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Our teachers are top notch - they are, after all, the best reason to take lessons here - and all of them are experienced and accomplished musicians in their own right who also have a passion for passing on their skills to you. Many are multi-instrumentalists. We take great care with matching the right teacher to the right student so that no matter the age, style or skill level, you'll grow and feel comfortable with them.
Edelweiss Lavandier
Piano, voice, guitar, bass
From Boca Raton, FL
Studied Music at Lynn University Conservatory of Music and Queensborough College
You can hear my music here:
Elfa
I love listening to The Smiths, Radiohead, The Smile, Sigur Ros, Jeff Buckley and anything classical instrumental ANYTHING! My music taste is constantly evolving.
My teaching style is very individualized on who I am teaching, what level the student is at and what their interests/goals are, and I prioritize a love of music and enjoyment first above all!
Ben Grant
Drums, Piano
From Albany, NY
Studied Percussion Performance at Ithaca College and Music Industry at The College of Saint Rose.
You can hear me playing with…Sophie Said, Anais and The Hoops, Quartz Casino, Dotia, Pleasant Peasant
I love listening to The Beatles, Radiohead, Miles Davis, Kendrick Lamar, and much much more.
When teaching, I try and ingrain a deep understanding of why we’re doing any given exercise or practice and how it relates to the larger picture of learning our instrument.
Alvin Jackson
Harley Putzer
Craig Howe
Craig picked up the guitar as a teenager and hasn't put it down since. He studied music in college and followed that up by touring as a solo act and with numerous bands for over a decade, as well as providing guitar, vocals and drums on stage and on records in his native New York. He spent five years teaching the guitar at a music school in Nassau County, seven as the Director of a national songwriting program run at universities across the country, and, among other odds and ends, was an assistant manager at legendary rock club CBGB & OMFUG until it closed in 2006. Craig has a punk rock soul and a classically trained brain and opened the Williamsburg School of Music in 2013 to share them both with New York's finest new musicians.
Hannah LeGrand
Hannah LeGrand is an actively performing classical violinist. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Violin Performance from the Greatbatch School of Music. There she spent several years as the concert master of the Houghton Symphony and as the first violin in the Bravada String Quartet. Outside of her degree program, she studied under a number of reputable teachers and performers associated with Juilliard, NYU, The New School, and Syracuse University. Aside from her classical background, Hannah also has experience in jazz, pop, and contemporary music.
In teaching, Hannah is very invested in forging a clear path towards success for all her students. She is relentless in perfecting the fundamentals in her students to give them a strong platform for all their musical endeavors.
Mattie Safer
Mattie Safer is a multi-instrumentalist who cut his teeth in the New York City rock and punk scene, as a bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist with the genre-bending group The Rapture in the ‘00s, and currently with daytime disco pioneers Poolside. Having toured internationally and worked with industry heavyweights such as James Murphy, Paul Epworth, Timbaland, Danger Mouse, and more, Safer brings a wealth of real-world experience as a musician, songwriter, producer, and record label owner to his teaching.
Safer moved to New York in 1999, attending NYU Steinhardt studying Jazz Performance, and later continuing on to study Music Business, Audio Engineering, and Piano at Berklee College of Music. He teaches Piano, Bass Guitar, and Voice.
Mattie has a student-led approach to teaching; finding the music that the student is passionate about and using that as the goal to provide motivation while building the necessary technique to achieve it. He believes that if a student is having fun and feels a connection to the music they are studying that they are more likely to continue and keep up with their practicing. Using game-based learning practices and working to develop critical thinking, Safer strives to achieve an enriching, individualized learning environment for each of his students.
