Get to Know our Instructors
Mike Bangrazi
Michael Bangrazi is a professional drummer, vocalist, and teacher from Leominster with an extensive background in a variety of musical styles and over 20 years of teaching experience. Over the past 40 years, Mike has performed with well over 25 bands and projects, participating in numerous recording sessions and performances throughout New England.
Mike’s musical foundation began early through his father, a prominent area jazz drummer and vocalist who performed with a locally popular full-time rock band that toured North America and recorded two albums during the 1970s. Combined with his own experience and jazz background, this early exposure has given Mike a strong musical sense and the ability to adapt his teaching to each student’s individual learning style and musical interests.
Mike teaches beginner through advanced students, focusing on the foundations of traditional drumming while incorporating modern techniques. His curriculum includes rudiments, basic beats, reading drum notation, and developing the skills needed to play with other musicians in a band or ensemble setting. He believes that learning to play with others is an important part of becoming a well-rounded drummer.
Mike has also developed his own curriculum and authored Rhythmic Syncopation, a self-published book focused on developing four-limb coordination through increasingly complex rhythms and polyrhythms. The book covers drum notation, rudiments, common 4/4 beats, ostinatos, hand and foot patterns, linear and non-linear rhythms, mathematical relationships in rhythm, and double-bass drumming.
Chris Coombs
Chris “Captain” Coombs began formal guitar studies in 1981 and has since performed with over a dozen bands. He has played major venue shows opening for The Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Levon Helm of The Band, The North Mississippi All Stars, Duke Levine, and The Fools. He has also performed at numerous local and national music festivals, including SXSW in Austin and The Philadelphia Music Conference. His professional gigs have taken him throughout New England, Pennsylvania, NYC, and Nashville.
Chris is also a studio musician and has been featured on several local professional recordings as both a guitarist and producer. He has been teaching guitar and bass lessons for nearly thirty years, taking an open, individualized approach tailored to each student’s musical interests and abilities.
He teaches students of all ages and levels, from beginners to advanced players. His specialties include Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Music Theory, and Reading Musical Notation.
Andy Cummings
Andy is a guitarist, singer and entertainer from Worcester, MA. Performing locally for over 20 years, the three time Worcester Music Award winner plays solo acoustic arrangements of American standards, classic rock, Broadway gems, and his own acclaimed material. With musical influences as diverse as Django Reinhardt and Pete Townshend and a baritone that reminisces the likes of Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley, Andy’s show is a treat for music lovers.
Andy Cummings offers guitar lessons, bass lessons, and ukulele lessons.
Sherry Curry
Professional vocalist Sherry Curry has been performing since the age of 11 and studied at Berklee College of Music. She has toured throughout the United States and Canada, performing at venues including the Palomino and the Golden Nugget in Los Angeles, as well as the Grand Ole Opry. She has also performed with artists including Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, and Johnny Cash.
Sherry has been teaching for nearly 20 years, working with students of all ages in voice, vocal performance, harmony, beginner piano, and guitar. Her instruction focuses on proper breathing, performance enhancement, microphone technique, range expansion, and harmony.
Marcie Loiselle
A graduate of Fitchburg State University, Marcie Loiselle has been teaching music in several area public schools since 2004. She teaches students of all ages in piano, voice, music theory, pedagogy, proper technique, and music reading.
In 2006, Marcie founded ACT 1 Productions, a private children’s theater company specializing in full-scale musical productions and fun, educational theater workshops in school and community settings.
Marcie has been teaching at City Music’s Lesson Studios since 2009.
Jesse Mailloux
Jesse Mailloux is a violinist from Hubbardston, Massachusetts. He began playing violin in the Quabbin Regional School District in third grade and continued throughout high school and college.
Jesse began teaching elementary school students during high school and has since taught students across a wide range of ages and skill levels. His teaching focuses on technique and reading written music, with a philosophy of “learn it right the first time.”
Jesse welcomes students of all ages and ability levels for violin lessons.
Tyler Montaquila
Tyler’s interest in drumming began at age ten, when the youth group at his church needed a drummer. Although he had no drum set and no previous experience, he knew it was something he wanted to do and volunteered without even asking his parents.
Over the years, Tyler developed a passion for a wide variety of musical genres, with Metal, Blues, R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Fusion among his primary influences. He studied with City Music’s own Michael Bangrazi for ten years and has developed the ability to excel in virtually any style of music.
Tyler believes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning an instrument. He begins by assessing each student’s individual abilities and builds from there. Teaching primarily by ear, Tyler can help students learn to play virtually anything they can hear.
Robin Quinn
Robin was first introduced to music as a child through church and school. Inspired by those early experiences, she began taking piano lessons and studying voice. Her primary musical influences have always included her family, friends, teachers, and mentors.
Robin continued her formal training with various teachers and mentors and has performed in musicals and with church worship teams, both singing and playing piano. She also recorded a CD in Boston, Massachusetts, and traveled from New Hampshire to Tennessee, performing in church concerts and promoting her music.
As an instructor, Robin understands that every student, regardless of age, has a unique learning style. She takes the time to get to know each student and how they learn, then individualizes her lessons to make the most of their abilities and learning skills. She welcomes students of all levels and is committed to working with each student to help them grow.
Robin believes that learning music should be fun. In her words, “Music is not a chore; it’s a beautiful language and should be taught with a joy that will last forever.” And, as Robin will gladly tell you, “I absolutely love teaching!”
Michael Shapiro
Michael Shapiro hails from Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. With both parents being performers, Michael was exposed to music from an early age, developing an appreciation for the Beatles, jazz, and classical music.
His musical interests grew to include classic rock, which later expanded into progressive rock and, eventually, drum corps. Among his many musical influences are Kansas, Frank Zappa, Rush, Spyro Gyra, Pat Metheny, the Garfield Cadets, and Chick Corea.
Tom Sheppard
Tom is a retired public school music educator with more than 30 years of teaching experience in Shrewsbury and Newton. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Berklee College of Music (1992) and has studied jazz with Charlie Banacos.
As a professional bassist, Tom has performed throughout Boston and the surrounding area for more than 40 years, working in a wide range of musical organizations and genres, including jazz, classical, theater, rock & roll, funk, R&B, country, and pop.
Tom specializes in elementary instrumental music and enjoys helping young, beginning musicians develop their skills on band and orchestra instruments. His areas of expertise include flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, bass (including upright bass), violin, and cello.