Neighborhood Music School · Riverdale, New York
Your Neighborhood
Sounds Different
When Music Lives In It.
Piano. Guitar. Voice. Drums. Taught in Riverdale, one student at a time.
No contracts. No commitments. Just thirty minutes to see if it clicks.
How It Works
The First Thirty Minutes
No instrument needed. No scales to memorize. The first lesson is a conversation — between teacher and student — about what music means to them and where they want to go with it.
The teacher listens first.
Before a single note is played, your teacher asks what you love, what you fear, and what song you wish you could play right now.
Then you make a sound together.
One chord. One melody. One thing that feels real. The goal is to leave the first lesson with something you can actually play.
You both decide what comes next.
The teacher sketches a four-week path based on what they heard. You take it home, look it over, and say yes — or reshape it.
Reserve Your Spot
Book a Free First Lesson
No contracts. No commitments. Just thirty minutes to see if it clicks.
The Curriculum
Built Around
the Student,
Not a Syllabus.
Every student is different. Below is a sample four-week plan for a first-time piano student, age 9. Yours will look different — because you are different.
“We follow the student, not the clock.”
Orientation & Sound
Posture, hand position, and the geography of the instrument. Learning to hear intervals before naming them. Playing a simple melody by ear.
First Chords & Rhythm
Three chords that unlock hundreds of songs. Introduction to rhythm notation — not theory first, feeling first.
Your First Song
Combining chords and melody into one complete piece chosen by the student. Slow practice, section by section.
Review & What Comes Next
Playing the song through, hearing what works, naming what to strengthen. Setting the direction for the next four weeks together.
Adult beginners, returning students, and teens preparing for auditions each receive a different kind of plan — written after the first lesson, not before.
The Teachers
Who You’ll
Learn From
Every Cadence teacher holds a performance degree and has played professionally. They teach because they love it — not because the stage didn’t work out.
Elena Vasquez
Piano & Music Theory
Elena has been teaching in Riverdale for eleven years, working with beginners as young as five and adults preparing for ABRSM exams. Before teaching, she performed with the New York Youth Symphony.
Juilliard Pre-College → Manhattan School of Music (B.M.) → private study with David Dubal
"I teach students to trust the silence between notes as much as the notes themselves."
Marcus Reid
Guitar — Acoustic, Electric & Jazz
Marcus teaches everything from first open chords to jazz chord-melody arrangements. His students have gone on to play in pit orchestras, touring bands, and college jazz programs. He still plays every Friday night.
Berklee College of Music (B.M., Guitar Performance) → six years touring with regional jazz ensembles
"The best technique is the one that lets you forget you have technique."
Priya Nair
Voice & Vocal Technique
Priya works with musical theatre students, open-mic singers, and classical voice students alike. She specializes in helping adult beginners who always wanted to sing but believed they couldn't.
New England Conservatory (M.M., Vocal Performance) → study in Carnatic and Western classical traditions
"Your voice is already there. I just help you stop getting in its way."
Tuition
Real Numbers,
No Surprises.
We don’t believe in “contact us for pricing.” Below are our current lesson rates. Lessons are billed monthly. There are no enrollment fees, no recital fees, and no minimum commitment.
30-Minute Lesson
Recommended for ages 5–8 or absolute beginners
$55 / lesson
~$220 / month (4 lessons)
45-Minute Lesson
Recommended for ages 9–13 or students with 6+ months experience
$75 / lesson
~$300 / month (4 lessons)
60-Minute Lesson
Recommended for teens, adults, and audition prep
$95 / lesson
~$380 / month (4 lessons)
No Contracts
Month-to-month enrollment. Pause or stop with 30 days notice. No penalty, no drama.
Instrument Lending
No instrument? We have practice keyboards and guitars you can borrow for the first month while you decide.
Sibling Discount
Two or more siblings enrolled simultaneously receive 10% off each student's tuition.
Begin Here
Every musician
you admire had
a first lesson.
Yours is thirty minutes away. No contracts, no commitments, no instrument required. Just a teacher, a student, and the beginning of something.
Cadence Music School
4817 Fieldston Road, Riverdale, New York 10471
Reserve Your Spot
Book a Free First Lesson
No contracts. No commitments. Just thirty minutes to see if it clicks.