Our classes are offered in our working studio, where several artists create their own professional work ranging from film to printmaking. If you'd like to visit our studio or inquire about classes in person, please contact María ahead of time to set up an appointment.
Please note: All of the instructors listed here offer private lessons in addition to their FSA classes. For instructor contact info, please email florenceschoolofthearts@gmail.com. Thank you!
To see what we're working on, thinking about, and inspired by, check out our instructor-run blog: www.florenceschoolofthearts.wordpress.com
Joel Helander
Joel Helander studied Music at Clark University and has been training as a pianist across the jazz, pop, and classical styles for thirteen years. He is also a self-taught guitarist and ukulele player of ten years, a songwriter, and a composer. Joel's first two albums Flood and Passing Frames have been featured on Forbes Online and currently reside in the top twenty artist-recommended classical albums on bandcamp.com. More recently, he played keyboards as a session musician on Jake Klar's Until the Wildfire Becomes Paradise and continues to perform in Klar's touring band. As a teacher, Joel emphasizes the crucial balance between patient preparation and free improvisation. From day one, he strives to identify what specifically draws his students to music, and what rudiments they will need to learn in order to play the way they have always wanted to play. This approach combined with an equal focus on in-the-moment creative expression helps the student to see music not as a test or a stressor, but instead as a lifelong companion and artistic outlet. Whether you hope to play jazz, pop, or classical, to work on ear training, improvisation, performance, or theory, Joel is excited to share his knowledge with you in a fun, open, and relaxed lesson environment. Contact j.n.helander@gmail.com with inquiries about lesson pricing and availability.
Joel Helander studied Music at Clark University and has been training as a pianist across the jazz, pop, and classical styles for thirteen years. He is also a self-taught guitarist and ukulele player of ten years, a songwriter, and a composer. Joel's first two albums Flood and Passing Frames have been featured on Forbes Online and currently reside in the top twenty artist-recommended classical albums on bandcamp.com. More recently, he played keyboards as a session musician on Jake Klar's Until the Wildfire Becomes Paradise and continues to perform in Klar's touring band. As a teacher, Joel emphasizes the crucial balance between patient preparation and free improvisation. From day one, he strives to identify what specifically draws his students to music, and what rudiments they will need to learn in order to play the way they have always wanted to play. This approach combined with an equal focus on in-the-moment creative expression helps the student to see music not as a test or a stressor, but instead as a lifelong companion and artistic outlet. Whether you hope to play jazz, pop, or classical, to work on ear training, improvisation, performance, or theory, Joel is excited to share his knowledge with you in a fun, open, and relaxed lesson environment. Contact j.n.helander@gmail.com with inquiries about lesson pricing and availability.
María Darrow
María is the interim coordinator of FSA and is a painter, printmaker, and sculptor. She studied visual art and Romance languages at Amherst College. After graduating in 2015, she was commissioned to paint a mural in the Dean of New Students' Office. She has studied with Anyelmaidelín Calzadilla (Havana) and has been mentored by Iván Bautista (Oaxaca). María has also been teaching Spanish at the International Language Institute for the past two years. She is very excited to be teaching the Craft of Drawing and Watercolor Basics this summer! She is currently working independently to offer studio courses. |
Phoebe Helander www.phoebeberkel.com Phoebe, FSA's founder, is a painter, drawer, cartoonist, and musician, from a wonderful family of architects, designers, teachers, calligraphers, bookbinders, and jewelers. She studied painting with artist Tom Vieth for nine years, and spent four more at Hampshire College studying with Matt Phillips. Her drawings, paintings, and comics can be found here. She is also a member of the band Pale Cowboy, and lives in Amherst with her husband Karl. |
Bill Arnold www.billarnoldphotographs.com Bill is a former professor at Hampshire College, Amherst College, and the Pratt Institute, is an accomplished artist and photographer, and a connoisseur of all things important and interesting. His work is featured in numerous collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Getty, and San Francisco MOMA. |
Karl Helander www.palecowboy.com Karl studied music at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, in Hartford, CT, jazz and studio drumming at the Frost School of Music in Miami, Florida, and poetry at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. He teaches songwriting, guitar, bass, and drums, and is a founding member and songwriter in the band Pale Cowboy. He lives in Amherst with his wife, Phoebe. |
Maxwell Wareham www.themorningbugle.com www.palecowboy.com Max Wareham studied music at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, in Hartford, Ct, jazz guitar at the New School in New York, NY, and moved on to a banjo concentration at Hampshire College, in Amherst, MA. He teaches banjo and guitar, specializing in jazz and bluegrass, and is a musician and songwriter in the bands Pale Cowboy and The Morning Bugle. |
Steven Carey facebook.com/stevencareymusic - Violin, keyboard, and guitar lessons - Areas of specialty: classical music; pop music; composition and songwriting, improvisation, ear training - Welcoming beginners and experienced players of ALL AGES - Teaching since 2007 My teaching philosophy stems from a personal belief that everyone possesses a profound, creative musicianship independent of any ability to play an instrument. What makes my lessons unique is that from the very beginning is that I actively engage this musicianship in order to overcome challenges such as learning the physical intricacies of playing an instrument, reading music with ease, learning music by ear, or creating original music. I have B.M. in Music Theory (instrumental focus in violin) from the Hartt School, where I completed violin studies with Anton Miller, Emlyn Ngai, and Elizabeth Faidley; music theory with Michael Schiano; and composition Ken Steen and Nolan Stolz. Additionally, since graduating I have studied improvisation in Brattleboro, Vermont with Chris Weisman. Visit my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/stevencareymusic |