Our teachers have a wide breadth of education and experience. We can find the perfect fit for your music student.
Dori Swarthout has a B.M. in Music Education from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania and a Master’s in Arts and Liberal Studies from S.U.N.Y. Brockport and is a graduate of the Spencerport School District. Dori plays organ and piano at The United Church of Christ also known as The White Church in the village of Spencerport as well as other churches in the area. She teaches instrumental music at Leo Bernabi Elementary School in Spencerport. In the studio, she teaches piano, keyboard and school band instruments.
Sean Conlon has a B.M. in Music Education from the Crane School of Music where his concentration was tuba and is also a graduate of the Spencerport School District. Sean is an active bassist around the New York area, freelancing and playing with the Uptown Groove and the Brockport Big Band. Sean also plays tuba in the Music Educator’s Wind Ensemble. Sean has opened for such acts as Average White Band, Little Feat, The Subdudes and The Camp Brothers. He is happy to be teaching in his hometown of Spencerport. In the studio, he teaches guitar, bass, brass and piano.
MC Lopez has a B.M. in Music Education from Nazareth College. She teaches general music and instrumental music in the Rochester City School District at World of Inquiry School 58 and Roberto Clemente School 8, respectively. Her primary instruments are piano, organ, and voice. She plays keyboard and sings in Some Ska Band. She is an adjudicator for Rochester Broadway Theater League’s Stars of Tomorrow. In the studio she teaches piano, voice and band instruments.
Laura Mance has a B. S. in Music Education from Nazareth College and a Masters in Music Education and Performance from SUNY Fredonia and is a graduate of the Spencerport School District. Laura teaches vocal music at Spencerport High School. She enjoys singing in her church at St. John the Evangelist in Spencerport as well as solo performing. She teaches voice in the studio.
Dylon Walbridge has a B.S. in Piano Performance from Roberts Wesleyan College. Growing up in the Spencerport School District, Dylon started taking piano lessons at Dori’s at age four. Dylon continued to enroll in the Eastman Community School where he received instruction from Harriet Zimmerman throughout high school. His other teachers include local musicians John Viavattine, Michael Landrum, and Mike Van Allen. Dylon has extensive performing experience including stage productions, solo recitals, collaborative chamber and orchestral work, as well as his experience leading his own Rochester-based jazz quartet, Bearcat and The Birds. He has performed in pit bands for such stage productions as You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Les Miserables and performed with the Roberts Wesleyan Community Orchestra, playing the final two movements of George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. Dylon has strong backgrounds in classical, jazz, music theory, and composition, and is enthusiastic about teaching students of all ages and skill levels. In the studio, Dylon teaches classical and jazz piano as well as any
Leanne Zito has a B.S. in music education from Roberts Wesleyan College and a M.Ed from University at Buffalo. She has taught 4-6th grade instrumental music at Kendall Central schools for 9 years and has instructed private piano and woodwind lessons for over 10 years. Presently she teaches middle school bands and jazz bands at East Rochester School District. Leanne’s primary instruments are piano and flute and has performed in the Hilton Gazebo Band for the past 5 years. She performs on organ and piano at local churches and has performed in several pit orchestras in the Rochester area. In her spare time she likes to run and spend time with her family. She teaches woodwinds and piano.
Dave Lott was the first guitar and bass guitar teacher when we started adding teachers in the studio and is returning to teach again. Dave has a degree from Berklee School of Music. He teaches a variety of styles of music and has played in several bands in the Rochester area. In the studio he teaches bass guitar, guitar, and electric guitar.
Emily Cao is currently pursuing a Master degree in Music Teaching and Learning at Eastman School of Music. She started with her piano journey at 5 years old and never stopped since then. By moving a lot with her family during her childhood, she was lucky enough to get different perspectives from different piano teachers and learn from their strengths. Starting from the beginning of her senior year in high school, she realized that she has a strong passion for teaching and creating music with others. With four years of learning different teaching methods and growing from her teaching experiences as a teacher in her undergraduate degree, she now has some ideas and experiences on teaching students based on their individual needs and interests. She wishes she could be the cheerleader for her students and grow with them together. In the studio she teaches piano.
Mercie Frink has a B.M. In music education from SUNY Fredonia and is a graduate of Spencerport school district. Mercie is a recent college graduate and enthusiastic about teaching and starting a career in music education. She has experience working with students of all ages. Her primary instrument is voice. Mercie teaches voice, beginning piano, and beginning violin.