner's music program that would train the ears and brain as much as the fingers. Inga Y. Magid About Her Method Everything felt different in America, from a new lifestyle to new music terminology and a new attitude toward music education for children. The idea of combining FUN with EDUCATION was new and exciting to me, and so compelling compared to the unpleasant memories of my own earlymusic lessons. A variety of colorful music method books lined the shelves in the music stores. Each claimed to be the best and the most comprehensive. But I was disappointed to find that most books were geared toward older beginners who could already read and write. A large body of research confirms the tremendous benefits of introducing young children to many kinds of music. I wanted to use children's innate curiosity and their capacity for easy ear training at a young age to produce real results: a genuine understanding, love, and appreciation of music, and the ability to make music. My goal was to train the brain and ears as well as fingers. Young children really can READ music, play the piano, and train their ears while having a lot of FUN. I started my classes with the idea of making lessons look more like children's games than "lessons." Electronic touch-sensitive keyboards gave me the opportunity to explore using a small group setting. Children are accustomed to learning in small groups in preschool and school, and a group setting allows children to learn from each other as well as the teacher. Children challenge and encourage each other to keep up with the rest of the group. I wanted parents to be a part of the group too - to enjoy the class with their children, and to be partners in music at home. In class, parents would provide a sense of stability and security for the child, help their children participate, and handle tasks that require reading, such as finding pages or pointing in the book for reading and playing. At home, parents could reinforce concepts introduced in class and help keep the motivation on a high level between classes. From the beginning, I chose movable "Do" (as in "Do Re Mi") solfege singing in combination with the Kodaly sign system to provide the basis for the ear training. Children easily understood the Kodaly "sign language," and enjoyed "catching" me on gradually increasingly difficult patterns. Very soon, they could copy and recall a variety of the 3- to 5- note patterns. This system naturally moved us from singing and copying music patterns to reading these patterns on the music staff. Students developed a great sense of pitch and rhythm while learning to read music. The technique engaged the children's attention and stimulated their minds and creativity. The solfege-based ear training, along with the traditional note reading and rhythmic "games" made music so much more understandable and so much less intimidating. Since those first courses, specific lesson plans and lesson content have certainly evolved through the wonderful experience of working with thousands of children and parents. But the heart of the program and the basic methodology remain centered on the same core belief: children are remarkably capable musically - at a much younger age than most people think. With the right approach, children can take advantage of that potential and have a lot of fun in the process.
Arakelian, Arpineh - Piano
Bilodeau, Laura - Drum’N Kids
DeMatos, Daniela - Piano, Voice Daniela received a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the Longy School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Eastern Nazarene College. Currently she is a candidate for a Master of Music in Composition at the Longy School of Music. Daniela has performed and taught in Finland, Estonia, Brazil, and Japan. Currently she is a candidate for a Master of Music in Composition at the Longy School of Music, where she won the Longitude Commissioning for New Music in 2010 for her Gracejo String Quartet. Daniela has also studied “O Passo,” with Lucas Ciavatta, the creator of “O Passo,” a Brazilian method of teaching Latin rhythms. She incorporates “O Passo” techniques into her private teaching. Daniela has over 10 year of teaching experience. At Keys for Kids Studio, Daniela teaches Keys for Kids group classes and private piano lessons, tailoring to each student’s ability, interests, and needs.
Hovsepian, Levon - Piano As a performer, Mr. Hovsepian has appeared as a soloist with the Salem Philharmonic Orchestra, the New England Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greensboro Festival, and a variety of orchestras in New York and Washington DC. His "Favorite Piano Masterpieces" CD has received play on classical stations in the U.S, Canada, Russia, and Armenia. Mr. Hovsepian is the Music Director/Organist of the First Armenian Church in Belmont and on the faculty of Powers Music School. At Keys for Kids Studio, Mr. Hovsepian offers private piano instruction.
Klein, Erica - Cello Erica is an active performer and a teacher. Her fifteen years of teaching experience include teaching at Longy School of Music and Framingham school system. Erica has performed with numerous orchestras and chamber groups, including Orchestra Seattle and Boston Civic Symphony. In her spare time she enjoys yoga and baking gluten-free bread.
