Meet the Faculty

Andy Bianco is a New York City based jazz artist/composer/educator/advocate and has performed with Angie Stone, Deborah Cox, Kandace Springs, Ray Chew, Elle Varner, Bob Moses, George Burton & many others at such renowned venues as ABC Television’s Good Morning America, Billboard Live Osaka/Tokyo, The Howard Theater, Blues Alley, The 2013 Long Beach Jazz Festival, The 2014/2015/2019 Essence Festivals in New Orleans, The 2014 BET Awards, The 2017 Richmond Jazz Festival, Sculler’s Jazz Club, Cafe Wha, SOB’s, Joe’s Pub, The Bitter End, The Blue Note & he’s also the guitarist for the Grammy winning RnB artist Elle Varner, with whom he’s toured the USA & Japan.

Andy has performed his original jazz compositions as a bandleader & with other groups at such NYC jazz hot spots as Smoke Jazz Club, Minton’s Playhouse, Cornelia St. Cafe, The 55 Bar & The Zinc Bar-In addition his music has been licensed for use in Hollywood film & prime time network television. He has completed a 6 month tour of New Zealand & Japan as the guitarist with the critically acclaimed stage production entitled, “Empire” & is also a private instructor with New York Jazz Workshop & a teaching artist with Wingspan Arts & Midori & Friends in NYC. Andy is also an advocate for music & education & has created the Phillip Bianco Memorial Music Scholarship which annually awards a substantial monetary sum to young adult music students through the Keynotes Foundation Scholarship Competition in Pittsburgh.

Teaching Philosophy: Having studied/worked/performed with some of the world’s finest guitarists, musicians & artists I’ve developed a teaching philosophy that incorporates a vast array of approaches that are tailored to the needs & goals of each individual student. During the first lesson I perform a detailed assessment & together with the student create an action plan that is based off that specific student’s objectives & strengths. That way we can maximize time & learning experience. The goal identification/progression/completion of the student & the achievement of their objectives are what is paramount to me as a teacher (& also that they have fun!).I prefer to utilize holistic approaches to learning such as meditation, self reflection, breathing/stretching/injury prevention techniques, personal care/health & wellness, playing together, imitation, call & response, musical games/challenges, Eastern/Western historical approaches & attitude/confidence cultivation.

Eli Wallace is a pianist, improviser, composer, and curator who calls Brooklyn, NY his home. A recent transplant from Oakland, CA, he has quickly become involved in the New York improvised and creative music scene leading his concept project Slideshow Junky, participating in the collective trio Cataclysmic Commentary, performing solo, and working with musicians with a similar improvisational predilection such as Daniel Carter, Billy Mintz, Ches Smith, Trevor Dunn, Chris Pitsiokos, Andrew Smiley, Sandy Ewen and many others. He continues to be a huge contributor to Dialectical Imagination, the piano/drum duo led by musical mastermind Rob Pumpelly. His work as a pianist displays his vast milieu of experiences from classical, jazz, and free improvisation studies, while incorporating contemporary piano performance practice to create a sound that is uniquely his own. As a composer, he’s written pieces for solo piano, chamber groups, jazz ensembles, vocal jazz ensembles, jazz big band, full studio orchestra, and received commissions from Contra Costa College JazzaNova, Lawrence University, and dancer Randee Paufve. His musical education was granted by Lawrence University, Appleton WI, and New England Conservatory, Boston, MA, where he completed a Bachelor’s of Music, and a Master’s of Music, respectively.

Teaching Philosophy: My teaching approach stems from two important factors. First, that students learn the necessary skills, theory, and technique to play piano proficiently. Second, that my students learn to have fun and enjoy making music on their instrument. My own musical education was predicated on learning by ear first, and the rest followed. I take this approach into my own pedagogical practices, immediately picking up on student’s strengths and cultivating those, while also trying to cover the basics of reading music and general pianistic skills that are commonly covered in piano lessons and jazz improvisation. Within this approach, music is taught as a language that needs to be learned, not simply buttons of a machine that need to be pressed. In this way, students gain a deeper understanding and relationship with improvisation. And, they develop technique that minimizes effort, synthesizing the movements of the body, hand, and fingers with the piano. Above all, making music is a joy and a privilege that everyone is capable of doing; I hope to bring this out and develop this love of music in all his students.

Flávio Silva is a musician who is part of a new generation of Brazilian composers and instrumentalists that has been breaking through the musical scene of different places, such as Brazil, The Netherlands and most recently, New York. The guitarist studied with some of the best musicians in Brazil and all over the world, such as Michel Leme, Alexandre Mihanovich, Djalma Lima, Lage Lund, Adam Rogers and Ed Verhoeff, among others.

Flávio has shared the stage with some highly skilled musicians such as Victor Wooten, Munir Hossn, Kendrick Scott, Eric Harland, Cuca Teixeira, Sandro Haick, Thiago Espirito Santo, Nic Thys, Piet Verbist, Bert Joris, Marcus Gilmore, Ben Williams, Louis Cato, Reggie Washington, Alex Han, Tuur Moens, Nicolas Viccaro and Ettiene Mbappe, among others.

In 2014, he is releasing his debut album, consisting of nine authorial compositions, he shows some of his skills as a composer, arranger and guitarist. Recorded with some of the best Brazilian musicians, Cuca Teixeira on Drums, Josué dos Santos on Tenor Saxophone, Bruno Migotto on Double Bass, Gustavo Bugni on Piano and Rhodes and JP Barbosa on Alto Saxophone, this record has the modern jazz as it’s main platform, but with different influences that go from Latin Music to Fusion and even some Rock. Flávio is working on a new album, expected for 2018.

Teaching Philosophy: The instrument, in this case, the guitar, is just a tool to make music. The music is inside each of us and that is what I always look to bring out of every student. There are rules for everything, however, my intention is to help the student to use those rules and make his/her own version of them, always appreciating their individuality and personality.

Eli Hershiser is an emerging saxophonist and composer based in New York City. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, he was introduced to the music of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and The Rolling Stones by his father. Hershiser had a natural ear for music and began to gravitate towards the saxophone with the passionate influence of several mentors. As he began to take himself more seriously as a musician, his knowledge and appreciation for the tradition of jazz music blossomed. Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Thelonious Monk, and John Coltrane have consistently influenced Hershiser’s playing, while his compositional style and technique stem from an array of music, including his intense love for the great classical composers such as Richard Strauss, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, and many more. Eli is continually working towards merging his tastes together to create evocative and fresh musical works.

Teaching Philosophy: With more than 4+ years of private and group instruction, I have developed a unique approach to helping each instrumentalist develop and cultivate their own voice, while including important elements of theory, ear training, improvisation and fun!

I strongly believe that each instrumentalist has their own path and best-working methods to improving on their instrument. My goal is to help my students work out a practice routine and learning plan that is catered to their strengths and their musical goals! Together, we will determine where to start and how to build your routine over time so that we both see success and improvements. Fundamentals of music are the absolute necessary building blocks to succeeding in other areas such as Sound, Improvisation, and especially Individuality and Expression. More importantly, enjoying the process and having fun along the way is paramount in your musical journey!

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