MEET OUR TEAM!
KATIE COOKE
Studio Owner
Violin/Viola, Piano
An active musician and teacher in the South Shore/Boston area, Katie has taught private string lessons throughout the region for over 15 years. She has served as orchestra director for grades 4-8 in the Westwood, Fall River, and Cambridge Public School systems. Katie grew up in Easton, Massachusetts and began studying piano at age 7 and violin at age 9. She fell in love with playing and teaching at an early age and went on to pursue a Bachelor’s in Violin Performance from Westfield State University. She also holds Massachusetts teaching certification for music, levels K-12.
Katie performs regularly with various groups including folk/rock Americana cover band The Fancy Bassetts, Irish punk band The Pourmen, and also plays in chamber ensembles for weddings and events.
Her favorite part about teaching is helping students push themselves out of their comfort zones in order to grow into confident young musicians and people who live life to the fullest.
DAVE BUCKLEY
Piano, Mandolin
Dave Buckley has been an active musician in the Boston area for over twenty five years. He has performed on piano, mandolin and saxophone in a wide variety of settings. Dave is the band director at Braintree High School where he also teaches music technology. He holds a masters degree in music education from Bridgewater State University.
NORWOOD PEARSON
Guitar
Norwood Pearson is an educator and guitarist out of Greater Boston. Norwood holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Berklee College of Music, a Master of Music Education degree from Gordon College, and an Autism Specialist Master of Education degree from Cambridge College. He is currently a doctoral student at Boston University.
As an educator, he has served for the past 14 years as the Middle School Instrumental Specialist for Braintree Public Schools in Braintree, MA. He has also served as the Music Director for both In Sync Center for the Arts in Quincy, MA, and Appel Farm Arts Camp in Elmer, NJ.
As a guitarist, performance credits include The Platters, Peaches & Herb, Ron Bosse, Jeff Lorber, The Drifters, The Coasters, Dolores “La La” Brooks, Dennis Edwards’ Temptations Review, The Beast of Nod, Hana Kahn, lovelesslust, Lure Of The Animal, and The Eugeneration Project; other credits include opening for Chubby Checker, 1974 AD, and performing for Jackie Chan. Notable places and venues performed at include Hong Kong, Brazil, Canada, India, and Nepal; including the Mohegan Sun Arena, The Blues Alley, The Tin Pan, Rainbow Room in NYC, Showcase Live at Patriot Place, HSBC Brasil, Vivo Rio, and The Bangalore Conservatory.
KEIYANA TRINIDAD
Administrative Assistant, Voice
Originally from Dartmouth, MA, Keiyana is our administrative assistant, a voice teacher and a performer! She has been singing and putting on shows in her room for her family, since she was little! She realized at eight years old what she wanted to be and aspires to be a well known singer one day like her inspiration, Miley Cyrus.
Through teaching, she specializes in proper vocal and breathing techniques, beginner music theory, ear training, songwriting and memorization strategies!
Her main goal is to inspire others to follow their dreams no matter how long the journey may take, and to encourage them to embrace their emotions through the art of lyrics!
COOPER MCGUIRE
Voice, Piano
Originally from Kansas, Cooper is a performer and teacher in the East Boston Area. He had his first piano lesson at the age of 5, which developed into a greater passion of singing, acting, and performing arts as a whole. He graduated from Kansas State University in 2019, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, minor in Non-Profit Leadership Studies, and certificate in Piano Performance.
While in Boston, Cooper has enjoyed singing on staff with Christ Church Cambridge, lending his voice to graduate thesis research at MGH, and writing and performing his own music. Because of COVID-19, most of his performances this year have been virtual or in his living room in front of his two cats (Pancakes and Waffles) but he is looking forward to performing on stage this fall once live theatre has resumed!
As a teacher, Cooper’s first and foremost goal is to foster a lifelong love for music. Whether it be in the voice studio or at the keyboard, he creates a safe space for students to discover, explore, and ask questions about their instrument. His favorite aspect of teaching is seeing his students share their music with others!
MICHAEL FIGUEIREDO
Guitar, Ukulele, Bass
Michael (Fig) is a guitarist, composer, arranger & music archivist with over 20 years of teaching experience. He has taught students from beginner to advanced, from old to young (and young at heart). Although his principal instrument is guitar, he is equally adept at playing & teaching electric bass, ukulele, mandolin, songwriting, & music theory.
In the early 2000s Michael studied Classical Composition at Berklee College of Music and is comfortable playing & writing in a wide variety of styles. He has led and performed in ensembles ranging from jazz to avant-garde and everything in between.
Over the past 20 years Michael has perfected his own notation system for transcribing music. He has handwritten dozens of songbooks including thousands of transcriptions from a multitude of songwriters and artists from 1950 to present, such as The Beatles, Elvis Costello, and David Bowie.
VICKY LYNCH
Piano
Vicky is a full-time musician, singer, and performer all around the south shore and Boston areas.
She has been singing from a very young age, started taking piano lessons at 8 years old, and picked up a guitar around the fourth grade.
Her initial start as a performer began at Capachione School of Performing Arts right in East Bridgewater center!
Her love and passion for music has been inspired by her godfather, her uncle, and her parents who always made sure to either be listening to or playing music in her home where she grew up in Abington, MA.
With both a background in childcare and music, Vicky hopes to continue to inspire younger generations through her teaching!