teaching

Whether we're 9 months old or 90 years young, making music enriches our lives and feeds our spirits. Works wonders on the mind and body too.

MJ shares her love of jazz and live music making with students of all ages.  She is on the teaching artist rosters of ArtsWestchester, the arts council of Westchester County, NY, where she has worked with students in Yonkers and Mt. Vernon schools and in community settings for adults with emotional and/or developmental disabilities. https://artswestchester.org/ 

She is also a roster artist at Lifetime Arts, one of the premier organizations promoting the inclusion of professional arts programs that serve older adults. http://www.lifetimearts.org/.

MJ has taught jazz vocal workshops at the Hoff-Barthelson School of Music; volunteers each year as a vocal coach for the Yonkers Idol competition, coaching middle and high school students on vocal performance; and works with students in her private studio. 

 
 
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Singin' & Swingin': Adventures in Jazz, Blues and Improvisation

Through a Yonkers Artist Initative Grant from ArtsWestchester and in partnership with the Yonkers Public Library, MJ had the great pleasure of teaching this course, which she created, to a group of about 20 vibrant adults. We learned to sing and scat on "Autumn Leaves"; created our own blues tune, "The Schnapps Time Blues" and much more, and had a great time doing it. 

Family Theatre Workshop

This workshop, part of artist Lana Yu's What Matters project, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, included families with adolescent children. Through music and theatre games we explored what matters to each family, and then created a musical theatre piece presented to family, friends and community members. 

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Music Plus Math: A Study in Meter

These first graders enhanced their understanding of numbers and patterns by singing, dancing and playing simple percussion instruments to songs in duple, triple and compound meters. One class favorite was our study of 12/8 time - because we got to dance to a tune by that other MJ, Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel."