Beginner, Young Adults & Adults
Instructor: Rick Peralta

This workshop is a group instruction for the beginning guitarist and hobbyist.  Students will get started by learning to hold the guitar, tuning the guitar, and basic right and left-hand position.  The goal will be to play basic chords and single note melodies right away. (Meets in W-4)

Fall Quarter (One day workshop)

Session B: Sat Dec 1 (9:30am-11:30am)

Materials/Supply List: Students must bring their own guitar

All Skill Levels, Adults
Instructor: Joan Kidder 

Level: Beginner/Intermediate

This class will focus on 3 main aspects: technique, ensemble playing, and performing. Coming to class allows for developing techniques in a large group, which saves time in individual lessons. We will focus on 4^th finger extensions and continue our study of half string harmonics. In addition, we will continue to explore steady rhythm and communication in ensemble playing through visual communication. This will be achieved through preparing a program of arrangements of familiar Suzuki pieces and supplements. We will gain more experience in performing through starting some of the classes with a mini masterclass, which consists of playing solos and receiving personal feedback in front of a group.

Note: This class is for students who are also currently taking private cello lessons. (Meets in W-4)

Fall Quarter (4 weeks) 

Session A: Tues Sept 25, Oct 9, Oct 23, Nov 6 (7:30pm-8:30pm)

Session B: Tues Nov 27, Dec 4, Dec 11, Dec 18 (7:30pm-8:30pm)

Tuition: $105

Middle & High School Students

This workshop is designed to prepare students for an upcoming audition such as All State Band and Orchestra, District or Honor Band, or their school's band and seating test. Participants will work with professional musicians and participate in the following activities:

Group Warm Up

Audition Strategies

Fundamentals by Instrument Family

Instrument Specific Repertoire Groups

Mock Audition Masterclass

This workshop is for: Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, and Saxophone players

(Meets in W-4)

Winter Quarter (One day workshop)

Session A: Sat Jan 12 (10am-3pm)

Session B: Sat Feb 9 (10am-3pm)

Materials/Supply List: Bring Instruments, Music, Pencil, and a Music Stand

Middle & High School Students

This workshop is designed to prepare students for an upcoming audition such as All State Band and Orchestra, District or Honor Band, or their school's band and seating test. Participants will work with professional musicians and participate in the following activities:

Group Warm Up

Audition Strategies

Fundamentals by Instrument Family

Instrument Specific Repertoire Groups

Mock Audition Masterclass

This workshop is for: Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba players

(Meets in W-4)

Winter Quarter (One day workshop)

Session A: Sat Jan 12 (10am-3pm)

Session B: Sat Feb 9 (10am-3pm)

Materials/Supply List: Bring Instruments, Music, Pencil, and a Music Stand

Ages 18 months – 3 years with parent/caregiver
Instructor: Joan Kidder

Students will be introduced to music through musical play.  We’ll bounce, dance, and sing to favorite songs and lullabies!  Dexterity, coordination, and rhythm are improved by playing fun percussion instruments, and we’ll learn musical concepts such as soft vs. loud and slow vs. fast. Prepares students for Prelude for Preschoolers. (Meets in W-4)

This workshop is for: Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, and Saxophone players

Winter Quarter (6 weeks)

Session A: Sat Jan 12 (10:00am-10:45am)

Session B:  Sat Feb 23 (10:00am-10:45am)

Tuition: $110 per session

Ages 3 – 4 with parent/caregiver
Instructor: Joan Kidder 

This class is more advanced than Tunes for Tots with students exploring pitches, learning Call and Response, and building their skills of rhythm and musicality.  Students will improve their coordination through freeform and choreographed movements to familiar tunes, as well as fingerplays.  After completing Prelude for Preschoolers, students will have developed a sense of confidence in their musical contribution and social skills that they can apply to school. (Meets in W-4, Rm. 408)

Winter Quarter (6 weeks)

Session A: Sat Jan 12 (11am-11:45am)

Session B:  Sat Feb 23 (11am-11:45am)

Tuition: $110 per session

All Skill Levels, Young Adults & Adults
Instructor: Linda Teasley

Take your singing to the next level! Whether you want to sing in your school or community chorus, church choir or you are preparing for an upcoming audition, these workshops are a great opportunity for all. Workshop participants will focus on understanding the voice as their personal instrument. Each workshop will begin with a review of proper breathing techniques and vocal warm-up exercises. Participants will have the opportunity to perform both solo and group pieces. Also, private lessons will be provided to each participant if time permits. The workshops will end with a mini-recital for participants, parents and friends!

(Meets in W-4)

Winter Quarter (One day workshops)

Session A: Sat Jan 19 (11am-1pm)

Session B: Sat Feb 16 (11am-1pm)

Session C: Sat Mar 16 (11am-1pm)

Materials/Supply List: Sheet music for 1 or 2 pieces that you would like to work on.

Instructor: Samuel Ambrose

Samuel Ambrose turns back-row tuba playing into frontline artistry, bringing high-caliber style to performances, outreach, and educational experiences. His sound supports a variety of ensembles, most recently with the Fairfax Wind Symphony. Sam has also performed for the Sunrise Pops Orchestra in Sunrise, FL, as well as freelancing in the Baltimore/Washington area. As an educator, Mr. Ambrose’s teaching ranges from private instruction to master classes, clinics, and ensemble instruction. He currently teaches Instrumental Music at University Park and Hyattsville Elementary Schools, and is also tuba faculty at the Fredericksburg Brass Institute, and on staff with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. Sam is often in demand as a consultant for many drum corps and marching bands. Sam currently lives near Washington D.C. He received a Master's degree in Tuba Performance from The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelors of Music Education degree from Florida State University. His teachers include David Fedderly and Paul Ebbers.

