Our Instructors
Daniel Kleffmann
Daniel has been teaching music for seventeen years. He is an instructor, a performer, composer, and audio engineer. Being a drummer at heart, rhythm is his specialty. He studied at the prestigious Drummer's Collective in N.Y.C. and has earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts with Academic Honors in Jazz Performance from the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. Tending to lean towards music involving advanced rhythmic concepts, Daniel has developed methods of explaining and understanding rhythm to make even the advanced and complex simple. He has taught these concepts to hundreds of students of all ages and levels, aiding them to pass auditions of all types, attain perfect NYSSMA scores, earn scholarships and acceptance into music colleges such as the Berklee College of Music and New School of Jazz, become more successful composers, band leaders and side-musicians, in addition to becoming higher level musicians in general.
Luke Varisco
Luke is a dedicated Music Educator from Long Island, New York. With over half a decade of teaching and perfomance experiences; Luke is able to take unique routes that inspire students to learn Music. His expertise include yet are not limited to Singing, Guitar, Piano, And Drums. His Academic Career consists of 2 Professional Degrees and 3 official certifications. Studying Performing Arts, Luke Varisco recieved an associates degree from Nassau Community College. After studying with prolific professors there; Luke Varisco left the institution with a Performing Arts Associates Degree and Professional Certificate in Studio Recording Technology, while interning at East Side Sounds, an iconic studio located in lower Manhattan. Luke then attended Adelphi University, while passing the Assessment of teacher assistant skills, test. At Adelphi Luke completed a Music Education Degree ( Bachelours of Science ) and a Teaching Certificate that is highly regarded across the United States. Since then Luke has been instructing music in public and private settings, while making public performance appearances in New York venue's. Luke's motivation is the incredibly impactful experience of music which is instilled upon students at each lesson.
BARBARA WALSH
Barbara Walsh graduated from Adelphi University with my Bachelors in Vocal Performance and Psychology. She wanted to share her passion for music and help others reach their full potential as a musician. She went back for her master’s program in music education at Hofstra University. Afterwards, began teaching piano and vocal lessons privately and in group lessons as well as teaching chorus and general music in schools. She really wanted her students to enjoy singing and find a passion in performing. Her lessons will focus on the fundamentals of singing in order to provide healthy vocal technique and a beautiful tone. It is extremely important in all genres for singing to have support, be able to use breath properly and have an understanding how the use of the voice as an instrument properly to achieve a beautiful tone.
BRIAN MAULICK
Brian is a drummer and percussionist based in the NYC metro area. He is well versed in many forms of World Percussion, Latin Percussion, Orchestral Percussion, Contemporary Percussion as well as today's styles of Drum Kit. He has played PASIC 2015 with Yousif Sheronick, and 2016 with Queen's College Gamelan Yowana Sari. He has played alongside Talujon Percussion Quartet in 2015 for TEDx Met. He has played at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with the Queen's College Percussion Ensemble and regularly performs in the NYC Metro area. He has studied with some of today's most proficient, and well known percussionists/drummers, such as Michael Lipsey, Javier Diaz, David Cossin, and Daniel Sadownick.
Brooke Beck
Brooke has been a vocalist since she was in fourth grade. Since then, she has been in several choirs and musical theatre productions in school and outside of school. She now attends Adelphi University earning her bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Her vocal and teaching specialties are the classical, musical theatre, and pop genres. She enjoys building her students’ versatility and ability to sing any genre. Brooke teaches music to encourage people to keep music in their lives, and to inspire them to pursue it for the long run.
Kyle Miller
Kyle is a native New Yorker from Valley Stream, Long Island. He started his musical studies on electric guitar and later shifted his focus to classical training. He has attained his Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Music with a focus on music composition at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He has studied guitar with Albert Pennachio, William Anderson and Paul Bollenback, and composition with Edward Smaldone and Jeff Nichols. Kyle also spent time studying guitar at the Universidad Veracruzana in Xalapa, Mexico and Balinese Gamelan in Bali, Indonesia. He is an active performer and composer of Gamelan Yowana Sari and Ictus Novus.
As a member of the Sheer Pluck Guitar orchestra, under the direction of William Anderson, Kyle has performed in venues such as Weill Hall, Lincoln Center, Tenri Cultural Institute and the Symphony Space, where he was a featured soloist at the first annual David Starobin Guitar Festival. In summer 2018, Kyle attended the Bang on a Can Summer Festival as an electric guitar performer.
Kyle Miller
Kyle Miller is a native New Yorker from Valley Stream, Long Island. He started his musical studies on electric guitar and later shifted his focus to classical training. He has attained his Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Music with a focus on music composition at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He has studied guitar with Albert Pennachio, William Anderson and Paul Bollenback, and composition with Edward Smaldone and Jeff Nichols. Kyle also spent time studying guitar at the Universidad Veracruzana in Xalapa, Mexico and Balinese Gamelan in Bali, Indonesia. He is an active performer and composer of Gamelan Yowana Sari and Ictus Novus.
As a member of the Sheer Pluck Guitar orchestra, under the direction of William Anderson, Kyle has performed in venues such as Weill Hall, Lincoln Center, Tenri Cultural Institute and the Symphony Space, where he was a featured soloist at the first annual David Starobin Guitar Festival. In summer 2018, Kyle attended the Bang on a Can Summer Festival as an electric guitar performer.
Brooke Beck
Brooke has been a vocalist since she was in fourth grade. Since then, she has been in several choirs and musical theatre productions in school and outside of school. She now attends Adelphi University earning her bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Her vocal and teaching specialties are the classical, musical theatre, and pop genres. She enjoys building her students’ versatility and ability to sing any genre. Brooke teaches music to encourage people to keep music in their lives, and to inspire them to pursue it for the long run.
