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Dave Contois
Owner, Group Piano for Older & Adult Students, Music Theory, Band Performance Class
dave@contoismusic.com
As owner, Dave currently oversees all operations at The Contois School of Music, and brings his extensive piano performance and theory knowledge to our highly popular Group Piano and Theory Classes. After attending Boston's Berklee College of Music, Dave came home to Vermont and acquired the Yamaha Musical instrument franchise. Since that time Dave has developed and incorporated new and exciting technology that both enhances and invigorates the student piano learning environment. Dave's group classes incorporate the fundamentals of sight reading, while diving into chord and scale theory, understanding lead sheets, and utilizing current technology to enhance the learning experience.
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Stu Cook
Lesson Administrator, Private Guitar, Band Performance Class
stuart.cook@contoismusic.com
Stu joined The Contois School of Music in the fall of 2007, coming from a background in sales and education. He currently manages day to day operations as well as acting as lesson administrator for our teaching staff and students. Stu began teaching about three years ago after gaining invaluable experience working with young kids in the public schools. He is self taught, and his diverse musical interests include blues, funk, jazz, rock, reggae, old time country, and bluegrass. Stu’s instructional method encourages a well rounded approach to the guitar with concentrations in sight reading, improvisation, chord/scale theory, and performance. Stu can be seen locally in the Burlington area hitting up local mics and is currently working on an acoustic blues project.
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Erin Redmond
Private & Group Piano, Band Performance Class
erin.redmond@contoismusic.com
Erin grew up playing classical piano, and studied locally for nearly 12 years. She began teaching at The Contois School of Music in 2005, and is currently majoring in Animal Sciences at the University of Vermont. She is taking full advantage of UVM’s excellent music program and takes classes whenever she can. Erin's teaching philosophy emphasizes learning the foundations of sight reading in a fun, engaging environment. She encourages a love and appreciation of music, while promoting the study of many different styles and genres. She focuses on sight-reading and basic theory with her younger students, while providing a more customized curriculum for the advancing student. Her tastes in music are eclectic, and she enjoys everything from bluegrass to alternative rock.
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Alex Furdon
Private Drums, Band Performance Class
alex.furdon@contoismusic.com
Alex joined The Contois School of Music in the fall of 2008, and graduated from St. Michaels' College with with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Theory and Drum Performance in 2009. He has lived in the Burlington area for the past 5 years, and has fallen in love with the area and its surrounding mountains. His true passion is the drum set, but he also loves playing African drums, writing music, snowboarding, hockey, and futbol. His teaching style has been described by his students as "loose, organic and fun". He is currently playing with "The Move It Move It", a Burlington based Reggae/Afro Pop/ Dance band, that recently completed a month long residency at Nectar's. He is currently in the studio wrapping up an EP release, and can be seen on any given weekend night building his chops at one of our local music venues.
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Colin Lenox
Private Guitar, Band Performance Class
colin.lenox@contoismusic.com
Colin joined The Contois School of Music in the fall of 2008, and graduated with a degree in Jazz Guitar Performance from the University of Vermont in 2010. He has been playing the guitar since age 14, and is interested in a wide range of musical styles including folk, singer-songwriter, fingerstyle, bluegrass, rock, funk, jazz, ambient, as well as Indian and African music. Colin's teaching style incorporates the basic fundamentals, while supplementing each lesson with a healthy dose of improvisation and ear training. Colin is currently playing guitar with the Burlington based "Bearquarium", an 8-piece Afro-Soul ensemble that has played the likes of Higher Ground, Nectar's, The Matterhorn, and several out-of-state musical venues.
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Matt Graham
Private Guitar, Band Performance Class
matt.graham@contoismusic.com
Matt joined The Contois School of Music in the fall of 2010, and has been playing guitar for several years. He is currently studying Jazz Guitar Performance at the University of Vermont, and has played many gigs in and around the Burlington area with University ensembles and his own musical groups. Matt gained valuable teaching experience wile instructing for two years at The Carmen Caramanica Music Instruction Studio in New Hartford, NY, his hometown in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Matt is interested in many musical genres, and his teaching style reflects his diverse musical tastes. Matt also has considerable experience arranging, having written for numerous UVM jazz ensembles.
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Ian Mattoon
Private Guitar, Band Performance Class, Guitar Setup & Repair
ian.mattoon@contoismusic.com
Ian joined The Contois School of Music in the spring of 2010, and is currently studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Vermont. Ian comes to us from western MA where he taught guitar at Woods Brothers Music Store in Pittsfield, and also spearheaded the Rock on Music Camp at Berkshire Community College. Ian is currently playing with "A Sign Before", a local hard rock band, that had developed a strong fan base before relocating to Northern Vermont. Ian has played guitar for many years and studied under Joel Stroetzel of the band Killswitch Engage. His teaching style is strongly based in music theory and performance. In addition to teaching private guitar, Ian brings his engineering and mechanical experience to our guitar repair department.
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Anne Post
Private & Group Piano
anne.post@contoismusic.com
Anne came to the Contois School of Music in January of 2011 and is currently studying Early Childhood Education at the University of Vermont. She has over 17 years of Classical and Jazz piano playing experience and has studied at both the Hochstein School of Music and Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. She has spent time during her summers off performing at weddings, working as a church pianist and teaching young piano students in her hometown. We look forward to Anne bringing her education and piano playing experience to the Contois School of Music.
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Robin Sunquiet
Private & Group Piano, Vocals, Band Performance Class
robin.sunquiet@contoismusic.com
Robin joined the Contois School of Music in the spring of 2011 and is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in Piano and Voice instruction. Robin obtained a BA in Music from Naropa University in Boulder, CO and brings nearly 10 years' experience working with students of all ages. After earning his degree, Robin immediately started a private teaching practice and regularly gigged with a myriad of Boulder, CO based bands. He is known for enthusiastic lessons that are firmly rooted in a contextual understanding of music theory, and enjoys playing several styles of music including jazz, rock, R&B, & world. Robin’s teaching style draws heavily from his education and performance experience, and he can be regularly seen performing in the Burlington area. |
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Alex Gallant
Private Piano
alex.gallant@contoismusic.com
Alex began teaching at the Contois School of Music in October of 2011 and is currently studying English and French at Saint Michael’s College. She is from eastern MA where she began taking piano lessons at a young age. In 2009, she began teaching several students in her home town and discovered her passion for teaching. Her teaching style incorporates the foundations of sight reading and music theory, and also works to develop a love and appreciation for music through individualized lessons. The student’s enjoyment of the lessons is very important to her, and she works to create an environment that is both fun and educational while teaching. |
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