Piano Lessons on Long Island, NY
Our Approach to Piano Lessons at Grace Music School on Long Island, NY
Looking for piano lessons? We believe every student is unique and different in their own way. Therefore, why should lessons be any different? Each piano lesson is tailored to the individual student’s specific interests and needs.
While focusing on foundational elements such as proper technique, reading music, finger position and more. Our teachers also help students learn songs they are familiar with. This includes movie theme music, popular songs on the radio, their favorite classical artist etc. This helps keep students motivated and pushing further to learn each week.
Experience the Grace Music School Difference
Get StartedPiano Lessons Should Be Fun!
We know that an interest in piano may be what first brings you into our school – but having fun is what keeps you coming back! Here at Grace Music School, our goal is for every student to LOVE their music lessons as they embark on a rewarding journey of progress and discovery. We put the “fun” in fundamentals!
Our knowledgeable staff blends a high standard of music education with a creative, student-focused approach that gives students space to discover and nurture their passion for music and the piano. Whether it’s your first time at the keys or you’re a seasoned pianist, our teachers are ready to help you progress quickly toward your goals – while having fun along the way.
We Emphasize Healthy Technique
Healthy technique is critical to lifelong enjoyment of the piano. Our first priority is teaching strong fundamentals, including hand, wrist and arm technique, bench position, and pedaling. We believe that full-body instruction is essential to musicianship and safeguards students from injury.
Once the fundamentals are in place, you and your teacher can craft the story you want your music to tell. Our qualified teachers will assist you in developing musicianship and exploring nuance through dynamics, pausing, phrasing, and varying tempos. Learn with us as we infuse elements of music theory and music history into our well-rounded approach to fostering musical excellence.
We Care About Your Musical Interests & Goals
There is no one-size-fits-all method of piano instruction. Regardless of ability or prior experience, our teachers take an individualized approach to each of our students – underpinned by detailed individual assessments, a personalized learning plan, and one-on-one guidance throughout your musical journey.
While fundamentals and technique are essential, our ultimate goal is to equip students to begin exploring their own personal musical style and interests. Your teacher will work with you to understand where you want to go, and craft a unique plan to get you there. Whether your style is classical or pop (or anything in between), Grace Music School helps students excel in their craft while encouraging the occasional step outside the comfort zone to try something new.
Our Piano Teachers
Sam
Piano, Voice
Sam began to play the piano when he was only three. When Sam was seven, he started his formal training as a vocalist. He enjoys singing and playing a variety of genres including classical, jazz, and country, while simultaneously crafting original songs.
Mate Marcina
Music Director, Piano Teacher
Mate Marcina is the Music Director and a piano teacher at Grace Music School, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2015. He is an accomplished classical and jazz pianist, an award nominated composer and arranger, and a dedicated educator, who has studied and honed his skills in Europe and the US.
Brit Schlude
Cello, Strings & Piano
As an educator, Brit Schlude (he/they), loves to build relationships that encourage progress and celebrate growth. Growing up he studied piano and cello, and worked towards his goal of being an orchestra teacher.
Napoleon Cummings
Voice, Piano
Napoleon, one of ten children hails from Staten Island, NY where his mother filled their home with an eclectic array of music, “My mother did not discriminate when it came to music, If it was good music, it was played.”
Michael Roberts
Guitar, Ukulele, Piano, Trumpet
Michael is a versatile and eclectic guitarist based in the New York area. His performances have taken him throughout the United States and Canada. Equally comfortable on the classical and electric guitar, his playing experience ranges from standard classical guitar repertoire to jazz, rock, blues and world music.
Arielle Chin
Violin, Viola, Piano
Arielle Chin has been passionate about everything violin related since she was 5 years old. She holds her degree in Music Business from the Crane School of Music with a focus on classical violin studies.
Nicki Winzelberg
Voice, Piano, Trombone, Trumpet, Baritone Horn
Nicki is a vocal and piano teacher at GMS, priding herself in finding the unique balance between foundation and fun in each student’s lesson. Besides being an enthusiastic and dedicated educator for the past 15+ years of her life.
