Mrs. Flonta- Randall is a well-versed pianist and piano teacher. She started specializing in piano at the age of 7. She attended the Sigismund Toduta Music School for grades 1-12 and continued with her Bachelor's Degree in Piano Performance at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In 2011, she moved to the U.S., where she earned her Certificate and Master's Degree in Piano Performance on a full tuition scholarship at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, where she studied with Dr. Laura Melton.
Ioana has built a vast performing experience as a soloist, accompanist, and chamber music player. She has performed numerous recitals in Europe and the US, and earned prizes at competitions in Europe and the US. Her experience includes collaborations with strings (violin, viola, cello), singers (solo and choir), wood-winds (flute, bassoon, tuba), and ensembles (piano at 4 hands, violin group, church band). During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ioana has performed remote solo recitals for the patients at the Massachusetts General Hospital, as a member of The Volunteer Musicians for the Arts, Inc.
In her 15+ years of teaching experience, Mrs. Flonta-Randall has taught more than 200+ students of all ages and levels. At the age of 19, Ioana began teaching individual private piano lessons to children and adults. Also, while attaining her Master's degree, she taught group piano lessons for college level music majors. Since 2014, when she relocated to the Boston area, she has been teaching piano full time to students of all levels, ranging from preschool to adults, both in-person and remotely. Mrs. Flonta-Randall's approach to teaching is creating a curriculum that covers all the aspects needed in developing a strong foundation: technique book that develops healthy habits; lesson book that introduces new concepts at every lesson; theory book that reinforces the concepts learned in the lesson though writing; and fun songs that are chosen by the student in order to motivate them learn the songs they love. Moreover, Mrs. Flonta-Randall strongly believes that the art of music goes beyond just playing the notes correctly and with the correct rhythm. Therefore, her students are taught from very early on about creating different "musical colors" through dynamic and articulation variety, as well as phrasing and pedal use.
A few teaching methods that Mrs. Flonta-Randall recommends and follows include Piano Adventures and Adult Piano Adventures, by Nancy and Randall Faber; the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Certification Program; Alfred's Scales, Chords, Arpeggios & Cadences; Fundamentals of Piano Theory; fun songs and pieces of all styles that are suited to each student's level. Her varied experience and diverse background enables Ioana to adapt her teaching style based on each student's unique needs and personality.
Mrs. Flonta-Randall's students’ achievements include earning 1st and 2nd prizes along with Honorable mentions at the Judged Festival organized by the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association (MMTA); obtaining outstanding results at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) practical exams, including First Class Honors with Distinction; and performing at the renown Carnegie Hall in New York.
Mrs. Flonta-Randall is a member of the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association (MMTA), Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), and The Volunteer Musicians for the Arts, Inc.
John grew up in Cairo, Egypt and was always amazed by his local church musicians, especially the pianists and keyboard players. He had the opportunity to start piano lessons in middle school and in high school joined the school band. The piano is John's favorite instrument, because piano is both a solo and an ensemble instrument, and it is one of the best ways to express yourself.
John went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in music from Helwan University, Egypt, and has taught students of all ages in both private schools and his piano studio for over 25 years. In addition to piano, John also teaches guitar.
John’s students—both from his private studio and from his classes in school—participate in end of year performances. While living overseas, John taught students from different nationalities, including members of the royal family of Kuwait. One of his most inspiring moments as a teacher came through a student on the autism spectrum, who struggled to control his emotions and to communicate. Aziz came to his music room during his breaks, and, after just a few months of lessons, performed in front of the entire school, including teachers, parents, administration, and official guests. This showed John how music can transform his students—giving them joy and something to be proud of.
The curriculum in his private studio included scales, technique, sight reading, and pieces for solo piano, four hands, and piano with other band instruments. John has a passion to make music accessible for all students, especially those with special needs– and he has developed a curriculum for these students to quickly become successful on the piano and enjoy their lessons and practice time.
As a bilingual person, John understands that while each nationality has its own unique language, music is one language that unites us.
Born and raised in MA, Chris Barry is a multi-instrumentalist artist, music producer, teacher/mentor, and songwriter. Music has always been in Chris’ life, growing up with guitars and pianos in the household played a big part in that. Chris’ teaching style is that of music from the core of theory, rhythm, and feeling.
While attending Eagle Hill School, in Hardwick, MA - a theater, music and arts school - he was involved with school bands, talent shows, and various performances and studio recording opportunities. During his time here, he had the opportunity to jam with Steward Copeland of The Police. This was a stepping stone in discovering a love for teaching drums and discovered his love for electronic music production and sound design.
His first project “Freevo” gained local recognition as a unique male/female electro pop duo. This project was active from 2015-2018, and during this time the duo toured and played shows throughout New England, including the festival “Pioneer Festival” (2017) opening alongside Goldfish, Elephante, and rapper Wale.
In 2018, Chris pioneered his solo project, “CHYLD”. Right out the gates, after releasing new music, Chris played shows with the likes of Greyson Chance, Crywolf, Stelouse, Tourist, Future Islands at venues such as House Of Blues, Brighton Music Hall, The Sinclair, Sonia and more. “CHYLD” more recently got noticed and nominated for Best New Artist and Best Album/EP for “Be Patient” during the 2022 Boston Music Awards.
"Producing music of rare quality" (The Philippine Star), Arianna Giesbrecht, a Young Steinway Artist, is a recent graduate of the highly selective Accelerated B.M./M.M. Program at The Juilliard School under the guidance of Jerome Lowenthal and Hung-Kuan Chen. Arianna has appeared in performance ranging from a piano arrangement of the national anthem at the Cleveland Indians Home Opener to a performance of Chopin's Concerto No. 2 with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Christopher Wilkins who exclaimed that "Arianna displayed great poise, polish and musical instinct."
Arianna won first prizes in international competitions including the Fifth Julia Crane International Piano Competition, the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists and the David D. Dubois Piano Competition. She was one of only eighteen recipients nationwide under the age of 18 to have been selected as a 2011 Davidson Fellow by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development. Recognized by the United States Senate, her achievements were entered into the Congressional Record on October 6, 2011.
An award-winning and avid chamber musician, Arianna was named one of the Rembrandt Young Artists at the Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition in Chicago and received the Live From Lincoln Center “Outstanding Student Performance Award”. Arianna's numerous performances include Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall in NYC, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival and the Ecoles d'Art Américaines at Château Fontainebleau, France. She regularly performs with her husband, Robin Giesbrecht as a duo piano team.
As a teacher, it is a rewarding experience for Arianna to share her musical aspirations and abilities with her students and to work with them in achieving their individual goals of learning basic piano technique, understanding music theory, and implementing musical interpretation and expression in their playing. She is passionate about the growth of all students and believes in creating and fostering a positive environment where her students have the ability to grow as both musicians and individuals.
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