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Princeton Music Lessons Team
Meet our teachers
At Princeton Music Lessons, we're proud to have a team of experienced and passionate music instructors who are dedicated to helping our students achieve their musical goals. From guitar lessons to piano lessons, voice/singing lessons, drum lessons, ukulele lessons, and more, our team has the expertise and knowledge to guide students of all ages and skill levels. With a commitment to personalized instruction and a focus on fun and engaging learning, our instructors create a supportive and encouraging environment where students can thrive. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your skills to the next level, our team is here to help you achieve your musical dreams. Get to know our talented instructors today and discover why Princeton Music Lessons is the premier music school in Princeton, NJ.
Brandon Broderick
Guitar/Ukulele/Beginner Piano
Brandon Broderick is a Music Performance and Music B.A graduate from Rutgers University. He has been teaching students of all ages for over 10 years and teaches several instruments including Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Vocals, Piano and Music Theory. Brandon is also ABRSM certified for the ABRSM Music Theory Exams. He teaches all styles and genres (rock, pop, jazz, acoustic, folk) and is open to teaching all students of any difficulty level or any age. On top of that, Brandon is a full-time musician and performer and has performed solo and with many bands over the last 15 years
Greg Federico
Drums/Piano/Theory
Greg Federico received his B.A. in Philosophy from Villanova University. Having over 30 years of performance experience in varied musical styles with an emphasis in jazz, Greg has studied drums and percussion instruments with such notables as Peter Jarvis, John Riley, Richie Morales, Dick Weller, Joe Mekler, and Tony DeNicola. His musical studies have also included classical piano instruction by Joe Riccardi and jazz piano instruction by John Coates, Sr. Additionally, Greg is a respected music transcriptionist and engraver, and he has worked behind the scenes with jazz guitarist, composer, and 20-time Grammy award winner Pat Metheny, assisting the legendary musician in editing and scoring two songbooks published by Hal Leonard Publishing: "Orchestrion - The Complete Score" (released in March 2011) and a revision of "The Pat Metheny Songbook" (currently in production at this time). Greg has independently released five CD recordings consisting primarily of original music and has been awarded many accolades as a composer from various songwriting competitions over the past 19 years. As a performer, he has had the good fortune to play with several accomplished jazz artists including Pete Levin, Mike Richmond, Jack Grassel, Tony Cimorosi, Eric Olsen, Dave Edwards, B.D. Lenz, Ron Velosky, and Steve Girardi. Though "home" for Greg is considered the New Jersey corridor between Philadelphia and New York City, he has also toured the Midwest on several occasions to promote his CD recordings. Greg has been teaching professionally for over 32 years.
Jonah Tolchin
Guitar Teacher/Co-Founder
Jonah is a proud Princeton native with a story of musical success that continues to unfold. At 20 he signed to the prestigious label, Yep Roc Records. His music has been streamed over 30 million times in 78+ countries. He has spent the last 10 years developing multiple crafts including songwriting, guitar, and music production. Jonah has toured the world playing his songs and collaborated with legends such as Jackson Browne and Rickie Lee Jones. He has made a name for himself in the Los Angeles music scene where he works with A-list session musicians producing records for developing artists. The musicians he works with play with artists such as Fiona Apple, Ben Harper, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Beck, etc. Jonah has worked with Grammy winning engineers and musicians, and also is a voting member of the Recording Academy. He is known not only for his career as a songwriter, producer, and recording artist, but also as a guitar player. Jonah has been written about in NPR, Guitar Player Magazine Japan, Rolling Stone Germany, American Songwriter, Uncut, MOJO, No Depression, Pop Matters, etc.
Jonah loves teaching one on one guitar lessons to complete beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. His students will learn the skills of improvisation, foundational music theory, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, fingerpicking, songwriting skills, basic audio recording, and more. Most importantly, over time they will learn how playing music can be a tool for self-discovery and empowerment in all aspects of life.
Jonah lives in the Princeton area with his wife and daughter.
