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Chris Simmons
Piano, Guitar, Voice, Ukulele
Chris holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Rowan University. His primary instrument was Voice; he performed with the Men’s Choir for two years, the Concert Choir for four years, and took eight semesters of voice lessons, which culminated in a senior recital. In addition to his academic performance history, he has also performed in several local bands, as lead singer and bassist, as well as written and performed original works as a solo musician.
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His teaching experience goes back to 2014. He worked as a general music teacher at a charter school in Trenton, NJ, but left to pursue his passion for private music teaching in 2017. Throughout his career, he has served the South Jersey area, including Marlton, Cherry Hill, Medford, and Collingswood.
Fran Secrest
Violin, Viola, Flute
Francesca has been teaching instrumental music in Southern NJ since 2000. She received both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Delaware, and is currently working towards her D.M.A. from Boston University.
While attending the University of Delaware, she performed with UD Marching Band, University Orchestra, and Symphonic band. Francesca has performed at churches, weddings, the Mansion in Voorhees, NJ and is currently playing in a community orchestra. In addition to teaching viola, violin and flute, Francesca is excited to teach Kids' MusicRound classes.
Alex Bon
Trumpet, Guitar, Piano
Alex Bon holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Rowan University. He has been teaching and tutoring brass and piano students privately since 2011 and considers musical analysis and expression to be among his greatest strengths.
Growing up surrounded by music has allowed Alex to experience all of the joy that performing and experiencing music can evoke within people and his passion in music education is to guide his students toward experiencing that same joy. When he is not teaching privately, you can find Alex in the Cherry Hill public schools teaching general, instrumental, and choral music to musicians in grades K-5.
Jami Smith
Voice, Guitar, Music Therapy
Jami Smith, MT-BC -is a Board Certified Music Therapist with a Bachelor’s in Music Therapy from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA. In 2005, She completed her Music Therapy internship at Bethany Children’s Home in 2006. Jami completed a Master’s in Health Administration from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA in 2013.
She has been practicing music therapy since 2006 in various settings. She has worked with populations ranging in age from 3 to older adult with various disabilities and diagnoses including Autism spectrum disorders, emotional disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays, dementia and mental illness. Jami is an active member of the American Music Therapy Association. She keeps involved in her profession and continues her education to continue to provide quality care.
Matthew Di Filippo
Guitar, Bass, Piano
Matthew holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Rowan University. He demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of guitar and piano technique and performance. Matt has taught private students of all ages in Marlton and continues to expand his practice in the Philadelphia area. While attending Rowan, he tutored students for Music Theory-Written/Aural for two years and was a member of Rowan's Concert Band, Men's Choir, and Guitar Ensemble for four years.
Matt has performed in professional events and in small venues including the Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Trocadero Theatre and the Crocodile Rock Cafe, PA. As a previous camp counselor, he has created theme days of music for Evesham Township’s Triple-A Summer Camp that exposes children to singing/movement/ listening activities and presentations on band instruments. Overall, Matt is looking forward to sharing his working knowledge at our studio.
Cassandra Sicolo
Flute, Piano
Cass holds a bachelor’s degree in music education, with a flute primary, from Montclair State University. Cass has been teaching privately since 2014 and is currently dedicated to nurturing young musicians as a local public school elementary band and orchestra teacher. Cass has performed in many ensembles - her favorite being a collaborative concert with Sir James Galway at Carnegie Hall.
At Melody Makers, Cass is dedicated to guiding students through their musical journey, offering lessons in beginner piano and all levels of flute. Passionate about both performance and education, she strives to instill a love for music while helping students reach their full potential. In her free time, she likes to read, watch football, and spend time with her two cats.
Gabrielle Howarth
Voice Teacher, Vocal Coach
Gabrielle Howarth has been performing and entertaining since the age of 5. Born and raised in New Jersey, the singer/songwriter/actress has been widely known for her powerful soulful voice, wide range and the ability to re-create songs as her own — setting her apart from many others.
Gabrielle’s musical talent has taken her all over the country, from California to New York, from the Mid-west to Nashville and back. Currently, she freelances in many different musical projects while performing weekly with one of the premier party/wedding bands in the Tri-State area. Gabrielle graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BA Theatre Arts/Musical Theater and has been teaching vocal lessons for 3 years.
Ben Taylor
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet
Ben Taylor is a professional clarinetist and bass clarinetist based in the South Jersey area. Ben has established themselves as a soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician, as well as a passionate music educator.
As a soloist, Ben performed as a clarinet and bass clarinet soloist for Dai Fujikura’s Mina: Concerto for Five Soloists and Orchestra with the University of Michigan Philharmonia Orchestra in the historic Hill Auditorium. They have also performed as a bass clarinet soloist with the University of Michigan Contemporary Ensemble, playing Unsuk Chin’s Advice from a Caterpillar. Additionally, Ben has performed with the Detroit Opera Orchestra, University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, University of Michigan Symphony Band, and the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra.
Ben is a strong advocate for chamber music and new music, which proves true in their work with Novus Reed Quintet. Novus is a chamber ensemble based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, performing a combination of world premiers and transcriptions of orchestral standards. With Novus, Ben premiered multiple pieces for the reed quintet instrumentation (oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, bass clarinet). As an educator, Ben taught a small studio of middle school clarinetists and bass clarinetists in Ann Arbor, MI. They helped their students achieve placement in the MSBOA Michigan All-State Bands.
Ben is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, where they earned a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance. Ben’s previous clarinet teachers include Daniel Gilbert, Chad Burrow, Paul Demers, and Candy Maxwell.
