Training: KultureCity Sensory Accessibility/Inclusive Training
Paulo Cardozo
Paulo Cardozo was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He is a music historian and oboe player who is passionate about teaching and music. He is also a bookworm, avid moviegoer and dancer.
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Jibril Hakim
Kyle Langlois
Kyle Langlois is a professional musician from Western MA, and a two-time graduate of Berklee College of Music, (BM: Performance in Boston, MA and MM: Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) in Valencia, Spain). Whether focusing on performing, production, songwriting, or education, Kyle lives and breathes music, as his passions pull him to explore all corners of the industry, and to spread his admiration of the arts with everyone and anyone. Personally, Kyle strives to spread positivity and peace, gaining new and invigorating experiences to shape his view of the world, while aiming to be a voice for all.
Currently, Kyle splits his time into different facets of music. He has been performing throughout New England for over a decade, and lately has been involved in the musical theater and pit orchestra scene as a guitarist, bassist and pianist across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Kyle also enjoys writing music and sharing his stories with listeners across the globe; in 2022, his Masters’ Thesis Project at Berklee Valencia consisted of a self-produced album “Fly Now” and a live concert showcasing new arrangements of his original songs. Lastly, Kyle is entering the education field, teaching private guitar and music lessons remotely and in-studio, and getting into his own classrooms in schools and programs in his communities.
Kyle is enthusiastic to share his love for music and education at the Community Music School of Springfield, and he is eager to support you in reaching your musical ambitions! Offering technical skills and instrumental lessons, songwriting and production guidance, and insights into the professional music industry from his own experiences, Kyle aims to prove the Community Music School’s philosophy that “Music is for everyone” through exploration and open creativity!
Learn with me if…
If you are hungry to deeply learn the musical language, inspired to explore different facets of music, and hoping to utilize music to make an impact on your life and those around you!
Kyle’s Student Testimonials
“Kyle makes an effort to get to know my style and goals.” – Stella Bouchard
klanglois@communitymusicschool.comcreate new email
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Nicole Vega
Nicole Vega is a Chilean violinist and passionate music educator whose work bridges the worlds of performance and pedagogy. Originally from Santiago, she has dedicated her career to nurturing young musicians and expanding access to quality music education.
Nicole’s teaching experience spans private instruction, orchestral leadership, and community outreach. While living in Temuco, Chile, she served as the music coordinator at a local high school, where she taught violin, viola, and conducted the school’s beginner orchestra. Her holistic approach to teaching focused on both individual growth and ensemble collaboration. Later, during her graduate studies at Florida State University, she was a member of the university’s graduate string quartet, which collaborated with Sinfonia Gulf Coast to present interactive educational performances in schools across the Destin area—bringing classical music to life through storytelling and audience engagement.
As a performer, Nicole maintains an active presence in both modern and historical performance circles. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at Montclair State University, studying with Mary Ann Mumm, and her Master’s degree at Florida State University, where she was the teaching assistant to Corinne Stillwell. She has performed in festivals such as Campos do Jordão (Brazil), Brevard Music Center (North Carolina), and was recently selected as a fellow for **Sphinx Ignite 2025**.
Nicole has also developed a strong profile in historical performance practice, studying baroque violin with Theresa Salomon and Karin Cuellar, and performing at festivals including Música Antigua FEMUSC (Brazil), Tafelmusik (Canada), Clarion Collegium Week (NYC), Festival de Música Antigua de Medellín (Colombia), Berwick Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival, the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin, and selected as a fellow by ARTEK in NYC in 2025 and 2026. Nicole continues to explore the intersection of education and performance, believing that both are essential to building meaningful, inclusive musical experiences.
Learn with me if…
“You are looking for a way to express yourself other than with words.”
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Regina Krawiec
Regina Krawiec is a soprano born and raised in Springfield, MA. She obtained her BA from Vassar College where she majored in music, studying voice with countertenor Drew Minter. Alongside performing, Regina is deeply interested in vocal pedagogy and firmly believes in approaching vocal technique instruction in an ethical, “no harm done first” manner. Although her primary genre is opera, Regina is also able to perform and teach other vocal styles, including: r&b, pop, musical theatre, gospel, jazz, and so on. She believes in teaching her students a strong foundational technique, which can then be applied to achieve whatever sound they may wish to create. Some of Regina’s best childhood and adolescent memories include taking piano and voice lessons at CMSS, and she is excited to be returning as a voice faculty member. Lastly, Regina is also an actor, and recently performed the role of “Deacon Francis” in The Hanover Theatre Repertory Company’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing.”
Learn with me if…
If you are ready to build a vocal confidence, strong technique, and artistry rooted in joy and authentic self-expression.
Regina’s Student Testimonials
“She gives good clear instructions to help me learn.” – Stella Bouchard
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Ava D’Agostino
Ava D’Agostino is a soprano and music educator with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia and a Master’s degree in Voice Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. With nine years of teaching experience, she has held various roles, including choral director, private voice instructor, and early childhood music educator. She currently teaches private voice at the Community Music School of Springfield and throughout the greater Western Massachusetts area.
As a performer, Ava’s operatic credits include The Fire/Nightingale in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and the Witch/Mother in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.