Santo Rizzolo
Drums
Santo Rizzolo born in Jackson, New Jersey is an American drummer and musician. His love for
music and the drums began around the age of twelve when his father purchased him his first
snare drum at a local garage sale. Santo has been playing drums professionally for over 15
years sharing the stage and recording with many artists such as The Village People, Steve
Forbert, Dana Fuchs, David Bryan, Matt Oree, Nicole Atkins, Brielle Von Hugel (Finalist on The
American Idol), Remember Jones, Dead On Live, JT Bowen, Arlan Feiles, Jackson Pines, Matt
Wade Band, Play Date, Tara Dente, Brother Andrew, and Mike Montrey Band to name a few.
Santo is currently plays and tours nationally with Atlantic Records artist Joe P.
Santo has been teaching for over a decade and has a deep-rooted love for sharing knowledge
of his craft and watching students grow into great musicians. His passion for the fundamentals
of the instrument, from rudimental studies to drumset performance is infectious and makes
learning new concepts very enjoyable. Adept in a wide range of diverse musical styles such as
Rock, Funk, World music, Hip Hop/ R&B, Jazz, and Country, Santo can take a student in any
direction they’d like and form lesson plans and practice routines that best suit their individual
needs.
When not teaching or touring, Santo enjoys writing and creating songs in his basement studio in
Princeton, New Jersey.
Miriam Edelstein
Voice, Guitar, Ukulele.
Miriam has wanted to be a music teacher since age 7 when she picked up her first guitar. Miriam followed her passion and studied music education and special education at Caldwell University. Studying voice as her instrument in college, Miriam performed with the Garden State Opera at Caldwell University several times. Following Caldwell, Miriam went onto pursue her passion in music therapy at Montclair State University, recently graduating with her masters.
Miriam currently teaches music as well as is an aspiring music therapist - combining her two favorite passions! Miriam loves teaching guitar, voice, ukulele, piano and more. Miriam is currently working to obtain her board-certification in music therapy.
Music is Miriam's favorite thing in the world - from singing to sharing it with others, she loves helping her students find their love through learning music. Miriam spends her free time with her dog Matilda, her family and friends, going to the beach, to concerts and Broadway shows!
Kevin Clifford
Drum Teacher/Co-Founder
Since age 10, the drums have been Kevin’s life passion. Exposed to jazz and classical music at a young age, he quickly became obsessed with melodies, harmonies, and rhythm. His mother Luci Clifford, a classically trained pianist and teacher, was a model of musical expertise and passion. As he began to take the drums more seriously, she emphasized the importance of practice, but more importantly, the expression of joy and individuality when playing an instrument. It is this joy that Kevin wishes to share with his students.
As a student of Julliard percussionist Peter Saleh, he studied a variety of drum set styles as well as a rigorous classical percussion repertoire on marimba, timpani, xylophone, and snare drum. His studies with Mr. Saleh culminated in a senior year concert when he performed a Mozart marimba concerto accompanied by a full orchestra at Rutgers University. During high school he won outstanding soloist awards in jazz band and was nominated as a Carnegie Hall Young Musician. He graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans where he studied with first-call drummer Wayne Maureau and performed in the top Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band with a performance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. In New Orleans Kevin also wrote, sang, and played with folk, modern/traditional jazz, funk, hip hop/electronic, and singer/songwriter acts at various clubs and festivals before moving back to his hometown of Princeton.
Kevin’s private students are exposed to all styles of drumming from rock and roll, hip-hop/r&b, electronic, Latin, African, and jazz, but not before they learn the essentials and rudiments of technique, dedicated practice, reading, dynamics, and time. Lessons are enhanced with opportunities to play-along with students’ favorite songs, playing hand drums, and other fun activities. Kevin accepts students of any age or experience. His students never cease to amaze him, and he learns more about the beauty of music and life in every single lesson...but only if they practice!!
In addition to teaching music for the past ten years, Kevin is a professional musician, singer/songwriter, and co-founder (with Jonah Tolchin) of the band Dharmasoul. Their first recording Lightning Kid has over 550,000 streams on Spotify, and the song “Love Again” is featured on the official Blues Roots playlist. They play in Philadelphia and New York and tour nationally. To learn more, go to dharmasoulband.com and follow them on Facebook/Instagram.