Is your student ready to take their music-making to the next level? Private music lessons give students and families a special one-on-one relationship with mentors who look at each student individually and then tailor a musical approach specifically to match their musical abilities. Did you know that some of the best professional musicians still take private lessons? That’s because music is a lifelong art; there’s always something new to explore. And, a well-matched private mentor/student relationship can leave a lasting impression on a child’s musical life!
Private lesson times and days are scheduled through the private teachers according to their availability and location. You can find out more about private teacher options by contacting them directly (information is listed below). Each private teacher coordinates their own studio and can tell you about their philosophy, expectations, schedules, teaching locations, and fees. We encourage students to take outside lessons to further enrich their music learning experiences!
MS students interested in pursuing private lessons during the school day must receive approval from their advisor and Mrs. Boero. Please e-mail Mrs. Boero at kboero@prairieschool.com and your child’s advisor when starting the process of scheduling lessons for any MS students.
Click below for a detailed profile:
GUITAR (Instructor: Andrew Trim)
Contact: andrewtrim@gmail.com
Andrew Trim is a guitarist and composer.
Based in the midwest, Trim resides in Milwaukee and splits his time between his home and Chicago performing and collaborating with many of the talented and unique musicians in the region. He has released five records as a leader and has recorded and performed as a sideman with many others.
Hanami, his primary musical project, has released two albums to critical acclaim. The music from their second album “The Only Way to Float Free” on ears&eyes Records was premiered at the Chicago Jazz Festival and the release of the album was partially funded by an artist grant from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs. The group has been praised for their “personable sound with all kinds of distinguishing marks” (Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm), their “graceful and musical poise” (Paul Acquaro, Free Jazz Collective) and their “innate, organically-generated aesthetic” (Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition).
Trim has performed with musicians such as Charles Rumback, Jason Stein, Mai Sugimoto, Devin Drobka, Kurt Schweitz, Jeremy Cunningham, Dave Miller, Greg Ward, Matt Ulery, Quin Kirchner, Matt Gold, Nate Lepine, Russ Johnson, Jamie Breiwick, Jonathan Greenstein, John Christensen, Chris Madsen, Matt Carroll, James Davis, Dan Thatcher, Danny Meyer, John Tate, Matt Fuller, Aakash Mittal, and many more. He has also performed as a sideman in ensembles such as The Aluminum Group, Rock Falls, Lady Cannon, Ted Sirota’s Heavyweight Dub feat. The Scientist, Meatbute: Chicago’s Premier Meatloaf Tribute Band and many more.
When not performing, Trim is an active educator teaching guitar, jazz & improvisation, music theory, and composition lessons. He is currently available for lessons privately and through Maestro Makers, a Milwaukee based lesson organization. Starting in the fall of 2019, he will be joining the excellent music program at the Prairie School in Racine, WI as staff guitar instructor. Trim holds his M.M. in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado, a B.A. in Music from Colorado Christian University, and a Certificate from New York University’s Summer Jazz Guitar Intensive.
PERCUSSION/DRUMMING (Instructor: Randy Maio)
Contact Information: 262.498.9599
Randy Maio is a percussionist who loves to play all kinds of music, and his list of accomplishments certainly speaks to this! He has had a career as a full-time and part-time musician for over the past 40 years. This includes playing at all of the Milwaukee festivals with Mayor Meyers folk band, playing symphony music in Germany, Hawaiian music in Hawaii, jazz, big band, top 40, country, opera and Latin. Additionally, Randy has been the staff percussionist at Ch10/36, he has played in around 120 professional & amateur musicals, he has played at Festa Italiana & State Fair, and he has recorded with “Opus” playing with a variety of artists like Jack Grassel, Nick Contorno.
PIANO (Instructor: Jim Sodke)
Contact Information – jsodke@gmail.com
James Sodke teaches private lessons on piano and keyboards, and teaches students at all levels. He is fluent in all styles, including classical and jazz. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Education from UW Milwaukee, is an Associate Lecturer in music at UW-Parkside, and was the musical director for musicals at Carthage College. He is the co-director of Lakeshore Conservatory of Music, the Director of Traditional Music at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Racine Wisconsin, and is a freelance editor, arranger, and engraver for Hal Leonard Publishing.
James Sodke has appeared with the national tours of: Dancin’, Zorba, Camelot, Chorus Line, Stop the World, the Rockettes, South Pacific, Grease, 42nd St., Lou Rawls, Gladys Knight, The Moody Blues, The Mills Brothers, The Temptations, The Drifters, Danny and the Jrs. and Little Anthony.
He has performed with jazz greats Stanley Jordan, The Dorsey Band, and Dianne Schuur, and performed with The Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, and Waukesha Symphony Orchestras, the Milwaukee Civic and Chamber Orchestras, and Present Music. He has been a clinician/guest artist for the Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Cudahy, Wausau, and Bowler public schools, and the Rhythm section clinician for Wisconsin Honors Jazz Band.
STRINGS (Instructor: Julie Roubik)
Contact Information: violaviolin72@gmail.com
Suzuki violin and viola teacher, Ms. Bamberger Roubik holds a B.M. summa cum laude, from the University of Minnesota and M.M. from the HARTT School of Music, both in viola performance and Suzuki pedagogy.
Viola teachers include Roland Vamos, Korey Konkol, Victoria Chiang, and Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson String Quartet. An active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) and the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin (SAW), she has studied Suzuki pedagogy, in both violin and viola, with Teri and David Einfeldt, Nancy Lokken, Mark Bjork, Carrie Reuning, Susan Kempter, Betsy Stuen-Walker and Dr. Julia Hardie.
