Ben Newman - The Music Den's Teacher Of The Month for November 2013

Announcing The Music Den's Teacher Of The Month
for November 2013 - Ben Newman

At The Music Den, we are proud of our teachers and their accomplishments. We want you to know a little about them so we are featuring one teacher each month. Congratulations to Ben Newman, our November 2013 featured "Teacher of the Month". 

Ben Newman has been teaching at The Music Den for over 5 years and is a valued member of our team. He is a true professional in every sense of the word. Ben is well versed in Guitar, but also teaches Piano, Ukulele, Bass, and Banjo. 

Ben is a skilled guitar teacher, providing his students with a gentle spirit and nurturing presence. His philosophy is to tailor each lesson to the student's individual needs - employing sight reading, music theory, fret board theory, chord reading, and tablature reading. 

What makes Ben unique is his ability to shift his teaching style to accommodate both children and adults. His technique is tailored to the student needs. If he is teaching an adult, he focuses on a more mature approach to the guitar with an encouraging push to transition nervous energy into a smooth, easy style of learning. With children, he is gentle, funny, and witty, and relates to their desires and song choices. 

Playing for over 12 years, Ben performs in a small duo with Justin DiRicco in Mountain Lakes, NJ. Often joined by other prominent players performing at local venues, Ben and Justin write much of their own music. His interests are Rock-based with influence from Blues, Jazz, and Classical genres. His influences are Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Tool, and Rage Against the Machine. 

Ben is a also graduate of the County College of Morris and continues to pursue his Bachelors in Music Education at William Paterson University.

Besides private music instruction, Ben also offers a group guitar class for children ages 7-10 on Saturdays from 2 - 3 PM. 

To meet Ben and discuss lessons or joining his guitar class, stop by the store or call (973) 927-5800 (lesson department). Ben is in the store Tuesday - Saturday.

Open Letter From Angela Marcone - The Music Den's Education Coordinator

Open Letter From Angela Marcone - The Music Den's Education Coordinator

Dear Parents and Students of the Music Den Family,
 

In the short time that I have joined the team as Education Coordinator at The Music Den I have experienced a wonderful world of music making with both the teachers and the students who enter our store. I am amazed at the enthusiasm of the teachers and the skills they have to offer and at the warm and friendly atmosphere created by the staff and owners Tom and Jerry Scognamiglio.

My background in teaching spans from being a software specialist for 12 years, writing and teaching software curriculum for adult education, writing and teaching curriculum in K-12 public education for 7 years, training in vocal pedagogy, teaching private vocal lessons, and owning my own studio with a staff of 5. I hold a Masters in Music Education from Boston University. Now I have aligned myself for the final stop on my career trail by becoming an adjunct professor at William Paterson and sharing this wonderful space with the personnel here at The Music Den as Education Coordinator.

Working closely with Tom, Jerry, and the teachers over the past 8 months, we have evaluated teaching strategies and curriculum, researched other facilities offering music lessons and programs and aligned our goals to provide a comprehensive musical experience for students who study with us.

The one thing that sets us apart from other facilities offering lessons in the area is our beautiful RPAC (Randolph Performing Arts Center) performance space. A 118 seat intimate stage and state of the art recording facility complete with lighting and a beautiful grand piano provides the students the opportunity to hone their skills out of the practice room.

We offer monthly recitals and performance opportunities for each student as they progress through their training.

This year, we are proud to announce that we have put both String and Wind chamber ensemble programs into place for students and the community to join as they reach performance level. I anticipate these programs becoming staple ensembles valuable to the community for years to come.

Along with these opportunities, we now have group lessons and classes for children and adults including: 

 

-Kids Keys ages 3-6, for children just beginning to show an interest in the piano
-Kids Guitar for children ages 7-11 who would like the experience of playing guitar before taking private lessons
-Rock Band for ages 13 to adult for those studying guitar, bass, piano, and drums who would like to experience playing in an ensemble
-Pop and Instrumental groups for children grades 1-8 who would like to perform on stage singing and playing popular music
-Ukulele classes ages 13 to adult for those who would like to jump into the hot new trend of ukulele performing  
-Mrdangam drumming for a cultural world drumming experience,  
-Acting classes with filmmaking, Broadway and stage performance  
-Music theory classes for college bound students

                       

…and we just successfully completed our first ever Summer Fine Arts Camp!

When I first arrived to The Music Den, I was inspired by the incredible opportunities abound to create and make music for the community.

In January we are bringing a certified Music Therapist to the mix offering one-on-one lessons and classes in Sprouting Melodies, a nationally known parent-child class for beginner musicians. (children from infancy to 3 yrs.)

I invite you to join us as we grow and to partake in the new offerings we now have at The Music Den.

Check our website at www.TheMusicDen.com for all of the offerings I described above.

If you were a previous student and are considering returning to The Music Den, I am extending the offer free registration to any of our class offerings.

I also invite you to check our website for the RPAC performances and join us for some of the upcoming events.

Thank you for becoming a part of The Music Den Family!

Respectfully,

Angela Marcone
Education Coordinator 
The Music Den