Mendoza, Julianna - Office Manager Julianna has most recently worked as an Executive Assistant for a property management company serving the New England and Florida properties. Julianna has a background in piano. She also enjoys singing (but mainly in the shower)! She currently lives in Cambridge with her husband and three children.
Lew, Min - Voice, Keys for Kids classes She was featured in the Wellesley College Honors Concert Series for three consecutive years and was broadcast on WZLY. Min also holds a Master’s degree in piano performance from Longy School of Music where she studied with Randall Hodgkinson. Additionally, she studied piano with Laurent Cabasso and voice with Francoise Kubler at the Strasbourg Conservatory. Min is an active solo performer, collaborative pianist, vocal coach and a music director in the Boston area. Most recently, she music directed Stoneham Theater Young Company’s summer musical production of Bugsy Malone. Min is also an energetic yet patient and dedicated teacher with a genuine passion for teaching.
Nelso, Julia - Voice, Early Childhood Classes, Keys for Kids classes She enjoys an active stage career, performing with such ensembles as the Young Opera Company of New England, New England Light Opera, the UMass Lowell Opera Workshop, and the prestigious Crittenden Opera Studio of New York. She has appear to high acclaim in the roles of Belinda (Purcell), Adele (Strauss), Zerlina (Mozart), and Sophie (Massenet), as well as many other partial roles, and in solo recitals all over New England. Julia is the section leader and soprano soloist for the choir at the Church of the Open Bible in Burlington, MA.
Pence, Tim - Guitar As a performer, Mr. Pence took First Place in the 1996 New England Classical Guitar Competition of the New England Classical Guitar Society. He has appeared in numerous solo classical guitar recitals throughout New England as well as engagements with the progressive group he founded, Centerline. He has also played electric guitar and bass in musical theatre and pop-religious concerts. Mr. Pence is a composer of more than 40 works ranging from orchestral to chamber music to solo works. His compositions have been performed by top groups in the U.S. and abroad. As a teacher, Mr. Pence brings a vast experience working with students of all ages who are interested in many styles of music from rock to classical to jazz to folk to metal. At Keys for Kids Studio, Mr. Pence offers private and group lessons in all styles of electric and acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and ukulele.
Quilter, Susanna - Flute, Clarinet Ms Quilter earned her Bachelors of Liberal of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College and went on to study at Berklee College of Music, earning a diploma in Professional Studies. She is currently enrolled at Longy School of Music and anticipates earning a Masters in Modern American Music Performance in 2012. Among the many accomplishments Ms Quilter has achieved some highlights include: featured soloist in the 1998 Jean-Pierre Rampal Master Class at the Library of Congress; winner of the 2000 Concerto Competition at Sarah Lawrence College. Ms Quilter has also had the pleasure of playing principal flute for Maryland All-State Band and Orchestra as well as being chosen to play in the 1998 All-Eastern Band. Other orchestral performances include principal flutist for the UC Berkeley’s 2006 Summer Symphony performance of Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, as well as a guest orchestral member in a 2008 Alea III concert conducted by Theodore Antiniou. As a recording artist, Ms Quilter has been featured on several artists’ albums. In 2009, Susanna recorded for the Berklee College of Music Jazz Revolution Records CD, Birds of a Feather. Later that year, Ms Quilter went on to record Dindi by Antonio Carlos Jobim for broadcast on Radio Nippon in Japan. As a long-time member of The Banda Eclectics she also performed and recorded with Thelonious Monk Award winning composer Petros Sakelliou. Ms Quilter is currently at work on the debut of her project band that will include her own compositions and arranged music. As a teacher, Ms Quilter sees it as her job to guide students in the discovery of their instruments. She encourages any student at any level to “play” every day instead of “practicing”. By using music of interest to the student, as well as technique-based exercises, the student will quickly grow as a musician. She also incorporates lessons in the language of music, making sure the student understands music notation and basic theory, skills a student may apply to any instrument.