Sam offers lessons for Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba. 

All Skill Levels
Availability: Saturday (10:00am-2:00pm)
Meets in W-4

If you are interested in booking a private lesson, click this link to continue: Register

Instructor: Joan Wolfe Kidder

Joan Wolfe Kidder is a cellist living, teaching, and performing in Northern Virginia. She earned her Masters in Music Performance from Ball State University where she studied cello and chamber music with Dr. Peter Opie of the American Piano Trio and her Bachelors in Music Performance from the Conservatory of Shenandoah University where she studied with Mr. Clyde Shaw of the Audubon Quartet. Joan has attended various summer music festivals including the Idyllwild Summer Music Festival and the Chautauqua Summer Music Festival where she furthered her love of performing and attended professional masterclasses and performances. She has performed with the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, and National String Symphonia. In addition to performing, Joan has been teaching cello for almost 10 years. She began her study of the Suzuki method in 2014 and is currently certified through book 3 with plans to continue study. She believes in the emphasis of listening skills and believes they help her students to be sensitive musicians. She has also taught many group classes for general music skills and piano skills and is certified in the Orff method and uses its emphasis on movement with all her students. 

All Skill Levels
Availability: Tuesday (2:00pm-7:30pm)

Meets in W-4, Rm. 406

If you are interested in booking a private lesson, click this link to continue: Register

Instructor: Anne Friend

Flutist, Anne Friend is a versatile flutist, educator, and arts administrator based in Northern Virginia. She has been teaching students of all ages since 2010. Her students have won spots in Honor, District, and All-State Bands and have continued to study at the college level. Her goal as a teacher is to give her students the tools to identify and solve issues though fundamentals, music history, and theory.

In 2016, she completed the William R. Kenan Jr. Fellowship at Lincoln Center Education in New York City. As part of this program she taught in New York City schools and performed at Lincoln Center. Anne has performed in masterclasses for Leone Buyse, Jeanne Baxtresser, Alberto Almarza, Mathieu Dufour, Alexa Still, Bonita Boyd, Jeffrey Khaner, and Susan Hoeppner. As a member of the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble, she performed at the Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center and on the Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

Anne earned her Master of Music from University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and Flute Performance from Virginia Tech. Previous teachers include Tadeu Coelho, Nicholas Duchamp, Elizabeth Crone, Julee Hickcox, and Lynn Hertel. 

Anne offers lessons for Flute.

All Skill Levels
Availability: Tuesdays 6-8pm
Meets in W-4

If you are interested in booking a private lesson, click this link to continue: Register

Instructor: Rick Peralta 

Rick Peralta, a San Francisco Bay area native, has been a professional musician in the Washington DC area for fifteen years. He has a Masters in Music in Stage and Studio Guitar from Howard University, and has supported Grammy and Tony award-winning artists. Formerly a member of Back to Zero, a cover band twice voted one of the top bands in the metro area, he toured the mid-Atlantic region. An accomplished jazz and classical guitarist, Rick now performs in many settings including — Laissez Foure, a jazz quartet appearing in the metro area for over ten years, and MIN, a flute and guitar duo that presents an eclectic repertoire, to name a few. With his broad range he is highly sought after on the regional musical theatre scene, having won three Washington Area Theatre Community Honors (WATCH) awards for best musical as a pit orchestra guitarist. A consummate musician, The Washington Post has described Rick's playing as "smooth and lively.” 

Rick offers lessons for guitar (including jazz and classical), mandolin, tenor banjo, and ukulele. 

Spring Quarter All Skill Levels
Availability: Tuesday (4:00pm - 8:00pm); Friday (2:00pm-6:30pm)
Meets in W-4

If you are interested in booking a private lesson, click this link to continue: Register

Instructor: Aubrey Lisowski

Aubrey Lisowski is a violinist and private violin and viola instructor living in Springfield, VA. She received her Bachelors degree in Music Education from Shenandoah Conservatory. While at Shenandoah, she studied violin under Akemi Takayama and played in the symphony under the direction of Jan Wagner. After graduating, Aubrey taught in Fairfax County Public Schools for five years as an orchestra teacher. She played with the NOVA - Annandale Symphony orchestra for several years and served as principal second violin and has also played with the Fairfax Chamber Players. Aubrey is currently working on her Masters in Arts Management at George Mason University. She is passionate about music education and also enjoys playing guitar. 

Aubrey offers lessons for violin and viola. 

All Skill Levels
Availability: Saturdays (10:00am-2:00pm)
Meets in W-4

If you are interested in booking a private lesson, click this link to continue: Register

Instructor: Dr. Linda Teasley

Dr. Linda Teasley, performer, teacher and most recently a board-certified music therapist, has lead an interesting and varied musical life.  After receiving an undergraduate degree in music education, Dr. Teasley completed a Master of Music in performance degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Linda joined the United States Navy Band Sea Chanters chorus, the official chorus of the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, DC where she served for 20 years and retired as a Chief Musician. During her time in the Sea Chanters, Linda completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. Dr. Teasley has taught voice and piano extensively in the DC area including Georgetown University, Northern Virginia Community College and at several community music schools as well as her home studio. 

All Skill Levels
Availability: Thursday (3:30pm-8:00pm)
Meets in W-4, Rm. 407

If you are interested in booking a private lesson, click this link to continue: Register