Music Lessons at The Minor Chord

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Lessons

At The Minor Chord we want you to enjoy playing music. Part of that pleasure comes from mastering an instrument well enough to play the style and level of music that interests you. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran player, private lessons can improve your playing skills and give you that satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

The experienced musicians who teach in our studios represent a broad range of instruments and music styles including:

Acoustic guitar

Electric guitar

Upright bass

Electric bass

Banjo

Piano (both classical and contemporary)

Violin

Flute

Clarinet

Saxophone

Trumpet

Trombone and other lower brass

These gifted teachers care about their students and enjoy seeing them make steady progress.

Students at The Minor Chord range in age from elementary school to adult. They come from all walks of life. Their musical interests range from Bach to Segovia to the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to Buddy Guy to Appalachian bluegrass and everything in between.

Our studios are open for teaching six days a week for your convenience. Our lessons are affordable and enrollment is quick and simple. You choose a teacher and a regular weekly lesson time. Lessons are $36 per half hour. You pay tuition on a monthly basis and can stop at any time.

As a courtesy, we offer a 10% discount on method books, sheet music and accessories to all our registered students.

The following teachers are currently available for lessons at our studios. For lesson scheduling information please call us at +1 (978) 486-0112.

Louis Arnold - Acoustic and Electric Guitar
Longy School of Music, Classical Guitar Performance
Louis Arnold has been a professional guitarist since the age of 15 exploring many diverse styles of music. He played in working rock bands in Chicago and throughout New England before becoming interested in classical guitar, graduating from Longy as their first Classical Guitar Performance Major. Louis has been a faculty member at Wellesley College, New England Conservatory Extension, Boston Conservatory, The Longy School of Music, Atlantic Union College, Concord Academy and others. He performs throughout New England both as a soloist and in ensembles. His recordings include Music for Clarinet and Guitar with Robert D'Ambrosio, Opening the Door to Meditation with Pamela Ressler, and A Boston Guitar Project on Sail Records. At The Minor Chord, Louis teaches classical, steel-string acoustic, and jazz electric guitar.

Yale Beebee - Keyboards and Composition
Eastman School of Music, B.M. University of Miami
Film scoring studies at UCLA, ACSAP, & BMI
Yale is a versatile keyboard performer, composer and arranger. His credits include projects with film director Ken Burns, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, Paul Cotton of Poco, author Stephen King, and multiple radio and television commercials. He has performed with members of Earth Wind and Fire, Survivor, REO Speedwagon, Christopher Cross, and Spock's Beard, among others. Yale currently performs with DeZyne, a 9-piece R&B band with regular gigs at Mohegan Sun, Twin River Casino, the Newport mansions, the Boston Esplanade, and corporate and private events throughout New England. Yale enjoys teaching students of all ages. He tailors his unique instructional approach to each student's specific goals.

Joe DiMarino - Piano
B.A. Trinity College, M.M. Eastman School of Music
Joe began his musical training in 1970 with legendary pianist Faith Marchena. As a teenager, Joe was drawn to the music of J.S. Bach and by age 16 began harpsichord studies with Joseph Payne. Joe earned his Masters degree in organ performance at the Eastman School of Music. Although his background is primarily classical, Joe's training includes jazz piano. An active performer, Joe performs on the harpsichord in concerts; as an organist and pianist he has held positions at Arlington Street Church in Boston and the UMass/Amherst Newman Center. He is the founder of Harpsichord in Motion, an organization that brings the harpsichord to new audiences.

Rachel Gentile - Acoustic and Electric Guitar
B.A., Westfield State College
Rachel is proficient in many musical styles from rock to jazz to country. A prolific performer and songwriter, Rachel is a living, breathing example of the positive influence that music can have on a person's life. She has been passionate about music since she picked up her first guitar at the age of 1. Her teachers have included Phillip de Fremery (himself a student of the renowned classical guitarist Andrés Segovia) and Ted Casher. She performs with several regional bands and works as a contract songwriter. Driven by a desire to bring personal enrichment to others, she teaches guitar to young and old alike and has taught students ranging in age from 6 to 88.

