Shari Shaw

Flute

My students call me Shari and I teach on Mondays and Thursdays.

Request a trial pack of lessons with Shari today!

Shari Shaw received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Stetson University, where she studied with Dr. Jean West. Her other teachers include Shelley Warren, Lea Kibler, and Jane Clare. She has been a private flute and piccolo teacher for 32 years.  She is also a certified K-12 music teacher in the states of New Hampshire and Florida.

A native Floridian, Shari has played with various chamber groups, and for many musicals and events in the Daytona Beach and Southern New Hampshire areas, including Into the Woods, Fiddler on the Roof, Godspell, and Little Me. She was also a soloist at the National Flute Convention in Washington DC. Her students have been accepted to District and All-State bands and ensembles, have received superior marks at Solo and Ensemble Festivals, and have become successful college students.

Shari now enjoys freelancing in the Southern New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts area, performing with the New England Flute Orchestra, and teaching flute and piccolo lessons in her home studio, at Tyngsborough High School, at Milford High School, and now at the Nashua Community Music School.  She also works as a substitute teacher in the Amherst, Merrimack, Milford, and Mont Vernon School Districts.

Marlana Williams

Saxophone, Clarinet, and Early Childhood Education

My students call me Ms. Marlana and I teach on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Click here to request a trial pack of lessons with Marlana today!

Ms. Marlana began studying the saxophone at age ten and she still loves every opportunity to play. She began teaching saxophone and clarinet in 2010 while attending college at UMass Lowell. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education in 2012 and her Master of Community Music Education in 2015. She is certified to teach K-12 music in the state of Massachusetts. She also has been actively performing in different bands since high school - playing genres from free-form rock to hip-hop. In addition to teaching saxophone and clarinet, Ms. Marlana also teaches ukulele and Early Childhood Music Lessons and is a cornerstone curriculum master for many NCMS group classes and summer camp programs. She has also taught group classes for the Real School of Music in Burlington and Andover as well as performed in a variety of settings, including accompanying her students!

Ms. Marlana is an open-minded, caring, and patient instructor, dedicated to helping her students find a love for their instrument. She loves working with students of all ages, from elementary all the way to adult. She is also well-versed in a wide variety of genres including classical, rock, and jazz. She hopes to pass on her dedication and passion of music to her students. In addition to her work at NCMS, she is also a music faculty for Little Sprouts Early Childhood Education Programming throughout MA and NH.

Elizabeth Thorpe

Clarinet & Saxophone

My students call me Betsy and I teach on Thursdays.

Request a trial pack of lessons with Betsy today!

Elizabeth “Betsy” Thorpe, woodwind specialist and performer, received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Music degree in Music Performance, focusing on the clarinet from the University of Lowell.

Ms. Thorpe has performed in Europe on two separate occasions with the American Chamber Winds and the University of New Hampshire Jazz Band. She has been 1st clarinetist with the New England Wind Symphony for the past 28 years and performed at First Night in Boston with the clarinet quartet 4 of 1, in which she was a co-founder. She also co-founded the saxophone quartet A Gathering of Friends. She has been a freelance performer in many venues including theater productions as a woodwind doubler, orchestras, wind symphonies and small ensembles. Her teachers include David Martins, David Seiler, John Fullum of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and Craig Nordstrom of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

She has performed in clarinet master classes with Tom Martin of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and world renowned clarinetist, David Shifrin. She has also studied jazz with Shannon Leclaire of The Berklee College of Music.

Ms. Thorpe has been teaching private instrumental music lessons for over 30 years, and built successful instrumental music programs in the public school systems of New Hampshire.

She believes that education and learning is a lifelong process, and that we all learn from one another. Ms. Thorpe teaches to her students needs and what they want, to have a positive musical experience.

Dr. Karen Luttik  

Clarinet

My students call me Karen and I teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Click here to request a trial pack of lessons with Karen today!

Clarinetist Karen Luttik has taught and performed extensively in Asia, Europe and the United States.  Her work has been praised for its ‘musicality and innovative performance’.   She started her career in Asia as solo clarinetist with the Singapore Symphony during its weekly performances and European tours, recording both western and Asian classics.   She worked in Europe with the solo clarinetist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, transferring to the Wurlitzer clarinet (Reformed Boehm system), famous for its special warm tone and musical versatility.  In the Netherlands, she initiated innovative approaches to chamber music through multimedia performances and recordings with the Aleotti and Delta Trios, and the Kurios Clarinet Quartet.  Conferences provided by MusicaLeren, introduced new audiences at universities and corporations to the beauty, skill sets and disciplines of outstanding classical performance.   Karen’s work with elderly audiences and Asperger students explored the therapeutic benefits of classical music and the practice of clarinet performance. 

Since returning to the US in 2008, Karen has performed with a range of orchestras and ensembles in the region, including the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Cape Cod Symphony, Symphony N.H., Granite State Symphony, the Longfellow Festival Orchestra, Aliento Chamber Players, Classicopia, Vermont Virtuosi and Gateway Trio.

Karen developed her distinctive musical sound and fluid musicality while working with legendary clarinetists Charles Russo (NYC Opera), George Pieterson (Concertgebouw), Jonathan Cohler (Boston based soloist), Michael Wayne (Boston Symphony) and Jorge Montilla (Simón Bolívar Orchestra) during her studies at Manhattan School of Music, Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam, the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, and Longy School of Music in Boston.  Currently recently received her DMA at Boston University, studying with Ethan Sloan and David Martins.

Her passion for making her music speak in new ways has resulted in involvement with Holocaust Memorial events through performances of Messian’s Quartet for the End of Time, and commissions of new multimedia works, focusing on issues of poverty and homelessness. 

She uses BK reeds, handmade by Benno Kruger, in his basement in a small German town, necessitating a regular trip to Germany to hand pick the good ones!

Check out some of Karen's work at her website: karenluttik.com

Chester Brezniak

Guest Clarinet Instructor

Chester has limited spots available on Wednesday 8/14. Please contact us if you’d like to take a lesson with Chester.

Chester Brezniak comes to NCMS as a personal referral by NCMS Clarinet Instructor, Karen Luttik. Chester will bring over 42 years of teaching and professional playing experience.  He currently hold teaching positions at King Philip Regional High School, Ponaganet High School, Harvard University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Clark University, where he has worked with a wide range of students, from beginners through adults.  Chester has a strong history of successful all-state preparation work while providing a positive, but challenging environment.

As a professional performer, his extensive experience includes positions such as Principal Clarinist--Massachusetts Symphony, Former principal with Sao Paolo Symphony, Member Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and Atlanta Symphony. Performances with Uermeer and Muir Quartets, Alea III and many other groups, including a clarinet quartet with Karen Luttik.

Mr. Brezniak holds degrees from Bard College (BA) and New England Conservatory (MM).