Meet Our Teachers
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Percussion
Massachusetts native, Bill Ricciardelli, is an enthusiastic and patient instructor who has been immersed in music his entire life. He began his musical journey at age five playing the alto saxophone before switching to drums at age 12. Upon graduating high school, Bill attended Berklee College of Music to further his studies on the drum set and percussion. Since earning his B.M. from Berklee, he has performed and recorded with various artists throughout the U.S. and Canada, and also maintains a busy schedule as a private instructor. As of 2019, Bill has been the Director of Percussion at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, MA, where he instructs the FXD7/8 percussion sections as well as the Concert Band & Hawkforce1 Drumline. Since 2011, Bill has been a private drum set instructor at Needham Music!
Piano
Alexandra Stoetzel began studying piano at age 5 after tagging along to her mother’s classical piano lessons, and has been teaching piano for 15+ years. Graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Music Performance from Berklee College of Music, she continues her education through apprenticeships, private lessons, and real-world experience. She also led as a musical director in several contemporary ensembles, including blues, pop/rock, country, and jazz. Alexandra is passionate about introducing students of all ages to music and its powerful ability to lift their spirits, help them grow, and have fun. As a teacher, she focuses on balancing inspiration, explanation, and technique!
Guitar, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo
With Needham Music since 2003, Boston’s Bruce Millard teaches a range of string instruments and styles, from rock to jazz to folk and more, on guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and bass. A Berklee College Professional Music Scholarship and John Abercrombie Award recipient, he’s performed both locally and nationally since 1990. He has worked with Howard ‘Louie Bluie’ Armstrong, Tarbox Ramblers, the Tower of Power Horns, Toni Lynn Washington, Jim Kweskin, Men & Volts, Bob Moses, Jethro Burns, Dennis Brennan, Luther ‘Guitar Jr.’ Johnson and others, in venues as diverse as The New York City Blues Festival, Boston Folk Festival, PBS-TV, Boston Rock Pipeline Festival, and Country Music Hall of Fame. Patience, empathy, inspiration and fun are the cornerstones of his teaching.
Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, Banjo, Mandolin
Casey Abrams has a degree in composition and guitar performance from The University of Massachusetts. He has more than thirty years' playing and performing experience. He teaches guitar (fingerstyle, slide, folk, jazz, old-time, bluegrass, country, blues, metal, rock and pop) as well as ukulele, bass, banjo and mandolin. He also offers lessons in songwriting, music theory, performing and arranging. His focus is on helping students of any age or level of ability to achieve their goals through step-by-step, personalized lesson plans, using songs they want to play. Casey performs nationally and is currently at work on his fourth album of original material.
Percussion
Jaime Chan has been a professional drummer/percussionist, educator, multi-instrumentalist, and composer in the New England area for over 25 years. He has a B.A. from the Berklee College of Music where he studied drums, percussion, composition and arranging. Prior, Jaime attended Rhode Island College where he studied classical/orchestral percussion. Jaime’s professional playing experiences include performances all over the Northeast as well as tours in Germany and France. His musical focus on diversity has led to performances and recordings in a wide variety of music ranging between all the styles of American popular, street, and folk to classical/symphonic to world music. In 2004, Jaime co-founded the Boston-based R&B/funk band Kong who he continues to perform with today.
Trumpet, Trombone
Hailed by the New York Music Daily as a “carefree” and “soulful” player, Kevin A. Virgilio is a Boston-based trombonist and educator who’s performances run the gamut of contemporary and classical styles. An active freelance musician, Mr. Virgilio recently appeared with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the New York Festival Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, the Bergen Symphony Orchestra, and the Westchester Oratorio Society. He has also made appearances in the orchestras for many notable musical theater productions, including West-Side Story, In the Heights, and The Music Man. He is a Teaching Artist with the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. He is soon expecting to receive his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, where he is a student of Toby Oft.
Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute
Bob D'Ambrosio has been teaching woodwinds for over 30 years. In addition to teaching, he and guitarist Louis Arnold recorded music for clarinet and guitar. They have recieved accolades from Minnesota composer Libby Larsen for their interpretation of her music.
Bob has also performed with the Indian Hill Symphony, Boston Lyric Opera, Worcester, and other area orchestras. He received music education and performance degrees from the University of Massachusetts. Following graduate school, Bob continued his clarinet studies with Thomas Martin, Associate Principal Clarinetist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
He enjoys busking on the waterfront in Plymouth and has run the Boston Marathon eight times.
Guitar, Bass, Ukulele
Liam has been playing guitar for over a decade. In 2018, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music with a degree in Guitar Performance. Liam has been a part of the Boston music scene for many years playing weddings, recording and performing with dozens of artists, most notably Tipling Rock. He was a member of Avante-Garde Jazz quintet, Law Years: a group that performs the eclectic and innovative music of fellow Berklee College of Music graduate Nathaniel Pierce. Liam currently performs with Speechless Music and Silver Arrow Band. He has recorded with Lo-Fi hip-hop artist altitude., as well as Red Mill, Claire Bryant, and many others. Liam has also done session work for the Berklee College of Music Film Scoring department.
