Meet Our Talented Faculty

Music Instructors

 At Dedham School of Music, you’ll learn from a diverse team of passionate professionals who are dedicated to sharing their love of music. Our experienced and accomplished faculty are here to provide expert guidance, ensuring every student, regardless of age or ability, feels supported and empowered on their musical journey.

Piano Instructor

Piano Instructors
Narine Babadjarian

Narine Babadjanian

Narine Babadjarian

Narine Babadjanian

A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Narine Babadjanian received her Bachelor’s Degree from Tbilisi State Conservatory where she majored in Piano Performance and Pedagogy under the guidance of Professor Temur Matureli. A very active performer since a young age, she was an award recipient in numerous competitions including the Competition of Young Performers in Yerevan, Armenia, the Young Performers Competition in Moscow, Russia, and the Young Performers Competition in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Ms. Babadjanian has performed in festivals all over the world including the International Music Festival in Moscow, Russia, the Annual Spring Piano Music Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia, the Days of Russian Music in Amsterdam, Holland, the International Chamber Music Festival in Telavy, Georgia, and the Days of Georgian and Russian Music in Yerevan, Armenia. Ms. Babadjanian performed as a soloist with various orchestras throughout Russia, Georgia, and Holland, collaborating with famous conductors such as Djemal Gokieli, Revaz Takidze, Jansug Kakhidze of Georgia and Dmitry Serov of Russia.

As a collaborative pianist with her husband, she performed for world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. She has performed at several local venues including The Boston Conservatory and the Longy School in Cambridge, MA. Since 1998, Narine has devoted her music career to teaching. She was on the faculty of various music schools and colleges, including the Music Studio in Los Angeles, CA, Tbilisi State Conservatory, Georgia, and Tbilisi College of Music, Georgia. She is very happy to add the Dedham School of Music to that list.

Linnea Bardarson

Linnea Bardarson

Linnea Bardarson

Linnea Bardarson

Philosophy:

My primary goal is to foster a life-long love of music for my students. The joy found in studying and mastering a piece of music (whether a C-scale or a sonatina), performing for friends and family, composing an original song — all these can instill a sense of self-worth and accomplishment that in today’s world can be hard to find. I’ve taught for decades, but serving as teacher, guide, and fellow-adventurer to students on their own musical journeys is a good feeling that never gets old.

Background:

My own musical adventure began in a large family where the guitar was brought out for after-dinner folk singing and I often found my mother practicing the violin when I came home from school each day.  Add four older siblings playing instruments, two church-musician grandparents, plus another grandmother who wooed her suitor by playing the harp and singing “Dear One, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise,” and you have a serious mash-up of musical influences. When asked in 6th grade to play piano for the Girls’ Chorus concert I was on my way.

Whether chamber music, choral accompanying, piano teaching, nightly gigs at the old Café Budapest and Colonnade Hotel in Boston, recording a Bach Concerto in the Czech Republic, touring Spain with an orchestra, leading church choirs for 20 years, or learning to play the banjo, music always brings me joy.

Education: 
B.A. Mills College
M.M. New England Conservatory

Peipei Song

Peipei Song

Peipei Song

Peipei Song

Peipei Song is a Boston-based collaborative pianist, currently serving as a staff pianist at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and as part of the collaborative pianist team at the New England Conservatory. In the summer of 2024, she joined the collaborative piano faculty at the prestigious Heifetz International Music Institute, a world-class summer music program in the U.S.

Actively engaged in Boston’s music scene, Peipei has supported numerous young musicians who 
have won competitions such as the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition, the New England Conservatory Preparatory School Concerto Competition, and The Boston Conservatory Soloist Concerto Competition.

As a chamber music pianist, Peipei has performed in series such as the Apple Hill Chamber Music Center Series, Bay Chamber Concert Series, The Screen Door – Bay Chamber Summer Festival, and the Palaver Strings Beehive Chamber Music Series. She has collaborated with Grammy Award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman, mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich, and the Maxwell String Quartet from Scotland. Additionally, she is regularly invited to give annual Chamber Music Lecture Recitals at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, China.

