Testimonials

My son has been studying classical guitar with Joanne Castellani for the past 5 years after transferring from another teacher. We have found this to be a great opportunity to study classical guitar under the direction of Joanne Castellani, a master of this instrument. The studio environment is, intimate, unintimidating and encouraging towards all students….a perfect place to enhance my son’s strengths and develop his musicianship. – Dennis C

Mark began his lessons with Joanne at age 6 and he has been studying with her for the past 7 years. Joanne is amazing at how well she understands Mark’s individual needs on the instrument and knows exactly what will help him to continue developing his skills on the guitar. Joanne gets the most out of every lesson and she always remains positive and very encouraging. We are very appreciative of Mark having this special opportunity to study with Joanne and we are very proud of his success and look forward to his continued progress.

In addition, Joanne provides many musical experiences for students out side of the lessons to perform in and encourages their practice by having them participate in different motivational activities. Joanne promotes the whole musical experience – building the joy of music and the confidence of accomplishments on the guitar. – Mary Ann & Chuck G

Penn came to the Castellani Andriaccio Guitar Studios 2 years ago, interested in studying the classical guitar. In that short span of time, Joanne has prepared him immensely for his auditions at many of the top music schools in the country. Joanne’s instruction in music has been superb. She puts her students at ease, is supportive and creates many opportunities to perform and succeed. We highly recommend the Castellani Andriaccio Guitar Studios for anyone interested in learning the classical guitar. – Nancy W

The skill and confidence I’ve received with Joanne’s instruction has opened up so many awesome opportunities! With Joanne’s help, I performed on the WNED Young Performers Program and I was soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Without her guidance, I wouldn’t be anywhere near the level I’m at now. – Caleb, age 16

Guitar lessons have been great for my son Charles, as he sometimes struggles with attention and lack of focus, but playing an instrument has been great for him. Matt is an excellent teacher and he is wonderful with children and offers just the right amount of thoughtful encouragement mixed with strong expectations of what the student can accomplish! Matt also employs strategies to keep the interest of young students. All developmentally appropriate for the age of his students. The lessons are fun, fast paced and hold the attention of my easily distracted child. – Rachel K

Our son began at age 3 and studied with both Matt & Joanne. Gavin has been challenged through the years and now he has a love for the guitar, with perfect tone and great technique. Through laughter, encouragement and repetition, Gavin has developed into a skilled young musician at only age 8! – Erika M

My son began studying the guitar at age 3 and Matt was focused and committed to learning about what made out son “tick”. Once this was discovered, the teaching style Matt employed was custom to my son and away we went! Under Matt’s direction, William is coming along and learning a new song every few lessons. Matt has been an excellent and professional teacher for our son. – William M

Our daughter Ausra has been with Joanne Castellani for ten years. She has had an incredible experience. Joanne is a compassionate, talented, wonderful human being. Joanne has a special gift for working with young people. She is patient, kind and creative in finding solutions to the everyday stresses of dealings with little ones. Her demeanor is always polite, quiet and calm. In the ten years we have known her, we have never seen her raise her voice in a lesson or at a group class. She has a way of getting squirmy, distracted children back on track without losing her dignity. It is with exceptional praise that I recommend her as a teacher to others. Not only is she an incredibly talented guitarist, well renowned in the guitar world but she is able to convey and share that talent with young people extremely well.

I feel my daughter is a better person having known her. It has made her a well mannered and a more confident young lady. We see it in her guitar playing, but it carries over into her family dinner conversation, her prayer life, and her overall social development. Ausra has had many opportunities to perform solo and with a group. This has helped enhance her poise and confidence. We are very grateful to be associated with the Castellani-Andriaccio Studios. – Adrianne M

The studio provides many musical experiences!

Matt Always strives to instill technique and repertoire, but never fails to understand each student and what motivates them. I appreciate how my son’s playing has improved, but I really love the self-discipline that being a part of this studio has encouraged. The studio has helped my son not only as a musician, but also as a person.

I also like how professional the studio is run and we enjoy the lovely environment inside as well. – Kristin S

Both of our sons began their studies with Joanne at age 4 and our first son is now in his 10th year of study with Joanne. Our sons have grown musically and we believe cognitively during their years of study with her. Both of our sons have experienced playing in a multitude of venues and we believe because of this and her tutelage, they have grown socially and we could not be happier with the return on our investment. We would recommend this studio to anyone who wishes a warm and enriching musical journey with expert guidance from Joanne. – Mark & Cathy C

My daughter studies with Matt and she has acquired an excellent foundation in music and has benefited greatly from the supportive and patient guidance of her teacher. As a parent, I love hearing my daughter master once piece after another, becoming more self-confident each time. The instruction at the Castellani Andriaccio Studio, with Matt is musically superb and encouraging to children – Elizabeth S

I think Ms. Joanne is great because she challenges me and I like to play difficult things. “There is no such thing as a bad day on the guitar”! I also like having group classes because I love playing the guitar in ensembles and coming together with the other guitarists. – Mark , age 13

I have been coming to lessons for the past 10 years and I have gained a lot of experience on the guitar and have grown musically. Lessons always bring something new to learn and each time I not only learn more about the guitar, but about music too. Guitar has been a very big part of my life and I believe that music is an important thing to learn and understand. – Alex, age 13

My son Jack began his studies with Joanne at age 3 ½ and he is now in his 8th year of lessons with her. Jack has had a very positive learning experience with Joanne and he has benefited from guitar studies in many ways – listening skills, self discipline & motivation, setting and reaching goals, playing in ensembles and of course, learning to make beautiful music. Joanne’s relationship with Jack is characterized by encouragement, positive reinforcement, respect, trust and fun! – Suzanne M

