
Creating a community where anyone – of any age and skill level – can express themselves wholly through music.
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We believe in the power of music to connect people and help them grow.
Founded in 2015, owner Amanda Testa-Oerth embarked on a remarkable journey by transforming a room in her humble home into a cozy music studio. Starting with just a handful of students, her dedication, and personalized approach quickly gained recognition in the community. As demand grew, Amanda made a bold decision in 2020 to open a larger studio space equipped with high-quality instruments and talented instructors.Today, her thriving music studio stands as a testament to her unwavering commitment, creating a harmonious space where people of all ages can flourish and discover their own unique melodies.
MEET THE STAFF
The Music Room boasts an impressive roster of talented musicians, each classically trained and passionate about sharing their love of music with our students.
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OWNER, VOICE, & PIANO
AMANDA TESTA-OERTH
Amanda Elizabeth Testa-Oerth is a graduate from the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music program located at the Catholic University of America. There she studied voice, piano, and music education. After receiving her BM in 2013, Amanda performed and started teaching at private studios. Some of her favorite performince credits include Ado Annie in Oklahoma, Gertrude in Seussical, Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress, Second Spirit in Die Zauberflöte, and Chérubin in Chérubin. Despite loving to perform, Amanda’s true calling has been teaching. Opening the Music Room when she moved to MA in 2015, Amanda has worked for years to share her love of music, to build relationships, and to create a safe and supportive environment for individuals to work on their skills. Amanda has continued to enhance her teaching and performance skills by attending pedagogy and musical style workshops and intensives through schools such as Boston Conservatory and Shenandoah Conservatory to better understand her instruments and serve her studio families.

VOICE, PIANO, GUITAR, UKULELE
CATIANA ROSARIO BICALHO
Catiana Rosario Bicalho is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a B.M. in Music Studies. There, she studied voice and music education. She is currently completing her M.M. in Music Education at UMass Lowell. Catiana teaches all levels of voice, beginner to intermediate piano, and beginner guitar and ukulele. She has experience across multiple musical styles including classical, musical theatre, jazz, rock, and pop. Some of her favorite performance credits include Éponine in Les Misérables and alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah.

VOICE
ISABEL MOLETTIERI
Isabel Molettieri is a graduate of Muhlenberg College, where she earned a degree in Theatre and Music with concentrations in acting and vocal performance. She has been a teaching artist at both Five Star Theatre Company and Wheelock Family Theatre. Additionally, she has served as an intern at New York Vocal Coaching. Isabel is also a performer! She has had experience singing several styles of music, including musical theatre, opera, pop, and jazz. Her favorite past roles have been Tanya in Mamma Mia, Leading Player in Pippin and Molly in The Threepenny Opera. Teaching voice has been a dream of Isabel’s since she began voice lessons herself, and her goal is to provide all of her students with the tools to be the best musician they can be!

VIOLIN, VIOLA, & CELLO
TRAVIS LAUGHLIN
Travis Laughlin earned his BA in music from the University of Virginia, where he studied violin performance and chamber music. He has taught violin and viola for more than ten years in the Los Angeles area and is an experienced ensemble coach. Travis has performed with the New Hampshire Philharmonic, the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, and has organized ensemble activity at the Neighborhood Music School in Los Angeles for many years. As a teacher, Travis emphasizes note reading, musicality, self-reliance, and performance skills. Lessons prepare students to participate in a wide variety of musical activity: from solo performance, to chamber groups, to symphony orchestra. With long-term study, students can expect to internalize the habits and responsibilities of a professional musician.

VIOLIN
ABIGAIL SEGURA
Abigail Segura is a vibrant and passionate violin teacher who brings a unique blend of energy and compassion to her lessons. With a deep understanding of trauma-informed practices, she creates a safe and nurturing environment for her students to explore the world of music. Born and raised in the city of Odessa, Texas, Abigail grew up amidst the joyful chaos of a large family, consisting of four brothers and two sisters. Abigail's musical journey led her to Louisiana State University, where she earned her B.A. in Music under the guidance of Dr. Lin He.
Driven by a desire to make a positive impact, Abigail has actively engaged in community outreach and nonprofit work. In Baton Rouge, she dedicated her time and skills to three different nonprofits, collaborating on initiatives that brought music to underserved populations and instigated positive change through the power of the arts
Now, Abigail eagerly embraces the opportunity to serve the Middlesex community, where she hopes to cultivate a love for music among individuals of all backgrounds. With her infectious enthusiasm and empathetic teaching style, she is committed to nurturing the musical talents of her students and fostering a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