Before relocating to the United States, Ms. Song served on the piano faculty at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music in China. From 2003 to 2008, she was invited by the Hong Kong Yau Tin Fu Art Center to teach pianists preparing for the Hong Kong International Piano Competition (Asia Division) and the Chinese Piano Competition in Hong Kong. In 2005 and 2006, she was twice honored with the National Excellent Piano Teacher of China award from China Education Television.

Peipei holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from Arizona State University, where she studied under Professor Russell Ryan. During her time at ASU, she received coaching from renowned string quartets, including the Brentano Quartet, St. Lawrence Quartet, and Shanghai Quartet, all of whom were in residence at ASU. Her earlier studies with Dr. William Averill and Richard Syracuse at Ohio University were pivotal in her musical development.

Katie Jillson

Katie Jillson

Katie Jillson

Katie Jillson

Katie is a seasoned voice and piano teacher, with experience in multiple genres and with all age levels. She teaches singers to use the most organic, tension free technique possible to discover their authentic voice, musicality, and self-expression. Her students have excelled in auditions, solo performances, intensive vocal study programs and competitions.

​A versatile singer herself, she has been delighting audiences for over two decades. She has performed as soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen and Mozart’s Requiem. She has sung with Masterworks Chorale, the Paul Madore Chorale, Boston Cecilia, Zensemble and The Down East Singers in Thomaston, Maine. Katie is a frequent soloist at Saint Columbkille Parish in Brighton, MA and at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill, where she has been a member of the music ministry since 1999.

​Katie’s musical studies began with the piano at the age of 5, and she discovered her passion for singing in her early adolescent years. Katie holds a BM in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and will complete her MM in Vocal Performance at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA in 2023. Always developing professionally, she attended the Boston Conservatory Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop in 2018, The Orff Schulwerk Level 1 training at

Bridgewater State University in 2019 and the OperaWorks Winter Intensive Program in Los Angeles, CA in 2016.

Tim Carew

Tim Carew

Tim Carew

Tim Carew

Tim Carew is a tenor vocalist, voice teacher, and piano teacher. He studied vocal  performance at New England Conservatory, vocal pedagogy at Longy School of  Music, and vocal technique with McClosky Institute of Voice.

Tim has performed in various genres, including musical theater, operetta, cabaret, recital, symphonic chorus, oratorio, and church music. He performed roles with Savoyard Light  Opera, Masterworks Chorale, Regal Players, and Turtle Lane Playhouse, and performed in the Tanglewood Festival Chorus with the Boston Symphony  Orchestra and Boston Pops.

Tim holds a Massachusetts Educators License and serves as choral director in the Quincy Public Schools. He holds a B.S. from  University of New Hampshire and an M.M. from New England Conservatory of  Music. His students have excelled as vocal soloists and in auditions for musical  theater, vocal-choral intensive programs, MMEA Districts/All-State, and college  performing arts.

Walter Yee

Walter Yee

Walter Yee

Walter Yee

Boston-based musician Walter Yee is dedicated to exploring the musical landscapes of contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries. He received degrees from the University of Louisville (BM Performance) and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (MM Contemporary Classical Music Performance).

Quickly establishing himself as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and administrator, Walter has had the greatest pleasure to collaborate with amazing groups around the area. As a chamber musician Walter has had the pleasure of joining the Boston-based bass clarinet ensemble “Improbable Beasts,” as well as collaborating with the Boston Cohort of the New Music Collage, and Der Gestank, organizations dedicated to supporting the creation and performance of new music as well as promoting underrepresented, emerging artists. Walter has also played with the Brookline Symphony Orchestra and Horizon Ensemble.

Walter has experience teaching students of all ages in woodwinds including clarinet, flute, and saxophone, as well as piano.

When not playing music, you can find Walter hiking a snow-covered mountain and exploring a new town for the best coffee shops.

Jordan Perillo

Jordan Perillo

Jordan Perillo

Jordan Perillo

Jordan Perillo is a classical singer (baritone) who has worked as a piano and voice instructor since 2016.   He has been a part of two professional opera choruses (Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera), and has sung in multiple professional church choirs, including the Church of Saint Agnes in New York City and St. Paul’s Parish in Harvard Square. 

Jordan has performed frequently as a vocal soloist, has worked for years as a piano accompanist, and has participated in several DIY jazz and twee pop bands. He has also written, recorded, and produced 3 electronic pop albums under the stage name Gior. 

