Meet Our Teachers

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Advanced Guitar, Beginner Piano & Strings - Virtual

      Daniel Maguire is a composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia. He received his M.M. in Composition from the Mannes College of Music, and his B.S. from Hofstra University, where he was awarded the Rhoda Pinsley Levin Endowed Award for Excellence in Musical Performance. 
     Daniel has been studying guitar since age 14 and has performed in a number of jazz, rock, and classical ensembles. He is also a percussionist and singer, and has performed with numerous ensembles throughout the northeast.
     Since 2014, Daniel has been teaching private lessons tailored to a variety of skill levels, from the first steps through high level NYSSMA preparation. He believes that with persistence and diligence, anyone can become a better musician. 

Advanced Violin, Intermediate Guitar & Bass, Beginner Piano- NYC, Brooklyn & Virtual  

      Suzan Ciftcikal is a senior at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in music and a minor in music technology. She started playing string instruments at the age of 8 and studied theory throughout all of her schooling. She’s passionate about orchestral music and is a part of the Music Conservatory’s Orchestra, as well as playing lead guitar and bass in three different bands around New York City and Brooklyn.         She has experience teaching all ages and works especially well with young children. Her approach to teaching is interactive and creative and she incorporates ear training into her lesson plans. As well as a theory based lesson plan she’s able to accommodate students that want to try a different approach to music, including students that want to start working with their favorite song first! Her unique teaching approach welcomes new ideas from students and parents including collaborative music playlists in order to share music interests and new music with students. 

Beginner-Advanced Cello, Beginner Piano - LI & Virtual (English & Mandarin) 

      Pin-hui Tsai started studying cello at age 9 with his first teacher, Shin-yu Liu. At the age of 16, he began studying with Janet Chien, Principal Cellist of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, through his school's specialized music training program. After completing his secondary education in Taiwan, Tsai came to the United States to begin his undergraduate studies with Dr. Stefan Kartman at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Having received his Master’s degree at the Hartt School under the instructions of Prof. Mihai Tetel, Tsai is currently been pursuing a doctoral degree at Stony Brook University with Prof. Colin Carr.  

      Among numerous music activities in which he has participated, Pin-hui Tsai has attended several music festivals including California Summer Music (2010), Kirishima International Music Festivals (2011 and 2012) in Japan, Madeline Island Chamber Music (2016) and Round Top Orchestra Institute (2018). He has played in masterclass for renowned cellists Irene Sharp and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. Tsai had been the prize winner of Taipei Music Competition in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and National Taiwan Competition in 2010 and 2012. He was the 2nd prize winner of the MacDowell Club of Milwaukee Scholarship Competition and participated in their 2015-16 season. In 2018, he was selected as a Hartt fellow to play in Stamford Orchestra Spring concert season. More recently, he has finished the 2-year intensive program of the Emerson String Quartet Institute program at Stony Brook University.

Early Childhood, Advanced Violin & Voice, Beginner Piano - LI

      Evgenia Zilberberg started her music journey as a violin student in Yekaterinburg, Russia at the age of 5 years old. When she was 14, her family decided to permanently move to USA where she auditioned for Manhattan School of music and was accepted with a full scholarship. Evgenia also became a member of ISO orchestra directed by Jonathan Strasser.

      She holds many achievements, awards and scholarships including Elaine Bart award, Best chamber music performance, Meadowmount best solo performance and other. Evgenia was a student of world known violinists such as Issac Malkin, Erick Friedman and Sally Thomas.

      When Evgenia became a student at Yale school of music where she was accepted with a full scholarship, she decided to take voice lessons to broaden her musical experience. Her teachers included Leah Mogilevskaya of Bolshoy Theater, Shirley Love and Virginia Grasso.
     That lead her to become a professional classical singer as well.

      Evgenia performed in many venues as a violinist and a singer such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Meadowmount summer festival, Guild Hall and many more. For many years Evgenia has held permanent positions at Park Ave synagogue and Brick Presbyterian church on the Upper east side in Manhattan directed by Neil Robinson and Keith Toth.

      Currently, Evgenia holds a part time teaching positions at Ross school of East Hampton teaching children string instruments and general music,         

     Southampton Montessori school and plays and sings around the Hamptons area for weddings, churches and other events with a number of professional musicians. Her wide repertoire includes classical, jazz and popular music. 

Advanced Cello, Intermediate Piano, Viola & Violin

       Lenna Pierce has one foot in the world of classical music and one foot in the world of songwriting. As Singer-Songwriter Meaner Pencil she has been profiled in The Village Voice, interviewed on WFMU and has toured internationally including Paris, London, and Berlin. At the same time, her significant experience as a classical quartet member (including runner up in the prestigious "Play with the Chiaras" Competition) give her a grounding in solid classical technique.  More recently, she is on track to complete a Master of Arts in Music Education degree from Columbia University this May. In addition, she will be completing first and second level Suzuki certification on Piano and Violin over the summer of 2021. Lenna has been teaching private lessons since 2011 and loves helping her students improve their tone, learn better sight reading skills, and become more relaxed in performance.  She draws on her experiences as a songwriter to make music theory come alive for her students. She firmly believes that music is a language of the heart, and that it should be spoken and written, as well as read. Her favorite books about music are "Just Play Naturally" and "The Art of Practicing". 