PIANO
AMANDA SATTERFIELD
Amanda is a recent graduate from the Boston University School of Music where she received her bachelor's degree in Music with a focus in Music Education. She is now starting her full-time music teaching career as a K-8 general music teacher in the Lowell Public Schools. Mainly a pianist, she has been teaching private piano lessons independently for the last six years to primarily elementary and early middle school aged students. She has also been active in the Greater Lowell Area teaching general music and modern band instruments through the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell Music Clubhouse and at several 21st Century Community Learning Centers. From her teaching experiences, Amanda believes that music can be a place for all students and playing instruments should be grounded in joy. She's found that building students' foundational skills that fosters a life-long love of music inspires her "why she teaches". She includes theory, ear-training and technique among other things in her lessons; most importantly, however, she thinks including the musical interests of her students is key. Additionally, Amanda has been very active in the marching arts for the last decade as both a keyboardist and percussionist. She was a five-year member of the Boston University Marching Band and has travelled the country performing with the 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps; she is a front ensemble technician for a local high school marching band.

GUITAR (ALL STYLES), UKULELE
CHRIS RUBEN WINTERS
Guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Rubén Winters possesses years of experience teaching private lessons and performing professionally. Chris has had success helping students of all ages, stylistic preferences, and ability levels to find their musical voice. As a teacher, his guiding pedagogical principle is to identify student goals and to find actionable steps to reach those goals. Chris teaches using a mixture of teacher-selected and student-selected repertoire. In his lessons, he emphasizes skills such as reading of standard notation and tablature, effective use of practice time, stylistic and cultural awareness, and understanding of basic compositional principles. Prior to teaching private lessons at The Music Room, Chris spent many years working with children at his hometown YMCA, where he frequently performed for his students and helped to develop curriculum for music activities.
As a performer, Chris has appeared in diverse ensemble formats including jazz big band, jazz combo, salsa band, chamber choir, and pit orchestra. As a member of these ensembles, he has played at the Massachusetts State House, the Hatch Memorial Shell, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, and many other venues throughout New England. Chris has performed alongside such renowned musicians as Allison Case (Hair revival on Broadway), Eguie Castrillo (Steve Winwood, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval), and Juan Sebastián Sánchez Duque (Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tony Succar). Chris’ pit orchestra work includes musical theatre productions with Seacoast Repertory Theatre (Portsmouth, NH), Firehouse Center for the Arts (Newburyport, MA), and numerous high schools and universities in the Greater Boston area. Chris also brings the vocalist perspective to his guitar playing and instruction; his choral singing has been heard at St. Paul’s Parish (Cambridge, MA), Arlington Street Church (Boston, MA), the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Boston, MA), and many other places of worship throughout the Bay State.
Chris graduated in 2020 with his Bachelor's degree in Music Performance from UMass Lowell, where he spent four years under the tutelage of Boston guitar legend Jon Wheatley. When he does not have a guitar or a book in his hands, he can be found spending time with his cat, Sol.

GUITAR, ELECTRIC BASS, UKULELE, MANDOLIN
JUSTIN SPICER
Justin started playing guitar when he was ten years old, after developing an interest in country music as well as the music of Jimi Hendrix. He began taking private guitar lessons from a neighbor for three years, and it was during this time his teacher noted his possession of perfect pitch. In 2007 after three years of playing, Justin began providing guitar and bass lessons as a means to complete the required forty community service hours to graduate to high school.
Once Justin was in high school, he became heavily involved in the school's band program, participating in the marching band, the jazz band, the concert band, and the drum-line. This involvement earned him the Patrick S. Gilmore award in his sophomore year. After taking courses for guitar, piano, and music theory, he devised an independent study course based on composition techniques ranging from Baroque to modern styles. As well as continuing to give private guitar and bass lessons, Justin also played in multiple bands outside of school, ranking top placement regularly in annual Battle of The Bands competitions, with two first-place nominations.
In 2011, Justin began his final stage of higher education at Berklee College of Music, majoring in Guitar Performance. While completing his studies at Berklee, he still plays in bands regularly, sharing bills with national touring acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Puddle of Mudd, Jackyl, and Styper, to name a few. Justin continues to teach & gig regularly.
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DRUMS & PERCUSSION
DANIEL HOFFMAN
Dan Hoffman is a drummer, mallet player, and hand percussionist originally from the greater Philadelphia area. During and after receiving his Batchelor's of Music in total percussion performance at Berklee College of Music, he became a very active performer around the New England area, and has toured across the United States and Canada multiple times. While very passionate about the underground arts, Dan is incredibly proficient at all styles of music and drumming, and very knowledgeable about music history. Dan has also performed with and opened up for many notable artists, including Ray Green of Tower of Power, Lucinda Williams, Victor Wooten, Children of Bodom, and many more. He also has an extensive work history in production. He has worked on shows for Warped Tour 2018, Taylor Swift, Megadeath, Pearl Jam, James Taylor, Zack Brown Band, and many more. Dan’s number one goal when teaching is to make the learning experience fun and enjoyable. He believes that the best way to learn something new is to understand the meaning of the culture and humanity behind the music. And once you have that, the sky's the limit. So if you're looking for a teacher with real “music world” experience, then Dan’s your man!