Jordan has two B.A. degrees from the University of South Florida, in Music Studies and Psychology.  He also has an M.A. in Counseling Theory from Boston College.

Brass Instrument Instructors
(trumpet, tuba, trombone, French horn)

Tommy Chiu

Tommy Chiu

Tommy Chiu

Tommy Chiu

A native of Hong Kong based in Boston, Dr. Tommy Chiu has made appearances in major cities across Asia and North America both as a performer and an educator. As a soloist, he shared the stage with the University of British Columbia Chamber Orchestra, the Boston University Wind Ensemble, the Boston University Trombone Choir and the Brookline Community Band, and was named finalist in various concerto competitions, including that of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute and the PRISMA Festival & Academy. As an orchestral musician, he was appointed Principal Trombone of the Boston Civic Symphony in their 100th season, and regularly appears with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of Westerly Festival Orchestra, among others. During the summer season, he also served as an artist fellow in the Atlantic Music Festival and attended the International Graduate Music Conference hosted by the University of Calgary as a lecture presenter.

Outside of performing, Tommy is a sought-after educator with more than a decade of international experience in brass pedagogy. His students over the country continue to find success in region and all-state auditions, as well as getting accepted into youth orchestra programs such as the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and college music programs such as the Boston University School of Music. Locally, he serves on the faculties of the Dedham School of Music, the Performing Arts Center of MetroWest, the Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio, the After School Music Program at the Brimmer and May School, and Making Music Matters in the Boston Public Schools. In addition to his regular teaching duties, he has been seen giving classes and coaching sectionals at local institutions ranging from elementary to college level, such as Dedham High School, Brandeis University and Wellesley College. In the 2024-25 season, he also became Music Director of the Dedham Community Band.

Tommy holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Brass Performance from Boston University, where he was a recipient of the Brass Department Award, with previous degrees from Rutgers University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His primary teachers include Toby Oft of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Colin Williams of the New York Philharmonic, Jarod Vermette of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Don Lucas and Gabriel Rice. 

Brass Instrument Instructors

Woodwind Instrument Instructors
(flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone)

Woodwind Instructors
Megan Dillon

Megan Dillon

Megan Dillon

Megan Dillon

Megan Dillon is a Boston-based saxophonist, woodwind doubler, and educator. Her musicality has led her to regularly perform with wind ensembles and orchestras throughout the Northeast.

Megan is a Lecturer of Saxophone at Keene State College and serves on the woodwind faculty at both Brimmer & May School and the Dedham School of Music. In addition to managing her private studio, she was the woodwind teaching fellow for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra’s Crescendo program.

She holds the soprano chair in the Huntington Quartet and works as a freelance pit musician. Her notable performances include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, and Alice Tully Hall.

Her works for saxophone ensemble have been published by RC Editions, and she was co-winner of the 2023 Boston Woodwind Society Saxophone Merit Award. As a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance, Megan has performed at NASA regional conferences, the World Saxophone Congress, and has premiered and commissioned new works for saxophone. She received a Doctorate of Music in Saxophone Performance at the New England Conservatory.

Megan’s educational background includes graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy and earning a bachelor’s degree in music theory from Texas Tech University. She then studied under Kenneth Radnofsky and Roger Graybill at the New England Conservatory, obtaining two master’s degrees in saxophone performance and music theory. Additionally, she studied counterpoint and pedagogy under Lyle Davidson, earning a concentration in music-in-education. She also served as a teaching assistant in the New England Conservatory’s music theory and music-in-education departments and was the first ever graduate assistant of NEC’s saxophone studio.

Megan was recently awarded a Doctorate in Saxophone Performance by the New England Conservatory.

Walter Yee

Walter Yee

Walter Yee

Walter Yee

Boston-based musician Walter Yee is dedicated to exploring the musical landscapes of contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries. He received degrees from the University of Louisville (BM Performance) and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (MM Contemporary Classical Music Performance).

Quickly establishing himself as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and administrator, Walter has had the greatest pleasure to collaborate with amazing groups around the area. As a chamber musician Walter has had the pleasure of joining the Boston-based bass clarinet ensemble “Improbable Beasts,” as well as collaborating with the Boston Cohort of the New Music Collage, and Der Gestank, organizations dedicated to supporting the creation and performance of new music as well as promoting underrepresented, emerging artists. Walter has also played with the Brookline Symphony Orchestra and Horizon Ensemble.

