Private Piano Lesson Scheduling

For over two decades, Rebecca Cline has lived in Boston as an educator, presenter, and performer specializing in Latin and jazz piano. As the author of Latin Jazz Piano Improvisation: Clave, Comping, and Soloing on Berklee Press, she has led scores of workshops in the US, Asia, Europe, South America and the Caribbean on improvising within the context of the clave and on Cuban piano improvisation styles. She has taught ensembles, Cuban piano styles, and jazz studies to undergraduate students for 20 years at Berklee College of Music.

"People grow best in the stretch zone, when they feel both safe and challenged."

Zahili Gonzalez Zamora is a pianist, composer, bandleader, arranger, and educator. Born in Manzanillo, Cuba, she started playing piano at the age of 6 and graduated from the National School of Music with a performance degree. She feels most defined by her Cuban heritage and her status as an immigrant. Her passion for music has taken her to Canada, to South East Asia and, now, to the United States – a land of immigrants. She is always moving forward, guided and driven by her music and the need to grow as an artist and a person, to share her music and her love of life with others. She aspires to inspire; to be a messenger for a journey that is not only her own, but one that deeply resonates with others. She’s an artist who’s out of her comfort zone – her home – for the sake of her work. Her rich musical background, career experience and extraordinary improvisation skills render her a leader in the modern Latin jazz idiom and an influential, emulated musician.

"In both performance and teaching, I always aspire to inspire.”

Eric Gould is the former Chair of the Jazz Composition Department at Berklee. He has taught at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the College of Wooster, and Cleveland State University. He has performed and recorded with world-renowned instrumentalists such as Jimmy Heath, Ron Carter, James Newton, Bobby Watson, Antonio Hart, Winard Harper, Cindy Blackman, and Terri Lynne Carrington, in addition to leading his own trio. His debut CD, On the Real, rose to no. 11 on the national jazz radio charts in 1999.  His second CD, Miles Away… Wayne In Heavy was one of the 50 most played albums on jazz radio in 2000.

Gould has composed in a wide variety of genres and has been commissioned by critically acclaimed ensembles such as the Cavani String Quartet, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Apollo's Fire, and the Canton Symphony Orchestra. Organizations such as Tribeca Performing Arts Center in Manhattan, Tri-C Jazz Fest, and Chamber Music Wilmington have commissioned him to write music featuring performers such as Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, Kenny Barron, and Savion Glover, to name a few.

"We are human beings first, and then musicians. I want my students to take away an understanding that they have to be honest with themselves. I want them to have acquired the tools and sensibilities to evolve and understand the world around us. When I teach, I stress that you have to be persistent, honest about self-evaluation,dedicated, and committed to pursuing growth and excellence, since it doesn't happen by itself. No matter what career direction you take,one thing we know is that life is going to intervene at some point. And if you're neglecting any major area of your life, that will affect all other areas."

Described as a “brilliant pianist” by legendary saxophonist Benny Golson, Hey Rim Jeon has been enjoying the recent accolades and acknowledgements of her accomplishments as a musician and educator, following the release of her new jazz recording Groovitude, which soared to No. 14 on the Jazz Week National Radio Chart and remained in the top 20 for several consecutive weeks. The recording features a guest spot by her dear friend and colleague Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, as well as bassist John Lockwood and drummer Yoron Israel. The recording holds a special place in her heart, as it’s dedicated to her late father. 

In addition, her recent sold-out CD release concert at Scullers, the No. 1 Jazz Club in Boston, and the world-famous Birdland jazz club, established Hey Rim as a force to be reckoned with in the jazz community. She received rave reviews from fans and music critics, as well as members of the Korean Cultural Center and Korean Cultural Society. A high point of her trip to New York was viewing her image for the first time on a billboard at Times Square that flashed brightly during her gig at Birdland. 

On the educational side, Hey Rim was granted an early promotion to Professor at the Berklee College of Music, where she has been teaching in the Piano Department since 2010. In 2021, she received Berklee’s prestigious Exemplary Mentorship Award and is the first Korean faculty member at the institution. Hey Rim recently received the honor of being included in Marquis’s Who’s Who in America 2022 (75th Edition). 

As leader of her own band, Hey Rim Jeon and Friends, she has performed both nationally and internationally. Bill Milkowski of JazzTimes described her album Mona Lisa Puzzle as an “intense, intelligent statement”. It was awarded the “Best Jazz Album” in the 2009 “New England Urban Music Awards,” and reached CD Baby’s "Top 10 Modern Creative Jazz Albums" list. 