Learn with me if…
If you are curious about your singing potential, interested in voice technique/how it works, and/or just want to sing to have fun! We can focus on music literacy and learn to sight sing, or focus more on learning repertoire and getting comfortable performing it. In my lessons, it is important to me that my students enjoy the songs they are singing, so whatever genre/song serves your vocal/musical growth while being enjoyable, we can work with it.
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Julia Urbank
Learn with me if…
If you want to build a healthy, sustainable vocal technique that lets you sing your favorite songs.
Julia’s Student Testimonials
“Julia es una profesora excelente y enseña canciones bilingues es muy linda. Nos encantan las clases se nota la planeacion y la transicion de las actividades de la clase es muy divertida . Julia has a great energy es muy alegre.”
“Always on time and keeps the class moving at a steady pace, We love the classes, they are so much fun with a variety of songs, instruments and props”
“Leora loves how Ms. Julia ” goes into the closet” and brings out all kinds of cool musical learning instruments. I love how she engages everyone and creates such a positive, uplifting and comfortable atmosphere perfect for fostering learning and making the kids feel safe to learn and participate!”
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Mae Cooke
Mae Cooke is a New England based Pedal harpist. They have a wide variety of experience with different genres such as atonal, classical, and jazz. A jack of all trades, Cooke enjoys performing, large ensemble, chamber and solo, as well as recording and teaching harp.
Cooke has done lots of large ensemble orchestral work, especially in the Connecticut and Massachusetts area. They have worked with Hartford Symphony on shows like their Sugar Plum Fantasy Cirque holiday performance and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One live film score performance. They have also performed with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra, the Foot in the Door Hartt Ensemble, and several local orchestras.
Mae Cooke also has extensive experience performing in chamber ensembles. They have collaborated with trombonists, flutists, piccoloists, vibraphonists, french horn players, and more. Cooke’s main professional duo is The Sunrise Duet, a collaboration with Flutist Allison Potanovic. The duo has been playing together since their studies at The Hartt School of Music, Dance and Theater. They challenge conventions by performing new music and original arrangements. They recently premiered the avant- garde work “Night Sayings”, commissioned by Talia Berenbaum in 2025.
In addition to performing, Mae Cooke enjoys teaching harp to students of all ages and abilities. At the collegiate level, Mae is the Adjunct Harp Professor at Westfield State University. They are building a program geared for students looking to study harp for music therapy. At Community Music School of Springfield, Cooke teaches harp to students from toddlers to adults. They are also teaching artist with the Prelude Preschool and continue to develop an accessible and fun harp curriculum for preschoolers.
They hold a Masters of Music in Harp Performance at The Hartt School and their Bachelors of Music in Harp Performance and Bachelors of the Arts with Studio Art from Eastman School of Music and University of Rochester. They studied with Kathleen Bride and Susan Knapp Thomas.
Learn with me if…
If you want to explore music with a fun, approachable instrument! Whatever your goals are, whether you want to play jazz, in an orchestra, or just want to create some music, I will work with you to accomplish your goals and while having a good time along the way.
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Care O’Leary
Care O’Leary is a teaching artist in CMSS’ Sonido Musica program. Care is a Hampden county musician who’s been playing violin for over 20 years, After studying music and graduating from Holyoke Community College, they picked up viola and cello as well. While they were classically trained and have played in numerous orchestras and chamber music ensembles over the years, they’ve also branched out into more contemporary music- from folk to avant garde rock to free improvisation. They play in multiple outfits in western MA, and they love to perform, tour and record with their bandmates.
Learn with me if…
If you are curious about violin and all of the different kinds of music you can make with it! I love to explore all genres and collaborate with my students. If you have a song that you love, or an idea of what sort of music you want to try, I can help you with that while we learn our foundational violin techniques and style. We can even write a song!
Care’s Student Testimonials
Explore all faculty and instruments“Care does an amazing job of picking musical pieces that are right for my skill level but also provide the right amount of challenge.”; “Care helps prioritize what you need to work on to help you grow and learn.”- Ethan Burt
Laurie Ellington
Laurie Ellington is a vocalist, conductor, and music educator with over 15 years’ experience leading choruses of all ages. Her 20+ year singing career encompasses work with bands big and small, pop and jazz a cappella groups, musical theatre, and classical choirs in the US, Europe, and Asia. As a conductor, she believes that ensemble singing is one of life’s great pleasures; she believes group singing should be about joy, connection, and creating compelling performances, no matter the repertoire. Laurie holds a B.A. from Harvard and a Master’s in Music Education from Boston Conservatory.
Learn with me if…
If you want to learn how to sing with greater ease and comfort. We can apply your newfound healthy technique to nearly any genre of music you like; I especially love working in jazz, pop, and musical theater.
Laurie’s Student Testimonials
“Laurie radiates enthusiasm and encouragement, always believing in you even when you doubt yourself. Her faith inspires you to give your very best, gently drawing you out of your shell and helping you shine in ways you didn’t know you could.” – Blythe Babjes
“She is able to teach vocal and musical skills at all different levels. She conveys confidence in her singers and encourages us to stretch.” – Laura Derr
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