Mark Weisman

Mark Weisman’s career as a pianist, musician, conductor and educator spans more than the past 20 years. After graduating New York University with a BA in Music Education and Musicology, Mark has never stopped his passion for learning. He has studied continuously with the most respected people in the music profession such as Miriam Brickman (classical concert pianist), Sanford Gold (former pianist of the NBC orchestra), Janice Friedman (jazz pianist), Dena DeRose (singer, jazz pianist, conductor), Dave Frank (jazz pianist & professor, Berklee School of Music) and Celeste Simone (Broadway Theater Coach).

Performance credits include solo piano engagements at various venues throughout the tri-state area including the Marriot Marquis Hotel (NYC), the “W” Hotel, the Water Club, Valentino’s Piano Bar (Morristown, NJ) and the Madison Hotel (NJ) in addition to performing with some of the top rated wedding bands in the state. He also currently plays as the house pianist at the http://thegraycliff.com in Moonachie, NJ, an upscale wedding venue. Additional credits as musical director and conductor include local community and High School theater productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Once upon a Mattress, Pippin, Beauty and the Beast, Sound of Music, Fame and most recently Footloose at Dunellen High School.

As founder and director of The Piano Workshop at Chester, who along with his faculty of 14 teachers specializing in private instruction to over 250 students in the area, Mark has maintained his standing with the Music Educators Association of NJ and serves as an adjudicator for their piano auditions at William Patterson University. His most recent project is the Musiq Club program which offers group piano classes in an enriched after school program environment using state of the art computer lab technology.

Bonnie Pomeroy has decades of experience in teaching and church music ministry. She is an accomplished keyboardist who also works as a vocal/choral music teacher for the West Orange Schools, where she has taught for twenty-one years. She is the Music Director at Sparta United Methodist Church. She has a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of New Hampshire. She has extensive experience directing musicals and musical theater summer programs. She has sung as a soloist with groups such as Harmonium, the Morris Conservatory, the A Cappella Singers and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. She has performed as a soloist at venues such as Bethlehem First Night, the Leighton Ford Crusade, Arlington Street Church in Boston, MA, a New York City Showcase in NYC, NY, the Muhlenberg Theater and Mayfair in Allentown, PA.. She was a featured soloist for a sacred music recording for CPP/Belwin, Inc. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the New Jersey Music Educators Association. She is excited to share her gifts with the Piano Workshop of Chester.

With a fascination for the instrument, Natalia started playing the piano at the age of five. She attended the Drohobych State Pedagogical University of I.Frankо in Ukraine with a double major in piano and conducting. After graduating, she was a teacher in Ukraine for four years. After, she had ventured off into the great United States to further pursue her career. To this day, Miss Hentysh has been teaching students piano for years in New Jersey. She has been residing in Chester since 2006.

Jesse brings 15 years of teaching experience. He studied piano and composition at Rutgers University on a scholarship. Jesse's musical training coupled with on-stage experience (Limelight, Knitting Factory, CBGBs) has helped him guide and inspire many musicians.

He focuses on building a strong technical grounding on the instrument. His lessons are tailored around the student's goals and musical taste.

In addition to teaching Guitar, Piano, Drums, Bass, &
Ukulele, Jesse also teaches
songwriting, music theory, and arranging. He has experience teaching all age ranges and levels. He has taught total beginners to advanced students.

During the late 1970’s, my parents were on a retreat, and happened to see a girl sitting under a tree, playing the flute.  My parents loved it and decided I was going to play, and thus began my musical journey.  I began taking flute lessons in the 3rd grade.  My first teacher, Rachel, was kind, supportive, encouraging and patient.  Of all the teaching styles of all my subsequent teachers, hers was the most influential on my own teaching style.

I began giving flute lessons in my home in 2003, when my 3 children were little.  Before long, word got around and soon several neighborhood kids would come to my house on Saturdays for flute, piano and guitar lessons.  They often turned into day long play dates, culminating in front yard concerts and elaborate musical skits.  Those are some of my favorite memories of my kids’ childhood!

In 2005, my substitute teaching job as a Musicianship teacher at a homeschool co op in Blairstown became permanent.  Over the years I have taught pre-k through 3rd grade musicianship and recorder, beginning band, various ensembles, as well as private and group lessons in piano, flute, guitar and ukulele.  We perform annual concerts in both winter and spring, and it brings such joy to see the students’ excitement as they and their families enjoy the results of their hard work.

In 2008, I began teaching at Valley Music Center in Long Valley.  My students have ranged in ages from 4 to 64, and over the years I have had the privilege of working with dozens of amazing students and their families.  We have enjoyed both outdoor and indoor recitals, and I have been delighted to attend some of my students’ school performances, as well as special events like open mic and coffee houses.

In 2017 I began teaching at a second homeschool co op in Hackettstown.  In addition to flute, piano, guitar and ukulele, some of the younger kids wanted to learn drums, which I had not taught before.  We decided to go for it, and had a lot of fun forming our own “drum circle” class with hand drums.  The kids learned basic rhythms and counting, and our year-end performance was a rousing rendition of “Ram Sam Sam”.