Rob Hamilton - Acoustic and Electric Guitar
B.S., University of California, Davis
Rob has been playing guitar since the Beatles and Bob Dylan became household names in the 1960s. He teaches both steel-string acoustic and electric guitar and is well versed in most popular music forms including folk, rock, soul, R&B, country, and light jazz. Rob is adept at rhythm and lead playing, flat-picking, and finger-picking, emphasizing tone development. He works especially well with beginning and intermediate students. Rob plays guitar, bass, keyboards, and pedal steel guitar for a variety of local area bands including Rust Never Sleeps, Harmony-421, and the Breaktime R&B Group.

Eleanor Kebabian - Violin
M.A., Tulane University
Eleanor began playing violin at the age of 3 with the Suzuki method. A graduate of the New England Conservatory preparatory school, she was a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and studied at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. She has participated in summer festivals including the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Cleveland Institute of Music's Encore School for Strings, and the Julliard summer school in Spain and has performed with the Loyola College Symphony Orchestra in New Orleans. Her past teachers include Fudeko Takahashi and Dana Mazurkevich (herself a student of David Oistrakh). Today she is an architect and plays with groups in the greater Boston area. She enjoys working with students of all ages and levels and deeply believes in the value of music both as an art itself and as a foundation for success in other pursuits.

Laura LeSaffre - Flute and Saxophone
B.M., Music Education, Boston University
Laura teaches music at Nashoba Valley Technical High School and directs the school instrumental and choral ensembles. She previously taught music in the Cambridge, MA school system working with students in grades 5 through 8. Laura is a past recipient of the Ed Denon Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually by the New England School Band Association to promising young players. She enjoys teaching music because it uses both the logical and creative sides of the brain. Laura believes that everyone can succeed. She focuses on the progress of each student and their improvement as individuals.

Elizabeth Jennings Pekkala - Piano
B.A., Wheaton College, M.S.W., Simmons College
Liz is an accomplished pianist and organist, having held performance and teaching positions at churches, arts camps, restaurants and theaters throughout the region. She is currently Organist and Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church in Milford, MA and the piano accompanist for the Maynard, MA high school concert choirs. She is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, performing at the AGO Pipe Organ Encounter Plus in Charleston, WV and receiving a four-year scholarship awarded by the Worcester, MA chapter. She was a Master-class performer at the ConnFab Organ Workweek at Haart College of Music in Hartford, CT and was a Finalist in the Mayor’s StarSearch Competition in Piano in Providence, RI.

Jim Rice - Trumpet
M.S., New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Jim started playing trumpet at the age of 10. He was playing professionally in local big bands and pit orchestras in the Lowell and Boston area by the age of 15. He led the 9-piece band "Swing Band Revival" in the 70s and played in several general business and funk rock bands. He has taught trumpet since high school, primarily at the beginner to intermediate levels. He specializes in helping students make the transition from basic trumpet skills to developing musical lyricism. Jim's favorite styles are big band and traditional small jazz combos, funk and blues. He has also dabbled with electronic trumpets and brass backup for country western swing bands. Jim loves the clear, crisp sound of a brass choir and playing duets.

April Showers-Michaud - Flute, Clarinet and Saxophone
New England Conservatory of Music
An active flautist, April performs solo, in small ensembles and orchestras around New England. She has appeared as soloist with the Garden State Symphony, the M.I.T. Symphony and the Thayer Symphony Orchestra. Under the direction of David Epstein, April was principal flute with the MIT Symphony, was a former member of the Boston Philharmonic under the direction of Ben Zander and under Francis Wada's direction has been principal flute with the Thayer Symphony Orchestra since 1983.

