OUR STORY
Welcome to CANARY MUSIC SCHOOL in the heart of DUMBO, Brooklyn where we provide early childhood music classes and piano, guitar, and voice private/semi-private lessons for all levels and ages! Founded by Tomoko Shimizu and Cindy Snell, Canary Music cultivates a collaborative creative environment where music learners from all backgrounds can enjoy, explore, express, and expand their imaginations.
Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Ms. Tomoko has inspired hundreds of early childhood students with her strong foundation of Music Therapy and Piano Performance. Growing up in sunny Southern California, Ms. Cindy has a background in Piano Performance, Education, and Art and two decades of teaching experience. The two met in New York City, where their shared passion for piano and music education led them to become fast friends and professional partners.
Our practice utilizes unique and individualized methods that enhance the students' learning experiences through tailored programs. Our goal is to provide positive, creative and FUN musical experiences to expand the potential in students of all abilities.
We believe that music teaches us important life lessons that we carry with us wherever we go. Musicians learn how to feel, express, and grow through the discipline of daily practice and collaboration with others. Music brings people together through the joy of creative expression, and it is our greatest pleasure to share this gift that lasts a lifetime!
We encourage each Canary Music student to treasure their uniqueness, explore their curiosity, broaden their imagination, and embrace creative self-expression through music and art. We look forward to making beautiful music together!
Welcome to CANARY MUSIC SCHOOL in the heart of DUMBO, Brooklyn where we provide early childhood music classes and piano, guitar, and voice private/semi-private lessons for all levels and ages! Founded by Tomoko Shimizu and Cindy Snell, Canary Music cultivates a collaborative creative environment where music learners from all backgrounds can enjoy, explore, express, and expand their imaginations.
Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Ms. Tomoko has inspired hundreds of early childhood students with her strong foundation of Music Therapy and Piano Performance. Growing up in sunny Southern California, Ms. Cindy has a background in Piano Performance, Education, and Art and two decades of teaching experience. The two met in New York City, where their shared passion for piano and music education led them to become fast friends and professional partners.
Our practice utilizes unique and individualized methods that enhance the students' learning experiences through tailored programs. Our goal is to provide positive, creative and FUN musical experiences to expand the potential in students of all abilities.
We believe that music teaches us important life lessons that we carry with us wherever we go. Musicians learn how to feel, express, and grow through the discipline of daily practice and collaboration with others. Music brings people together through the joy of creative expression, and it is our greatest pleasure to share this gift that lasts a lifetime!
We encourage each Canary Music student to treasure their uniqueness, explore their curiosity, broaden their imagination, and embrace creative self-expression through music and art. We look forward to making beautiful music together!
MISSION & PHILOSOPHY
1. We put a huge emphasis on building healthy, positive, and engaging teacher-student relationships.
2. Not only do we work closely with students, but also with their parents to support and guide them through. We strongly believe that the parents' engagement, involvement, and loving attitude towards music are extremely important.
3. We are passionate music educators rather than musicians. We care and respect every student's uniqueness, learning style, strengths, and needs to carefully tailor individualized programs which are extremely important factors in order to spark interest and skills.
4. We cherish the bond and community that music can build, and strive to support our students' learning journey along with their families.
2. Not only do we work closely with students, but also with their parents to support and guide them through. We strongly believe that the parents' engagement, involvement, and loving attitude towards music are extremely important.
3. We are passionate music educators rather than musicians. We care and respect every student's uniqueness, learning style, strengths, and needs to carefully tailor individualized programs which are extremely important factors in order to spark interest and skills.
4. We cherish the bond and community that music can build, and strive to support our students' learning journey along with their families.
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WHO WE ARE
Tomoko Shimizu Piano/Founder
Tomoko Shimizu is a pianist/piano teacher born in Japan. She strongly believes the importance of understanding each student's uniqueness to design programs in order to motivate students. She provides human-centered, creative, and positive musical experiences created from a collaboration of her backgrounds; piano performance and music therapy.
She began piano at age of five and solfege at age of six, and attended Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo, Japan to study piano performance. During this time, she discovered music therapy. She decided to pursue this after the loss of her music-loving mother. While she majored in Music Therapy at Kurashiki Sakuyo University, Okayama, she participated in Neurologic Music Therapy Clinical Workshop at Colorado State University to deepen the importance of evidence-based scientific studies. After the graduation, she started working as a full-time certified music therapist at a nursing home in Japan to support elderly residents for a memory care, and to improve their quality of life.
