Our Instructors:

Tony DeMarco
Guitar

Anthony has extensive experience with all styles of guitar including Classical, Flamenco, Rock, and Jazz and have played all of these styles professionally.  Anthony started to play the guitar in 1960 at the age of 5 with his father who also played guitar and mandolin. He began formal lessons at age 6 with Lou Melia on classical guitar and continued for 9 years.  Tony began playing professionally in 1972 in restaurants and clubs. He attended Middlesex County College from 1973-1975 while playing professionally in restaurants, plays, wedding ceremonies, and cocktail hours as a solo guitarist.
Tony continues to play full time and has been in the business for 40+ years. He also studied with Ron Parker and jazz great Harry Leahy. Tony has opened for legends such as Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich and plays in the Matty Dice Band. He has also played in various local rock bands and has played in theater productions like Promises, Promises at the Paper Mill Playhouse, On the 20th Century at the Minetta Theater, and The Music Man in various community theaters.

Matt Vicari
Guitar/Bass/Drums/Piano

Matt has been teaching private lessons since 2008. He received a Bachelor’s of Music with a focus in Guitar Performance from Musicians Institute. Matt’s passion for music shows most in the form of education, teaching students of all ages and levels. During his time teaching, Matt has continued to shape his teaching philosophy and style towards the individual and strives to provide a customized private lesson to match each student. While keeping music fundamentals at the heart of each of his lessons, Matt enjoys allowing each student to express their own musical interest, as well as exposing them to new musical experiences. Enjoyment, dedication, patience are the core principles that Matt brings to every class.


During his time teaching, Matt has successfully prepared students on Guitar, Drums, Piano and Bass Guitar for school jazz bands, marching band, classical guitar ensembles, and certificate programs such as ABRSM and RCM. His lessons are goal driven and loves sharing in all of his student’s accomplishments.

Neil Nemetz
Guitar/Banjo/Mandolin

Neil Nemetz teaches guitar, mandolin and banjo. Neil graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston MA. Neil acted as musical director for a Las Vegas show band and has toured with Bowser of Sha na na. He has played for the King of Spain at the Rainbow Room in New York City.
Neil is currently the house guitarist for The Bristol Riverside Theater in Philadelphia, PA. He is currently the lead guitarist in the musical “Rent” and has been performing as well as teaching privately for 40 years.

Chris Klaus
Strings/Piano

A graduate of Rutgers University with a B.A. in Music under the instruction of world renowned violinist Lenuta Ciulei, Christopher has over 12 years teaching experience. He is proficient on the piano, violin, viola and cello and has performed in various orchestras including the Rutgers symphony, Rutgers philharmonic, New Sussex Symphony and Pocono youth orchestra. His musical interests include classical, bluegrass, celtic and rock which are incorporated into his lessons. Each one of his lessons is tailored to fit the student’s individual needs and musical tastes. Many of his students play in community and state orchestras and have gone on to obtain degrees in music.

Steven Clark
Brass/Piano/Violin/Viola/Voice

Steven Clark is a professional musician and the music director at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in New Brunswick.  Steven has studied various brass instruments for over 15 years and has taught music during the past 12 years.  Steven graduated from the University of Montana School of Music with a bachelor's degree in organ performance.  A part from music, Steven studies clinical psychology at Rutgers University.  Steven's teaching style in warm and collaborative and he values tailoring lessons to the student's goals.  Steven also teaches all levels of voice and piano, as well as beginner and intermediate strings.

Elana Segal
Woodwinds

M.M. Multiple Woodwind Performance |  New Jersey City University
B.M.  Music Education, Clarinet | Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Elana is a woodwind specialist and music teacher.  She specializes in all flutes, clarinets, saxophones and double reeds, with a focus on classical solo and chamber music. Elana teaches private lessons and coaches chamber music ensembles to students of all ages. 

Her studio of forty students is a mixture of beginning and intermediate students learning for fun, as well as advanced students looking for competition and audition preparation. Each year her students successfully audition for the New Jersey honors bands, local youth orchestras, school ensembles and music degree programs. Multiple studio recitals throughout the year offer students performance opportunities to share music with their community. Elana has experience teaching in elementary and middle school instrumental music programs.
Elana received her Masters of Music in Multiple Woodwind Performance from New Jersey City University, where she completed a Graduate Assistantship. Her thesis on supplemental methods for woodwind pedagogy led her into pursuing a career as a private music teacher. Her Bachelors of Music in Music Education is from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.  In addition to teaching and performing, Elana works at an instrument repair shop and is pursuing her interest in woodwind instrument repair.

