TO THE PARENTS OF OLMSTED FALLS MUSIC STUDENTS:
Private lessons will be offered this year on flute, clarinet, saxophone, cornet, trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba, percussion, voice, french horn, oboe and bassoon. (Availability of lessons will depend on the number of responses for each instrument.) Please feel free to explore our exceptional private lesson teachers on this page. This is an excellent opportunity to help your child enjoy band and choir more by being able to participate at a higher level than before. All students can greatly benefit from lessons. The advanced player will gain a greater depth of understanding and solo performance while the less experienced player will get a chance to practice the fundamentals they need. Fee is dependent on the teacher. If interested in private lessons, please fill out the form below and you will be contacted by the private lesson teacher as soon as possible.
Musically yours,
Mr. Feller
Director of Private Instruction
Olmsted Falls Middle School
(440)427-6333
As a reminder, please make sure you are contacting the private lesson teachers when you are unable to make it to lessons. You may be charged for unattended lessons if the teacher is not notified.
Private lessons will be offered this year on flute, clarinet, saxophone, cornet, trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba, percussion, voice, french horn, oboe and bassoon. (Availability of lessons will depend on the number of responses for each instrument.) Please feel free to explore our exceptional private lesson teachers on this page. This is an excellent opportunity to help your child enjoy band and choir more by being able to participate at a higher level than before. All students can greatly benefit from lessons. The advanced player will gain a greater depth of understanding and solo performance while the less experienced player will get a chance to practice the fundamentals they need. Fee is dependent on the teacher. If interested in private lessons, please fill out the form below and you will be contacted by the private lesson teacher as soon as possible.
Musically yours,
Mr. Feller
Director of Private Instruction
Olmsted Falls Middle School
(440)427-6333
As a reminder, please make sure you are contacting the private lesson teachers when you are unable to make it to lessons. You may be charged for unattended lessons if the teacher is not notified.
Theresa J. May is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She received her Masters degree in trumpet performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studied with Alan Siebert and Phil Collins; and her Bachelor of Music from the University of Dayton while studying with Dr. Patrick Reynolds and Ashley Hall. Theresa keeps a vigorous performance and teaching schedule. She is adjunct faculty at Cuyahoga Community College where she teaches Applied Trumpet, African American Music History and World Music. Theresa has performed in a variety of ensembles and currently freelances in and around the Cleveland area. She regularly performs with the Brass Band of the Western Reserve, Gabriel’s Horns, and Hybrid Shakedown. Theresa also plays trumpet in the Cleveland Opera Theater Orchestra. In the summer of 2014, Theresa performed with the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Sherrie Maricle, in the month long production of Maurice Hines’ Tappin’ Thru Life at the Cleveland Playhouse. She has also been featured as a guest artist in the Alumni Recital Series at the University of Dayton
Drew Andreatta is a percussionist and educator currently residing in Middleburg Heights, OH. He holds degrees in music performance from the University of Arizona (DMA), the University of Nevada – Las Vegas (MM), and the University of Kentucky (BM).
Dr. Andreatta plays myriad styles and settings including percussion ensembles, world music ensembles, pit orchestras, and accompanying choirs. He is a former performer and panelist at the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention and is presently a member of the Scholarly Research Committee. As an educator, Dr. Andreatta has instructed university-level music courses, taught privately in solo and group settings from ages 4 to over 60, and incorporates history, participation, and cognitive development in lessons. He toured the United States as a member of the Bluecoats and Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, and is now actively playing and teaching concert, world and contemporary percussion in at several Middle and High Schools and Baldwin Wallace University in Northeast Ohio. Drew has studied with Gary Cook, Norman Weinberg, Dean Gronemeier, James B. Campbell, Janet Sturman, Kurt Rasmussen, Michael Spiro, Hasani Palacios, Erica Azim and Amit Pandaya.
Lesson Fee-20 Dollars Per Half Hour
Born and raised in Alaska, oboist Justine Myers is currently based in Cleveland. Justine is a member of CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed with a variety of professional orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Youngstown Symphony, and Wheeling Symphony. She has performed chamber music with members of the Cleveland Orchestra at benefit concerts around Cleveland and is an Artist-in-Residence at Judson Manor. Justine participated in Kent/Blossom Music Festival for the 2014 and 2015 seasons and National Music Festival in 2014. A dedicated teacher, she is on the faculty of the Baldwin Wallace Community Music School and maintains a private studio of oboe students in the Northeast Ohio area. Justine's students have participated in the Akron Youth Symphony, Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory Summer Institute, BW Summer Band Camp, BW Youth Orchestra, BW Youth Honors Wind Ensemble, and BW New Horizons Band. Justine received a Bachelor of Music from Baldwin Wallace University where she studied with Jeffrey Rathbun, and a Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Frank Rosenwein. Justine is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at Oberlin Conservatory as a student of Robert Walters.
Lydia Byndas received her undergraduate degree in performance and music education from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Master of Music degree in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She is a freelance musician in the Cleveland area and a private music teacher with students taking lessons on both bassoon and the piano. Lydia has performed with such groups as the Blossom Festival Band and Orchestra, the Lakewood Hometown Band, the Sounds of Sousa Band, the Cleveland Wind Symphony, Trillium Trio, and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, performing the Nutcracker. She has been contracted to perform with National musical acts such as Jackie Evancho, Yanni, the Moody Blues, and Harry Connick Jr.
