Our Music Educators

---

Alyssa earned her bachelor’s degree in music from Ithaca College where she began immersing herself in fiddle music and playing for dances. She is a certified Suzuki Violin instructor in Pre-Twinkle through Book 4 and studied with Carrie Reuning-Hummel of Ithaca Talent Education, as well as with Alice Kanack of the Creative Ability Development method. She plays and teaches violin, fiddle, viola, and Swedish nyckelharpa and enjoys teaching students of all ages!

Alyssa loves the outdoors and spends her free time hiking, biking, and bird watching.

Andy holds both a BFA and MFA in Music Education from the University at Buffalo and has over 20 years of experience teaching music. He has performed at the Rochester International Jazz Festival and regularly plays with the Greater Finger Lakes Jazz Orchestra. His performance experience spans jazz, Dixieland, and concert bands, as well as drum corps and small ensembles such as quintets. He is proficient on woodwinds, brass, bass guitar, and percussion. Outside of music, he enjoys model trains, model rockets, pickleball, and golf.

Dennis has been teaching at Mobile Music for 20 years covering many styles of guitar and enjoys working with students of all ages. He earned both a BA and MM from SUNY Fredonia in classical guitar performance and literature, as well as a DMA from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. He teaches both acoustic and electric guitar with styles including beginner, folk, popular, rock, jazz, fingerstyle, classical and flamenco.

He emphasizes developing healthy technique, effective practice, note and tablature reading, chord strumming, music theory and of course, songs and pieces. In his spare time, he enjoys composing new music for the guitar as well as writing arrangements for his students in addition to playing video games and biking!

Gregg Christiansen is a music educator, composer, conductor, and performer. He has been teaching piano to students of all ages in college and private settings for thirty years. Christiansen holds a B.M. with Honors in Composition, and also a M.M. in Composition. When not engaged in teaching and music-making, he enjoys spending time with family, reading, playing chess, and outdoor activities.  

Jean teaches both voice and piano at Mobile Music. She enjoyed 33 years as a vocal music educator in the public school system at the senior high level. Jean prepared hundreds of singers for NYSSMA adjudication over those years. She holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Vocal Music Education and Performance from Ithaca College. 

“Teaching music spreads joy”

Mallory is an instrumental music teacher at Lyons Central School District. She earned her Master of Music in Conducting from West Virginia University, where she worked closely with the band program as a graduate assistant and gained hands-on experience teaching and leading ensembles, including time with the “Pride of West Virginia” Mountaineer Marching Band. She also holds a Bachelor of Music Education from SUNY Fredonia, where she built a strong foundation in both music performance and education.

She is passionate about helping students grow as musicians and gain confidence through performance. She specializes in teaching band instruments at all levels, from beginner to advanced, as well as conducting and beginning piano. Outside of school, Mallory enjoys riding horses and spending time with her two cats.

Mark received his Bachelor and Masters of Music from Ithaca College in Classical Guitar performance and has taught in the Finger Lakes region for over 20 years. He has taught at Finger Lakes Community College, Hochstein at Canandaigua, and also currently teaches at Robert Wesleyan University. He performs in a variety of styles on multiple instruments, including guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, and ukulele. He also recorded a collection of solo guitar music entitled "Bells of Dawn" featuring music from around the world.

In addition to private lessons, he teaches music theory, sight singing, general music courses, and coaching ensembles. Besides music, Mark enjoys spending time outside, hiking, running, and mountain biking with his wife, son, and dog. He is happy to be back teaching at Mobile Music and looks forward to sharing the joy of learning and playing music!

Micah has been teaching 5-string banjo at Mobile Music since 2016. He enjoys teaching both 3-finger picking (Scruggs, bluegrass, melodic, etc.) and clawhammer/frailing styles, from old-timey/traditional to modern/progressive. He prefers to teach in the aural, traditional way, by ear and uses written material as a supplement. Micah encourages his students to attend jams and go out and play music with others.He weaves music theory into the lessons when appropriate.  He desires his students to learn “like a child”, with active listening, trial-and-error, making mistakes with no worry or judgment, and always making sure that they are playing (having fun).

He loves to transpose music from other instruments and genres to the banjo and has fun with his students’ special requests and projects, such as a 6-year-old banjo student’s tunes from her favorite animated movies, or a new-to-banjo, but talented organ and piano player’s Bach pieces, and duets with harmony banjo. Micah also enjoys playing bari sax and performs Zimbabwean music with Simba Marimba.

Mike Ciranni has been performing and teaching guitar for nearly four decades. He studied jazz and contemporary music at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA, and earned Bachelor's and Master’s Degrees in Music Education at SUNY Fredonia, where he studied classical guitar.

Mike started playing professionally at age 16, and has performed in numerous groups with many amazing musicians throughout the Rochester/Finger Lakes area. He currently plays guitar with the Greater Finger Lakes Jazz Orchestra, classic rock group, Covers Exposed, Top 40 group, Lakeside Sound, and pop and jazz duo, Mike and Angie. He has performed at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, has been the guitarist for over 50 high school musicals, and has performed with the Greater Rochester Music Educators’ Jazz Band.

He has been a guitar teacher at Mobile Music for eight years, and a music educator in the Newark Central School District for 28 years. Mike enjoys teaching various styles to students of all ages and abilities.

Nate is a multi-instrumentalist and piano instructor with over 30 years of teaching experience and 35 years of performing experience. He began his musical journey as a teenager, performing alongside his father, Bill Coffey. He studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston and Hunter College in New York City.

Throughout his career, he has contributed to numerous recordings and performed in thousands of concerts with a wide range of artists. Whether teaching or performing, he brings a combination of fun, enthusiasm, and discipline that enhances every musical experience

Robert has been offering lessons to both beginners and advanced students at Mobile Music for over 25 years. His teaching draws from a lifetime of experience as a performer, educator, arranger, music director and studio musician. He was a member of the Finger Lakes Community College music faculty for 14 years, elected twice to FLCC's "The Center for Teaching Excellence", director of student ensembles and was the faculty assistant for the Finger Lakes Concert Band and Chorale. He was a guitarist at Crosswinds Wesleyan Church for five years and served as music director for a number of holiday musical presentations. Robert spent a decade as a touring musician, performing with bands all over the US and Canada and continues to appear regionally. He is the owner of Finger Lakes Music Studios, and has produced a number of albums featuring local artists.