Throughout the years, I have had the pleasure of playing flute with both the CCM and Lafayette Federated Church orchestras.  Playing with the handbell choir at LFC, along with playing solo, with the praise band, and leading the flute quartet, have been rich and rewarding experiences.  I’ve enjoyed playing at weddings, holiday parties, fundraisers and galas, with some of the most talented musicians.

When our world was thrown off kilter in March of this year, everyone in all walks of life scrambled to learn new modalities of working, of teaching and learning.  My students and their families, in both co ops and at VMC showed their true colors of adaptability and improvisation.  With patience and flexibility, we’ve worked together and really overcome in amazingly creative ways.  I’m amazed and proud of how everyone has forged ahead with new pathways and innovative ways of teaching, learning, enjoying and sharing music!  

I am thrilled and honored to be joining the teaching staff and wonderful musical community at Piano Workshop of Chester, and look forward to meeting and working with many new students and their families, guiding and helping them enjoy and grow along their musical journey!

Dorian Morales started taking piano lessons at age 7 and ever since, his life has been shaped by music. By an early age, composition became his passion. Dorian began enrolling in contests at the age of 16, and performed in recitals at Carnegie Hall. He also was the winner of the televised event “The New Jersey Hispanic Youth Showcase” at NJPAC.

Dorian earned his degree in music at Hofstra University, where he began scoring music for documentaries, movies, radio and television. His clients include MTV, PBS, Z100 radio station, Moviefone.com, chapter 4 Entertainment, NYU Film School, etc… Dorian won an Emmy for his work on the PBS documentary “Su Salud Primero”. Dorian has performed at Carnegie Hall, NJPAC theater, on television and continues to play on an ongoing basis at wedding venues and nightclubs and performs regularly with his Latin Jazz Band. He also released a CD of cocktail music and is working on his next album of World music.

Dorian brings passion, motivation, fun and life into his private lessons. In addition to piano lessons, Dorian coaches students in GarageBand, Megamix software and Pro-Logic for more serious minded musicians who need to learn how to make loops, backing tracks and instrumentation for “radio and cd ready” production.

Margret’s musical journey began in elementary school; she sang in mixed choirs at school in Long Valley, at her church, and she began studying the saxophone in fourth grade. She found early success in her school concert bands and jazz bands in middle school and high school, which led her to audition for honors band across the state. Margret participated in North Jersey Area Band for six years, New Jersey Junior Region I Band for three years, New Jersey Region I Band for four years, New Jersey Region I Jazz Band for one year, and New Jersey All-State Band for four years. She often placed “first chair” on both alto saxophone and baritone saxophone, and was awarded the Region I Band Scholarship her senior year.

She furthered her studies at Ithaca College, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Education and Saxophone, and where she participated in large ensembles and chamber groups. Margret chose to pursue other interests after her undergraduate degree; she worked in retail for six years, gaining valuable soft skills which she used extensively during her teaching career.

Margret taught high school band for eighteen years, most of which were at her alma mater, West Morris Central High School. In this position, she conducted the Concert Band, the Wind Ensemble, the Jazz Band, the Marching Band, and the award-winning Pit Orchestra for the annual spring musical. She also taught individual and group lessons, Music Theory, Introduction to Piano, and Music Technology. She remained active in the NJ honors band system, assisting at up to four auditions every year and was selected to conduct the Region I Saxophone Ensemble.

Her lifelong passion for learning led her to summer music workshops at Villanova University, her completion of a Master of Letters degree at Drew University, and studies towards her Doctor of Letters degree. During her time at Drew, Margret studied chamber music composition with Dr. Robert Butts, who has premiered two of her compositions. 

Margret remains active musically by teaching private lessons and by singing in the Music Ministry at her church, Saint John Neumann in Califon, where she cantors mass; she also arranges for and co-directs the Handbell Choir. Her other interests include reading, gardening, cooking, watercolor painting, and raising chickens.

She’s excited to bring her varied skills and her love for music to The Piano Workshop at Chester!

Thomas MacFarlane has an extensive resume as an educator, writer, musician and composer. He has written various books and articles on popular music. His research explores connections between music composition, music recording, and human culture. He taught music composition and arts analysis courses at New York University where he also helped create a program in popular music studies.

Ann Majewski was born in Jersey City and began piano lessons at age 7. She studied weekly with Eva Kobren until she enrolled at JCSC or now known as NJCU. She has raised three wonderful children. Mark and Laura are college graduates, and Peter is attending Rutgers in New Brunswick. Ann has devoted her free-time to helping children learn to read music and develop a good habit of practice at the piano. She teaches students of various ages and tries to build a great rapport with them. She is patient and demonstrates how to overcome technical issues at the keyboard. Ann Majewski also accompanies the choir at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Flanders. A good portion of her time is dedicated to playing the keyboard for masses, funerals, weddings, and other church functions. She substitutes as a cantor leading the congregation in song when needed. She is involved with VBS and CCD.

Mrs. Majewski has also taken private lessons with Amy Obra for voice and Andy Wasserman for piano. She hopes to continue her journey of passing on the joy of music to others.

