We are teaching IN studio AND Online lessons again! Welcome back!
We are teaching IN studio AND Online lessons again! Welcome back!
"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery" Mark Van Doren
Ewa was born in Warsaw, Poland, where she studied harp and piano, before receiving her Master of Arts Degree in Music Education from the Music Education and Eurhythmics Faculty of the Academy of Music in Gdansk. She came to Canada in 1991 and completed courses in Music in Early Childhood, Kodály Pedagogy and Orff Pedagogy at the Royal Conservatory.
Since 1996 Ewa has been teaching music in early childhood, music and movement, theory and music enrichment classes at private music schools, Montessori schools and Suzuki Talent Centers as well professional development courses for adults.
Ewa is a recipient of the Robert and Donna Wood Scholarship (The Early Childhood Music Association of Ontario, 1998), The Brigg’s Family Teachers’ Development Fund Scholarship (The Royal Conservatory, 2017), and the prestigious The International Kátalin Forrai Award (The International Kodály Society, 2017)
A tireless advocate of the importance of music in lives of young children Ewa has served as the President of the Early Childhood Music Association of Ontario for 15 years.
Ewa believes that young children experience music in a stimulating and positive environment, using the two most natural instruments they have – their singing voice and their body. Musical growth develops through participation in singing, active play, musical games and playing instruments. As the curriculum follows principles of child development the wide range of musical activities matches the children’s cognitive, psychomotor, and social-emotional developmental levels. In her teaching, Ewa blends Dalcroze, Kodály and Orff approaches to music education and focuses on joyful music making with an underlying emphasis on the art of music itself.
Alex is a drummer from Etobicoke, Ontario. He has many musical interests including Funk, Rock, Country, Latin and Jazz. Alex began playing the piano at age 4 and has his RCM Grade 6 certification. In Grade 8, his interests shifted to the drums and he has been a dedicated drummer since.
Throughout high school, Alex played in bands such as the Jazz Combo, Jazz Orchestra, and the Concert Band travelling across Canada to participate in the FCMF National Music Festivals. He also played percussion with the Hannaford Youth Band in Grade 12.
Last summer, Alex was a Senior Staff member at Red Pine Camp and was co-in charge of running the Junior Program – a morning program offering engaging and stimulating activities for children 0-12 years old. He incorporated music into the daily planning through concerts, interactive playing and singing.
Currently Alex studies at Humber College in the Bachelor of Music – Drums/Percussion Program. He has studied with musicians such as Lorne Nehring, Mark Kelso, and Larnell Lewis.
Throughout the 2019-2020 school year, Alex was a staff member at Humber College’s Community Music Program where he played the drums for various ensembles of students aged 8-17 applying the Orff and Kodaly methods of Early Childhood Music Education.
Alex is a musician from Almonte Ontario, currently residing in Toronto. He has been playing violin for 13 years and has a wide repertoire of music from jazz to country, classical to contemporary. He enjoys performing to all ages in all settings - intimate gatherings to festival stages. Alex has performed in the Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy television special A Celtic Family Christmas in 2018, as well as an auxiliary string player with them at Casino Rama in 2019. He is the recipient of the Danny O'Connell Memorial Award, recognized for his role in advancing Ottawa Valley fiddle tradition. Alex also is a session musician in Toronto, and frequently works on projects where he arranges and records classical and contemporary violin parts. Alex has been teaching violin for the past 4 years and is comfortable instructing students both in the classical and fiddle domains. He is currently studying his Bachelor of Music at Humber College in Toronto. Here is another video for your enjoyment https://youtu.be/GNWjPQr6l0M
Barrie-based drummer, composer, and producer, Brandon has been making noise in Barrie's musical community for the last ten years. Drawing inspiration from a variety of genres including rock, metal, pop, and jazz, his sound as a drummer and composer is most influenced by his desire for adventure, exploration, and curiosity.
Brandon is a founding member of the Barrie-based rock-band "All My Life " and a variety of different projects including the Toronto-based metal band "Anneliese."
While attending Humber College, Brandon studied with renowned Canadian musicians, Larnell Lewis, Mark Kelso, and Paul DeLong and he has recently built a recording studio where he records high-quality drum performances remotely during COVID-19.
A founding member of the Canadian Musicians Co-operative Inc, Brandon is a mentor and Artistic Director for the Barrie-based organization which is geared towards helping independent musicians develop the necessary skills to succeed in the music industry.
Brandon is always looking to share his love and knowledge of music and the drums for anyone who wants to learn!
Sebastian is a guitarist based in the Greater Toronto Area. Since having picked up a guitar just over a decade ago, he has played in multiple bands, is a sought out session guitarist and spends a lot of time writing original music for his most recent project, The Cruz Control. Currently Sebastian is in his third year at Toronto’s one and only, Humber College Bachelor of Music Program and has studied with local greats - Rob Bulger, Tony Zorzi, Kim Ratcliffe and Emile D’eon just to name a few. Always looking to progress as a guitarist, Sebastian aside from writing his own music is currently working on classical guitar repertoire. Sebastian is a passionate and creative guitarist who is always willing to share his passion with others.
Carmen is a passionate classical musician who fell in love with the piano at eight years old and has never turned back. She has been playing piano for over 30 years and started teaching piano in 1997. Carmen has Grade 9 Piano Certificate with First Class Honors of the Royal Conservatory of Music, and will be finishing her RCM Grade 10 Piano imminently. Her next challenge is ARCT which she has already started studying. With deepest musical influenced by Nineteenth-Century Romanticism Music, she has extensive knowledge in musical history and harmony at an RCM Level 10. She plays classical music beautifully and is influenced by composers such as Chopin, Franz Liszt and Ludwig van Beethoven. “Nocturne Op.9 No.1 in B flat minor – F. Chopin” and “Moonlight Sonata – Ludwig van Beethoven” are her signature pieces.
Carmen likes to use different teaching methods for each student, and as such, caters lessons to each and every student with their strengths, goals and desires. Her mission as a teacher is to share her passion for music and learn along with students how to discover their own styles, and favorite composers to play. Carmen hopes to bring fulfilment and appreciation in the student's learning process, and help them to truly enjoy in music and the piano.
Gretchen has performed across Canada in Theatre and Music Theatre, Operatic Works, (including original works), Symphonic concerts and has also been seen on television, feature films, and has also performed for CBC Radio. Originally from Toronto, Gretchen has extended her musical and acting studies to include New York, where her training was mostly Classical there, but she feels equally at home in Music Theatre, folk, pop and light jazz.
Her singing performance beginnings, were folk and rock, but she believed in the power of classical training. She is one of the original members of the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA company, and also the MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER concert series, as well as having starred and originated many roles for Canadian Music Theatre.
Gretchen is also well known for her role of 4 years playing Mrs. Jeremiah, the mother of the series star Joey Jeremiah, in the award winning television series DEGRASSI JR. HIGH. Her roles in standard Music Theatre repertoire include Kate, in KISS ME KATE, Alexandra in ALEXANDRA THE LAST EMPRESS (original), Bertrande in THE HOUSE OF MARTIN GUERRES (original), Iolanthe in IOLANTHE, as well as many others that also include Anne of Green Gables, The Boyfriend, The Picture of Dorian Gray (original work, by the award winning composer of the recent DROWSEY CHAPERONE Greg Morrison), and The Desert Song for Shaw Festival. She has appeared many times in concert with the Conductor and Operatic Star Mark Dubois, and has enjoyed singing with full symphonies on numerous occasions.
Gretchen is please to have founded the quartet QuattroVoce. Gretchen has also Music Directed, Conducted and Directed in the Panasonic Theatre’s production of CABARET. Gretchen has also co-hosted a radio show for CBC called Basic Black, with the infamous Danny Marks. She has also trained several movie stars for their singing and musical roles in feature films and television.
Gretchen is a renowned vocal instructor, and spends much of her time training her well known roster of students, who’ve gone on to Broadway, and L.A. in movies and stage, and are all known for their excellence at their craft. (Some call her their “best kept secret”.) She also directs and writes shows 2 - 4 times a year for them, and produces these, at theatres in Ontario.
Gretchen is also responsible for for forming and producing for “SAY YES TO OPERA!”. A group that brings opera to “urban” spaces. CBC RADIO has been a great support of this event, and Gretchen has done a full 12 minute interview for Ing Wong Ward on her radio show. Gretchen has also been interviewed on the internet based radio show LIQUID LUNCH. You will find her on occasional Saturdays, with her group performing for folks at the ST. LAWRENCE MARKET at Front and Jarvis in Toronto.
Irina Graduated from the Saratov State Pedagogical University with an Honours degree speacializing in Music for Elementary and Preschool. Three years previous to this she obtained a Music Education diploma from Volgograd State Pedagogical College.
Since 1995 she has held many positions in the field of music education including an accompanist for a ballet company (piano), Elementary Music School teacher and Choral Conductor, and a private voice and piano instructor at schools such as the Hamilton Conservatory and Mohawk College. Irina specializes in classical but can perform and teach all styles .