April has taught flute at the All-Newton Music School and the Thayer Performing Arts Center in Lancaster, MA and is currently on the faculty of Fitchburg State University. In addition to beginning and advanced flute, April also teaches beginning clarinet and saxophone. She recently retired from the Nashoba Regional School District where she taught fourth and fifth grade band students and K-3 classroom music. April's students have distinguished themselves in District and State auditions and in solo competitions.

Zach Smith - Acoustic and Electric Guitar
B.A., Performance and Music Business, University of Massachusetts at Lowell
Zach has been playing guitar for 17 years and has been performing around New England for 15 of those years. He plays both acoustic and electric guitar with a primary interest in rock, classic rock, metal, and bluegrass styles. He also teaches begin-ning jazz and finger style guitar. Zach is a singer/song-writer, performing his own material regularly at local venues. This songwriting background allows Zach to teach students about composition and harmony in addition to guitar performance.

Tony Sumbury - Electric and Upright Bass
Berklee College of Music
Tony has over 20 years of teaching and performance exper-ience. He has performed or recorded with Tierney Sutton, Ruth Brown, the Dave Rasmussen Orchestra, Ken Vandermark, Brett Wilmont, Dave Newsom and Tom West. He has worked as a pit musician with the Emerson Majestic Theater, The Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts, the F.U.D.G.E. Theatre Company, and the Knitting Factory with Matt Maneri and Mark Burden. Tony performs as a freelance musician in a variety of musical environments including theater, jazz and rock gigs.

Gary Supernor - Electric Guitar

If you want expert coaching on rock guitar, Gary is the right teacher for you. He has been playing classic rock in working bands for over 30 years and performs regularly on the southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts club circuits. Gary has a down-to-earth teaching style that emphasizes proper technique on the instrument, a sensitivity to the full range of rock styles, and learning through song performance instead of method books.

Jerry Wile - Banjo and Bluegrass Guitar
B.S., Bridgewater State College
Jerry Wile is a bluegrass musician. He plays both guitar and banjo and has played for over 35 years in the New England area, performing at festivals and popular bluegrass venues throughout the area. He has played with many bluegrass bands and can presently be heard with the bands Granitegrass and Hurricane Hill, where he showcases the three finger banjo, flat picking guitar, lead and harmony vocals. Jerry has been teaching at the Minor Chord for over 20 years, primarily teaching the three-finger banjo style developed and made popular by Earl Scruggs. He occasionally takes on guitar students teaching the flat-picking or bluegrass style of guitar. Jerry's goal is to give his students the skills they need to play and jam with other bluegrass musicians.

Information for prospective instructors

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The Minor Chord
222 Great Road
Littleton, MA 01460

Phone: 1-978-486-0112

© 2008 The Minor Chord. All rights reserved.