Chris Cuvier
Piano
Chris Cuvier has been a professional pianist and composer since 1993, and a piano teacher since 1998. He graduated with a B.A. in music and English from Dowling College, and has studied with the world-renowned jazz pianist Fred Hersch.
Grace Casey
Piano
A popular and award-winning piano teacher, Grace Casey (Heaphy) has been teaching piano since 2006 with students ranging from ages 3 to adult. Grace has previously taught and maintained a successful piano studio in NYC and Long Island.
Naomi Pierro
Voice, Piano
Naomi Pierro is a singer and actress who grew up on Long Island. She has performed in many different recitals, concerts, musical theater shows, operas, and churches around NY. She has also won various singing competitions, including one at Carnegie Hall.
Patricia B.
Strings, Guitar, Piano, Voice, Brass & Woodwinds
New to Grace Music School, music teacher Patricia has enjoyed a varied musical career incorporating teaching and performing, having begun both before entering college.
Shiori Chazono
Strings, Piano
Shiori Chazono, bassist, pianist, composer, arranger, and piano tuner, is currently teaching at Grace Music School and Kellenberg Memorial High School. Originally from Japan, she studied at the Tokyo College of Music, where she received a Bachelor of Music degree in composition.
Vincent Basileo
Strings, Guitar, Piano
Vincent Basileo is a music educator specializing in cello performance, as well as lessons in beginner-intermediate violin, viola, piano, guitar and music theory. A student of such acclaimed cellists as Maureen Hynes, Julian Langford, Arnold Choi and Lauren Posey,
Patrick Roche
Percussion, Piano
Babylon based percussionist Patrick Roche is an active performer and educator in several sides of the percussion world. As a chamber musician, Patrick has appeared with the Four as One, Avalon, and Mirage percussion quartets.
Izem Gurer
Piano
Izem Gurer was born in Istanbul, Turkey. She started to study piano with concert pianist Birsen Ulucan at the age of eight. She has been prize winner of numerous national and international piano competitions between the years 2012-2020.
Frenie Acoba
Voice, Piano, Guitar
Frenie Acoba is an actress, singer, and dancer, where she has been involved in theater and entertainment for over a decade. Frenie has performed professionally in the National Tour of “South Pacific” and in the Original Broadway Cast of “Matilda the Musical”.
Caitlin Francis
Voice, Piano, Violin
Caitlin Francis has been teaching voice, piano, and violin lessons at Grace Music School since 2017. She graduated from LIU Post in 2015 with a degree in music education with a focus in vocal studies.
Erik Rasmussen
Voice & Piano
Erik’s unique and colorful tenor voice has been described as “youthful, amusing, and crowd-pleasing.” Hailing from Brentwood, New York, he aims to inspire a world of goodwill through live performance and education in the arts.
Steven Madonia
Piano, Cello, Violin & Viola
Steven Madonia is a music educator who completed his undergraduate studies at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music and his graduate studies at SUNY University at Buffalo.
Michael Alvarez
Piano, Guitar, Woodwind, and String
Michael Alvarez is a freelance musician and a private teacher at Grace Music School in Woodbury, New York. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays saxophone, piano, guitar, and a variety of other woodwind and string instruments and is also an accomplished vocalist.
Logan Slansky
Piano
Logan Slansky is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and educator in the Long Island/New York City area. After receiving his Honors Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Delaware in May of 2024
Gina Lardi
Voice, Piano
Gina Lardi is a voice and piano teacher who focuses on connection with musical pieces and finding your own musical voice. She is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz with a BA in Theatre Performance and Music.