Elana is a BG France Artist.

Carter Vames
Saxophone/Flute/Clarinet/Piano

Carter Vames is currently an undergrad student at Mason Gross in the jazz studies program. He is a student of saxophone legend Gary Smulyan. He previously studied with Matt Janiszewski at Music Forever and Lou Rose. He primarily performs on tenor sax but also plays alto and the piano. You can hear him perform with his band Rugburn in the New Brunswick area. Their music is a spicy blend of funk, rock, and jazz fusion. He also often sits in with other bands in the local scene, including Galactus Cactus and Marsoupial.

Evan Tsioni
Drums/Bass/Piano

Evan Tsioni is a Drummer/ Composer from Livingston, New Jersey. He is a recent graduate of Mason Gross School of The Arts at Rutgers University. During his time there he concentrated in Jazz Performance and minored in Music Technology.  Through college and various gigs over the years Evan has performed in a broad range of musical situations and styles including Jazz (Big Band and Small Ensemble), Rock, Musical Theatre, Folk and Latin.
In his time at Mason Gross Evan studied closely with legendary Drummer/Composer, Victor Lewis. He also worked closely with musicians such as Robby Ameen, Mark Gross, Vic Juris and Kenny Davis who all gave him a greater understanding of performing and teaching as a whole.
Evan has been teaching private lessons since 2012 for all ages. He also regularly performs at various venues and bars around New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia with a large range of groups.

Emiri Shintani
Brass/Piano/Strings

Emiri Shintani is currently a senior undergraduate music education major at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Her primary instrument is trombone and she studies with Dr. Noreen Harris Baer. Emiri specializes in teaching all brass, strings, and piano. As an educator, Emiri is currently student teaching in Readington Township and has worked as a visual and brass instructor at East Brunswick High School and well as a few other schools.
Emiri has performed with various groups such as Rutgers Symphonic Winds, Rutgers Sinfonia, Litha Symphony Orchestra, etc. She is currently performing in the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band. Emiri has also competed in chamber group competitions at Rutgers University and performed at the winners concert in 2017 and 2018.

Ron Pruitt
Saxophone/FLute/Clarinet/Piano

In demand as a multi-instrumentalist throughout north Jersey and New York, Ron Pruitt has over 17 years of experience as a working musician, and nearly a decade as a teacher. He is currently a member and associate leader of the Metropolitan Festival Band, a leading Italian feast band in the greater New York City area. He also is a founding member and leader of the Pruitt-Cannella Jazz Orchestra, a Sinatra-style jazz band which has performed extensively between New York City and Washington DC, and most recently, performed the pre-concert show for Michael Bublé in Philadelphia’s XFinity Live!
Ron took his first professional gig with a brass parade band at age 15 and has since earned his BM in Music Education from The College of New Jersey. There, he studied classical saxophone under Kathy Mitchell, and conducting with Dr. David Vickerman. Pruitt also later studied jazz improvisation with Denis DiBlasio. He currently works as an elementary music teacher in Woodbridge Township, his home town, where he teaches general music classes and directs choirs.

Max Donaldson
Saxophone/FLute

Max Donaldson is a recent Bachelor of Music graduate from Rutgers University’s performing arts school, Mason Gross School of the Arts. He studied under Ralph Bowen and Abraham BurtonMax primarily plays the Tenor saxophone, and is also very experienced on the Soprano, Alto, and Bari sax. His favorite genre of music to play is jazz, but he is proficient in other styles such as classical and rock.He has been a member of the Rutgers University Jazz Ensemble and appeared with many Rutgers Chamber Groups. Max frequently performs in the New Brunswick and Princeton areas with various jazz trios, quartets, and big bands.

Allysa Totten
Vocal/Piano

Allysa Totten is a Soprano vocalist who is currently receiving her undergraduate degree at William Paterson University in K-12 Music Education. She specializes in teaching voice and piano lessons for all ages. Allysa has student taught in Elizabeth and Scotch Plains-Fanwood Townships, and will be finishing her student teaching in the upcoming Fall semester of 2023.
Allysa has performed in various operas, musicals, and vocal groups over the years. She was apart of the William Paterson Voxtet vocal group, as well as the international touring Chamber Choir who toured Italy in March of 2022. Her credits include Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett); Trouble in Tahiti (Girl 1); Le Nozze di Figaro (Due Donne/Countess Understudy), Die Zauberflote (Papagena); among many more. She participated in the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in Assisi, Italy in the summer of 2023.