Walter has experience teaching students of all ages in woodwinds including clarinet, flute, and saxophone, as well as piano.

When not playing music, you can find Walter hiking a snow-covered mountain and exploring a new town for the best coffee shops.

Voice Instructors

Voice Instructors
Katie Jillson

 Katie Jillson

Katie Jillson

 Katie Jillson

Katie is a seasoned voice and piano teacher, with experience in multiple genres and with all age levels. She teaches singers to use the most organic, tension free technique possible to discover their authentic voice, musicality, and self-expression. Her students have excelled in auditions, solo performances, intensive vocal study programs and competitions.

​A versatile singer herself, she has been delighting audiences for over two decades. She has performed as soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen and Mozart’s Requiem. She has sung with Masterworks Chorale, the Paul Madore Chorale, Boston Cecilia, Zensemble and The Down East Singers in Thomaston, Maine. Katie is a frequent soloist at Saint Columbkille Parish in Brighton, MA and at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill, where she has been a member of the music ministry since 1999.

​Katie’s musical studies began with the piano at the age of 5, and she discovered her passion for singing in her early adolescent years. Katie holds a BM in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and will complete her MM in Vocal Performance at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA in 2023. Always developing professionally, she attended the Boston Conservatory Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop in 2018, The Orff Schulwerk Level 1 training at Bridgewater State University in 2019 and the OperaWorks Winter Intensive Program in Los Angeles, CA in 2016.

Tim Carew

Tim Carew

Tim Carew

Tim Carew

Tim Carew is a tenor vocalist, voice teacher, and piano teacher. He studied vocal  performance at New England Conservatory, vocal pedagogy at Longy School of  Music, and vocal technique with McClosky Institute of Voice.

Tim has performed  in various genres, including musical theater, operetta, cabaret, recital, symphonic chorus, oratorio and church music. He performed roles with Savoyard Light  Opera, Masterworks Chorale, Regal Players, and Turtle Lane Playhouse, and  performed in the Tanglewood Festival Chorus with the Boston Symphony  Orchestra and Boston Pops.

Tim holds a Massachusetts Educators License and  serves as choral director in the Quincy Public Schools. He holds a B.S. from  University of New Hampshire and an M.M. from New England Conservatory of  Music. His students have excelled as vocal soloists and in auditions for musical  theater, vocal-choral intensive programs, MMEA Districts/All-State, and college  performing arts.

Milly Roberts

Milly Roberts

Milly Roberts

Milly Roberts

Milly is an East Coast based song leader and educator. A recent grad of the Harvard Grad School of Education in Leadership and Arts Education, Milly is driven to build power in communities through arts practices. She has collaborated with a variety of artists over the years to “get off the stage and into the room” designing participatory creative workshops.

She has been running an adult singing group the past year in her community weaving together folk songs, improvisation and movement. This group was born out of a love for leading songs at celebrations, and participation in Bobby McFerrin’s CircleSinging school.

She found a joy for community building in her past life in Outdoor Education as a Camp Director, Wilderness Guide, Naturalist and Ropes Course Facilitator, including Dedham’s neighbor, Hale Education.

Jordan Perillo

Jordan Perillo

Jordan Perillo

Jordan Perillo

Jordan Perillo is a classical singer (baritone) who has worked as a piano and voice instructor since 2016.   He has been a part of two professional opera choruses (Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera), and has sung in multiple professional church choirs, including the Church of Saint Agnes in New York City and St. Paul’s Parish in Harvard Square. 

Jordan has performed frequently as a vocal soloist, has worked for years as a piano accompanist, and has participated in several DIY jazz and twee pop bands. He has also written, recorded, and produced 3 electronic pop albums under the stage name Gior. 

Jordan has two B.A. degrees from the University of South Florida, in Music Studies and Psychology.  He also has an M.A. in Counseling Theory from Boston College.