Dia is a pianist with more than 17 years of experience teaching music. She learned piano at a very young age from the Higher Lebanese National Conservatory in Beirut, where she learned piano, solfeggio, & theory, among other subjects. She was a music teacher at Lycée français international d'Al Khobar for several years. She is also a live music performer and plays at many weddings, events and functions. In addition to piano lessons, she is a math teacher and a mom of 2 boys. Dia also speaks three languages, English, French and Arabic. She has her Masters Degree and also a Bachelors Degree, both obtained from Lebanese University, Faculty of Pedagogy in Beirut. Piano has always been her biggest passion and she believes that music makes the world a better place.
Hailing all the way from Trinidad and Tobago Onique's love for music began in the womb as her father was a drummer and her mother would attend concerts he played while pregnant. Growing up, Onique was exposed to music mainly in church, but music was constantly surrounding her in every faucet of her life. Especially within her home, where her father consistenly played music on a daily basis.
Onique's love for teaching, however, came from her mother who studied Early Childhood Education and taught in many different schools over the years.
In 2009-2014 Onique attended the Caribbean Nazarene college where she did her BA in Early Childhood Education and Music. Having already completed a number of ABRSM musical certificates at secondary school, this education was right down her alley.
As voice became her main instrument, Onique participated in various vocal endeavours such as Hair spray, studio background vocals, backup singer for gospel artist Curtis Jordan, Believe franchise shows and many more over the years.
Onique believes that any person, no matter what their background, can learn music and that music education should be catered to each individuals learning style. It is her goal to show students that everyone can learn and love music in their own way. Onique's interpersonal skills has allowed her to reach students in different ways to help them chart their musical course and enjoy doing so.
This is an original song written by Leah. Here is another great rendition of a Beatles song. https://youtu.be/xi6FDqPXlBY You will fall in love with Leah's positive personality and wonderful talent as soon as you meet her!
Leah is a singer/songwriter as well as a multi instrumentalist who plays both piano and guitar from Brampton Ontario. She started performing in church when she was 8 years old and as she grew older, began performing locally in Brampton. Leah then followed her passion into high school where she studied classical music in the arts program at Mayfield Secondary School. She has always had a passion for music, specifically for the way music is used to bring people together and so it only felt right for her to pursue music as a career even beyond high school.
She is now at Humber College in the Bachelor of Music Program where she continues to study many genres including classical, pop and jazz, rock, folk, country, and bluegrass music! Although she specializes in voice at Humber, she has also developed skills in theory, ear training, song writing, production, performance and studio recording. She is a huge fan artists like Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, James Taylor, The Eagles, Leith Ross, Chris Stapleton etc. and she does her best to embody the authenticity that these artists portray while also creating something uniquely her own. Leah believes music has the power to comfort and inspire people, and hopes that throughout her life she is able to offer a glimpse of that to people through her own music.
Leah has also taken piano lessons since she was 10 years old studying classical and contemporary repertoire. As she graduated high school, she also received her Grade 8 RCM certificate for piano.
While Leah has a foundation in classical music and an understanding of piano theory and technique, she is passionate about allowing students to use the piano as a creative tool for composition and exploration. Whether that be playing chords along to your favourite songs, accompanying yourself as a vocalist or even writing your own songs - there is so much we can learn from taking a step outside the technical world and into our creative world throughout our musical journey.
Lately, Leah has been making her mark in the Toronto music scene as one of 15 artists on the 2022 Honey Jam Canada roster that supports up and coming female artists. She has had the opportunity to perform at venues like The Rex, Yongue & Dundas Square and the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto as a backup singer for local artists. She is now in the process of recording her first single to release before the end of 2022.
Leah is a full believer in the importance of internalizing technique on the instruments we choose to study while also bringing it into a practical and creative space. It is so important to find our own voice in the music we create and that requires a fun, encouraging and supportive learning environment.
Leah is thrilled to be a part of the Addison Music Learning Center to help bring this kind of environment to the students she will work with and allow for each person on their musical journey to find their artistic voice, whatever that means for them!
Leslie holds an A.R.C.T. degree in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory (University of Toronto) and is a former member of the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra where she played violin for 17 years. She has been teaching Piano and Violin for 40 years in the Mississauga/Oakville area and was a music teacher for 3 Montessori schools in Oakville and Mississauga prior to the pandemic. In addition to teaching, Leslie continues to perform at retirement and nursing homes in the GTA. Volunteering is an important part of Leslie's life and she enjoys being part of the Volunteer Program at The Wenleigh Long Term Care Facility where her mother resided for over 7 years.