Beginner-Advanced Guitar, Beginner Piano, Intermediate Electric Bass, Songwriting & Composition

      Cole Blouin is a sonic artist and music teacher based in Queens, NY. His creative work – across scores, improvised music, and popular song – engages memory, temporality, non-linearity, phenomena, and the fragile threshold between the narrative and the poetic. Recent works include ‘Mundiglossia/Bloom (‘…patiently, ’), a 48-minute solo for soprano saxophone, and ‘Songs of Desire and Belonging’, an EP comprised of four songs. He holds a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music (member of Pi Kappa Lambda Honors Society) and has attended Oberlin College, as well as festivals including Savannah Music Festival’s Acoustic Music Seminar and Vermont-located New Music On The Point. His mentors and teachers have included figures as diverse as Joe Morris, Carla Kihlstedt, Anthony Coleman, Stratis Minakakis, Trevor Bača, and briefly, Julian Lage. His piece “Mutual Horizon” is used in the forthcoming film “Before You Blink”. Between 2017 and 2019 he organized and played five primarily DIY tours of singer-songwriter music across the American Midwest, the East and West coasts, and parts of Canada. He currently is active as a composer, improviser, and coordinator for New York-based contemporary music collective Team of Collaborative Associates; maintaining an improvising trio of viola, violin, and guitar; writing score-based music; participating as a research assistant in study on music and cognition through MIT’s Media Lab; learning to sing; and developing his debut record of songs. Extramusical interests include literature, cinema, coffee, and spending time outside. Cole teaches guitar, composition, songwriting, music theory, and ear-training at all levels. He also teaches beginner/intermediate electric bass and beginner piano.

Advanced Trumpet, Intermediate Trombone- Euphonium, Intermediate Guitar, Intermediate and Jazz Piano, Drum Set, Snare Drum Rudiments, Jazz Theory and Composition, Songwriting, Vocals, Turntable Technique, Music Production – LI 

Certifications: 

NY State Teaching Certification in Media Communications 7-12
AVID Certified Instructor in Pro Tools Audio Production Courses 101 and 110 Advanced Placement Music Theory Instructor Certificate 

      John Curcio Began his musical journey in church improvising on the trumpet, guitar and piano. He later branched out to the drum set and vocal performance. John received his music performance degree in 2007 in orchestral trumpet at Queens College under the tutelage of David Kraus. Afterward, he studied jazz arranging, composition and jazz trumpet with Michael Philip Mossman at Queens College. From 2002 until this present time, John is actively performing trumpet professionally as a career in the NY metropolitan area and abroad. John is currently enjoying leading worship at his church and is an active educator and freelance trumpeter in the music industry. 

      John is currently teaching in the NYCDOE as an instrumental performance and music technology educator in the high school level. At his school, John teaches music theory and guitar and piano performance in a large group setting. He has branched out to teaching the art of DJing and turntablism. John enjoys introducing music theory and rhythm reading through the medium of DJ controllers and turntables. As a songwriter and producer in his spare time, John has produced his own record with his wife Vanessa and released it in all streaming services. John Loves to utilize music technology to teach music theory, music business, songwriting and production techniques and vocal recording techniques in both large and small group settings. 

Advanced Violin &Viola, Beginner Cello& Piano, Music Theory

      Wenting Bian is a professional violinist and experienced violin instructor. She received her Master Degree in Violin Performance at Northwestern University, under the direction of Blair Milton, a member of Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She completed her Bachler’s Degrees in Music Education and Violin Performance at California Baptist University in 2019.

      She was raised in China, started playing the violin when she was 5 years old. As a performer, she received numerous awards and honors. She was the first prize winner for China National Youth Competition in 2010, 2012 and 2014. She held her first solo recital in the city of Nanjing in 2015. In the field of orchestra playing, she was the concertmistress of Nanjing No.1 High School Symphony Orchestra which had performed in Australia and Europe, the concertmistress of California Baptist University Symphony Orchestra and a frequent sub of Corona Symphony.She attended Texas Music Festival with full scholarship in 2019.

      She is very passionate about teaching. She had generated considerable interest in teaching music since high school, and had over 7 years experience working with all-age students in both private and group settings. Before coming to the United States, she worked as violin instructor and chamber coach in “Xianzhimeng” Chamber Orchestra which consisted of over 80 students. Later in her teaching career, she worked as a violin instructor in Riverside Harmony Project for 2 years. Throughtout her time at Northwestern University, she was the teaching assistant for Piano Trio class and Northwestern Music Academy. She prepared her students with school performances, auditions and competitions.

