Professor Dan McGarry, pianist, teacher, and general lover of music, is fully committed to the practice his craft, whether it be through his own playing or through the sharing of knowledge. While his primary focus is on the classical repertoire, he is also proficient in Jazz and Pop styles. To quote Sergei Rachmaninoff “Music is enough for a lifetime, but one lifetime is not enough for music.”

Professor McGarry earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree under Professor’s Veda Zuponcic and Lidia Boguslavsky. He has also studied under the critically acclaimed pianist Raffi Besalyan. Professor McGarry did well as a collegiate student, placing in two state events and one National piano competition, both run by MTNA. He has also held positions as music director at two churches, and taught over a hundred students throughout the years. Currently, Professor McGarry divides his time equally between teaching as an adjunct at Rowan University, giving piano lessons, and practicing.

Teaching piano in the South Jersey area for over a decade, Aaron is an Alumni of the Berklee School of Music of Boston. There he studied music composition for film and television. Mr. Adriano has made his career in surrounding himself in the world of all things music. As a Musician, Mr. Adriano is still active as both a pianist and a composer and take a great deal of time perfecting his craft. As a teacher, Mr. Adriano likes to challenge his students through the study of dynamic repertoire and encouraging their own artistic abilities. Aaron Adriano has availability at the Resonance School of Music where he teachers composing, songwriting and piano lessons.

Robert Thomas graduated Rowan University with a BA in Music Education and has taught piano privately for over two decades. Robert believes a well-rounded curriculum helps students develop a lasting appreciation for the great Classics. As well as building the skills to play the popular songs they enjoy most.

A classically trained pianist, Robert also has many years experience as a church pianist and keyboardist in Rock bands. He currently plays with the 80s Hair-Metal tribute “Arena Gods”

Gwen Hasheian Norton is delighted to join the teaching staff at the Resonance School of Music in 2024 as a voice and piano instructor. Gwen hails from Salem County,  NJ and began her music training in the Pennsville Public School District.  Vocal studies progressed at Rowan University with Dr. Eugene Thamon Simpson,  the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia  with Bill Shuman and post-graduate studies under the tutelage of Laura Brooks Rice at Westminster Choir College.  Gwen holds a doctoral degree (EdD)_from West Virginia University in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy.

Dr. Norton’s formal educational journey was greatly enriched by a performance internship at the Curtis Institute of Music and an opera apprenticeship at the Juilliard Opera Center.  She is committed to being a life-long learner for as long as possible!

She has performed and covered various leading and supporting roles during her career as a dramatic mezzo-soprano with the Merola Tour of the San Francisco Opera,  Chicago Lyric Opera,  New York City Opera,  Dallas Opera,  Opera Company of Philadelphia,  Santa Fe Opera and La Piccola Scala Opera of Rome, Italy, among others.   Over the last three decades,  Gwen has received awards and prizes from the Mario Lanza Foundation,  Marian Anderson Foundation,  Luciano Pavarotti Foundation,  Giargiari Bel Canto Guild,  and the Northeast Regional Council of the Metropolitan Opera.

Her teaching experience in the areas of vocal and instrumental music has included students of all ages and stages throughout the tri-state area.   It has been an absolute privilege to work with ensembles of all types and sizes, as well as solo performers and she plans to continue her teaching in these domains.

A classically trained musician and teacher at Resonance School of Music, Mark teaches Electric and Upright bass, guitar and clarinet. His life long career in music started at the age of 7 with Helen Slavin in Rockaway, New Jersey. Since then he has played clarinet, electric bass, upright bass, and guitar.

Throughout his time as a musician, Mark has studied with Rob Hall in high school and Doug Mapp at Rowan University. In High School Mark was in Marching Band, Jazz Band, Musicals and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. This shaped his abilities and honed in his interest in playing and being a part of the musical world. At Rowan University he achieved a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies for Upright Bass. At that time, he played in the Jazz Band, Lab Band, String Ensemble, and Orchestra, as well as in other ensembles.

Outside of academia Mark has written, recorded and played live for a multitude of groups ranging from folk and jazz to rock and classical. These groups have played in cities all across the country in places like New York City, Nashville, and Denver. Mark has taken all these influences and focused them into teaching to allow students the knowledge and capabilities to play in all styles of music masterfully. Theory and practice are an integral part of playing music and thus are implemented through these lessons.