Hey Rim has appeared as a featured guest on NBC’s Weekend Today in New York and was the subject of a documentary on Korea’s National TV network titled In the Name of Korea. She has also been interviewed on a variety of podcasts and has performed her work on several online TV and radio shows. 

"When mastered, this technique is one of the healthiest ways to play piano."

Christian Li is a jazz pianist, born in Montreal, Quebec and raised in the small town of Horseheads, NY.  

Trained in both contemporary and classical music traditions, he performs with Sungazer, Shubh Saran, Rasika Shekar, Kevin Sun, Hannah Read, Mike Bono, and others. He has also arranged for Siv Jakobsen, Andrew Bayer, and others. Christian is an active educator, currently on faculty at the Berklee College of Music. He has given clinics and master classes in institutions around the world, from Beijing to Mumbai. Christian received his bachelor’s degree at the Berklee College of Music and his master’s degree from New York University.

"I believe that to be a good educator, I need to stay actively engaged in my own continuing education. The world is different every day, and the moment that I get too complacent and too comfortable in my own little cozy corner should also be the moment that I leave education altogether. The truth is I know very little about anything; the scope of human experience is simply too vast. So when my students come to me with their own histories and their own ways of experiencing and loving music, the only thing to do is to try to learn from that. By doing so, I hope that I can put myself in a position to offer something in return that will ultimately help them become more of themselves."

Virtuoso at the piano, Maxim is a remarkable pianist, whose stylistic versatility and musicality makes him one of the most sought-after musicians.

Native of Odessa, Ukraine, Maxim was originally trained as a classical pianist at famous Stolyarsky school of Music and Odessa State Conservatory. Already in school he has developed a passion for jazz and received a scholarship to come to Berklee College of Music to further his studies.

Maxim has performed and recorded with such musicians as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lynn Carrington, Gabrielle Goodman, Rhiannon, Patrice Rushen, Greg Osby, Dave Samuels, and participated in St. Petersburg Music Fest (Russia), Spoleto Festival (SC), Beantown Festival (MA), Diacetum Festival (Italy), “Black Sea Weekend” (Ukraine), “Usadba Jazz” Festival (Russia), ArtNaples Festival (FL), Cambridge Jazz Festival (MA), Salem Jazz to name a few.

Maxim is an assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music. He has also been invited numerous times with masterclasses in China, South Africa, Ukraine and Russia. Maxim continues a vivid performing and recording career, leading Maxim Lubarsky Group and working on several other projects with musicians from around the world.

To learn more about Maxim Lubarsky visit www.maximlubarsky.com 

"I want my students to learn to express themselves through the language of music, learn to be free and creative, and have all the necessary tools to do so. That involves understanding the process of creativity and improvisation in its foundation as well as learning and understanding the jazz language (or other styles they might be interested in).”

John Paul McGee is a masterful musician, recording artist, dynamic speaker, producer, published author, and educator. At the age of 4, without any formal training, he began to play familiar hymns and church songs by ear. By age 11, he was studying piano and pipe organ at the New Shiloh School of Music, under the tutelage of the late Dr. Nathan Carter, and subsequently graduated in 2002 from Baltimore School for the Arts with an arts certificate in piano and opera studies. He began his career in church music at the age of 12 as full-time minister of music at Waters AME church in Baltimore. As a keyboardist, vocal arranger, producer, and songwriter, he has been privileged to grace stages across the world with many popular gospel, jazz, R&B, and classical artists.

Dr. McGee is a 2006 graduate of Bethune-Cookman College with a Bachelor of Arts in music with a concentration in piano performance. He is a May 2008 graduate of Liberty University with a Master of Arts in religion with a concentration in church ministries. He is a 2015 graduate of Emory University in Atlanta with a Master of Sacred Music degree with a concentration in pipe organ performance. He is a June 2021 graduate of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta with a Doctor of Ministry degree with concentration in pastoral care and counseling. From August through December 2021, McGee was resident professor of music for Verto Education in Pahoa, Hawaii, and he began his appointment as assistant chair of the Piano Department at Berklee College of Music in January 2022.

"Everything you need to become your best and highest self is already in you or around you."

Ukrainian composer and pianist Vadim Neselovskyi is celebrated for his inventive approach and powerful collaborations with jazz and classical luminaries. Mentored by legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton, Neselovskyi joined Burton’s acclaimed Generations Quintet early in his career and has since worked with such icons as John Zorn, Randy Brecker, and Julian Lage. Praised for his “extraordinary playing” by the Los Angeles Times and hailed as a “promising young improviser” by The Guardian (UK), Neselovskyi’s music spans genres and captivates audiences worldwide.
 