Lewina was happy to move from Hong Kong and return to live in Canada in 2019 with her husband and her two children. Although she is a licensed Professional Engineer, and has been designing her own line of consumer electronic products for over 20 years, she never put her love for music aside.
Lewina has been a part-time piano and xylophone teacher for over 10 years. She has also taught hand bells to over 700 Grade 3 students in Hong Kong, and she has trained the KTBWCS school hand bell team to perform regularly in school Christmas Mass, Open Days, and Graduation Ceremonies.
After learning to play the pedal harp in 2018, Lewina instantly fell in love with the beautiful and elegant instrument.
Lewina is also the Music Faculty of a renowned Ballet School. She enjoys piano accompanying ballerinas in their daily training and in their Royal Academy of Dance examinations.
Lewina is working towards her RCM ARCT at the moment.
Clarinet video can also be found at this link: https://youtube.com/shorts/5G7jK4CdbZ0
Matthew is an aspiring jazz musician who plays saxophone, flute, clarinet and piano. He began playing piano at age of 6 and has his RCM Grade 8 Certification. During high school, he discovered saxophone which became his passion and since then devoted his time to master the instrument. In addition to saxophone, he also picked up flute and clarinet during his musical studies at Humber College under the guidance of jazz giants such as Pat LaBarbera, Alex Dean, and Mark Promane. He graduated from Humber College on 2020 with a Bachelor of Music Degree.
Matthew has a vast array of musical interests such as Jazz, Latin, Classical, Funk, and Fusion. Throughout high school, he performed in his school symphonic bands as well as in TYWO Symphonic Winds. On top of that, he had the opportunity to play in Toronto All-Star Big Band, pit bands for musical production, as well as jazz ensembles at his college.
Matthew is also an amazing arranger. Here is an arrangement he wrote of Princess Mononoke's theme song for Tentet. https://youtu.be/vv1WJoocrzI
Mitchell is a guitarist in the Bachelor of Music program at the esteemed Humber College, learning from some of the best musicians in Canada including Lorne Lofsky, and Neil Swainson.
Mitchell started playing professionally at a very young age with friends and in bands around the Kitchener/Waterloo area and quickly fell in love with performing live. He is now one of the most sought after session players in and around the GTA.
Mitch is is an incredibly motivated and passionate artist who will surely be on the Toronto music scene for a long time to come. He loves to share his passion for music with young up and coming musicians.
Patty has been playing piano for over 35 years and teaching since 1993. She graduated from the prestigious Arts York program at Unionville High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts (Music) degree from the University of Western Ontario. Patty has a special interest in music theory, having studied with Joe Ringhofer, current Chief Examiner of Theoretical Subjects of the Royal Conservatory of Music. In addition, Patty is active as an accompanist for exams, music festivals, and other events.
Sam is a graduate of the Humber Introduction to Commercial Jazz Certificate Program and is playing in several bands in the Greater Toronto Area. He enjoys all kinds of music including Jazz, Folk, Rock, Metal, EDM, Punk, Funk, Latin, Classical, World Music and Experimental Noise. Sam is a multi instrumentalist and guitar is one of his greatest passions. A skilled guitarist who continues to learn from the people around him and from listening to and learning from recordings, Sam gigs with influential touring musicians who continue to teach him form and countless other skills and philosophies. While Sam was studying percussion he worked with Mark Kelso, Larnell Lewis, Steve Mancuso and Ben Ball at Humber College. He also received piano lessons from Amanda Tosoff and Tania Gill at Humber College and later studied advanced Jazz piano with Brian Rudolph privately. Sam is also a skilled producer, using Logic Pro X to record all of his originals and commercial music. Sam is also an established painter and spends creative time daily in the studio where he paints and draws. He often takes inspiration from nature when painting or composing. We are over the moon that this creative and talented musicians has joined the Addison Music family of educators.
Shelley began her musical journey at the age of four with piano lessons. After discovering her perfect pitch and natural ear she went on to earn her Bachelor of Music and performed with choirs and churches as well as an accompanist .
Shelley received training at the Royal Conservatory, earning her Grade 10 RCM and theory, and also trained in the Yamaha School of Music earning her Grade 5 Yamaha credentials. After earning her music degree and her RCM and Yamaha credentials, she went on to teach courses to young children for six years and has been teaching piano and voice in the GTA for 20 years.
Her style is always evolving but her main goal is to promote good technical skills in piano and vocal technique as well as instilling a life long love of music.
Addison Music Learning Centre is a music school located at 481 North Service Road West, Oakville, Ontario, L6M 2V6
905-825-8668 info@musicisfun.ca
providing music lessons for all Instruments and all ages. Addison Music Learning Centre is now providing online virtual internet music lessons too!
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