Ms. Bamberger Roubik was the violinist for Jane Seymour’s Hollywood Star party and a back up musician for artists such as Brad Little, Lorna Luft, Rita Coolidge, Keiko Matsui and Philip Dizack. She is a regular member of the Kenosha, Racine and Festival City Symphonies.
Ms. Bamberger Roubik was a recipient of the 2014 Suzuki Association of the Americas teacher scholarship, the 2013 American Suzuki Institute teacher scholarship, and is a past recipient of the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee award for musical achievement in the community. Students of Julie’s have won awards from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music Scholarships, the Racine Symphony Young Artists Competition, the Janet Ruggieri Viola Scholarship, the Wisconsin State Music Association and have been accepted into the Suzuki Youth Orchestra of the Americas.
In addition to teaching, Ms. Bamberger Roubik blogs for www.violinist.com, and was invited to write for The Strad magazine. She is currently pursuing her Certification in Dalcroze education, an experiential way of knowing music through the body, at the Dalcroze School of the Rockies with Jeremy Dittus.
VOICE (Instructor: Ally Smalley)
Contact Information: ally@resonant-voice.com
Website: https://www.resonant-
Social: @theresonantvoice
Hi, I’m Ally and welcome to The Resonant Voice- a holistic private voice studio. The Resonant Voice is more than just the name of my studio, it is also the goal I have for each student to experience during our sessions together because YOUR uniquely powerful resonant voice is too important to not trust and share with the world. In our lessons together we will discover what it means to combine musical mastery with mindfulness.
As a graduate of Luther College in Decorah, IA with a BA in Music and K-12 Music Education and an RYT-200 from Healium Hot Yoga’s YTT program in Milwaukee, WI, I believe in combining cross-training vocal techniques with the yogic elements of body, breath, and mindset awareness to nurture and support not only your voice but your whole self. This style of voice training allows you to find true freedom in all aspects of your performing life and allows you the ability to cross-train in a variety of musical styles with ease. Private voice lessons are where you & I work together to empower YOUR voice by releasing tension in the body & stress in the mind to step into vocal freedom! In your Resonant Voice lessons, you can expect to explore:
- Breathwork
- Curated vocal warm-ups
- Cross-training vocal technique
- Guided listening & song analysis
- Mindset & meditation practices
- Repertoire from varied genres
- Stage presence strategies
WIND (Instructor: Curt Hanrahan)
Contact Information: hanrajazz@hotmail.com ; 262-412-2561 (call or text)
Curt Hanrahan holds a bachelor of music degree from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master’s Degree in multiple woodwinds from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also served as the Head of Jazz Studies at the UWM, teaching saxophone and directing the jazz program, a position he had held since 1990.
He co-founded the Lakeshore Conservatory of Music in Racine, Wisconsin, and has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony and has played with Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Nelson Riddle, Harry Connick Jr., and Frank Sinatra Jr. Orchestras.
He has also worked with artists such as Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Cab Calloway, The Arturo Sandoval Big Band, Manhattan Transfer, Diane Schurr, Bobby Caldwell, Doc Severinsen, Frank Sinatra Jr., Ray Charles and Johnny Mathis.
He performs regularly throughout the Milwaukee area and has performed at Fireside Theater, Skylight Theater, and with countless national touring shows including West Side Story, Hairspray, Spamalot, The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, Legally Blonde, and Little Shop of Horrors.
Curt has recorded with Jack Grassel, Jan Garber, Nick Contorno, Jamie Breiwick and the contemporary jazz group Opus. He has released has released three solo CDs; “Hang Time”, “To Be Again”, and “Souljourney” on the Blujazz label.
Curt is deeply involved with expanding the Milwaukee jazz scene and has assisted developing a jazz network that has already created a draft strategic plan for creating more venues, festivals, educational opportunities, and fans in Milwaukee.
Piano & Voice (Instructor: Jill Hollander)
Contact Information: jillhollander@gmail.
Jill grew up in a very musical household as the daughter of concert pianist Jeffery Hollander and cellist/cello teacher Jane Hollander. Jill has been singing since the age of 10 when she first began performing at some of her father’s piano concerts. After graduating from both Lawrence University and Alverno College, she studied vocal performance, music education, piano, and French.
Her favorite vocal genres include Broadway, Classical, Pop, Light Opera, and Jazz. She has performed in numerous theatres in the Milwaukee area such as the Florentine Opera, Shorewood Players, Off the Wall Broadway Theatre, Sunset Playhouse, Charles Allis Art Museum, and the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum.
Currently, Jill maintains a private vocal and piano studio in the Milwaukee area. She loves catering lessons to each individual student’s goals and interests. She teaches voice and piano to students ages 5 through adult. She teaches all levels of piano and voice from beginner through advanced. She focuses on healthy singing, while also trying to make lessons a fun learning experience. For those who are auditioning, she prepares students for musicals, WSMA state music competitions, college auditions, and more. For piano, she works with students on basic note and rhythm understanding, music theory, music interpretation, practice techniques, etc. Her music studio typically performs 2 recitals per year for those students who are ready and interested. In 2019, she was voted one of the top 6 music teachers in the Milwaukee area by Expertise Magazine.
I look forward to meeting and working with you!
The effectiveness of private lessons comes down to what a student does between lessons, and this is when students develop the skills that enable them to practice becoming self-directed and self-empowered. Thus, they learn both about artistic creativity and life skills in their lessons.