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  Our Teachers    

  Brandon 

Drums & Percussion Ensemble

Brandon - Teaches Drumset & Snare Drum/Percussion ensemble

Hi! I'm Brandon and I love to share the gift of music with all who are interested. Here is a little bit about my playing and teaching backgrounds:

 

I began playing drums at 11 years of age in my middle school band. I received my first set of drums as christmas present and have been playing ever since.  In high school I played in any and every ensemble: concert band, jazz band, marching band, etc...  This led to my being accepted to Berklee College of Music in the fall of 2001. After I returned to Durham, I began giging, and in 2004 got my first job as a teacher at Progressive Music.

In 2011 I began working with KidZNotes, a youth orchestra located here in Durham, and in 2014 decided to branch out on my own.

 

I am now leading da Capo al Coda and looking forward to a bright future!

Maria

Violin, Viola, & Ensembles

Maria - Teaches Violin, Viola,  and Chamber Music

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, violist Maria Valencia began her music studies at the Carabobo Music Conservatory. She then transcended her studies to the Simon Bolivar Music Conservatory and into the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela. From a young age she has performed internationally with many different orchestras and ensembles such as Venezuela Youth National Orchestra, New Jersey Youth Orchestra, Peru National Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Symphony Orchestra, and Latin-American Symphony Orchestra, Orford-Canada, Musica en Compostela-Spain, Parma Conservatory in Italy, and many more.

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Maria holds a BM Performance degree from University of Kentucky, and a MM Performance degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro where she worked as a Teacher Assistant. She has held orchestra principal Viola positions and currently performs with the Winston Salem Symphony Orchestra. Back at home in Venezuela she is considered founder of el Sistema’s Carabobo Music Conservatory. Her Major teachers include Santiago Garmendia, Margaret Karp, John Graham, and Scott Rawls. She has worked with distinguished conductors including Eduardo Salazar, Joshua Dos Santos, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Simon Rattle, and Claudio Abbado.

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Currently Ms Valencia is the orchestra director at Lucas Middle School, Northern High School, & Duke Strings in Durham, NC. Her ensembles have achieved Excellent and Superior ratings. Her students hold principal and assistant principal positions at District, State, and National level orchestras, and participate in major performances at Carnegie Hall in NYC, Oberlin Music Conservatory in Ohio, UNCG, and many more.

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Maria enjoys performing contemporary works. She incorporates contemporary repertoire within her teaching curriculum for  young students and ensembles.

  Kevin  

Kevin - Teaches Guitar: Jazz & Contemporary

Kevin Clark is a Durham based guitarist with a background in jazz, rock, R&B, and pop music. After graduating from Appalachian State in 2011 Kevin taught and performed professionally in Boston and San Francisco before returning to his hometown in North Carolina.

 

Kevin has worked with students of all ages and levels. Custom tailored lesson are designed to be fun while putting in the necessary work to develop proper technique and a thorough understanding of music. 

Guitar, Guitar Bass, & Guitar Ensemble

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