	Louis Arnold - Acoustic and Electric Guitar Longy School of Music, Classical Guitar Performance Louis Arnold has been a professional guitarist since the age of 15 exploring many diverse styles of music. He played in working rock bands in Chicago and throughout New England before becoming interested in classical guitar, graduating from Longy as their first Classical Guitar Performance Major. Louis has been a faculty member at Wellesley College, New England Conservatory Extension, Boston Conservatory, The Longy School of Music, Atlantic Union College, Concord Academy and others. He performs throughout New England both as a soloist and in ensembles. His recordings include Music for Clarinet and Guitar with Robert D'Ambrosio, Opening the Door to Meditation with Pamela Ressler, and A Boston Guitar Project on Sail Records. At The Minor Chord, Louis teaches classical, steel-string acoustic, and jazz electric guitar.
	Yale Beebee - Keyboards and Composition Eastman School of Music, B.M. University of Miami Film scoring studies at UCLA, ACSAP, & BMI Yale is a versatile keyboard performer, composer and arranger. His credits include projects with film director Ken Burns, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, Paul Cotton of Poco, author Stephen King, and multiple radio and television commercials. He has performed with members of Earth Wind and Fire, Survivor, REO Speedwagon, Christopher Cross, and Spock's Beard, among others. Yale currently performs with DeZyne, a 9-piece R&B band with regular gigs at Mohegan Sun, Twin River Casino, the Newport mansions, the Boston Esplanade, and corporate and private events throughout New England. Yale enjoys teaching students of all ages. He tailors his unique instructional approach to each student's specific goals.
	Joe DiMarino - Piano B.A. Trinity College, M.M. Eastman School of Music Joe began his musical training in 1970 with legendary pianist Faith Marchena. As a teenager, Joe was drawn to the music of J.S. Bach and by age 16 began harpsichord studies with Joseph Payne. Joe earned his Masters degree in organ performance at the Eastman School of Music. Although his background is primarily classical, Joe's training includes jazz piano. An active performer, Joe performs on the harpsichord in concerts; as an organist and pianist he has held positions at Arlington Street Church in Boston and the UMass/Amherst Newman Center. He is the founder of Harpsichord in Motion, an organization that brings the harpsichord to new audiences.
	Rachel Gentile - Acoustic and Electric Guitar B.A., Westfield State College Rachel is proficient in many musical styles from rock to jazz to country. A prolific performer and songwriter, Rachel is a living, breathing example of the positive influence that music can have on a person's life. She has been passionate about music since she picked up her first guitar at the age of 1. Her teachers have included Phillip de Fremery (himself a student of the renowned classical guitarist Andrés Segovia) and Ted Casher. She performs with several regional bands and works as a contract songwriter. Driven by a desire to bring personal enrichment to others, she teaches guitar to young and old alike and has taught students ranging in age from 6 to 88.
	Rob Hamilton - Acoustic and Electric Guitar B.S., University of California, Davis Rob has been playing guitar since the Beatles and Bob Dylan became household names in the 1960s. He teaches both steel-string acoustic and electric guitar and is well versed in most popular music forms including folk, rock, soul, R&B, country, and light jazz. Rob is adept at rhythm and lead playing, flat-picking, and finger-picking, emphasizing tone development. He works especially well with beginning and intermediate students. Rob plays guitar, bass, keyboards, and pedal steel guitar for a variety of local area bands including Rust Never Sleeps, Harmony-421, and the Breaktime R&B Group.
	Eleanor Kebabian - Violin M.A., Tulane University Eleanor began playing violin at the age of 3 with the Suzuki method. A graduate of the New England Conservatory preparatory school, she was a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and studied at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. She has participated in summer festivals including the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Cleveland Institute of Music's Encore School for Strings, and the Julliard summer school in Spain and has performed with the Loyola College Symphony Orchestra in New Orleans. Her past teachers include Fudeko Takahashi and Dana Mazurkevich (herself a student of David Oistrakh). Today she is an architect and plays with groups in the greater Boston area. She enjoys working with students of all ages and levels and deeply believes in the value of music both as an art itself and as a foundation for success in other pursuits.
	Laura LeSaffre - Flute and Saxophone B.M., Music Education, Boston University Laura teaches music at Nashoba Valley Technical High School and directs the school instrumental and choral ensembles. She previously taught music in the Cambridge, MA school system working with students in grades 5 through 8. Laura is a past recipient of the Ed Denon Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually by the New England School Band Association to promising young players. She enjoys teaching music because it uses both the logical and creative sides of the brain. Laura believes that everyone can succeed. She focuses on the progress of each student and their improvement as individuals.
