"At City Music, we believe a great music lesson is about finding a great teacher. Someone who can meet you where you are, understand what you want to play, and help you enjoy the process of getting there."
Our Lesson Studios in Leominster are home to a diverse group of experienced educators. Many are performers themselves, playing everything from rock and jazz to classical, folk, country, musical theater, and more.
Guitar, Bass & Ukulele
Chris Coombs
Chris Coombs has been teaching guitar and bass since 1997 and has been part of City Music's Lesson Studios since the store's early days. His approach is intentionally flexible: rather than forcing every student into the same curriculum, Chris builds lessons around each student's interests and abilities.
A longtime performer, Chris has played in more than a dozen bands and has appeared at venues and festivals throughout New England, New York City, Nashville, and beyond. He's opened for artists including The Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Levon Helm, and The North Mississippi Allstars.
His specialties include rock, blues, country, jazz, music theory, and reading musical notation—and he works with both beginners and advanced players of all ages.
Andy Cummings
Andy Cummings brings more than 25 years of performing experience to his guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons. A three-time Worcester Music Award winner, Andy performs locally as a guitarist, singer, and entertainer, with a repertoire ranging from American standards and classic rock to Broadway and original music.
In his lessons, Andy takes a practical, modern approach, helping students learn using the music they actually love. Beginners can learn foundational chords and how to play songs by ear, while more experienced players can explore theory, harmony, improvisation, sight reading, and live or studio performance techniques.
Whether you're picking up a guitar for the first time or looking to take your playing further, Andy's goal is to help you unlock more of what your instrument can do.
Piano & Voice
Sherry Anne Curry
Sherry Curry has been performing since she was 11 years old and studied at Berklee College of Music. Her career has taken her across the United States and Canada, including performances at the Grand Ole Opry and venues in Los Angeles.
She's also shared the stage with artists including Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, and Johnny Cash.
At City Music, Sherry has been teaching since 2007. Her lessons cover voice, vocal performance, harmony, beginner piano, and guitar, with an emphasis on breathing, microphone technique, range development, performance skills, and helping students become more confident performers.
Marcie Loiselle
Marcie Loiselle combines extensive classroom experience with a lifelong passion for music and theater. A graduate of Fitchburg State University, she has taught music in area public schools since 2004 and has been teaching at City Music since 2009.
Her lessons cover piano, voice, music theory, proper technique, and reading music for students of all ages. Marcie also founded ACT 1 Productions, a children's theater company that produces full-scale musicals and educational theater workshops.
For students who love both music and performing, Marcie's experience makes her uniquely equipped to connect the two.
Robin Quinn
Robin Quinn's own musical journey began through church and school, where she discovered both piano and vocal training. Since then, she has performed in musicals and with church worship teams, recorded music in Boston, and traveled throughout the region performing.
As a teacher, Robin puts the individual student first. She takes time to understand how each person learns and then adapts her lessons accordingly. Her philosophy is simple: music should be enjoyable, not a chore.
Whether you're learning piano or voice, Robin wants students to experience music as a creative and rewarding part of their lives.
Drums & Percussion
Michael Bangrazi
Michael Bangrazi is a professional drummer, vocalist, and teacher with more than 30 years of performing experience and over 12 years of teaching experience.
His teaching combines traditional fundamentals—rudiments, basic beats, and reading notation—with modern drumming and playing in an ensemble setting. He has developed his own curriculum, Rhythmic Syncopation, which explores everything from foundational rhythms to complex four-limb coordination.
For Mike, learning to play drums isn't just about practicing alone. It's about developing the skills to actually make music with other people.
Tyler Montaquila
Tyler Montaquila's drumming career started in an unlikely way. At age ten, his church's youth group needed a drummer. Tyler didn't own a drum set and had never played before—but he volunteered anyway.
Over the years, he developed a love for metal, blues, R&B, hip-hop, jazz, and fusion. He also spent ten years studying with City Music instructor Michael Bangrazi.
Tyler doesn't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. He starts by assessing each student's abilities and teaches by ear, helping students learn the music they can hear and want to play.
Michael Shapiro
Michael Shapiro grew up in a musical family in Brookline, Massachusetts, surrounded by influences ranging from the Beatles, jazz, and classical music to progressive rock, drum corps, world music, and more.
After studying with numerous instructors—including renowned percussion educator Thom Hannum—Michael developed a teaching philosophy centered on patience, strong technique, music reading, tempo, and musicianship.
His goal isn't simply to make students technically proficient. He wants them to enjoy the journey of becoming a musician and to build the skills they need to pursue whatever musical direction interests them.
Strings & Band Instruments
Jesse Mailloux
Jesse Mailloux started playing violin in third grade through the Quabbin Regional School district and began teaching elementary students while he was still in high school.
Today, he works with students across a wide range of ages and abilities, with an emphasis on technique and learning to read written music. His philosophy is to build a strong foundation from the beginning—and he's happy to work with students at any level.
Tom Sheppard
If there's an instrument Tom Sheppard hasn't encountered, it might be hard to find it. A retired public school music educator with more than 30 years of experience, Tom teaches guitar, bass, upright bass, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, violin, and cello.
Tom earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Berklee College of Music and has studied jazz with Charlie Banacos. As a professional bassist, he has performed for more than 40 years across genres including jazz, classical, theater, rock, funk, R&B, country, and pop.
He has a particular passion for helping young beginners get started with band and orchestra instruments—and giving them the foundation they need to feel confident playing with others.
Find Your Teacher
With so many different backgrounds, specialties, instruments, and teaching styles represented at City Music, there's no single definition of what a "music student" looks like.
Maybe you're picking up an instrument for the first time. Maybe you played years ago and want to start again. Maybe you're preparing for a school audition, hoping to perform onstage, or simply want to learn how to play the songs you love.
Wherever you're starting, we're here to help you find the right teacher and make music a part of your life.
City Music offers private lessons for children, teens, and adults at our Leominster Lesson Studios. Contact us to find out which instructor might be the best fit for your goals.