      As a music educator, she believes music is a tool to provide a pathway for connections and deeper understanding to this world. Every child can and should learn music. In her teaching, she wants her students to enjoy music, to learn music while having fun. At the same time, she appropriately challenges and encourages her students to do more high-order thinking while meeting the standard.

Virtual or In person: LI, Queens, Brooklyn  

NYSSMA prep, Beginner - Advanced snare drum and drum set, Beginner - Intermediate mallet percussion, Beginner: clarinet, alto saxophone, flute, soprano recorder, alto recorder, piano

      Roy lives and loves Music (and joyfully sharing it with students of ALL levels, needs, and backgrounds). Classically trained as a percussionist, he fell for the drum set and has performed on national TV, played coliseums/auditoriums/clubs across 40 states, 20 countries, and played with 14 members in the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame. He is most proud of local concerts at the Nassau Coliseum and Lincoln Center. He has played jazz, rock, funk, blues. folk, ethnic, pop, Javanese gamelan, theater, symphonic music and more!

      He has taught privately for over 20 years plus at Music Camps (mentoring teen rock bands) and inside schools for nonprofits and the NYC DOE for the past 6 years (which included classes for Special Needs students). He has conducted school bands 5th - 8th Grade and given instruction on brass, woodwinds, and percussion. A part of Roy’s specific training for the younger musicians was studying the Orff pedagogy (PK-8th Grade) which involves singing, narrative, movement, playing recorder, body percussion, unpitched and pitched percussion, composition and improvisation.He has also run Assemblies, and given Workshops and Clinics in several states and Italy. 

Most important, he believe, is the wonderful joy brought by sharing music with students! 

      In terms of students…Pre-K to adults. Beginners, students on the spectrum, advanced musicians - all are invited to inquire for In person or Virtual lessons. 

Student Results- Some became professional musicians. Some improved their attention spans or became more social. Some went on to perform with All-County Band.

      Mostly they learned to feel, hear, enjoy and understand music on a whole other level.

      That makes Roy happy.

Music Therapist. Intermediate guitar and voice. Beginner ukulele and piano- LI

      Sydney Vetrano is a Long Island based Music Therapist and singer/songwriter. She has a Bachelor of Music including a music therapy major and psychology minor from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Her primary instruments are guitar and voice along with ukulele and piano as secondary. She has worked with many populations all the way from early childhood to memory care units at nursing homes and everything in between. Sydney has experience leading adaptive music lessons for those of all ages and abilities. She believes that there are endless ways of self-expression through music which creates a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.

Beginner-Advanced Voice and Percussion; Beginner-Intermediate Piano, Guitar, Ukulele, and Bass; Beginner Woodwind and Brass; Beginner Strings; Songwriting and Music Production Software; Music Theory, Sight-Singing, Sight-Reading, and Ear Training    

Virtual and In-Person    

University of Arkansas  

BM Music Education - Woodwind, Brass, Percussion  

BM Music Education - Choral          

      Scott Sewell is a singer, composer, and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Having endeavored in music since he was eight years old, Scott is no stranger to the adventures and experiences that music can offer us all. Beginning with piano and guitar as a child, Scott laid a wholesome foundation to pursue degrees in percussion and voice at the University of Arkansas.         

      Scott has toured both nationally and internationally with the University of Arkansas music ensembles, taught multiple private studios of his own, and garnered experience in public and charter school classrooms. Having moved to New York City to pursue the arts and teach, Scott is excited to be a part of Seventh Street.

All Levels Violin and Viola - NYC

      Violinist and violist Julia Birnbaum is a dedicated teacher and performer in New York City. Ms. Birnbaum, who started playing violin at age 5 in her home state of Maryland, received a bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from Northwestern University under the tutelage of the 40-year Chicago Symphony veteran Blair Milton. While at Northwestern, Ms. Birnbaum studied violin pedagogy with Stacia Spencer, a contemporary of Mimi Zweig of Indiana University.   

      Ms. Birnbaum is a member of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra and recently performed with the Lincoln Center Stage Piano Quintet. She has been the seated concertmaster of the Chicago Arts Orchestra and has performed with the Hawaii, New World, Harrisburg, Monterey, Marin, Vallejo, Pacific Chamber, Illinois, Dubuque and Rockford Symphonies; the Chicago Chamber, Lincolnwood Chamber, and Renovo String Orchestras; the Berkeley Chamber Opera, Opera Cultura, and Orchestra Gloria among others.   

      Before moving to New York CIty, Ms. Birnbaum resided in San Francisco and Chicago where she performed and maintained a private teaching studio as well as studios at Amabile School of Music, Northern California Music & Arts Culture Center, Chicago School of Music and Music House Inc. She also taught group violin lessons through the YOURS and ViVO El Sistema Projects, Skinner North Classical School and South Loop Elementary School and coached sectionals for Chicago Youth Symphony, Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and University of Illinois at Chicago. 

      Julia teaches in the style of Mimi Zweig, which focuses on natural physical motions nurtured in a non-judgmental environment. The goal is to play with complete freedom and independence! Julia is thrilled to be a part of Seventh Street Music & Tutoring!