Marc LeGrand
Revered by band members from the Temptations, John Mayer, Norah Jones, Santana, and Journey music groups, award-winning guitarist-composer Marc LeGrand has worked with and studied under countless GRAMMY-winning artists since before he was even a teenager. The San Francisco-born, Menlo Park native explored his love of music early on. At age five, LeGrand picked up the clarinet and, by age nine, was encouraged by his father and uncle to pick up the guitar. Shortly after beginning lessons, LeGrand had drawn attention from his peers and music teachers; Bay Area classical guitar maestro Mark Aitkin praised LeGrand’s “natural touch and quick comfortability" with the instrument and urged him to commence studies in theory and harmony to cultivate his gifts for improvisation and composition. At 16 years of age, LeGrand made his recording debut as a sideman and contributing composer with the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco—featuring multi-GRAMMY-nominated flautist virtuoso and composer John Calloway as well as the late GRAMMY-nominated trumpet player Jerry Gonzalez. After touring around the country with the Blazing Redheads, world-renowned Jazz/Latin jazz pianist Patricia Thúmas decided to take her nephew, LeGrand, under her wing. As his mentor throughout his formative years, Thúmas guided LeGrand throughout his early explorations of complex harmony and rhythm—especially in the genres of Jazz, Latin, and Afro-Cuban music. By the time he graduated high school, LeGrand had drawn more attention within the San Francisco Latin Jazz music community for his prodigious guitar and compositional abilities—sitting in and performing regularly with some of the Bay Area community’s most admired Jazz and Latin jazz collaborators. After attending the American Conservatory Theater (studying the Alexander Technique and Character Analysis) and Stanford University's Jazz Studies program on full scholarship for three consecutive years, Marc relocated to western New York to study Guitar Performance with Dr. Anton Machleder at the Greatbatch School of Music on scholarship (with added focuses in Music Composition and Classical/Jazz Studies). In the years leading up to his relocation for undergraduate studies, Marc gave performances at the KCSM Jazz Festival, San Francisco Carnaval Salsa Festival, Stanford Jazz Festival, Redwood City Summer Concert Series, Delta Jazz Festival, Santa Rosa Salsa & Latin Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Yoshi's SF, San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival, and Stanford Park's Artist Residency Series for which he collectively received awards and recognition for his work as a guitarist, composer, arranger, and educator. Now based in New York City, Marc continues to collaborate on small/large ensemble projects—continuing to cultivate and utilize his skills to instill hope, love, and unity in our modern world’s constantly shifting social and musical landscapes.
Alvin Jackson
Alvin started his musical journey in preschool, performing in violin recitals, and then adding piano. At the age of twelve he bought himself a guitar and fell in love with being a musician! Alvin has performed in many city events and festivals in his home state of Florida including the Vans Warped Tour and Sunfest. In 2016 he moved to Boston to join his friends at Berklee College of Music, doing weekly recordings in Berklee studios, connecting with professors, and still being involved from the outside - he earned the Urban Service award from Berklee in 2019. During these times he also expanded his musical skills to include production & recording processes. Since then he has continued to perform around the Northeast, record sessions, perform at elderly homes and teach music to all ages. Alvin came to Brooklyn hoping to expand and share what he’s learned with students at WSM.
Virtual Lessons Only
Bryan Garbe
Bryan Garbe has been playing drums and percussion for almost two decades. He has toured with numerous groups throughout the U.S. and abroad. Bryan is currently endorsed by Remo Drum Heads, Vater Sticks, and Dream Cymbals. He has been teaching drums, percussion and steel pan for over eight years and is the Vice President of the Connecticut Percussive Arts Society; an international group of drummers and percussionists that focus on enhancing musical education. He has worked with some of the great drum educators of his time including, Dom Famularo, Steve Smith, Will Calhoun, Gregg Bissonette, Tommy Igoe, and Mike Clark. Bryan's goal as a teacher is to inspire his students to enjoy the music that they create. With a strong drive, an open mind, and the right technique, anything is possible. He is thrilled to be teaching at WSM and have the opportunity to share his knowledge of music with others.
Marianne Cheng
With a Masters of the Arts in Teaching K-12 from UNC, Marianne Cheng has brought her passion for music ed to WSM.. She has a decade of experience teaching voice and piano over a range of styles and abilities in homes, studios, rehearsals, and classrooms. Her work arranging and singing lead for her college acappella group, the Loreleis, won a spot on Ben Folds's a cappella album and has since performed onstage at several Folds concerts. A previous intern for Sony Records, she also works as a Producer for the award-winning Five Spice Records in Manhattan where she hones her skills in music tech and studio performance. Also a coach, Marianne has a holistic student-centered approach and emphasizes basics of Alexander technique, ear training, and music theory.
Brit Boras
Brit has been playing music for her entire life. Growing up the child of two musicians, she learned to appreciate what music can offer at an early age. After receiving her Bachelors Degree from New York University specializing in jazz performance on guitar, Brit has dedicated her life to being a musician and an educator. She has toured both nationally & internationally with her own projects as well as with other artists and has had her compositions featured in both commercials and films. With over a decade of teaching guitar, bass, piano, voice, theory and composition in New York City, Brit's goal as a teacher is to inspire her students love of music while making learning a fun & rewarding experience.
Bridget Fitzgerald
Bridget Fitzgerald, violin, is a soloist and chamber musician based in Brooklyn. She performs and records around the world with an eclectic roster of ensembles spanning a variety of genres including classical, rock, punk and electronica on viola, electric violin, guitar and synths. Bridget plays and records regularly in the NYC area with the band Stereo Off. She received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School. Bridget is on the violin and viola facilty at the 92nd Street Y School of Music, and the Williamsburg School of Music, as well as maintaining a private studio.