In 2009, she entered Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA to pursue her passion for music therapy in the US. While in the college, she won The MIE International Exchange Award, Japan. After the completion of a 6 months clinical internship at a nursing home in Connecticut, she received her B.M. in Music Therapy. In 2014, she moved to New York, and encountered music lessons integrated music therapy to provide for children with all levels and abilities. Music therapy is an evidence-based therapeutic yet educational intervention required many hours working with people with many different disorders, races, ages and abilities to accomplish individual's goals; therefore, it was a quite natural, smooth and fascinating transition for her to start teaching piano and music utilized her music therapy and piano performing backgrounds to exploit students' passion and ability. She has led early childhood music group classes at preschools in Brooklyn, and taught piano at various music schools as well as her private music studio where she quickly became busy.
Tomoko Shimizu is a pianist/piano teacher born in Japan. She strongly believes the importance of understanding each student's uniqueness to design programs in order to motivate students. She provides human-centered, creative, and positive musical experiences created from a collaboration of her backgrounds; piano performance and music therapy.
She began piano at age of five and solfege at age of six, and attended Toho Gakuen School of Music, Tokyo, Japan to study piano performance. During this time, she discovered music therapy. She decided to pursue this after the loss of her music-loving mother. While she majored in Music Therapy at Kurashiki Sakuyo University, Okayama, she participated in Neurologic Music Therapy Clinical Workshop at Colorado State University to deepen the importance of evidence-based scientific studies. After the graduation, she started working as a full-time certified music therapist at a nursing home in Japan to support elderly residents for a memory care, and to improve their quality of life.
In 2009, she entered Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA to pursue her passion for music therapy in the US. While in the college, she won The MIE International Exchange Award, Japan. After the completion of a 6 months clinical internship at a nursing home in Connecticut, she received her B.M. in Music Therapy. In 2014, she moved to New York, and encountered music lessons integrated music therapy to provide for children with all levels and abilities. Music therapy is an evidence-based therapeutic yet educational intervention required many hours working with people with many different disorders, races, ages and abilities to accomplish individual's goals; therefore, it was a quite natural, smooth and fascinating transition for her to start teaching piano and music utilized her music therapy and piano performing backgrounds to exploit students' passion and ability. She has led early childhood music group classes at preschools in Brooklyn, and taught piano at various music schools as well as her private music studio where she quickly became busy.
Cindy Snell Piano/Co-founder
Cindy Snell’s fascination with music came at an early age. One of her fondest memories growing up was of her mother singing around the house, she and her sister joining in, and her father occasionally attempting to join in with his best "soprano" voice... which made them all laugh. There were countless hours of singing and it was something they bonded over.
She remembers walking into a piano store for the first time and being amazed with all the different kinds of pianos on display. She thought being able to play such a beautiful instrument would be the coolest thing in the world and promised her parents, if they bought her a piano, she would practice every day. Even though she was pretty much just banging on the keys, she was convinced she was the next Beethoven. Ms. Snell began her piano studies at the age of five under the tutelage of Akiko Hasunuma, who was head of the Music Teacher’s Association of California. Aside from being an amazing instructor, she was a mentor, a friend, and a second ‘mama’ to all her students. She was the one who presented Ms. Snell with her first teaching opportunity in high school when she asked her to teach some of her younger students while she attended an overseas music conference. That's when Ms. Snell discovered her love for teaching.
Ms. Snell grew up performing in music festivals and competitions across California. In middle school, she learned to play the flute as part of the school band and discovered the joy of performing as part of an ensemble. She was involved in musical theater productions as well as an award-winning show choir. She studied education and art at the University of California Irvine and was involved in after school music programs for underprivileged children who would have otherwise had no access to musical instruments. Ms. Snell has over 15 years of experience as a piano and voice instructor and has taught at CUNY College for Kids, various music schools, as well as her private music studio. She loves seeing the proud faces and smiles of her students when they succeed after putting in hard work, and hopes to spread the joy of music to as many students as possible.
Classes subject to changes