His latest solo album ODESA, an evocative tribute to his hometown, earned acclaim from The New York Times, which featured it in “5 Classical Albums You Can Listen to Right Now,” and received widespread attention on NPR, PBS, and other major media outlets across the US and Europe. Following the success of ODESA, Neselovskyi premiered PERSEVERANTIA, his latest project for piano and string trio, to standing ovations in the US and Europe. With its release set for early 2025, PERSEVERANTIA promises to further highlight Neselovskyi’s unique ability to bridge jazz, classical, and improvisational forms.

Since I began teaching at Berklee, my mission has been to help students discover and develop their unique voices. Drawing on 13 years at Berklee College of Music and a career as a pianist and composer, I am committed to guiding students in shaping their artistic vision beyond conventional stylistic boundaries. Many of my former students, such as Jesus Molina and Bence Peter, have built distinguished careers, with others earning awards like the Yamaha Scholarship, the El Paso Original Music Competition, and the ASCAP Young Composer’s Competition.

Suzanna Sifter is a jazz pianist, author, and educator who has been on faculty at Berklee College of Music since 1989. She holds a BM from Berklee and Master’s Degree from New England Conservatory.Suzanna has traveled extensively with Berklee to places such as Europe, South America, the US, Canada and the Far East auditioning students, giving master classes and performing. Suzanna has five recordings as a leader, composer, and arranger: Flowers for You, Awakening, The Illumination, Sophisticated Lady, and the play along CD to her book, Berklee Jazz Keyboard Harmony: Using Upper Structure Triads. Her second book, A Modern Method for Piano Scales was released in June 2022 through Hal Leonard/Berklee Press.

Suzanna has performed with John La Porta, Alan Dawson, John Lockwood, Yoron Israel, Dave Clark, and recorded with Casey Scheuerell, Jon Hazilla, Bruce Gertz, Dino Govoni, Tony Lada, Larry Monroe, and Greg Badolato. Her compositions have been featured on “In the Library” (D. Govoni) and “On the Edge” (T. Lada). 

“I would like my students to learn to love the process which prepares them for the experience of creative expression."

Dr. Karen Walwyn, the first African-American female Steinway Artist as a concert pianist/composer, is an Albany recording artist and a Florence Price scholar. Noted as the first pianist to record the Florence Price Concerto in E Minor for piano, Walwyn has continued to perform, record, and present research on Florence Price as she began her work on composers of color with her first two recordings from Albany Records. Additionally, Walwyn made her compositional debut at the Kennedy Center where she performed "Reflections on 9/11" for solo piano. She later recorded it at Albany Records, receiving rave reviews from the American Record Guide and Fanfare Magazine. Walwyn received her B.M. and M.M. from the University of Miami under Dr. J.B. Floyd where she studied with Professors Rosalie Gregory and Susan Starr, and completed her education with her D.M.A. from the University of Michigan under Dr. Arthur Greene.

Walwyn performs as a solo artist and as a guest artist with symphony orchestras across the continent and abroad. She has recorded and produced five albums and has been a guest artist with the New Black Music Repertory Ensemble and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in 2021, where she premiered the newly released recording of Price's authentic score of Concerto in One Movement in E Minor. Walwyn was featured in the Emmy–nominated documentary The Caged Bird: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price, NPR's Classical Breakdown with Jonathan Banther on Florence Price, and PBS's Now Hear This with Scot Yoo on the subject of Florence Price. Walwyn’s most recent album release, Florence B. Price, was selected as a top five pick by Fanfare Magazine’s critic James Harrington.

"I have had the opportunity to teach at University of Michigan, University of Miami, Howard University, Bethune College, Southwest Missouri State University, and the American Academy in Barcelona, Spain and have maintained an active performing career. I have learned methods that help me survive the busy life of a performing and recording artist and composer with this experience, plus the many wonderful years that I have studied with my piano teachers: Rosalie Gregory, Dr. Robert Floyd, Ms. Susan Starr, and Dr. Arthur Greene. I have combined the life lessons on and off the stage with their expertise. I bring this to the lesson. I love meeting my students, learning of their interests, and understanding their challenges. It is my goal to help each of my students to visualize their future, develop a method of practice, to understand a healthy approach to the piano, and to help build their sense of artistry as they realize their goals as a budding professional musician."