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour
Since graduating from the University of Akron in 2001 with a B.A. in music performance, Ben Gmetro has been teaching trombone, tuba, guitar and piano. Ben enjoys teaching students of all ages, and tailoring the lessons to fit the student's interests and tastes while reinforcing musical fundamentals. As a producer, songwriter and performer, Ben has collaborated with many area artists and bands, leading to numerous national releases and tours.
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour
An Ohio native, Van Parker studied horn performance at the Oberlin Conservatory under the tutelage of Roland Pandolfi, former principal horn of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in 2005. At Oberlin, Van served as principal horn of the Oberlin Orchestra and was also a member of the Mansfield and Wooster Symphonies. Van continued his studies at Northwestern University where he studied with Gail Williams and Bill Barnewitz, receiving his Master’s degree in Horn Performance and Literature in 2007.
A champion of new music, Van has been a member of the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, the Northwestern Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has participated in premieres of works by Eric Whitacre, Lewis Nielsen, and Indiana composer Deborah Phelps from whom he commissioned the piece Cui Bono, a duet for horn and violin. Van is also a frequent performer on historical instruments, most notably in a 2006 performance of Niccolo Piccini’s 18th century opera, La Buona Figliuola at the Evelyn Dunbar Early Music Festival. This performance marked the opera’s first fully-staged presentation in the United States using period instruments, pitch, and tuning.
As a soloist, Van has appeared with the Oberlin College-Community Winds and Dayton’s Muse Machine. A passionate performer of chamber music, Van is a founding member of Cleveland’s Edgewater Brass and performs with The Phoenix Project Wind Quintet.
Van has performed with the Oak Park, River Forest, Waukegan, Lake Shore, and Sherwood Symphonies in Illinois and currently plays with the Firelands Symphony (Sandusky, OH) and is principal horn with the Colours of Music Festival Orchestra, a unique ensemble showcasing the talents of black, classically trained musicians from throughout the Americas. In recent seasons, Van has also appeared in performances with the Akron, Ashland, Mansfield, and Youngstown Symphonies and the Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra. Highly sought after as a clinician and instructor, Van has prepared students for success at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Eastman School of Music, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and many other elite institutions and ensembles.
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour
A champion of new music, Van has been a member of the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, the Northwestern Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has participated in premieres of works by Eric Whitacre, Lewis Nielsen, and Indiana composer Deborah Phelps from whom he commissioned the piece Cui Bono, a duet for horn and violin. Van is also a frequent performer on historical instruments, most notably in a 2006 performance of Niccolo Piccini’s 18th century opera, La Buona Figliuola at the Evelyn Dunbar Early Music Festival. This performance marked the opera’s first fully-staged presentation in the United States using period instruments, pitch, and tuning.
As a soloist, Van has appeared with the Oberlin College-Community Winds and Dayton’s Muse Machine. A passionate performer of chamber music, Van is a founding member of Cleveland’s Edgewater Brass and performs with The Phoenix Project Wind Quintet.
Van has performed with the Oak Park, River Forest, Waukegan, Lake Shore, and Sherwood Symphonies in Illinois and currently plays with the Firelands Symphony (Sandusky, OH) and is principal horn with the Colours of Music Festival Orchestra, a unique ensemble showcasing the talents of black, classically trained musicians from throughout the Americas. In recent seasons, Van has also appeared in performances with the Akron, Ashland, Mansfield, and Youngstown Symphonies and the Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra. Highly sought after as a clinician and instructor, Van has prepared students for success at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Eastman School of Music, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and many other elite institutions and ensembles.
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour
More Private lesson bios to come
Kevin Giordano is on faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Department working with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony. Kevin is also on faculty at Academy Music Company located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio as well as Royalton Music Center located in North Royalton, Ohio. Kevin completed his studies at Cleveland State University. His principal instructors include Greg Banaszak and John Perrine on saxophone and Louis Gangale and Ted Johnson (retired Cleveland Orchestra) on clarinet.
A native of Brooklyn, Ohio Kevin has been a frequent soloist and recitalist throughout the United States and Europe performing in some of the finest venues in the world. In addition to working abroad, he has had the opportunity to perform with the North Coast Saxophone Quartet, Neo-Tessares Saxophone Quartet and the University Circle Wind Ensemble directed by Gary Ciepluch. He has also recorded music for Ludwig Music Publications in Grafton, Ohio along with in Screamline Entertainment located in Macedonia, Ohio.
Kevin has maintained a full time saxophone and clarinet studio since 1998, recently starting his own company KGWinds, specializing in both student and professional saxophones. He has presented master classes to some of the regions most respected music programs and performed at numerous state and national music conventions. Kevin is a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance and the Ohio Music Education Association.
Kevin has successfully prepared students for all types of events including solo and ensemble contests, auditions for the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, Cleveland Contemporary Orchestra and numerous college auditions. His students have been accepted into some of the finest college and university programs around the United States.
Kevin is pleased to be both a D'Addario Artist & Clinician as well as a Selmer Artist & Clinician.
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour
Meghan Colbert is a clarinetist in the Cleveland area. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Clarinet Performance from the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music where she studied with Daniel McKelway. She received her Master's degree in Clarinet Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts where she studied with John Bruce Yeh. She has participated in multiple chamber groups in both the Cleveland and Chicago area as well as several music festivals, including the Kent/Blossom Music Festival. Meghan offers instruction in clarinet as well as saxophone.
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour
Lesson Fee: 20 Dollars Per Half Hour