Piano, Oboe
Masters of Music, Longy School of Music at Bard College. Sachiko Murata is an Oboe educator, composer, soloist, chamber, orchestral performer, and currently Principal Oboist with The Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts. Sachiko has performed around the world and won first prize at the Ralph Gomberg Oboe Merit Award. As a composer, her most recent work Kyo-Sen, was highly acclaimed at the 12th Annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue at the Ikeda Center of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ms. Murata comes from a musical family, and her father was a former principal oboist of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra.
Percussion
Steve showed an interest in drumming at a very early age and began formal training in 4th grade, taking lessons on the snare drum and learning to read snare drum notation and fundamental rudiments. His first professional drum set gig was in high school with a 7- piece band called Lucky Seven. Around the same time, he studied privately with Jazz drumming legend Alan Dawson.
In 1982, Steve decided to go to the Berklee School of Music, graduating in 1986. He started teaching professionally in 1992 and has since taught private lessons across Massachusetts.
Steve has played a wide variety of music styles from Dixieland Traditional Jazz to hard Rock to World rhythms from West Africa, Brazil, and Cuba, and teaches students from beginner to advanced from ages 6 to 70.
Piano, Violin, Viola
Maryann Han has been playing piano for 21 years. She graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a BM in piano performance, having been under the guidance of Victor Rosenbaum. Other teachers include Kathleen Panek, Keiko Sato, Mana Tokuno, and many more. She has performed multiple times in both solo and chamber settings on the historic Jordan Hall stage. With over 10 years of traditional teaching experience, Maryann is also certified in the Suzuki method for violin and piano, and enjoys helping students discover the love of music. Maryann currently teaches piano as well as violin at the Needham School of Music in Needham, MA, and maintains a private studio in the Boston area, while actively performing as chamber musician, soloist, and sought-after accompanist.
Guitar, Saxophone, Clarinet
Cam comes from Fort Collins, CO where he began in music through the school system. He studied clarinet and saxophone, seeking as many playing opportunities as possible. This ranged from concert band, jazz band, orchestra, and the various Colorado all-state ensembles. He then studied at Berklee College of Music as a guitar principal, graduating Summa Cum Laude. After graduating, he released a solo EP in 2022 and has been pursuing music scenes in Colorado, Kansas City, and Boston ever since.
Piano, Voice, & Trumpet
Tobias Duke graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2022 from Castleton University with a B.A. in Music and A.S. in Business Administration. He subsequently graduated in August 2023 from Castleton's MBA program with a concentration in “Leading Organizational Change”.
Beyond his work as a Freelance Musician (Music Director, Collaborative Pianist, and Baritone) and Business Consultant (Marketing & Brand Strategy,
Organizational Change, and Strategic Planning) in the Greater Boston Area, Tobias works at Needham Music as a Private Piano/Voice/Trumpet Teacher and has served as an Administrator at the front desk since August 2023.
As a musician, Tobias has always enjoyed working as a collaborative artist and helping others perform at their best, whether it be as their accompanist or supporting on stage myself. As a person, Tobias always enjoys working with people and helping them reach their goals.
Piano & Voice
Liana Perlman is a soprano and aspiring choral director in Needham, MA. She earned a B.A. in Music with a concentration in Vocal Performance from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA., and is looking forward to pursuing a degree in Choral Conducting in the coming years. She is currently singing in the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and serving as a conducting intern with the Zamir Chorale of Boston. Liana has a strong background in classical vocal technique, with repertoire that ranges from J.S. Bach to Aaron Copland, as well as a variety of musical theater. She enjoys teaching singers of all ages, levels and voice types, and loves to explore new music introduced to her by teachers, students, friends and family. Liana is also licensed to teach music in grades K-12 in Massachusetts public schools, and has previously worked with high school and middle school voices.
Piano & Voice
Rachel Shurland is a composer, producer, pianist, and singer from the Boston area. She graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelors of Science in Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Music, and Masters of Music in Composition. She has performed in various operas and productions and has composed for short films, podcasts, and marketing campaigns. Outside of composing, Rachel collaborates with local artists, plays gigs, and is in the process of producing her first album. Rachel encourages her students to create, learn, and explore with their instruments in a comfortable environment. She also teaches private songwriting workshops and is open to all styles of creativity and musical expression.
Piano & Voice
A versatile vocalist, pianist and songwriter Olivia has been involved in the performing arts world her entire life. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music where she studied Vocal performance, Music Business and Drama and a Master’s Degree from Harvard University in Psychology where she specialized in artistic creativity. Olivia has over 12 years of Musical Theater performance experience and incorporates stage performance techniques into her unique methodology. As a voice and piano instructor she strives to inspire enthusiasm and deep engagement in her lessons by providing students with opportunities for self-expression and artistic growth. She is proficient in a variety of music genres such as Classical, Pop, Rock, R&B, EDM, and Indie.