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Braden Palmer graduated with honors from New School University's Jazz and Comtemporary Music Program in 2003. He is one of the founding members of NYC's swing sensation Double Down, plus he has performed and/or recorded with Dem Brooklyn Bums, Myron Waldon, Lisa Yves, Harry Whitaker, Charlie Lagond, Steve Holley, Nevereven, Maor, Tatum Greenblat, Joe Magnarelli, Russ Spiegel, Carl Thompson, Jonny Hirsch, and many others.

As a teacher, Braden has taught lessons at New School University, the Berkeley Carroll School, King's Music, Wingspan Arts, Bellevue Community College, and though his own studio. He has been teaching for the past 14 years, and has extensive experience with young and old students of all levels, and in all styles of guitar. Braden currently offers lessons at his home in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and at student's homes for an extra fee. For info on current rates, Braden can be contacted by email by clicking here or by phone at 917 518-6489. His website can be viewed at www.bradenpalmer.com

Rebecca Pronsky - Voice

Brooklyn native Rebecca Pronsky continues to stake her claim as one of New York City's finest singers and songwriters. The Village Voice praises her "big jazz-trained voice" and Time Out NY says "Pronsky's tunes are literate, passionate, and wry." Rebecca teaches voice lessons to children, teens and adults privately in her home studio in central Park Slope. She specializes in popular singing styles including rock, folk, and jazz. She is a graduate of Brown University's Ethnomusicology program and has taught voice at the Berkeley Carroll School, the Willie May Rock Camp for Girls & Women and the Day Jams Summer Music Program. Read more at Rebecca's website: ParkSlopeVoiceLessons.com. She can be reached by email by clicking here.

Martha Hyde - Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, & Oboe

Martha Hyde has vast experience teaching all ages. She has run band programs in the public and private school systems, taught one-on-one woodwind lessons and small classes in six different private schools and until the spring of 2009 she ran the Berkeley Carroll After School music program. She has taught for eight years at the Friends Music Camp in eastern Ohio and has done extensive outreach work in the New York City public school system. She is a founding member of the New River Ensemble which does workshops all around the country focusing on teaching non-musicians to compose and improvise music.

As performer Martha has played in venues ranging from CBGB to Alice Tully Hall and from the Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage to St. John the Divine as well as tours on four different continents. She can be seen regularly in the pit orchestras of Broadway and Radio City Music Hall and she has performed with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Carmen McRae, Whoopi Goldberg and Antonio Banderas. She is a member of the Gotham Wind Symphony which has released three CD's and she is also on numerous cast recordings. Martha has recently completed recording her debut solo CD and looks forward to releasing it soon. You can reach Martha by clicking here or at (718) 258-7698-home or (347) 731-2093-cell.

Greg Heffernan - Cello

Greg "Cosmo D" Heffernan is a versatile cellist whose musical passions have led him to work in improvisation, jazz and electronic music. Greg is currently based out of New York City and works as a freelancer, bandleader and touring musician. Greg has recorded several albums with his band, Sauce, and one of his compositions for the band made its Carnegie Hall debut in early 2008. Under the "Cosmo D" alias, Greg performs, alone or with others, combining his use of live laptop manipulation with cello improvisation.

Musicians Greg has played with include Fred Hersch, Vijay Iyer, Lee Konitz, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, Jack DeJohnnette, Natalie Merchant, Bill Frisell, Drew Gress, Tony Malaby, Ralph Alessi, Brad Shepik, Basya Schechter, Kenny Wolleson, Doc Severinson, Burt Bacharach, the Spring Awakening Broadway pit, vocalists Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry, singer Lucia Pulido, saxophonist/clarinetist Anat Cohen, violinist Jenny Scheinman and many others.

Greg teaches cello for all ages and experience levels. In addition to cello, he teaches string improvisation, jazz and electronic music software such as Garageband, Ableton Live and Reason. Greg can be reached through email by clickinghere.

Tyler Blanton - Piano, Vibraphone

Tyler Blanton has maintained a thriving teaching practice for nearly ten years. In that time he has served on faculty at Berkeley Carroll school in Brooklyn, Marin Country Day School in California, and has instructed group classes through the Piano School of New York. He has an excellent rapport with students of all ages and caters to the specific needs and interests of each individual. Tyler's priority is that of creating a nurturing and inspiring environment to aid students in their exploration of music. He can be contacted via email by clicking here.

Rob Garcia - Drum Set

"I teach my students to play the music they like. I encourage self-expression and creativity as well as learning necessary skills to read and play music on the drum set. My teaching studio is equipped with 2 drum sets, piano, stereo system, and multi-track recording."

For over a decade, drummer and composer, Rob Garcia has brought his talents an eclectic assortment of jazz ensembles; collaborating with artists such as Joe Lovano, Wynton Marsalis, Joseph Jarman, Howard Alden, Dave Kikoski, Mike Formanek, Bill McHenry, Gary Versace, Sam Newsome, Vince Giordano, and Woody Allen. His two CD's "Place of Resonance" and "Heart's Fire" have received many favorable reviews, hailing his skills as a composer and a performer.