Rogers, Martha - Piano As a performer, Ms. Rogers has played with the MAZZ Improvisation Ensemble and the Boston Songwriters Workshop Cabaret, and served as a Mime accompanist. As a teacher, Ms. Rogers has served on the Elementary Music Faculty at the Bowman School in Lexington, MA, and has been an adjunct faculty member at The Boston Conservatory in Boston, MA, the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, MA, and Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. She At Keys for Kids Studio, Ms. Rogers offers private piano lessons. She enjoys incorporating some improvisation and movement into lessons as time allows. “A little free play in the midst of structured practice is a healthy thing!”
Rose, Eric - Guitar As a performer, Mr. Rose has been playing guitar for 15 years and bass/drums for 10 years. He has toured throughout New England and currently plays with his band, The Nero Complex. He has provided private guitar and percussion lessons for more than five years. In addition, he conducted the University of Massachusetts Lowell String Project Orchestra for two years and has provided numerous lessons in public schools. At Keys for Kids Studio, Eric teaches private guitar lessons.
Schroeder, Chris - Trumpet, French Horn Merging his love for chamber music and education, Mr. Schroeder founded Bravado Brass, performing dynamic educational programs for locl schools and community centers throughout greater Boston. Mr. Schroeder has composed and arranged music for numerous music organizations on the East Coast, including Harvard, MIT, the Charles River Wind Ensemble, and the El Sistema Music Initiative. An active music educator, Mr. Schroeder has worked at Boston College High School as the brass instructor for their Concert Band and jazz Big Band. Currently, he works with the North End Music and Performing Arts Center, is the Trumpet Instructor in residence for the El Sistema Music Initiative at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Brighton and teaches music history courses at Brookline Adult and Community Education. A former student of Steve Emery at The Boston Conservatory, where he received his master’s degree in trumpet performance, Mr. Schroeder has collaborated with Ben Wright, Roy Poper, Ray Mase and Terry Everson.
Smith, Jacob - Guitar He was the first student signed up for lessons at the Guitar Garage. He has studied with many great players, including Clay Steininger and jazz guitar legend Jon Wheatley. He is currently studying guitar performance at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he performs with many ensembles, including the Jazz Rock Big Band, which also functions as the UMass Lowell Hockey Pep Band. He often performs with as jazz group or as a member of a pit orchestra for a musical. Jake has also worked with various groups, including marching bands, a concert band, and several big bands.
Toscano, Gabrielle - Violin, Viola Gabrielle has an extensive performance experience, with dramatic and strong interpretation of any style ranging from Bach and Brahms up to Bartók and Penderecki in the 21st century. Gabrielle has performed numerous chamber, orchestral and solo concerts in Austria, Texas, the tri-state New York area, Long Island and the Boston metro area. Gabrielle is the substitute violist for Boston String Quartet , Cape Cod Symphony and a section violist for the Neponset Valley Philharmonic Orchestra in Foxboro, MA. Through the combination of performance and string pedagogy, Gabrielle is on a track to continually develop her performance and pedagogical skills, while expanding her future curriculum as a music educator and performer.
Xhoja, Elton - Piano, Jazz Improvization Elton began his own musical journey at the Mujo Ulqinaku Elementary Music School in Albania and continued his studies through high school. After graduating high school he moved to Greece where he studied at the popular Nakas Conservatory of Music. Following his graduation from Nakas, he received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music where he had the opportunity of performing with and learning from some of the world's finest musicians and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Music Education. Elton is a certified teacher by the DESE of MA and is employed by the Brookline Public Schools and Saint Jerome Elementary School in Weymouth MA, where he teaches grades K-8. In his philosophy of education Elton believes that every student is a unique individual, just like our fingerprints. He states that “We all think differently, we all like different foods, different clothes, different music, and different books and most important of all, we all have different interests.” He focuses on having many ways on how to teach a concept and being able to improvise as a teacher, be flexible, quick thinkers, and look through the students and connect with them and their needs.
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Partnered with:  , Boston Central, BostonMusic.com |
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