Strings Instructors
(violin, cello, viola)

Strings Instructors
Zoe Chau

Zoe Chau (Strings)

Passionate Professionals

Zoe Chau (Strings)

YuekSze (Zoe) Chau is a violinist and violist from Hong Kong and is passionate about both  performing and teaching music. To further contribute to her music career, Ms. Chau received  the Licentiate (LTCL) Performance Diploma in Violin Performance (Distinction) and the Associate (ATCL) Performance Diploma in Viola Performance from Trinity College London in  2018. Ms. Chau graduated from Longy School of Music of Bard College. With a Master degree in Violin and Viola Performance. Her primary violin studies are with Anna Maria Williams. Her primary viola studies are with Sarah Darling. She is also a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP) meaning that she is specially-trained to provide live acoustic music at bedside, one-on-one, for therapeutic purposes.

Ms. Chau was a member of the LARK string quartet as a violinist from 2016-2019, a Hong  Kong-based string quartet which provides live performance for events. Ms. Chau also  participated as a violinist in the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra. She is currently a violist for the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra and the DuBois Orchestra.

While maintaining a regular performance schedule. Ms. Chau taught the after-school violin program in elementary schools in Hong Kong, and tutored in several music schools in Hong Kong from 2014-2019. 

Ms. Chau also maintained a private teaching studio and helped students achieve their goals for  the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exam and Trinity College London  (TCL) exam.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “It is a mistake to think that the practice of my art has become easy to me.”

關於

周若思於2018年考取英國倫敦聖三⼀學院⼩提琴LTCL (Distinction)專業⽂憑,及英國倫敦聖三⼀ 學院中提琴ATCL初級⽂憑。畢業於美國巴德朗逸⾳樂學院,主修⼩提琴及中提琴表演雙學位碩 ⼠。⼩提琴師承Anna Maria Williams,中提琴師承Sarah Darling。並持有治療⾳樂從業者證書, 為醫療或服務機構之有需要⼈⼠提供治療⾳樂現場演奏。 2016-2019 年間,作為香港「LARK弦 樂四重奏」之⼩提琴⼿出席各種表演活動。曾作為⼩提琴⼿參與沃爾瑟姆愛樂樂團及昆⻄交響樂 團演出。現為哈佛⼤學巴洛克室樂團及DuBois管弦樂團中提琴⼿。

Spencer Lee

Spencer Lee (Violin)

Spencer Lee

Spencer Lee (Violin)

Spencer Lee, violinist and violist, enjoys a varied and stimulating career as performer, teacher, and arts administrator. Born in Boston, Spencer has performed in venues such as Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, and the Massachusetts State House.  He also had the privilege of attending Brancaleoni International Music Festival in 2020, where he performed in a masterclass for Julia Glenn. He has also attended Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival for many summers as a scholarship student and this past summer as a resident assistant.

This past year, Spencer taught extensively in Western Massachusetts at Gerry’s Music Shop and the Prindle School. He was also one of the lead strings teachers of Música Franklin, a nonprofit afterschool program in Greenfield, MA, and taught group class and private lessons.

Spencer has collaborated with artists such as Nardo Poy, Andrew Megill, and Eric Thomas, and is currently pursuing his master’s at Boston Conservatory with Rictor Noren. He recently completed his bachelor’s and a professional performance certificate with Elizabeth Chang at UMass Amherst; previously, he was a student of Christopher Memoli.

Chelsea Bernstein

Chelsea Bernstein (Cello)

Chelsea Bernstein

Chelsea Bernstein (Cello)

Dr. Chelsea Bernstein enjoys an active and varied career as a specialist in the performance of modern cello, historical cello, and viola da gamba. On stage, she performs regularly as a multi-instrumentalist with the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Four Seasons, Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, Washington Performing Arts, Les Arts Florissants, American Bach Soloists, Gotham Early Music Scene, and Music Before 1800 concert series.

Chelsea holds advanced performance degrees from The Juilliard School and the University of Maryland. Chelsea is resident cellist in the Newport String Quartet and serves on the music faculties of Salve Regina University and St. Georges School, in Newport, Rhode Island.

Guitar, Ukulele, Mandolin,
Blues Harmonica Instructors

Guitar Instructors
Steve Marchena

Steve Marchena

Steve Marchena

Steve Marchena

Steve Marchena has been a full-time professional musician and music educator for over thirty-five years, specializing in Classical, Rock, Jazz, and Blues styles. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2000 as a Guitar Performance Major, he became a founding member of The Back Bay Guitar Trio, and has since toured Europe and North America, with over thirty album credits to his name.