Rob has been teaching drums, piano, jazz and percussion ensemble at the Berkeley-Carroll School, P.S. 184, The British International School of New York and at his own studio for over 13 years. He has done clinics in the U.S. and Europe, and has performed in over a hundred school assemblies in the tri-state area with organizations such as Arts Horizons and the Brooklyn Arts Council. Rob is also the founder and executive director of a Brooklyn-based non-profit organization called Connection Works, which brings jazz to the community in new ways. Rob has a Masters of Music from SUNY Purchase. You can contact Rob via email by clicking here; by phone at 718.369.6931; or visit his website at www.robgarcia.com

Rosalie Kaplan - Voice, Piano

Rosalie Kaplan is a soprano living in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at the New England Conservatory with Mark Pearson, Patricia Craig, and Amy Lieberman. She completed her degree at New York University's Gallatin School where she developed a concentration in Modern Music and Interdisciplinary Studies. Rosalie's creative work in art song earned her the prestigious Dean's Award; a grant awarded to support the production of her debut recording. Rosalie performs frequently in New York City, has premiered the works of Caroline Park and Noah Kaplan, and lectured on Bartok's "Bluebeard's Castle," Stravinsky's "Oedipus Rex," and the setting of American poetry in song. She has taught voice and piano privately for several years and, more recently, at the Berkeley Carroll School and Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn.

To contact Rosalie, please send an e-mail by clicking here or call 540.717.5683.

Chris Jentsch - Guitar

Chris Jentsch is a recording, performing, and teaching artist working primarily in jazz and contemporary improvisational forms. He has ten years of experience in New York City teaching guitar to students of all ages and levels as a faculty member of the Brooklyn Conservatory, the Berkeley Carroll School, and Suffolk County Community College. Also teaching independently, Jentsch specializes in rock, pop, jazz, folk, composition, improvisation, and music theory. A composer of jazz and concert music, Jentsch has been awarded grants/commissions from Meet The Composer, American Composers Forum, New York State Council on the Arts, and others. His fourth CD Cycles Suite (for large jazz ensemble) was released in 2009 on Fleur De Son Records. Jentsch holds various liberal arts and jazz guitar degrees from Gettysburg College, New England Conservatory, and the Eastman School of Music, as well as the terminal degree in Jazz Composition from the University of Miami. Dr. Jentsch is published by the University of Northern Colorado Press and Advance Music.

Chris is can be reached through email by clicking here or visit his website at www.ChrisJentsch.com.

Brad Madsen - Trombone and Brass Instruments

Brad Madsen graduated with honors from New School University's Jazz and Contemporary Music Program in 2005. Since then, Brad has performed with many musicians and bands, including Dem Brooklyn Bums, Foxy Moon Baby, Charli Persip, Abe Silverman and his Big Band, Bobbi Sanabria, Tom Abbott's Big Bang Big Band, The Sharp Things, and Grammy-nominated Jason Yudoff and the New Hotness. In addition, over the past years Brad has completed contracts for Carnival Cruise Lines and helped found the Oort Cloud Collective. Brad currently performs with Blue Nitrous, The Funky Fritters, and his own jazz quartet.

As a teacher, Brad has taught privately for 10 years through his own private studio, and has extensive experience with students of all ages and abilities. He also is a New York State Certified Music Teacher, and is currently teaching at the International Arts and Business School. For info on current rates and availability, Brad can be contacted via email by clicking here or by phone at 917-648-1486. His website can be viewed at http://www.bradleymadsen.com.

Mary Ann McSweeney - Acoustic and Electric Bass

McSweeney has played with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Joanne Brackeen and Lee Konitz, Gil Goldstein and Bucky Pizzarelli. She has also played for famous conductors, Leonard Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin, and John Williams. McSweeney has performed with Renee Rosness, Vic Juris, Ken Peplowski, Lewis Nash and Larry Goldings. She has performed with the Maiden Voyage and Diva Big Bands and performed with her quintet at the Sexial Jazz Festival in Portugal and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center. She has arranged for and recorded with Warner Bros. artist Lea Delaria. She has toured Europe and performed with David Krakouer's Klezmer Madness and three time Tony award winning vocalist Audra McDonald.

As a teacher, McSweeney has worked at the Idyllwild music camp for 3 summers. She taught theory and coached string groups for high school age students. McSweeney is also on the faculty for the Middle School Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center. She currently coaches small groups consisting of amateur musicians and teaches them how to work together through the language of jazz. She is available for private lessons on electric and string bass. Mary Ann can be contacted by clicking here or you can visit her website at www.MaryAnnMcSweeney.com.

Skye Steele - Violin/Strings

Skye Steele (Violinist and Composer, B.F.A. in Jazz Performance, New School for Social Research), has made a name for himself around town over the past decade as an adventurous and passionate improviser with a knack for making his voice stand out in almost any situation. From downtown-jazz mainstays like Steven Bernstein, Butch Morris, and Cyro Baptista, to hit-makers Willie Nelson, Rufus Wainwright and Vanessa Carlton, to world-music and jazz collaboratives Nation Beat, Anistar, and Vampire Suit—Skye has paid dues in enough circles to have learned how to make a unique statement. Skye made his recording debut as a leader in 2007 with late bloomer, which rated praise from such trusted sources as the NYTimes ("rustic and worldly") and Cadence Review ("Fabulous tone and inventive solo sense").

Approaching his work as an educator with the same passion as his own music-making, Skye has worked through Third Street Music School Settlement, Young Audiences NY, Midori and Friends, and as an independent teacher and clinician for nearly a decade. He passes on the diversity of his own musical knowledge to his students by integrating classics, jazz, and folk music from around the world into his curriculum at all levels. Skye's pedagogical goal is to educate the whole musician through the lens of violin playing. He places strong emphasis on listening, artistic interpretation via critical thinking, and vocalisation. As a clinician, Skye has taught Jazz, Brazilian Fiddling, and Middle Eastern Music to groups ranging from the String Department of Syracuse University to the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra and many others. Skye can be contacted by email by clicking here or visit his website at www.skyesteele.com.