WOODWINDS
PATRICK TANGUAY
Patrick Tanguay is a multi-woodwind specialist and audio engineer from Billerica, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of UMass Lowell where he studied the saxophone under Ken Reid. Patrick got his start in teaching as a marching band staff member at North Andover High School, Salem High School, Mansfield High School, and is currently an audio engineer and sound designer for the Boston University athletic bands. He was an avid participant in the marching arts himself, having performed and toured extensively in Drum Corps International and Winter Guard International. More recently you may see him performing in the pit orchestras of local musical theater productions, his favorite of which so far has been Newsies. He has extensive experience with wind ensemble/concert band literature, chamber music, and modern woodwind compositions. Patrick likes to include music theory, singing, listening examples, and music history in his lessons to achieve a more complete understanding of music in general. In his spare time he also has a hobby of collecting and restoring antique instruments, and playing disc golf.

COMPOSITION & SONGWRITING
JASON MULLIGAN
Jason (Jayce) Mulligan is an award winning composer and collaborative pianist/music director whose music has been performed at various institutions including Idyllwild Arts Academy, the MacPhail Center for Music, Florida International University, and the International Clarinet Association Clarinetfest. In 2020 he received a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In the spring of 2023 he was a visiting professor at the Duke University Department of Theatre Studies where he was the music director for their production of Rent. Jayce received his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami and two master’s degrees one each from Peabody Conservatory and Duke University where he studied with Scott Stinson, Kevin Puts, and Stephen Jaffe respectively.

MUSICAL STYLES & VOICE
AMY SUZNOVICH
Soprano Amy Suznovich has been teaching voice and piano since 2009. As a performer she's sung the National Anthem/God Bless America for over a dozen professional sports teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Cannons, Brooklyn Cyclones, and Venus Williams. She was the Soloist/Cantor at the King's Theater in Brooklyn, televised live on EWTN in October 2018, for the Silver Jubilee of the Magnificat with the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York and Magnificat Foundation. Amy is a magna cum laude graduate of Ithaca College School of Music with a Bachelor's of Music in Vocal Performance & Pedagogy and has completed additional training at the Contemporary Commercial Music Institute at Shenandoah University on Musical Theatre Styles, Working with Injured Singers, Vocal Health and Bridging Classical Singing to Contemporary Singing. She believes that singing is a full-body, sensation-based athletic endeavor and that the voice functions best when trained that way.
Amy is currently available for remote lessons only.

COMPOSITION & SONGWRITING
JARED BURRELL
Jared Burrell holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master of Music degree in Jazz Composition from New England Conservatory. He has worked as a trumpeter, composer, and orchestrator. His notable releases include the original soundtracks for NBA Life by Kentucky-based video game publisher Hit Cents and Shock Jocks by Boston-based independent video game designer Michael Andryauskas. His original composition for trumpet ensemble, Music for Friends, garnered significant interest from the Alabama Trumpet Guild before Covid-19 canceled public performance in 2020. As an orchestrator, Jared collaborated with composer Vincent Diamonte and That Game Company on the sound track for the video game Sky, which was briefly the #1 top-selling album in Japan in August 2020.
Jared takes his eclectic experiences with him as a teacher and enjoys sharing his knowledge of jazz, classical, and commercial composition. He believes in guiding students towards their aspirations, delving into their influences, and broadening their foundations to help them have
long and fruitful creative lives. Jared strives to find the right balance of technique, concept, structure, freedom, theory, and ear training for each student’s learning style. He aspires to teach in questions whenever possible to spark the student’s imagination.