Steve is currently performing every week at Faneuil Hall, and has recently completed The Interdisciplinary Music Studies Degree Program through Berklee Online.

In 2004, Steve won the Northeast Regional Finals of Guitar Center’s National Guitar Competition. In 2007 and 2008, he taught at Berklee College Of Music during Summer Guitar Sessions. In 2014, he received The Outstanding Arts Instructor Award from Bentley University in Waltham, MA. 

Steve has recently performed with The Boston Modern Orchestra Project, The Cape Symphony, and The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra.

Steve is an Ortega Guitars Artist. More information is available at www.stevemarchena.com

Jon Catler

Jon Catler

Jon Catler

Jon Catler

Jon Catler has been a professional musician since graduating with a performance degree from Berklee College Of Music, and has performed throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada. He has released over a dozen albums of original music, with the most recent, Devil’s Dance with 13 O’Clock Blues Band, included in Downbeat Magazine’s Best CD’s of the Year.

He has performed and recorded with composer La Monte Young for 40 years, and is featured on their Gramavision recording, which received 4 stars in Rolling Stone.

Jon’s composition Evolution For Electric Guitar And Orchestra was performed at New York Society For Ethical Culture, and the recording was conducted by Grammy winner Joel Thome.

Jon has taught Master classes at Berklee, UMass Lowell, Riverside University, MU Online University, and South Shore Conservatory. He enjoys teaching, and his book The Nature Of Music details his work with Harmonic music. Jon runs WildHouse Studio in Randolph, MA, and his music is available on Bandcamp and FreeNote Records at www.microtones.com

Percussion Instructors

Daniel Pooley

Daniel Pooley

Daniel Pooley

Daniel Pooley

Daniel Pooley is a Boston-based percussionist and multi-instrumentalist with a passion for contemporary classical music and world rhythms. He earned his B.M. in Percussion at Boston Conservatory at Berklee under the tutelage of world-renowned artists Nancy Zeltsman and Sam Solomon. Pooley plays a wide range of percussion instruments from marimba to timpani, and has performed on various stages from Vienna’s Musikverein to Seattle’s Jazz Alley, to Denver’s Mile High Stadium. He has shared the stage with pianist Anna Fedorova, trumpeter Terrell Stafford, and tabla master Sandeep Das, among many others. Constantly seeking to diversify his musical scope, Pooley has studied a multitude of musical traditions and instruments from across the globe, including djembe, congas and frame drum. Pooley regularly collaborates with living composers, workshopping and premiering new pieces for percussion, and continuously striving to broaden the skill set of the modern performer. Influenced by his teachers’ love for helping students navigate their passion for music, Pooley has a love for teaching and collaborating with students, as well as his peers. He has been teaching music since 2015, and offers lessons in percussion, piano, and music theory.

Teaching philosophy:

The fundamental goal of musical training is to develop a love of music, an awareness and understanding of musical language, and a sense of personal expression through performance. These core principles apply to all musicians, regardless of skill or ambition. In terms of technique, I believe in building a strong foundation of relaxed playing, to avoid any potential muscle strain or injury further down the line. In addition to cultivating instrumental technique and playing ability, I put a large emphasis on musical appreciation, and understanding stylistic nuance. Coursework and repertoire is assigned based on the student’s instrument, genre, level, and personal goals.

Percussion Instructors

Band Instructor

Dale Jovin

Dale Jovin

Dale Jovin

Dale Jovin

Dale Jovin has more than forty years experience as a public and private school music educator, from kindergarten through high school. 

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Music Education from Gordon College and has engaged in additional music graduate studies at UNH and at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

Dale has remained active in both choral and instrumental music and has written several compositions, each for band, chorus, and orchestra. Mr. Jovin is currently a member of the Dedham Choral Society, and the Woodwinds Faculty of Dedham School of Music, and is the conductor of the DSM Dedham Community Band.

Feeling Inspired?

Whether you’re picking up a musical instrument for the first time, rediscovering a long-lost passion, or simply wanting to enjoy live music, Dedham School of Music is your music community center to explore, create, and be inspired.

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