Jessica McCoskey
Piano
Jessica has seven years teaching experience in public schools in Maryland, Delaware, and New York. She has taught at both the elementary school and high school levels, and has taught a variety of classes such as general music
Aidan Walsh
Brass, Woodwinds, Piano
Aidan Walsh is a dedicated and passionate music teacher and musician from Long Island, NY. He found his love for music when he started playing the trumpet in fourth grade. He graduated from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in January of 2024
Cameron Keym
Piano
Cameron Keym is a dedicated music educator, bringing over 25 years of enriching musical experiences to students of diverse ages and skill levels across the U.S., Europe, and Mexico. With a deep-rooted passion for music education, Cameron emphasizes the importance of identifying each student’s current musical inspiration.
David Nieves
Percussion, Woodwinds, Brass, Piano
David Nieves is a 25-year musician specializing in drums, percussion, woodwinds, brass and piano. He got his start at the age of 10 when a chance meeting with a music teacher prompted him to start clarinet.
TJ Moran
Cello, Piano, Strings, Guitar
TJ Moran teaches orchestral strings, piano, and ukulele at Grace Music School, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2018. He served as principal cellist at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York, where he was a founding member of the Potsdam Trout Quintet and studied cello performance under Dr. Mathias Wexler
Kelly McGinnis
Voice, Piano
Kelly is a singer and musician from Islip, New York who has taught at Grace Music since February of 2021. After completing her undergraduate studies at LIU Post, Kelly began teaching voice, piano, and violin lessons while working on musical theater projects and auditioning in New York City.
Jennie Damiano
Voice, Piano
Jennie Damiano, has been singing and performing since childhood and graduated from LIU Post in 2016 with a Bachelors in Music. As a member of the Post Chorus, Chamber Singers, Long Island Sound Vocal Jazz, and Madrigal Singers
What you can expect
Together we explore student musical goals
We match students with one of our expert instructors.
Start attending lessons! Parents can receive progress reports each week.
We Offer Simple Pricing to Fit Your Schedule & Budget
Frequently Asked Questions
Get StartedWhat Age Should My Child Start Piano Lessons?
The minimum age we recommend a student start piano lessons at Grace Music School is 5 years old. For younger students, we recommend an intro to the music program. Starting age will largely depend on the student when it comes to piano or keyboard. So, some students may need to wait longer than others to start. Contact us and we can help determine if your child is ready to start!
Top Rated Long Island Music School
You’ve come to the right place if you searched the web for ‘piano teachers near me‘, or ‘piano lessons near me‘, because Grace Music School offers the best piano lessons in the Northport, East Northport, Smithtown, Huntington, Plainview, Dix Hills, Melville, and Fort Salonga areas by presenting repertoire and technique with fun and innovative methods.
Why Take Piano Lessons at Grace Music School?
Piano lessons in Grace Music School provide teachers who instruct on a variety of styles from classical to popular music. Whether you want to learn Bach or Alicia Keys, our teachers are happy to help you become the pianist you want to be. Our piano faculty will show you the fundamentals of sight reading, technique and theory, but they will also incorporate your favorite songs into your lessons. You do not have to have a piano at home to take lessons. A simple electronic keyboard with a minimum of 61 keys will suffice for the first 6 months. Our piano teachers have warm personalities and enjoy sharing their love for the piano with you when you take piano lessons in Grace Music School.
Our Piano Teachers
All of the teachers at Grace Music School are experts in their field. Our piano faculty have received their musical education from such prestigious institutions all over the country.
Do I Have to Know How to Read Music?
No. Beginners are welcome! Our lesson plans aim to educate, engage and inspire students.
Do I Need a Piano to Start Taking Lessons?
No. You do not need a piano to start piano lessons, however, we do recommend having a digital piano keyboard in your home to practice between lessons. Also, keyboards are much more economical and require less commitment upfront when it comes to ongoing maintenance and moving costs.
So, What Are You Waiting for?
If you’re ready to jump into the world of keyboarding, we are excited to match you with a teacher that can get you started on your musical journey.
Nothing will enable you to progress more effectively than a one-on-one partnership with an inspiring piano professional.
Let us help you explore and build your abilities in a setting that is comfortable for you. You never know how far you can go until you take that first step, so get started today!