Ukulele Lessons
Check out our ukulele teachers for Ukulele Lessons!
Other Instruments: Guitar, Bass
William Curtis began his musical career in the middle of 2008, when, after hearing heavy metal for the first time, he snuck into his sister’s room and “borrowed” her long-disused electric guitar, dead set on writing his own music and being in a band. Self-taught throughout high school, he was soon recruited to join a hardcore punk band, and has been with that same band ever since, writing, recording and performing at a variety of venues across New England. Beginning in 2010, he attended the University of New Hampshire as a music major, studying under world class musicians and composers like David Newsam and Ryan Vigil. There he was exposed to jazz, classical, and experimental music, particularly the music of Django Reinhardt and Grant Green. He was the leader of UNH’s first ever Gypsy Jazz group, the Hot Quartette du Durham, performing the first ever all-acoustic set at the annual UNH Jazz Combo concert. After teaching sporadically during his college years, he graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in Music Performance and began teaching regularly. He joined the North Main Music team in 2016.
“Music is a language. Just like with written words, there is an unbelievable number of ways you can express yourself with it. Both have basic rules that can be followed or ignored, bent or broken to say what you need to. I help my students figure out what they want to express with their music and how. I teach them the rules of technique and music theory, plus how and why to break them. I try to cultivate awareness of the physical aspects of playing, plus critical music listening skills, to show students how and why other musicians create the sounds they do, and how to incorporate and expand upon those influences. Ultimately though, music should be fun and cathartic, so the student drives the overall direction of the lessons towards what they want to play. I’m just here to help them achieve those goals.”
Other Instruments: Guitar, Drums, Bass
Kyle Sloan studied Guitar Performance and Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee College of Music. He began playing Guitar at age 12, began playing Alto Saxophone at age 9 and began playing Percussion at age 7. While attending Berklee, he performed with a Beatles cover band, an original Country-Rock band and worked on various ensemble projects ranging in genres from Hip-Hop to Metal. During his time at Berklee he studied with Professional guitarists and Berklee staff members: Thaddeus Hogarth, Lauren Passarelli, Jim Peterson and Sheryl Bailey. Kyle graduated from Portsmouth High School in 2008 where he was a member of the high school’s marching band, concert band, jazz band, drum line, as well as a pit musician for theatrical productions. Kyle also played Vibraphone for Portsmouth High School’s world champion concert percussion ensemble (WGI scholastic concert division). Kyle is also a member of the engineering staff at Cybersound Recording Studios in Boston, MA.
“Enjoying the process of learning music is a major component to my philosophy. My teaching style incorporates the fundamentals with an open mind to each students individual tastes and ambitions. Experiencing joy with music is what makes music special on an individual level, as well as on a global level. Music translates in all parts of the world and the musical language that is learned can be shared by a global community. By choosing to study music and a musical instrument you open yourself to and become a part of this global community. Like learning and speaking a language, the ways you make yourself heard and understood through music involve developing your mechanical skills, your critical thinking skills, and your listening skills. Listening is the key to knowing when and how to use your vocabulary. It is important to find a connection with the phrases and vocabulary you learn to be able to express yourself in an appropriate way and in the right context.”
Other Instruments: Voice, Piano
Sarah Leite is a voice and piano teacher at North Main Music. She began her musical journey at the age of 7 studying piano and soon after added voice lessons. From there, she joined various singing groups and saw her first opera, The Flying Dutchman at the Hawaii Opera Theater and from that time forward grew her fascination with opera. In 2017, Sarah attended the Vocal Choral Intensive at Boston Conservatory and went on to attend Boston Conservatory at Berklee, graduating with her BA in Voice Performance. While at the Conservatory, Sarah participated in over 50 performances ranging from solo recitals to choir and community recitals. These include her final Senior Recital and a performance of the oratorio Crispus Attucks written by Adolphus Hailstork at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Sarah has also participated in a number of choral festivals including the ACDA Eastern Regional Conference and the Rising Voices Collegiate Treble Choir Festival. She has also had the opportunity to record as a soloist in the contemporary work The Death of Schoenberg by Spencer Winell as well as vocals for the jazz piece The Gift of Agency by Collin Anderson. Sarah continues to give back to the arts through voice instruction and performance.