I look forward to coming to my lessons with Ms. Joanne. Afterwards, I realize that I learned a lot and I like getting more advanced on the guitar. It’s fun to learn new songs because it makes me feel happy and I think of other happy things. You should learn to play the guitar because you learn a lot and it’s interesting and fun! – Jack, age 12

Jude began his studies with Joanne at age 4 and he is now in his 6th year of lessons. Joanne Castellani is a very gifted teacher who has gotten so much out of Jude. She is able to explain complicated music so that Jude can learn it easily and his progress over the past 6 years has been a joy to watch. Joanne has a wonderful way of helping students to feel relaxed and competent and she is always very positive in all situations. – Ron L.

You should learn to play the guitar because it’s fun!

I like coming to lessons with Ms. Joanne because it is fun time for me and the guitar has helped me mentally for things like learning in school. I also play bass clarinet and it has definitely helped me with that too! – Jude, age 10

I began studying with Ms. Joanne when I was only 4 years old. I am now 13 years old and I am still excited for each lesson at the end of my practice week because I want to hear Ms. Joanne’s feedback. She is extremely encouraging about my playing and also very patient. Ms. Joanne will tell me exactly what to do to make something sound perfect and uses many metaphors and similes, which I also look forward too! Making music and playing the guitar is a very big part of my life. – Frank, age 13

Joanne is wonderful at communicating music concepts to each child, not matter whether they are 5 or 15! She really encourages her students. – Naida R.
I find playing the guitar to be very relaxing and I enjoy coming to lessons because I always come away with something new and Ms. Joanne always challenges me to do better! – Elsa, age 14

I took a chance and had my grand daughter begin guitar at age 6. And with so many activities demanding her time, she selected guitar lessons as a priority. She is now age 11 and has an excellent rapport with her instructor, Matt who continues to motivate her. The musical community in the Castellani Andriaccio Guitar Studios, with the group classes adds positively to the experience of her musical experience. – Carol S.

I love to be a part of ensemble playing because I love to explore different parts in music. – Gabriella age 11

I love to learn new songs and new notes because of their sound – Jacob age 7

This is my tenth year studying classical guitar with Ms. Joanne. Learning with her has been a wonderful experience because she always knows how much she can challenge me to be the best that I can be. Whenever we perform in concerts for school or for parents, people are always impressed by our professionalism (even the younger children). Learning guitar has been valuable for me because it taught me discipline, but more importantly because I love it! – Ausra, age 13

Making music and playing the guitar is a big part of my life.

I like performing in concerts so I can show off the hard work I did. I also like that we work on hard problems in my songs rather than brushing them off. – Max, age 12

Mr. Matt’s patience and creativity makes him a particularly great teacher for young musicians. Our sons’ sense of achievement at learning new skills and new songs has been rewarding to watch. – Elizabeth S.

I like playing fast and changing positions. And…I like learning new notes .
– Constantine, age 6

My son began studying the guitar at age 3 and Matt was focused and committed to learning about what made out son “tick”. Once this was discovered, the teaching style Matt employed was custom to my son and away we went! Under Matt’s direction, William is coming along and learning a new song every few lessons. Matt has been an excellent and professional teacher for our son. – William M

I like to play the guitar because it sounds really good and makes me happy – Gavin, age 8

Vanessa has progressed steadily due to Matt’s patience and relaxed teaching manner. – Robert T

Alex’s teacher, Matt creates a positive learning environment that has helped to foster his love of learning to play the guitar – Christopher P

I like the challenge of playing up and down the fingerboard and being able to play both the melody and accompaniment. If it wasn’t for studying the guitar with Ms. Joanne, I would never have been involved in other musical activities. – Stephanie, age 10

I like that I can play music and make people happy.

Maya began her lessons with Joanne at age 5 and she is now 14 years old. Mayas experience with lessons has been positive and very nourishing. Not only has she learned the classical guitar, but she has and appreciation for all music. Maya still enjoys her lessons and playing the guitar, which is a real testament to the studio and Ms. Joanne. – Lynn W.

The guitar is my way of getting away from the stress of school and everything else. It takes work, but being able to pick up the guitar and play an difficult piece is one of the best feelings. Lessons are helpful, fun, instructive and I always learn something new. – Maya, age 14

My son’s lessons at the Castellani Andriaccio studios have been a very productive musical experience in inspiration and motivation. From a boy who was scared of stages and public performances, Adarsh over the past 6 months has transformed into a confident person who can easily wield his guitar in front of a large audience with flair and confidence. His teacher, Matt , with his incredible patience compassion and his passion for music has been instrumental in inspiring the same in my son. Matt never lets Adarsh get away with a mistake, but patiently makes corrections with great attention to detail. Learning at the studio is truly an experience worth getting involved in. – Jay N

I like going to lessons every week because I feel happy when I learn new songs. Playing music is fun and exciting. – Adarsh, age 9

I like that I can play music and make people happy and I like learning new songs and being challenged at my lessons. – Sophia, age 9

Matt makes every lesson fun and engaging. – Dave C.

I love the rush I get when I am playing all the correct notes. I love having a song learned so well that I can just sit down and play! – Sam, age 11

Joanne has an ability to reach and motivate Rachel. Joanne’s love of music and of the guitar shows in her teaching style. She has sparked a lifelong love of music in Rachel. – Craig S.