	Elizabeth Jennings Pekkala - Piano B.A., Wheaton College, M.S.W., Simmons College Liz is an accomplished pianist and organist, having held performance and teaching positions at churches, arts camps, restaurants and theaters throughout the region. She is currently Organist and Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church in Milford, MA and the piano accompanist for the Maynard, MA high school concert choirs. She is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, performing at the AGO Pipe Organ Encounter Plus in Charleston, WV and receiving a four-year scholarship awarded by the Worcester, MA chapter. She was a Master-class performer at the ConnFab Organ Workweek at Haart College of Music in Hartford, CT and was a Finalist in the Mayor’s StarSearch Competition in Piano in Providence, RI.
	Jim Rice - Trumpet M.S., New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Jim started playing trumpet at the age of 10. He was playing professionally in local big bands and pit orchestras in the Lowell and Boston area by the age of 15. He led the 9-piece band "Swing Band Revival" in the 70s and played in several general business and funk rock bands. He has taught trumpet since high school, primarily at the beginner to intermediate levels. He specializes in helping students make the transition from basic trumpet skills to developing musical lyricism. Jim's favorite styles are big band and traditional small jazz combos, funk and blues. He has also dabbled with electronic trumpets and brass backup for country western swing bands. Jim loves the clear, crisp sound of a brass choir and playing duets.
	April Showers-Michaud - Flute, Clarinet and Saxophone New England Conservatory of Music An active flautist, April performs solo, in small ensembles and orchestras around New England. She has appeared as soloist with the Garden State Symphony, the M.I.T. Symphony and the Thayer Symphony Orchestra. Under the direction of David Epstein, April was principal flute with the MIT Symphony, was a former member of the Boston Philharmonic under the direction of Ben Zander and under Francis Wada's direction has been principal flute with the Thayer Symphony Orchestra since 1983. April has taught flute at the All-Newton Music School and the Thayer Performing Arts Center in Lancaster, MA and is currently on the faculty of Fitchburg State University. In addition to beginning and advanced flute, April also teaches beginning clarinet and saxophone. She recently retired from the Nashoba Regional School District where she taught fourth and fifth grade band students and K-3 classroom music. April's students have distinguished themselves in District and State auditions and in solo competitions.
	Zach Smith - Acoustic and Electric Guitar B.A., Performance and Music Business, University of Massachusetts at Lowell Zach has been playing guitar for 17 years and has been performing around New England for 15 of those years. He plays both acoustic and electric guitar with a primary interest in rock, classic rock, metal, and bluegrass styles. He also teaches begin-ning jazz and finger style guitar. Zach is a singer/song-writer, performing his own material regularly at local venues. This songwriting background allows Zach to teach students about composition and harmony in addition to guitar performance.
	Tony Sumbury - Electric and Upright Bass Berklee College of Music Tony has over 20 years of teaching and performance exper-ience. He has performed or recorded with Tierney Sutton, Ruth Brown, the Dave Rasmussen Orchestra, Ken Vandermark, Brett Wilmont, Dave Newsom and Tom West. He has worked as a pit musician with the Emerson Majestic Theater, The Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts, the F.U.D.G.E. Theatre Company, and the Knitting Factory with Matt Maneri and Mark Burden. Tony performs as a freelance musician in a variety of musical environments including theater, jazz and rock gigs.
	Gary Supernor - Electric Guitar If you want expert coaching on rock guitar, Gary is the right teacher for you. He has been playing classic rock in working bands for over 30 years and performs regularly on the southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts club circuits. Gary has a down-to-earth teaching style that emphasizes proper technique on the instrument, a sensitivity to the full range of rock styles, and learning through song performance instead of method books.
	Jerry Wile - Banjo and Bluegrass Guitar B.S., Bridgewater State College Jerry Wile is a bluegrass musician. He plays both guitar and banjo and has played for over 35 years in the New England area, performing at festivals and popular bluegrass venues throughout the area. He has played with many bluegrass bands and can presently be heard with the bands Granitegrass and Hurricane Hill, where he showcases the three finger banjo, flat picking guitar, lead and harmony vocals. Jerry has been teaching at the Minor Chord for over 20 years, primarily teaching the three-finger banjo style developed and made popular by Earl Scruggs. He occasionally takes on guitar students teaching the flat-picking or bluegrass style of guitar. Jerry's goal is to give his students the skills they need to play and jam with other bluegrass musicians.