Dan was born and raised in central New Jersey, and began his musical journey at age 7 on the piano, where he took lessons for many years. These laid down a solid foundation for him as he moved on to study electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums among others. As he started to play in different rock bands with friends, he began to focus on the electric bass, and by age 15 was studying upright bass with esteemed classical bass player and local great Nate White. Soon after, he was accepted into the New Jersey Youth Symphony, and played with them for his last three years of high school. In the fall of 2015, Dan started attending Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers for a degree in Music Education. He studied classical bass for two years with Timothy Cobb, the current principal double bassist with the New York Philharmonic. As he began to branch out and play in different styles, he fell in love with jazz and is currently studying with renowned jazz bassist Kenneth Davis. Dan is now finishing his degree in Jazz Studies, teaching music and gigging regularly in various projects. However, his love of the piano never faded and he is excited to continue his musical journey teaching piano.

Gil began his musical career when he founded his band “Spring Fever” in his Freshman Year in High School with a repertoire of Rock and Country Rock music.  He also was involved with the string orchestra playing the violin. His first major performance was for the Danny Thomas telethon in NYC  playing for the St Jude telethon.  In college, he played in an “Elvis” band and other Rockabilly styles of music. In 2008 Gil auditioned for the CBS pilot show “Jingles (A Mark Burnett production) and was flown to Burbank, California to tape the series and performance on the Johnny Carson stage. Gil has also performed at the 8th Avenue Stage in Minneapolis with the his penned  single “Once In A Dream,” and others released on OarFin Records.

 Primary Music teacher of Guitar, Bass, Piano, Mandolin, Ukulele and Violin.  

 Member ASCAP (Amercian Society of Composers and Publishers)  Songwriter and publisher member since 1997. (Dba Willis Gillis Music) Submit compositions and songs to be registered and copyrighted for commercial use. Selected for CBS pilot series “Jingles” (Mark Burnett Productions, Burbank, Ca.-2007)

Aimee’s passion for music began at a very young age and has only grown as time goes on. She has been playing the violin since middle school and played in her school orchestras and string quartet. She also played with the Sussex County Youth Orchestra in Sparta, New Jersey, and is currently an adult mentor with the group. In 2016 she traveled with SCYO on a concert tour of Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Aimee attended New Jersey City University on a full scholarship and was a member of the Honors Program, a group with which she traveled to Germany and Peru. She graduated in 2018 with a degree in Music Education, and currently teaches music and plays with the Hunterdon Symphony Orchestra.

Salomi has been employed by the Piano Workshop for over ten years. She holds a BA in Music Therapy from Montclair State University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from the College of St. Elizabeth.  Salomi has over thirty years’ experience in teaching music private lessons.

In addition to teaching piano and voice, Salomi is the Principal of St. Andrew’s Hellenic Afternoon School and teaches Greek to preschoolers. She also tutors children and adolescents in behavioral health care at a local hospital.

Salomi enjoys working with children and adults of all ages.  Her focus is on teaching music in a student centered and developmentally appropriate manner. Her hobbies include singing with several choirs and volunteering for her church.

Sarah O'Halloren was born and raised in Northwest New Jersey, and has spent the majority of that time creating music! At the age of 8, she began taking piano lessons and continued through college. She played keyboard in her high school's award-winning marching band, danced and sang in her high school's award-winning musicals, and played in the school's wind ensemble. At the University of Delaware, where she earned her B.A. in Communication, she performed in musicals, as well as playing keyboard for the pit orchestras in the university's musicals. She also played the violin in the university's string orchestra!

Whether it's classical piano, swing dancing, musicals, hip-hop, or rock and roll, Sarah loves to be a part of anything musical! Sarah is now in her final year at Montclair State University, where she is working towards her Masters in Teaching. Sarah has a passion for teaching, music, and creating something that brings people together- just what teaching an instrument encompasses!

Overall, Sarah believes that making music should bring you happiness, and that is the true joy of learning an instrument!

Karlie Connery began playing the piano at seven years old, studying various styles, including jazz, contemporary, and pop, with a strong emphasis on classical repertoire. She has participated as a student in the Piano Teachers Forum of Central New Jersey, receiving honors awards and taking part in honors recitals in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023. Additionally, she has been involved in the American College of Musicians National Guild of Piano Teachers Program, performing a repertoire of five to ten memorized pieces each year from the age of eleven to eighteen. She is pursuing an Associate of Fine Arts degree in music at Raritan Valley Community College, studying music theory, piano, voice, and guitar professionally while achieving and maintaining the honors of Dean's List status.

Karlie enjoys collaborating with other musicians and has participated in multiple church choirs, contributing her talents through voice, piano, and guitar. She also enjoys performing with the Bell Choir at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church. In September 2022, Karlie started sharing her passion for music by teaching piano. She loves working with children and aims to instill in them the joy of music. Her approach focuses on fostering musical growth through personalized lesson plans and engaging practice techniques, with a strong emphasis on basic music theory and performance.

Between studying music, participating in choirs, and teaching, Karlie is an avid reader, particularly enjoying historical literature. You can also often find her among the flowers in her garden during the warmer months and spending time with her animal friends on the family farm or working at Goats of Anarchy Farm Animal Sanctuary.