Brian Kantor - Drums, Guitar, Piano
Brian has been performing, recording & teaching music since the late 90s. He has been an active touring musician for nearly two decades, playing with Fruit Bats, Nina Persson (The Cardigans), Vetiver, Lauren Ambrose & The Leisure Class amongst many others.
In addition to performance and education, Brian is an avid collector of records and likes to instill a passion for listening to sounds across a diverse range of musical styles. Critical listening is at the center of Brian’s musical teachings.
Brian has a lifelong passion for performing and music education, passing musical knowledge along to others. He also has several years of early childhood teaching experience, working at The Berkshire Waldorf School (Great Barrington), Stevens Cooperative (Hoboken) and The Williamsburg Northside School (Brooklyn).
Sam McGarrity - Guitar, Piano
As a consummate performance guitarist, Sam’s instincts and versatility extend beyond his mind-bending solos. He is capable of creating atmospheric textures, complex lyrical compositions, and beautifully haunting melody lines. He has an innate sense of what a song or performance needs, and the clean technical ability to execute with precision - both live and in the studio.
Having studied guitar performance and composition at Berklee College of Music, he is immersed in extensive knowledge of harmony and music theory. Other significant skills include music production, orchestration, scoring for short films, and recreating complex transcriptions. Sam draws from this deep well of knowledge in his approach to teaching both beginners and advanced students alike.
Miles Lally - Electric Bass
Miles Lally has been rocking stages on electric bass since before he had a driver's license. After earning a BA at Bennington College where he studied under a pioneer of avant-garde improvised music, Professor Milford Graves, Miles brought the ethos of the improvisor to more mainstream musical forms like rock & roll, funk, reggae, r&b, soul, and the blues. Tapping into and honing one's distinct musical voice is the overarching goal of Miles' playing and teaching.
With deep respect for the groove, a penchant for collaborating on original music, and a passion for the historical foundations of a wide range of popular musical genres, Miles has had the good fortune of working with many truly talented artists including Greg Farley, Doug Fieger, Ursula Rucker, the BTU's, Billy Keane, Don McGrory, Jordan Weller and the Feathers, the Transmitters, and Bell Engine to name a few.
Michael Siktberg - Guitar, Ukulele, Soundry Sprouts: Toddler Music Programming
A musician since practically birth, Michael is also an actor and musical theatre professional. After 20 years in New York City, he finally came to his senses and moved to Sheffield with his wife and three cats. Aside from performing theatre and teaching music, he is also a teaching artist for the Flying Cloud Institute, a director for the Falls Village Children’s Theatre, and on staff at Dewey Memorial Hall.
Sam Lisabeth - Piano/Guitar
Sam Lisabeth has been teaching music for over a decade. After his studies at The New England Conservatory where he received a BA in jazz performance he began his career as an educator and touring musician. Sam has been fortunate enough to play with many amazing musicians and bands all over the world at such notable places as Pitchfork Festival Berlin and London and the Moers Festival in Germany.
Sam teaches all skill levels, from beginners to students preparing for college auditions. His teaching philosophy puts the student’s personal interests first while also providing a solid knowledge of fundamentals and technique. The end goal of his music lessons is to give the students the tools needed to play music with other musicians—to create a mode of communication the student feels comfortable being themselves in while simultaneously listening to others.