I’m also a music educator, and have worked for the past 11 years in an array of contexts: teaching private lessons in piano and songwriting with students of all ages, leading contemporary vocal groups and songwriting collectives, devising and music directing mountains of eccentric musicals with kids, and leading sing-a-longs with babies in libraries around Brooklyn.

I am available to:

-Teach lessons in piano and/or songwriting
I work with students of all ages and many levels. Music lessons are shaped around each student’s particular interests, needs, and learning styles. I I teach with a lot of energy, humor, flexibility, and lovingly high expectations, encouraging creativity, confidence, authentic expression, and a genuine love and enthusiasm for music.

I teach a wide spectrum of levels and musical styles from the broad western classical and jazz canons. I specialize in all shades and eras of popular music, self-accompaniment while singing, and songwriting. I always incorporate varying balances of music theory, ear training, improvisation, and technique.

Rather than “teaching” songwriting per se, I believe in helping create the environment and provide different tools and pathways to help every student find, develop, and articulate their unique musical voice and preferences, and tap into the limitless creative world that already exists within them.

-Direct vocal ensembles
Singing and performing exciting, customized arrangements of a wide range of popular styles, focusing on harmony, collaboration, and community. From 2013-2017, I ran Sing What You Love, a vocal ensemble that I founded at the New School of Music in Cambridge, MA. Repertoire was chosen together, and included songs by Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, The Flaming Lips, and Billie Eilish, to name just a few.

-Lead songwriting collectives
In 2020 I created the Youth Songwriter’s Collective, a fun, supportive, and creative virtual space for songwriters ages 13-18 to share their music, learn new skills, develop a consistent writing process, and cultivate their artistic voices in a creative and collaborative community. Every week included song shares and workshops taught by different instructors, including but not limited to The Arc of the Voice w/ Joy Askew, Using Our Artistic Voices for Change w/ Emma Jayne, Rona Siddiqui, & Darian Thomas, and Lyric Writing: Personifying a Feeling w/ Elizabeth Ziman.

-Create musicals with kids
Since 2013, I have been creating and music directing musicals in collaboration with kids, at the New School of Music in Cambridge, MA, Brooklyn Acting Lab in Brooklyn, and Lucy Moses School in NYC.

"Joanna teaches with a commanding energy and sense of fun that is contagious. What sets Joanna apart from other skilled music teachers, is that she deeply respects the artistic voice of each one of her students. She sincerely listens to her students' ideas and perspectives and incorporates them into her classes, choreography, and song choices. This genuine mutual respect, rare in an authority figure, has won her a devoted following of students.

Our daughter, Kesariya, blossomed musically but more importantly, her confidence grew and she developed a dramatic flair for performance. Our little girl is very petite and appears shy at first, but she has a big voice and Joanna has taught her to own it. Our daughter has learned to sing with poise, conviction and sass! She is most fully herself when she is performing and singing from her heart. As parents, there is no better gift then seeing your child be their truest self and express joy. For this gift, we will be forever grateful to
Joanna." - Mother of KESARIYA, then age 8

“Joanna is the best teacher, she's super nice and fun.  She challenges you to try things that you think you can't do but, after you try them, you find out that you really can do them and that's a very good feeling.  Joanna is an excellent teacher, she helps make your songs better than amazing.  I really like working with her and I think you will too.” - QUINN, then age 10

Joanna “has formed a genuine connection with my son that has made learning fun, while enabling her to gently push him to achieve his full potential.  It has been a joy to watch as Joanna has encouraged my son to tap into his own creativity and to experience music as a means of self-expression.  Joanna is a warm and engaging teacher with an infectious enthusiasm for music and I could not recommend her more highly.” - Mother of QUINN

"We met Joanna when she taught our daughter at a week long class in which the children wrote stories on Monday -- that night Joanna set them to music -- and over the next four days the children learned the songs, dialogue, and dance - and performed on Friday. I was impressed with the accomplishment and the creativity. My daughter, now many years later, says this was her favorite camp ever.

Later we asked Joanna to teach Ella piano. As someone who studied piano for many years, I am impressed with several qualities of Joanna's teaching. My daughter gained basic note recognition skills quickly. Joanna moved her quickly into issues of expression and performance, as well as music theory such as keys/ transposing. Joanna is intuitive and respectful towards my daughter but not indulgent. She has high expectations - which she clearly states. I think my daughter's primary motivation to practice is to please Joanna and to be able to learn more. I am grateful that Joanna has generated skill and an appreciation of music in my daughter."

- Mother of ELLA, then age 12